A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,
Parallel translations
- WEB A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
- KJV Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
- NKJV A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep—
- NASB “A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest,”
- NLT A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A little more sleep, a little more folded-hand rest—small indulgences mock the sluggard's excuses. Tiny delays add up to ruin.
Overview
This verse echoes the sluggard's own soothing self-talk that always wants just a bit more rest. The repeated 'a little' mimics how laziness justifies itself in small, harmless-seeming increments. It sets up the sudden poverty described in the next verse, warning that habitual delay carries real cost.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Prov 24:33–34A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,
- Prov 6:6Walk in the manner of the ant, O slacker; observe its ways and become wise.
- Prov 23:33–34Your eyes will see strange things, and your mind will utter perversities.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 6:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.