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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Proverbs 4:16 For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; they are deprived of slumber until they make someone fall.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-16.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/1/20_Pro_04_16.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Proverbs 4:16 - A Father's Instruction" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; they are deprived of slumber until they make someone fall." /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="/vmenus/proverbs/4-16.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmc/proverbs/4-16.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="/">Bible</a> > <a href="/proverbs/">Proverbs</a> > <a href="/proverbs/4.htm">Chapter 4</a> > Verse 16</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div><div id="ad1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/ad16.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/proverbs/4-15.htm" title="Proverbs 4:15">◄</a> Proverbs 4:16 <a href="/proverbs/4-17.htm" title="Proverbs 4:17">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#audio" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Audio Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Cross </a> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Study Bible"> Study </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Heb </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/proverbs/4.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/proverbs/4.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />For they cannot rest until they do evil; they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/proverbs/4.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />For evil people can’t sleep until they’ve done their evil deed for the day. They can’t rest until they’ve caused someone to stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/proverbs/4.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/proverbs/4.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; they are deprived of slumber until they make someone fall.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/proverbs/4.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause <i>some</i> to fall.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/proverbs/4.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />For they do not sleep unless they have done evil; And their sleep is taken away unless they make <i>someone</i> fall.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/proverbs/4.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; And they are robbed of sleep unless they make <i>someone</i> stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/proverbs/4.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; And they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/proverbs/4.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; And they are robbed of sleep unless they make <i>someone</i> stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/proverbs/4.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />For they do not sleep unless they do evil; And they are robbed of sleep unless they make <i>someone</i> stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/proverbs/4.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />For the wicked cannot sleep unless they do evil; And they are deprived of sleep unless they make someone stumble <i>and</i> fall.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/proverbs/4.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />For they can’t sleep unless they have done what is evil; they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/proverbs/4.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />For they can&#8217t sleep unless they have done what is evil; they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/proverbs/4.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />For they sleep not, except they do evil; And their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/proverbs/4.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />They can't sleep or rest until they do wrong or harm some innocent victim. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/proverbs/4.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/proverbs/4.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />Wicked people cannot sleep unless they do wrong, and they are robbed of their sleep unless they make someone stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/proverbs/4.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />Wicked people cannot sleep unless they have done something wrong. They lie awake unless they have hurt someone. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/proverbs/4.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />For they cannot sleep unless they are doing evil, and they are robbed of their sleep unless they cause someone to stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/proverbs/4.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; they are deprived of slumber until they make someone fall.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/proverbs/4.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />For they cannot sleep unless they cause harm; they are robbed of sleep until they make someone stumble. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/proverbs/4.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />For they do not sleep, unless they do evil. Their sleep is taken away, unless they make someone fall.