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Romans 12

Rom. 12:11 KJV (With Strong’s)

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11

Not slothful in businessu; ferventv in spirit; servingw the Lord;

u

Acts 20:34‑35• ³⁴Yourselves know that these hands have ministered to my wants, and to those who were with me.
³⁵I have shewed you all things, that thus labouring we ought to come in aid of the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. (Acts 20:34‑35)

v

Col. 4:12• ¹²Epaphras, who is one of you, the bondman of Christ Jesus, salutes you, always combating earnestly for you in prayers, to the end that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. (Col. 4:12)

w

Heb. 12:28• ²⁸Wherefore let us, receiving a kingdom not to be shaken, have grace, by which let us serve God acceptably with reverence and fear. (Heb. 12:28)

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Spirit

Cross References

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Ministry on This Verse

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slothful.

Ex. 5:17• ¹⁷And he said, Ye are idle, idle! therefore ye say, Let us go and sacrifice to Jehovah. (Ex. 5:17)

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Prov. 6:6‑9• ⁶Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways and be wise:
⁷which having no chief, overseer, or ruler,
⁸provideth her bread in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
⁹How long, sluggard, wilt thou lie down? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? (Prov. 6:6‑9)

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Prov. 10:26• ²⁶As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him. (Prov. 10:26)

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Prov. 13:4• ⁴A sluggard's soul desireth and hath nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat. (Prov. 13:4)

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Prov. 18:9• ⁹He also who is indolent in his work is brother of the destroyer. (Prov. 18:9)

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Prov. 22:29• ²⁹Hast thou seen a man diligent in his work? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before the mean. (Prov. 22:29)

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Prov. 24:30‑34• ³⁰I went by the field of a sluggard, and by the vineyard of a man void of understanding;
³¹and lo, it was all grown over with thistles, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and its stone wall was broken down.
³²Then I looked, I took it to heart; I saw, I received instruction:
³³--A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest!
³⁴So shall thy poverty come as a roving plunderer, and thy penury as an armed man. (Prov. 24:30‑34)

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Prov. 26:13‑16• ¹³The sluggard saith, There is a fierce lion in the way; a lion is in the midst of the streets!
¹⁴As the door turneth upon its hinges, so the sluggard upon his bed.
¹⁵The sluggard burieth his hand in the dish: it wearieth him to bring it again to his mouth.
¹⁶A sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men that answer discreetly. (Prov. 26:13‑16)

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Eccl. 9:10• ¹⁰Whatever thy hand findeth to do, do with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, whither thou goest. (Eccl. 9:10)

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Isa. 56:10• ¹⁰His watchmen are all of them blind, they are without knowledge; they are all dumb dogs that cannot bark, dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber: (Isa. 56:10)

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Matt. 25:26• ²⁶And his lord answering said to him, Wicked and slothful bondman, thou knewest that I reap where I had not sowed, and gather from where I had not scattered; (Matt. 25:26)

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Acts 20:34‑35• ³⁴Yourselves know that these hands have ministered to my wants, and to those who were with me.
³⁵I have shewed you all things, that thus labouring we ought to come in aid of the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. (Acts 20:34‑35)

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Eph. 4:28• ²⁸Let the stealer steal no more, but rather let him toil, working what is honest with his hands, that he may have to distribute to him that has need. (Eph. 4:28)

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1 Thess. 4:11‑12• ¹¹and to seek earnestly to be quiet and mind your own affairs, and work with your own hands, even as we charged you,
¹²that ye may walk reputably towards those without, and may have need of no one. (1 Thess. 4:11‑12)

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2 Thess. 3:6‑12• ⁶Now we enjoin you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw from every brother walking disorderly and not according to the instruction which he received from us.
⁷For ye know yourselves how ye ought to imitate us, because we have not walked disorderly among you;
⁸nor have we eaten bread from any one without cost; but in toil and hardship working night and day not to be chargeable to any one of you:
⁹not that we have not the right, but that we might give ourselves as an example to you, in order to your imitating us.
¹⁰For also when we were with you we enjoined you this, that if any man does not like to work, neither let him eat.
¹¹For we hear that there are some walking among you disorderly, not working at all, but busybodies.
¹²Now such we enjoin and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, that working quietly they eat their own bread. (2 Thess. 3:6‑12)

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1 Tim. 5:13• ¹³And, at the same time, they learn also to be idle, going about to people's houses; and not only idle, but also gossipers and meddlers, speaking things not becoming. (1 Tim. 5:13)

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Heb. 6:10‑11• ¹⁰For God is not unrighteous to forget your work, and the love which ye have shewn to his name, having ministered to the saints, and still ministering.
¹¹But we desire earnestly that each one of you shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end; (Heb. 6:10‑11)

fervent.

