Proverbs 16:26

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

The appetite of the laboring man laboreth for him; For his mouth urgeth him [thereto].

Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

נֶ֣פֶשׁ עָ֭מֵל עָ֣מְלָה לּ֑וֹ כִּֽי־אָכַ֖ף עָלָ֣יו פִּֽיהוּ׃

Transliteration

nepeš ʿāmēl ʿāmᵉlāh for-him for ʾākap on-him pîhû

Grammar Details

*nepeš*: noun, feminine, singular construct - soul/appetite of
*ʿāmēl*: verb, Qal participle, masculine singular - laborer/worker
*ʿāmᵉlāh*: verb, Qal perfect, 3rd feminine singular - labors/toils
*lô*: preposition with 3rd masculine singular suffix - for him
*kî*: conjunction - for/because
*ʾākap*: verb, Qal perfect, 3rd masculine singular - urges/presses
*ʿālāyw*: preposition with 3rd masculine singular suffix - on him
*pîhû*: noun, masculine, singular with 3rd masculine singular suffix - his mouth

Word Meanings

*ʿāmēl*: laborer/worker/toiler
*ʿāmᵉlāh*: labors/toils/works hard
*ʾākap*: urges/presses/compels

ℹ️

About this Translation

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

Formal EquivalenceSource: American Standard VersionBest for: Word studies and original-language research

🎯 Translation Approach

A highly literal, word-for-word translation (ASV, 1901) augmented with Strong's numbering to connect English words to underlying Hebrew and Greek terms for study.

Word-for-word

5/5

Readability

2/5

💎 Distinctive Features

Integrated Strong's numbering: Links English terms to underlying Hebrew and Greek words for deeper lexical study.
Formal equivalence: Prioritizes close alignment with source-language forms and structures.
Divine name rendering: Frequently renders the Tetragrammaton as Jehovah in the Old Testament, following ASV tradition.
Study-focused formatting: Optimized for reference and research rather than casual reading.

✅ Strengths

High fidelity to original languages
Includes Strong's numbers for precise word study
Consistent lexical choices aid exegesis
Stable, longstanding scholarly text

⚠️ Considerations

Archaic language reduces readability
Older textual basis compared to some modern translations
Strong's numbers are a concordance index, not full lexical definitions

👥 Who is this for?

Ideal for

Pastors and teachers
Seminary students
Serious Bible students
Readers conducting word studies
Those referencing Hebrew/Greek tools

Consider alternatives for

Casual readers
Children and early teens
ESL learners seeking simple English
Readers preferring contemporary language

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Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

Eccl 6:7 : 7 All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.
1 Thess 4:11-12 : 11 and that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your {G2398} hands, even as we charged you; 12 that ye may walk becomingly toward them that are without, and may have need of nothing.
2 Thess 3:8-9 : 8 neither did we eat bread for nought at any man's hand, but in labor and travail, working night and day, that we might not burden any of you: 9 not because we have not the right, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you, that ye should imitate us. 10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, {G3754} If any will not work, neither let him eat. 11 For we hear of some that walk among you disorderly, that work not at all, but are busybodies. 12 Now them that are such we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
Prov 9:12 : 12 If thou art wise, thou art wise for thyself; And if thou scoffest, thou alone shalt bear it.
Prov 14:23 : 23 In all labor there is profit; But the talk of the lips [tendeth] only to penury.