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/proverbs/4.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/proverbs/4.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />For they don’t sleep unless they do evil. Their sleep is taken away, unless they make someone fall. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/proverbs/4.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />For they do not sleep if they do no evil, "" And their sleep has been taken away violently, "" If they do not cause [some] to stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/proverbs/4.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> For they sleep not if they do not evil, And their sleep hath been taken violently away, If they cause not some to stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/proverbs/4.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />For they slept not, if they shall not do evil; and their sleep was taken away, if they shall not cause to falter.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/proverbs/4.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />For they sleep not except they have done evil: and their sleep is taken away unless they have made some to fall. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/proverbs/4.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />For they do not sleep, unless they have done evil. And their sleep is quickly taken away from them, unless they have overthrown.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/proverbs/4.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />For they cannot rest unless they have done evil; if they do not trip anyone they lose sleep. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/proverbs/4.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/proverbs/4.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />For they do not sleep until they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away until their evil devices are carried out.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/proverbs/4.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />They do not sleep until they do evil and their sleep flees away until they do their desires.<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/proverbs/4.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />For they sleep not, except they have done evil; And their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/proverbs/4.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />For they cannot sleep, unless they have done evil: their sleep is taken away, and they rest not.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/proverbs/4-16.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kpUA5ZltBeQ?start=677" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/proverbs/4.htm">A Father's Instruction</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">15</span>Avoid it; do not travel on it. Turn from it and pass on by. <span class="reftext">16</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/3588.htm" title="3588: kî (Conj) -- That, for, when. ">For</a> <a href="/hebrew/3808.htm" title="3808: lō (Adv-NegPrt) -- Not. Or lowi; or loh; a primitive particle; not; by implication, no; often used with other particles.">they cannot</a> <a href="/hebrew/3462.htm" title="3462: yiš·nū (V-Qal-Imperf-3mp) -- To sleep. A primitive root; properly, to be slack or languid, i.e. sleep; also to grow old, stale or inveterate.">sleep</a> <a href="/hebrew/518.htm" title="518: ’im- (Conj) -- If. A primitive particle; used very widely as demonstrative, lo!">unless</a> <a href="/hebrew/3808.htm" title="3808: lō (Adv-NegPrt) -- Not. Or lowi; or loh; a primitive particle; not; by implication, no; often used with other particles."></a> <a href="/hebrew/7489.htm" title="7489: yā·rê·‘ū (V-Hifil-Imperf-3mp) -- A primitive root; properly, to spoil; figuratively, to make good for nothing, i.e. Bad.">they do evil;</a> <a href="/hebrew/1497.htm" title="1497: wə·niḡ·zə·lāh (Conj-w:: V-Nifal-ConjPerf-3fs) -- To tear away, seize, rob. A primitive root; to pluck off; specifically to flay, strip or rob.">they are deprived</a> <a href="/hebrew/8142.htm" title="8142: nā·ṯām (N-fsc:: 3mp) -- Sleep. Or shena; from yashen; sleep.">of slumber</a> <a href="/hebrew/518.htm" title="518: ’im- (Conj) -- If. A primitive particle; used very widely as demonstrative, lo!">until</a> <a href="/hebrew/3808.htm" title="3808: lō (Adv-NegPrt) -- Not. Or lowi; or loh; a primitive particle; not; by implication, no; often used with other particles."></a> <a href="/hebrew/3782.htm" title="3782: yiḵ·šō·lū (V-Hifil-Imperf-3mp) -- To stumble, stagger, totter. A primitive root; to totter or waver; by implication, to falter, stumble, faint or fall.">they make someone fall.</a> </span><span class="reftext">17</span>For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/36-4.htm">Psalm 36:4</a></span><br />Even on his bed he plots wickedness; he sets himself on a path that is not good; he fails to reject evil.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/micah/2-1.htm">Micah 2:1</a></span><br />Woe to those who devise iniquity and plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they accomplish it because the power is in their hands.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/57-20.htm">Isaiah 57:20-21</a></span><br />But the wicked are like the storm-tossed sea, for it cannot be still, and its waves churn up mire and muck. / “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/3-15.htm">Romans 3:15-17</a></span><br />“Their feet are swift to shed blood; / ruin and misery lie in their wake, / and the way of peace they have not known.