עָצֵל14 H6102
Sluggard, lazy person; one who avoids work and suffers want, a stock character in Proverbs' wisdom teaching.
An adjective used substantively to denote the habitually lazy person, the 'atsel appears exclusively in Proverbs as one of the sages' favorite foils. The ant sermon of Proverbs 6:6-9 addresses the sluggard directly -- 'Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways and be wise' -- setting up a contrast between industrious nature and human indolence that echoes across the book. The sluggard's path is overgrown with thorns (15:19), his cravings go unfulfilled (13:4; 21:25-26), and he is as irritating as vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes for anyone who relies on him (10:26). Spanish 'perezoso' and German 'Fauler' both capture the characteristic idleness, while French 'paresseux' adds a note of the habitual that suits this figure well.
Senses
1. the sluggard — A sluggard or chronically lazy person, used as a stock character in wisdom instruction. All fourteen occurrences appear in Proverbs, where the 'atsel is held up as a negative example: addressed directly in the call to learn from the ant (Prov 6:6, 9), described as annoying to those who send him (10:26), craving but gaining nothing (13:4; 21:25), finding his path blocked by thorns (15:19), and offering absurd excuses to avoid leaving his house (22:13; 26:13-16). His field lies overgrown and his walls are broken down (24:30). 14×
AR["أَيُّهَا-الْكَسُولُ", "الْكَسُولُ", "الْكَسْلانُ", "الْكَسْلانِ", "كَسولٌ", "كَسولٍ", "كَسْلانٍ", "وَ-الْكَسْلانُ"]·ben["অলস", "অলসের", "এবং-অলস", "সেই-অলস", "হে-অলস"]·DE["Fauler", "der-Fauler", "und-Fauler"]·EN["O-sluggard", "and-the-sluggard", "is-the-sluggard", "sluggard", "the-sluggard"]·FR["et-paresseux", "le-paresseux", "paresseux"]·heb["ה-עצל", "ו-עצל", "עצל"]·HI["आलसी", "आलसी-का", "आलसी-की", "आलसी-के", "और-आलसी"]·ID["dan-pemalas", "orang-malas", "pemalas"]·IT["e-pigro", "il-pigro", "pigro"]·jav["hé-tiyang-kèsèd", "kesèd", "lan-tiyang-kesèd", "tiyang-kesèd", "tiyang-kèsèd"]·KO["게으른", "게으른-자-는", "게으른-자-야", "게으른-자-의", "게으른-자는", "그렇게-게으른-자는"]·PT["e-preguiçoso", "o-preguiçoso", "preguiçoso"]·RU["и-ленивец", "ленивец,", "ленивого", "ленивый"]·ES["el-perezoso", "oh-perezoso", "perezoso", "y-el-perezoso"]·SW["mvivu", "na-mvivu", "ni-mvivu", "ya-mvivu"]·TR["ey-tembel", "tembel", "tembeldir", "tembelin", "ve-tembel"]·urd["اور-سُست", "سست", "سست-کی", "سُست", "سُست-کی", "سُست-کے"]
Prov 6:6, Prov 6:9, Prov 10:26, Prov 13:4, Prov 15:19, Prov 19:24, Prov 20:4, Prov 21:25, Prov 22:13, Prov 24:30, Prov 26:13, Prov 26:14 (+2 more)
Related Senses
H2896a 1. good (quality or moral) (305×)H7563 1. wicked person (259×)H7451c 1. moral evil or wickedness (234×)H5771 1. iniquity, sin, wrongdoing (222×)H6662 1. righteous person (substantive) (195×)G0266 1. sin, failure, transgression (173×)H2403b 1. sin, transgression (170×)H2617a 1. Covenant faithfulness, steadfast love (167×)H2398 1. Qal: to sin, commit sin (165×)H6666 1. righteousness, moral uprightness (145×)G5485 1. grace, divine favor (141×)H7451a 1. morally evil, wicked (129×)H2403b 2. sin-offering, sacrifice for sin (120×)G2570 1. good, right, excellent (98×)H6588 1. transgression, offense against God (88×)G0018 1. good (moral quality) (85×)H2896b 1. good, what is good (85×)H7451b 1. evil, wickedness (moral) (83×)H7451a 2. evil, harm, calamity (80×)G1342 1. righteous, upright (of persons) (70×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
עָצֵל14 adj. sluggish, lazy;—always ע׳ abs.;—אִישׁ־ע׳ Pr 24:30; elsewhere subst. sluggard Pr 6:6, 9 + 10 times Pr + הֶע׳ 10:26.