That dealeth with a stack hand; that is lazy and indolent (comp. Proverbs 6:10, Proverbs 6:11; see on Proverbs 19:15). The Septuagint, with a different pointing, reads, "Poverty humbleth a man." The hand of the diligent (Proverbs 12:24) maketh rich.
The words for "hand" are different in the two clauses as Wordsworth remarks. The first word is caph, the open, ineffective, hand or palm; the second term is yad, the hand tense and braced for vigorous work.
The LXX. introduces a clause here which seems to interfere with the connection: υίος πεπαιοευμένος σοφὸς ἔσται τῷ δὲ ἄφρονι διακόνῳ, χρήσεται, "A well instructed son will be wise. and he will use a fool as his minister;" i.
e. he is aide to make even the foolish subserve his ends. The sentence is quoted by St. Augustine, 'De Civil Dei,' Proverbs 16:2. The Vulgate inserts another paragraph, which is also found in some manuscripts of the Septuagint at Proverbs 9:12: Qui nititur mendaciis, hic pascit ventos; idem autem ipse sequitur aves volantes, "He who relieth on lies feedeth on the winds, and pursueth flying birds."