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

He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread; But he that followeth after vain persons is void of understanding.

He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that pursueth idleness is very foolish. He that is delighted in passing his time over wine, leaveth a reproach in his strong holds.

He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread; but he that followeth the worthless is void of understanding.

Whoso is tilling the ground is satisfied with bread, And whoso is pursuing vanities is lacking heart,

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

He who does work on his land will not be short of bread; but he who goes after foolish men is without sense.

He that tilleth his ground shall have plenty of bread; But he that followeth after vain things is void of understanding.

Whoever works his land shall be satisfied with bread. But whoever continually pursues leisure is most foolish. Whoever is soothed by lingering over wine leaves behind contempt in his strongholds.

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.

He that tilleth his land - God's blessing will be in the labor of the honest agriculturist.
But he that followeth vain persons - He who, while he should be cultivating his ground, preparing for a future crop, or reaping his harvest, associates with fowlers, coursers of hares, hunters of foxes, or those engaged in any champaign amusements, is void of understanding; and I have known several such come to beggary.
To this verse the Septuagint add the following clause: 'ov estin en oinwn diatribaiv, en toiv eautou ocurwmasi kataleiqei atimian. "He who is a boon companion in banquets, shall leave dishonor in his own fortresses." This has been copied by the Vulgate and the Arabic. That is The man who frequents the ale-house enriches that, while he impoverishes his own habitation.

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.

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.

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

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.

Tilleth - That employs his time in an honest calling. Vain persons - In an idle course of living.