20:4

This proverb is an implied warning against laziness.

4a The slacker does not plow in season;

4b at harvest time he looks, but nothing is there.

The second line describes the unfortunate results of not doing necessary work at the right time. This work is described in the first line.

20:4a

The slacker does not plow in season: This clause describes a lazy farmer. This lazy man does not plow his field at the right time to prepare it for planting the seed.

plow: In the eastern Mediterranean culture, to plow (or “plough”) meant to use a sharply pointed wooden tool to break up the soil before planting seeds. A plow was usually pulled by an ox or a donkey. The farmer held the plow in order to keep it going in a straight line.