What does Proverbs 12:27 mean?

This verse again contrasts the lazy person and the hard worker. The phrasing used here is awkward to translate, leading to several possibilities. The difficulty here is a Hebrew word typically translated "roast," but which isn't used anywhere else in the Bible. The person depicted might be so idle that they don't even cook the food they catch. Alternately, the point may be that they're too sluggish to seek out food, or prey, so they go hungry, instead. Either phrase, "to hunt" or "to roast" is a possible translation of the word in question.

Paul addressed the sin of laziness in his second letter to the Thessalonians. He counseled the church not to contribute to a person's laziness by including him in the church's welfare program. He said, "If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies" (2 Thessalonians 3:10–11).

By contrast, Solomon predicts that the hard-working person will obtain wealth. A common English proverb is that "money does not grow on trees" (Proverbs 6:6). Scripture includes the idea that hardworking people can still suffer loss (Job 1:20–21), and that evil people sometimes seem to prosper (Psalm 73:2–3; Habakkuk 1:2–4). And yet, the general case is exactly what this verse states: laziness pulls a person towards poverty, while hard work moves them in the right direction (Proverbs 10:4).