Proverbs 12:11

He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(11) Vain persons.—Or, things, such as “searching for hid treasures” (Proverbs 2:4).

Benson Commentary

Proverbs 12:11. He that tilleth his land — That employeth his time and strength in an honest calling; shall be satisfied with bread — Shall, through the blessing of God, have food convenient for himself and his family; but he that followeth vain persons — That associates with them, and follows their idle course of living; is void of understanding — Will find at last, by the desperate courses into which they will lead him, that he wants not only bread; but understanding.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

12:10. A godly man would not put even an animal to needless pain. But the wicked often speak of others as well used, when they would not endure like treatment for a single day. 11. It is men's wisdom to mind their business, and follow an honest calling. But it is folly to neglect business; and the grace of God teaches men to disdain nothing but sin. 12. When the ungodly see others prosper by sin, they wish they could act in the same way. But the root of Divine grace, in the heart of the righteous, produces other desires and purposes. 13. Many a man has paid dear in this world for the transgression of his lips.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The contrast is carried on between the life of industry and that of the idle, "vain person" of the "baser sort" (the "Raca" of Matthew 5:22). We might have expected that the second clause would have ended with such words as "shall lack bread," but the contrast goes deeper. Idleness leads to a worse evil than that of hunger.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

11. The idler's fate is the result of indolence and want of principle (Pr 6:32; 7:7).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

That tilleth his land; that employeth his time and strength in an honest calling.

That followeth vain persons; that useth their society and idle course of living.

Is void of understanding; shall through his own folly want bread.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread,.... This was man's work in innocence; this he was doomed to do with the sweat of his brow after his fall; every man has his land to till, or some calling, work, or business, to be employed in, either civil or sacred; and it becomes him to be diligent therein, and such as are shall not want bread, but shall have a sufficiency of it;

but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding: that neglects his business, loiters away his time, spends it in the company of vain, empty, and unprofitable persons; as he shows himself by such a choice that he is void of understanding, or "wants a heart" (s), to improve his time and talents; so before long it is much if he does not want a piece of bread. Thus he that is concerned to have the fallow ground of his heart ploughed up, and righteousness, truth, and holiness, sown therein, that it may bring forth fruit; or who is careful about the welfare and salvation of his immortal soul, and makes diligent use of all means to promote its spiritual good, shall be filled with the bread of life, shall find it and eat it, to the joy and rejoicing of his heart; and, on the contrary, he that associates himself with vain persons, empty of all that is spiritually good, that have only empty notions of religion; or who attend to the profane and vain boastings of antichrist, and all false teachers; and give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, whose words eat as do a canker; these, as they show themselves to want wisdom, so they are and will be brought into starving and famishing circumstances in a spiritual sense. Jarchi interprets the former clause of a man that is studious in his doctrine, that revolves it in his mind, that he may not forget it; and the Arabic version renders the last clause,

"they that run after false demons, their minds are deficient;''

see Revelation 9:20.

(s) "deficiens corde", Pagninus; "carens corde", Montanus; "deficitur corde", Schultens.

Geneva Study Bible

He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

11. vain persons] We may either supply persons, with A.V. and R.V. text: or things, with R.V. marg. and LXX. μάταια, Vulg. sectatur otium, and in accordance with the usage of this Book in following the Heb. verb here employed by an accus. of a thing, Proverbs 11:19, Proverbs 15:9. In the former case the argument expanded will be: To keep bad company argues want of understanding, because it leads not to plenty but to lack of bread. In the latter case we may understand by vain things, idle, useless occupations, thus preserving the contrast to the honest labour of the former clause of the verse.

The LXX. and Vulg. have an interesting addition:

“He that takes pleasure in tarrying long at the wine

Shall leave dishonour in his own stronghold;”

as an example probably of the general principle of the proverb. Comp. Proverbs 21:17.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 11. - A contrast between industry and idleness, repeated at Proverbs 28:19. He that tilleth his land. Agriculture was the first of industries, and always highly commended among the Jews, bringing a sure return to the diligent (Proverbs 10:5; Proverbs 20:4; Proverbs 27:18, 23-27; and Ecclus. 20:28). He that followeth after vain persons; rather, vain things; μάταια, Septuagint, empty, useless employments, profitless business, in contrast to active labour on the land. The Vulgate renders, qui sectatur otium, "he who studieth ease;" but the original, reikim, will not bear this meaning. Is void of understanding; he not only, as is implied, will be reduced to poverty, but shows moral weakness and depravity. The Septuagint and Vulgate here introduce a paragraph not found in our Hebrew text: "He who takes pleasure (ὅς ἐστιν ἡδύς) in carouses of wine will leave disgrace in his strongholds (ὀχυρώμασι)" (Isaiah 28:7, 8; Habakkuk 2:16). Probably this verse is derived from the following, with some corruption of the text. Proverbs 12:11

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

11 He that tilleth his own ground is satisfied with bread,

     And he that followeth after vain pursuits is devoid of understanding.

Yet more complete is the antithetic parallelism in the doublette, Proverbs 28:19 (cf. also Sir. 20:27a). The proverb recommends the cultivation of the field as the surest means of supporting oneself honestly and abundantly, in contrast to the grasping after vain, i.e., unrighteous means of subsistence, windy speculations, and the like (Fl.). ריקים are here not persons (Bertheau), but things without solidity and value (lxx μάταια; Aquila, Theodotion, κενά), and, in conformity with the contrast, not real business. Elsewhere also the mas. plur. discharges the function of a neut. noun of multitude, vid., נגידים, principalia, Proverbs 8:6, and זדים, Psalm 19:14 - one of the many examples of the imperfect use of the gender in Hebr.; the speaker has in ריקים, vana et inania, not אנשׁים (Judges 9:4), but דברים (Deuteronomy 32:47) in view. The lxx erroneously at Proverbs 28:19, and Symmachus and Jerome at both places understand ריקים of slothfulness.