Proverbs 6 · Verse 11

Proverbs 6:11

So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.
Proverbs 6:11, King James Version

Proverbs 6:11 in other translations

BSBand poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.
WEBso your poverty will come as a robber, and your scarcity as an armed man.
ASVSo shall thy poverty come as a robber, And thy want as an armed man.
YLTAnd thy poverty hath come as a traveller, And thy want as an armed man.
DARBYSo shall thy poverty come as a roving plunderer, and thy penury as an armed man.
BBEThen loss will come on you like an outlaw, and your need like an armed man
WebsterSo shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth, and thy want as an armed man.

What does Proverbs 6:11 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
11. and the fruits of their self-indulgence and indolence presented. as ... travelleth--literally, "one who walks backwards and forwards," that is, a highwayman. armed man--that is, one prepared to destroy.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth - That is, with slow, but surely approaching steps. Thy want as an armed man - That is, with irresistible fury; and thou art not prepared to oppose it. The Vulgate, Septuagint, and Arabic add the following clause to this verse: - "But if thou wilt be diligent, thy harvest shall be as a fountain; and poverty shall flee far away from thee." It is also thus in the Old MS. Bible: If forsothe unslow thou shul ben; shul comen as a welle thi rip; and nede fer shal fleen fro thee.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Proverbs 6:6-11

Diligence in business is every man's wisdom and duty; not so much that he may attain worldly wealth, as that he may not be a burden to others, or a scandal to the church. The ants are more diligent than slothful men. We may learn wisdom from the meanest insects, and be shamed by them. Habits of indolence and indulgence grow upon people. Thus life runs to waste; and poverty, though at first at a distance, gradually…

Read the full comment on Proverbs 6:6-11 →

Proverbs 6:11 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וּבָֽא\־u.va'-and it will comeH935
כִמְהַלֵּ֥ךְkhim.ha.Lekhlike a travelerH1980
רֵאשֶׁ֑ךָre.She.khapoverty yourH7389
וּ֝מַחְסֹֽרְךָ֗u.mach.so.re.khaand lack yourH4270
כְּאִ֣ישׁke.'Ishlike a man ofH376
מָגֵֽן\׃\ \פma.GenshieldH4043

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Proverbs 6:11

  • Proverbs 13:4

    The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.

  • Proverbs 20:4

    The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.

  • Proverbs 10:4

    He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.

  • Proverbs 24:34

    So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
10:4; 13:4; 20:4

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Proverbs 6:10

    Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

  • Proverbs 6:11

    So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.

  • Proverbs 6:12

    A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.

Read all of Proverbs 6

Proverbs 6:11 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Así vendrá tu necesidad como caminante, y tu pobreza como hombre de escudo.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		et ta pauvreté viendra comme un voyageur, et ton dénuement comme un homme armé.
German
Elberfelder 1871		und deine Armut wird kommen wie ein rüstig Zuschreitender, und deine Not wie ein gewappneter Mann.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		et veniet tibi quasi viator egestas, et pauperies quasi vir armatus. Si vero impiger fueris, veniet ut fons messis tua, et egestas longe fugiet a te.