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

Eccl 6:7
81%
7All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.
Prov 21:25-26
2 verses
75%
25The desire of the sluggard killeth him; For his hands refuse to labor.
26There is that coveteth greedily all the day long; But the righteous giveth and withholdeth not.
Prov 14:23
75%
23In all labor there is profit; But the talk of the lips [tendeth] only to penury.
Prov 13:4
73%
4The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.
Prov 10:16
73%
16The labor of the righteous [tendeth] to life; The increase of the wicked, to sin.
Prov 28:19
73%
19He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread; But he that followeth after vain [persons] shall have poverty enough.
Prov 13:11
73%
11Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished; But he that gathereth by labor shall have increase.
2 Tim 2:6
73%
6The husbandmen that laboreth must be the first to partake of the fruits.
Prov 12:11
73%
11He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread; But he that followeth after vain [persons] is void of understanding.
Eccl 3:9
73%
9What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboreth?
Prov 16:25
72%
25There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, But the end thereof are the ways of death.
Prov 12:14
72%
14A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth; And the doings of a man's hands shall be rendered unto him.
Prov 19:15
72%
15Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; And the idle soul shall suffer hunger.
Prov 26:15
72%
15The sluggard burieth his hand in the dish; It wearieth him to bring it again to his mouth.
Prov 16:27
72%
27A worthless man deviseth mischief; And in his lips there is as a scorching fire.
1 Tim 5:18
71%
18For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn. And, The laborer is worthy of his hire.
Eccl 5:12
71%
12The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much; but the fulness of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.
Prov 10:4
71%
4He becometh poor that worketh with a slack hand; But the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
Prov 18:20
71%
20A man's belly shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth; With the increase of his lips shall he be satisfied.
John 6:27
71%
27Work not for the food which perisheth, but for the food which abideth unto eternal life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him the Father, even God, hath sealed.
Prov 12:27
71%
27The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting; But the precious substance of men [is to] the diligent.
Eccl 2:21-22
2 verses
71%
21For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, and with knowledge, and with skilfulness; yet to a man that hath not labored therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.
22For what hath a man of all his labor, and of the striving of his heart, wherein he laboreth under the sun?
Prov 13:2
71%
2A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth; But the soul of the treacherous [shall eat] violence.
Job 20:18
70%
18That which he labored for shall he restore, and shall not swallow it down; According to the substance that he hath gotten, he shall not rejoice.
Eccl 4:8
70%
8There is one that is alone, and he hath not a second; yea, he hath neither son nor brother; yet is there no end of all his labor, neither are his eyes satisfied with riches. For whom then, [saith he], do I labor, and deprive my soul of good? This also is vanity, yea, it is a sore travail.
Gal 6:4-5
2 verses
70%
4But let each man prove his own work, and then shall he have his glorying in regard of himself alone, and not of his neighbor.
5For each man shall bear his own burden.
Ps 128:2
70%
2For thou shalt eat the labor of thy hands: Happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.
Eccl 2:24-25
2 verses
70%
24There is nothing better for a man [than] that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.
25For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I?
Eccl 4:5-6
2 verses
70%
5The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.
6Better is a handful, with quietness, than two handfuls with labor and striving after wind.
Prov 21:5
70%
5The thoughts of the diligent [tend] only to plenteousness; But every one that is hasty [hasteth] only to want.
Prov 6:8
70%
8Provideth her bread in the summer, And gathereth her food in the harvest.
1 Cor 9:7
69%
7What soldier ever serveth at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not the fruit thereof? Or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?
Eccl 5:18
69%
18Behold, that which I have seen to be good and to be comely is for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy good in all his labor, wherein he laboreth under the sun, all the days of his life which God hath given him: for this is his portion.
Prov 13:25
69%
25The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul; But the belly of the wicked shall want.
Eccl 5:16
69%
16And this also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that he laboreth for the wind?
Prov 23:4
69%
4Weary not thyself to be rich; Cease from thine own wisdom.
Prov 22:16
69%
16He that oppresseth the poor to increase his [gain], [And] he that giveth to the rich, [shall come] only to want.
Isa 55:2
69%
2Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
Prov 1:19
69%
19So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; It taketh away the life of the owners thereof.
Prov 6:11
69%
11So shall thy poverty come as a robber, And thy want as an armed man.
Hag 1:6
69%
6Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages [to put it] into a bag with holes.
Prov 18:9
69%
9He also that is slack in his work Is brother to him that is a destroyer.
2 Thess 3:10
69%
10For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, {G3754} If any will not work, neither let him eat.
Prov 20:4
69%
4The sluggard will not plow by reason of the winter; Therefore he shall beg in harvest, and have nothing.
Prov 19:24
69%
24The sluggard burieth his hand in the dish, And will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.