Irritation
Commonplace –
“As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him” (Proverbs 10:26).
Vinegar and smoke: my mouth puckers and my eyes water thinking of them. Those irritants are the same today as they were when Solomon lived, and they conjure up the same reactions. Similarly, the reaction the sluggard elicits from those around him are the same today as they were back then, he brings irritation. A lazy person is difficult to deal with, whether it is at work or at home. Matthew Henry notes, “A slothful servant…provokes [his employer’s] passion, as vinegar sets the teeth on edge, and occasions [his employer] to grief to see his business neglected and undone, as smoke sets the eyes a weeping.
Works Cited
Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs 10:26.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.
Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.
© 2025 Angela Hormberg
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