Proverbs 22:13 (DRB)

Passage

The slothful man saith: There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the midst of the streets.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 22:11 He that loveth cleanness of heart, for the grace of his lips shall have the king for his friend.

Proverbs 22:12 The eyes of the Lord preserve knowledge: and the words of the unjust are overthrown.

Proverbs 22:13 The slothful man saith: There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the midst of the streets.

Proverbs 22:14 The mouth of a strange woman is a deep pit: he whom the Lord is angry with, shall fall into it.

Proverbs 22:15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, and the rod of correction shall drive it away.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "slothful", "saith", "lion", "without", "shall", "slain", "midst", and "streets". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "slothful" and "saith", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "The eyes of the Lord preserve knowledge..." into verse 14's "The mouth of a strange woman is...", so "slothful" and "saith" belong inside that flow. In Proverbs context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "slothful" and "saith" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.