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/59-7.htm">Isaiah 59:7-8</a></span><br />Their feet run to evil; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are sinful thoughts; ruin and destruction lie in their wake. / The way of peace they have not known, and there is no justice in their tracks. They have turned them into crooked paths; no one who treads on them will know peace.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/job/15-35.htm">Job 15:35</a></span><br />They conceive trouble and give birth to evil; their womb is pregnant with deceit.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/23-13.htm">Matthew 23:13</a></span><br />Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/14-10.htm">Jeremiah 14:10</a></span><br />This is what the LORD says about this people: “Truly they love to wander; they have not restrained their feet. So the LORD does not accept them; He will now remember their iniquity and punish them for their sins.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ephesians/4-18.htm">Ephesians 4:18-19</a></span><br />They are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts. / Having lost all sense of shame, they have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity, with a craving for more.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/10-7.htm">Psalm 10:7-8</a></span><br />His mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and violence; trouble and malice are under his tongue. / He lies in wait near the villages; in ambush he slays the innocent; his eyes watch in stealth for the helpless.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_thessalonians/5-7.htm">1 Thessalonians 5:7</a></span><br />For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/3-19.htm">John 3:19-20</a></span><br />And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. / Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/7-14.htm">Psalm 7:14</a></span><br />Behold, the wicked man travails with evil; he conceives trouble and births falsehood.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_peter/2-14.htm">2 Peter 2:14</a></span><br />Their eyes are full of adultery; their desire for sin is never satisfied; they seduce the unstable. They are accursed children with hearts trained in greed.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/proverbs/1-16.htm">Proverbs 1:16</a></span><br />For their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed blood.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/proverbs/1-16.htm">Proverbs 1:16</a></b></br> For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/psalms/36-4.htm">Psalm 36:4</a></b></br> He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way <i>that is</i> not good; he abhorreth not evil.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/isaiah/57-20.htm">Isaiah 57:20</a></b></br> But the wicked <i>are</i> like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/proverbs/3-30.htm">Cause</a> <a href="/proverbs/4-11.htm">Caused</a> <a href="/proverbs/4-14.htm">Evil</a> <a href="/psalms/127-1.htm">Except</a> <a href="/proverbs/4-12.htm">Fall</a> <a href="/psalms/140-9.htm">Mischief</a> <a href="/psalms/119-61.htm">Robbed</a> <a href="/proverbs/3-24.htm">Sleep</a> <a href="/psalms/132-4.htm">Slumber</a> <a href="/psalms/34-12.htm">Someone</a> <a href="/proverbs/1-11.htm">Someone's</a> <a href="/proverbs/4-12.htm">Stumble</a> <a href="/psalms/127-1.htm">Unless</a> <a href="/psalms/118-13.htm">Violently</a> <a href="/proverbs/3-30.htm">Wrong</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/proverbs/4-19.htm">Cause</a> <a href="/proverbs/7-21.htm">Caused</a> <a href="/proverbs/4-24.htm">Evil</a> <a href="/ecclesiastes/2-12.htm">Except</a> <a href="/proverbs/4-19.htm">Fall</a> <a href="/proverbs/6-14.htm">Mischief</a> <a href="/proverbs/17-12.htm">Robbed</a> <a href="/proverbs/6-4.htm">Sleep</a> <a href="/proverbs/6-4.htm">Slumber</a> <a href="/proverbs/11-26.htm">Someone</a> <a href="/leviticus/3-1.htm">Someone's</a> <a href="/proverbs/4-19.htm">Stumble</a> <a href="/isaiah/1-9.htm">Unless</a> <a href="/ecclesiastes/5-8.htm">Violently</a> <a href="/proverbs/8-36.htm">Wrong</a><div class="vheading2">Proverbs 4</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/proverbs/4-1.htm">persuades to wisdom</a></span><br><span class="reftext">14. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/proverbs/4-14.htm">and to show wickedness</a></span><br><span class="reftext">20. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/proverbs/4-20.htm">He exhorts to sanctification</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/proverbs/4.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/proverbs/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/proverbs/4.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>For they cannot sleep unless they do evil;</b><br>This phrase highlights the compulsive nature of the wicked, suggesting that their actions are not merely choices but necessities driven by their corrupt nature. In biblical context, this reflects the pervasive influence of sin, as seen in <a href="/genesis/6-5.htm">Genesis 6:5</a>, where every inclination of the human heart was only evil all the time. The inability to rest without committing evil acts underscores the depth of their moral depravity. This can be contrasted with the peace and rest promised to the righteous, as seen in <a href="/psalms/4-8.htm">Psalm 4:8</a>, where the faithful can lie down and sleep in safety. The phrase also echoes the idea of spiritual bondage, where sin becomes a master, as Paul describes in <a href="/romans/6-16.htm">Romans 6:16</a>.<p><b>they are deprived of slumber until they make someone fall.