Proverbs 10:4 - Exposition

That dealeth with a stack hand; that is lazy and indolent (comp. Proverbs 6:10 , Proverbs 6:11 ; see on Proverbs 19:15 ). The Septuagint, with a different pointing, reads, "Poverty humbleth a man." The hand of the diligent ( Proverbs 12:24 ) maketh rich. The words for "hand" are different in the two clauses as Wordsworth remarks. The first word is caph , the open, ineffective, hand or palm; the second term is yad , the hand tense and braced for vigorous work. The LXX . introduces a clause here which seems to interfere with the connection: υίος πεπαιοευμένος σοφὸς ἔσται τῷ δὲ ἄφρονι διακόνῳ , χρήσεται , "A well instructed son will be wise. and he will use a fool as his minister;" i.e. he is aide to make even the foolish subserve his ends. The sentence is quoted by St. Augustine, 'De Civil Dei,' Proverbs 16:2 . The Vulgate inserts another paragraph, which is also found in some manuscripts of the Septuagint at Proverbs 9:12 : Qui nititur mendaciis, hic pascit ventos; idem autem ipse sequitur aves volantes, "He who relieth on lies feedeth on the winds, and pursueth flying birds."