KJV ORIGINAL
So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
So your poverty will come upon you like a traveler on the road, and your need will attack you like an armed robber.
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
This verse warns that laziness will lead to poverty that arrives suddenly and powerfully, catching you off guard.
📚 Historical Context
This verse concludes a passage in Proverbs about the consequences of laziness, specifically referencing someone who loves sleep and won't work. In ancient Israel, travelers and armed men represented unpredictable forces that could appear suddenly and take what you had. The imagery would have been particularly vivid to people in that time who understood the vulnerability of encountering bandits on roads.
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