Matt. 24:12• ¹²and because lawlessness shall prevail, the love of the most shall grow cold; (Matt. 24:12)

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Acts 18:25• ²⁵He was instructed in the way of the Lord, and being fervent in his spirit, he spoke and taught exactly the things concerning Jesus, knowing only the baptism of John. (Acts 18:25)

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Col. 4:12‑13• ¹²Epaphras, who is one of you, the bondman of Christ Jesus, salutes you, always combating earnestly for you in prayers, to the end that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
¹³For I bear him witness that he labours much for you, and them in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis. (Col. 4:12‑13)

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James 5:16• ¹⁶Confess therefore your offences to one another, and pray for one another, that ye may be healed. The fervent supplication of the righteous man has much power. (James 5:16)

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1 Peter 1:22• ²²Having purified your souls by obedience to the truth to unfeigned brotherly love, love one another out of a pure heart fervently; (1 Peter 1:22)

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1 Peter 4:8• ⁸but before all things having fervent love among yourselves, because love covers a multitude of sins; (1 Peter 4:8)

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Rev. 2:4• ⁴but I have against thee, that thou hast left thy first love. (Rev. 2:4)

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Rev. 3:15‑16• ¹⁵I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; I would thou wert cold or hot.
¹⁶Thus because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spue thee out of my mouth. (Rev. 3:15‑16)

serving.

1 Cor. 7:22• ²²For the bondman that is called in the Lord is the Lord's freedman; in like manner also the freeman being called is Christ's bondman. (1 Cor. 7:22)

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Eph. 6:5‑8• ⁵Bondmen, obey masters according to flesh, with fear and trembling, in simplicity of your heart as to the Christ;
⁶not with eye-service as men-pleasers; but as bondmen of Christ, doing the will of God from the soul,
⁷serving with good will as to the Lord, and not to men;
⁸knowing that whatever good each shall do, this he shall receive of the Lord, whether bond or free. (Eph. 6:5‑8)

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Col. 3:22‑24• ²²Bondmen, obey in all things your masters according to flesh; not with eye-services, as men-pleasers, but in simplicity of heart, fearing the Lord.
²³Whatsoever ye do, labour at it heartily, as doing it to the Lord, and not to men;
²⁴knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the recompense of the inheritance; ye serve the Lord Christ. (Col. 3:22‑24)

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Col. 4:1• ¹Masters, give to bondmen what is just and fair, knowing that *ye* also have a Master in the heavens. (Col. 4:1)

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Titus 2:9‑10• ⁹bondmen to be subject to their own masters, to make themselves acceptable in everything; not gainsaying;
¹⁰not robbing their masters, but shewing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the teaching which is of our Saviour God in all things. (Titus 2:9‑10)

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Heb. 12:28• ²⁸Wherefore let us, receiving a kingdom not to be shaken, have grace, by which let us serve God acceptably with reverence and fear. (Heb. 12:28)

• “Not slothful in business” is a misleading translation, as it really does not refer to man’s business. Rather, it pertains in general to all of our Christian opportunities for serving the Lord. See the J. N. Darby (JND) translation of this verse. (“Help on Hard Verses” by A.C. Brown)

• It should be translated, "As to diligent zealousness, not slothful; in spirit fervent, serving the Lord." This is an exhortation to serving the Lord with commitment and energy, because it is possible to become neglectful in the work of the Lord. (“Practical Righteousness Toward Fellow-Believers: Romans 12:9-16” by B. Anstey)

J. N. Darby Translation

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11

as to diligent zealousness, not slothful; in spiritb fervent; servingc the Lord.

JND Translation Notes

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b

Or "by the Spirit." See Note at ch. 8.9.

c

The word means "to serve as a bondman" douleuo. It is different from the words used for service in ver. 1 (which is from latreuo), and for service in ver. 7 (which is from diakoneo). See 1 Cor. 4.1.

W. Kelly Translation

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11

in diligence not slothful, in spirit fervent, serving the Lorda;

WK Translation Notes

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a

I see no good reason here for taking the dative as a mere case of relation like so many others in the context, and for rendering it "as to the Lord, obedient or engaged in His service." The common construction as the complement of the participle seems to me more exact and simpler.