עָצֵל
Indolent
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What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
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What does עָצֵל (atsel) mean in the Bible?
עָצֵל (atsel) is a Hebrew word meaning "indolent". indolent BDB: sluggish Usage: slothful, sluggard. The sluggard is a recurring figure in Proverbs representing irresponsible living.
Meaning
Moral passivity and deliberate avoidance of work; sluggardness as spiritual-practical vice in wisdom literature.
indolent BDB: sluggish Usage: slothful, sluggard.
Why This Word Matters
The sluggard is a recurring figure in Proverbs representing irresponsible living. Proverbs 10:26
The sluggard symbolizes a moral failure to act responsibly. Proverbs 6:6-11
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Biblical Occurrences
Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.
Showing 8 of 14 occurrences in the biblical text.