Neville Goddard on Proverbs 26:13-16 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Proverbs 26 in context

Scripture Focus

13The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets.

14As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed.

15The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom; it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth.

16The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason.

Proverbs 26:13-16

Biblical Context

Proverbs 26:13-16 exposes laziness as self-delusion: we imagine lions in the way, linger in bed, and trust clever excuses rather than take decisive action.

Neville's Inner Vision

Consider the man who calls a lion in the street to justify staying idle. In Neville's view, the outer world is a mirror of inner state. The 'lion' is fear, habit, and the stubborn belief that movement is dangerous or unnecessary. The door turning on its hinges is your mind’s looping—thoughts that keep you in the same place because you have not formed a new image of yourself. When the slothful hand hides in the bosom, it is your life-force held back by an inner voice that says, 'I cannot.' Yet you are the I AM, the awareness that can imagine and thereby become. The seven wise men of conscience in the verse are your old rationalizations; their arguments dissolve when you insist on a fresh conviction. The remedy is not to battle the lion but to imagine the state you desire and dwell in it until it feels real. When you assume the feeling of the wish fulfilled, action flows and the inner lion fades away.

Practice This Now

Close your eyes tonight and imagine the door swinging open with ease, you stepping forward into your goal, and the lion dissolving into mist. Then anchor the scene with a simple affirmation that you are already the active, vibrant self you seek to be and feel it in your chest.