---
title: עָצֵל — sluggish · The Tanakh dictionary
description: עָצֵל (6102), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 14 times: sluggish. BDB 1906: adj. sluggish, lazy. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# עָצֵל

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«עָצֵל» in the Tanakh dictionary: **sluggish** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 14 times · **Key:** 6102 · **BDB:** עָצֵל²

### Glosses

a.sluggard (8); O.sluggard (2); of.a.sluggard (2)

### Meaning (OSHB)

sluggish [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1506/6102/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

adj. sluggish, lazy [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1506/6102/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** adj. sluggish, lazy;—always ע׳ abs.;—אִישׁ־ע׳ Pr 24:30; elsewhere subst. sluggard Pr 6:6, 9 + 10 times Pr + הֶע׳ 10:26.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 4 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (2 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (2 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «עָצֵל» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1506/6102/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Proverbs 6:6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PRO.6.6/)

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לֵֽךְ־אֶל־נְמָלָ֥ה עָצֵ֑ל רְאֵ֖ה דְרָכֶ֣יהָ וַחֲכָֽם׃

*Word for word:* go to an.ant O.sluggard consider ways its and become.wise

*JPS 1917:* Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise;

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[Proverbs 6:9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PRO.6.9/)

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עַד־מָתַ֖י עָצֵ֥ל ׀ תִּשְׁכָּ֑ב מָ֝תַ֗י תָּק֥וּם מִשְּׁנָתֶֽךָ׃

*Word for word:* until when? O.sluggard will.you.lie.down when? will.you.rise from sleep your

*JPS 1917:* How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

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- ← previous: [עָצֵל](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/6101.md)
- next →: [עַצְלָה](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/6103.md)
- ↑ back to [ע](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1506-5.md)