a.tsel describes a person marked by inaction, neglected work, and the resulting lack or impairment.

The adjective consistently identifies a person whose inactivity appears in neglected work, refusal to act, or failure to follow through: plowing is not done, hands do not act, and even a hand placed in a dish is not brought back to the mouth. The verses also portray the consequences of such conduct in unmet desire, an unproductive field, and harm to those who send that person.

1. A person marked by inactive neglect · dominant

   The masculine singular absolute form identifies the person in clauses depicting failure to act: in Proverbs 20:4 the APB renders that he does not plow and later finds nothing at harvest, while in Proverbs 21:25 it renders that his hands refuse to act. In Proverbs 19:24 and Proverbs 26:15, the hand-in-the-dish image portrays an extreme failure to complete even a simple movement; Proverbs 13:4 associates desire with obtaining nothing.

   Proverbs 20:4Proverbs 21:25Proverbs 19:24Proverbs 26:15Proverbs 13:4Proverbs 24:30

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB usually presents the person as “the sluggard,” while Proverbs 13:4 uses “the sluggish.” These labels are best read as its presentation of the verse-level portrait rather than as fixed equivalents in every clause.