So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.
So shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth - who actively and steadily advances nearer and nearer his journey's end. So the Vulgate and the Septuagint make it a traveler bent on doing thee evil: a highwayman. So Gesenius. Maurer makes it 'a patrol,' a soldier unexpectedly coming upon thee; to correspond to "an armed man" whom thou canst not repel. The English version is the best. The more thou delayest and sleepest, the more poverty hastens to the. The Piel conjugation in the Hebrew intensifies the signification, 'as one that traveleth strenuously.'
And thy want as an armed man - literally, 'a shielded man;' impetuous, and furnished with arms of defense and offence, whereas thou art unarmed and half asleep (cf. Proverbs 24:34, note).