proverb · Legacy record
In the land of promise a man may die of hunger.
In the land of promise a man may die of hunger.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Dying of hunger in a land of promise contrasts plentiful assurances with absent sustenance. It warns that words alone cannot supply material needs.
What the words are saying
The place image makes the gap severe; the supplied gloss instead focuses on a person suffering for making too many promises. A useful explanation retains the provision contrast without endorsing that shift or predicting an actual death. It can ask what resources are available rather than promised.
Everyday example
A group checks actual provision for an urgent need instead of counting assurances as delivered support.
When to use it
Use it to examine the difference between promised abundance and available help.
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What it does not mean
No literal location, inevitable death or blame for unmet need is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 975; PDF page 136
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.