</b><br>This part of the verse emphasizes the destructive intent of the wicked, who find satisfaction in causing harm to others. The cultural context of ancient Israel viewed sleep as a divine gift and a sign of God's favor, as seen in <a href="/psalms/127-2.htm">Psalm 127:2</a>. The deprivation of sleep here symbolizes a restless pursuit of malevolence, contrasting with the peace granted to those who follow God's ways. The phrase "make someone fall" can be connected to the broader biblical theme of stumbling blocks, as warned against in <a href="/leviticus/19-14.htm">Leviticus 19:14</a> and further elaborated by Jesus in <a href="/matthew/18-6.htm">Matthew 18:6</a>, where causing others to sin is severely condemned. This reflects the moral responsibility individuals have towards one another, highlighting the antithesis of love and community that the wicked embody.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_wicked.htm">The Wicked</a></b><br>This verse refers to those who are characterized by evil actions and intentions. In the context of Proverbs, the wicked are often contrasted with the righteous, highlighting the moral and ethical divide between those who follow God's wisdom and those who do not.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/s/solomon.htm">Solomon</a></b><br>Traditionally attributed as the author of Proverbs, Solomon is known for his wisdom. He provides these teachings as guidance for living a life that honors God.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_path_of_wisdom.htm">The Path of Wisdom</a></b><br>While not directly mentioned in this verse, the broader context of <a href="/bsb/proverbs/4.htm">Proverbs 4</a> contrasts the path of wisdom with the path of wickedness, urging the reader to choose the former.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/t/the_nature_of_wickedness.htm">The Nature of Wickedness</a></b><br>Wickedness is not just an occasional act but a consuming lifestyle that disrupts peace and rest.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_importance_of_guarding_one's_heart.htm">The Importance of Guarding One's Heart</a></b><br>As believers, we must be vigilant in guarding our hearts against the influence of evil, recognizing that sin can become a consuming force.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_contrast_with_righteous_living.htm">The Contrast with Righteous Living</a></b><br>The righteous find peace and rest in God, contrasting with the restless pursuit of evil by the wicked.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_consequences_of_sin.htm">The Consequences of Sin</a></b><br>Sin leads to a lack of true rest and fulfillment, highlighting the need for repentance and turning towards God.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_call_to_choose_wisdom.htm">The Call to Choose Wisdom</a></b><br>Proverbs urges us to choose the path of wisdom, which leads to life and peace, over the path of wickedness.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_proverbs_4.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Proverbs 4</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/bible's_view_on_time_management.htm">What does the Bible teach about managing time?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/does_proverbs_16_4_imply_god_created_evil.htm">Proverbs 16:4 states God made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for a day of disaster--doesn't this suggest a divine origin for evil, conflicting with the idea of a just and loving God?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/why_does_god_allow_injustice_to_persist.htm">In Psalm 94:9, it says God hears and sees all; why then do injustices appear to persist unchecked in our world?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what_are_the_seven_deadly_sins.htm">What are the seven deadly sins?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/proverbs/4.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(16) <span class= "bld">For they sleep not </span>. . .--The practice of evil has become as it were a second nature to them, they cannot live without it.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/proverbs/4.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 16.</span> - This verse exhibits the extreme depravity and debasement into which "the wicked" (<span class="accented">r'shaim</span>) and "the evil" (<span class="accented">raim</span>) of ver. 14 have fallen. Their sins are not sins of frailty, but arise from premeditation and from their insatiable desire to commit wickedness. Sin has become to them a kind of second nature, and, unless they indulge in it, sleep is banished from their eyes. <span class="cmt_word">They sleep not;</span> <span class="accented">lo-yish'nu</span>, future of <span class="accented">yashan</span>, "to fall asleep;" the future here being used for the present, as is frequently the case in the Proverbs, and denoting a permanent condition or habit. <span class="cmt_word">Unless they cause some to fall;</span> <span class="accented">i.e.</span> "unless they have betrayed others into sin," taking the verb in an ethical sense (Zockler), or, which is preferable, owing to ver. 16<span class="accented">a</span>, unless they have done them some injury (Mercerus); Vulgate, <span class="accented">nisi supplantaverint.</span> For the Khetib <span class="accented">yik'shulu</span>, kal, which would mean "unless they have stumbled or fallen," the Keri substitutes the hiph. <span class="accented">yak'shihi</span> "unless they have caused some to fall." The hiph. is found without any object, as here, in <a href="/2_chronicles/25-8.htm">2 Chronicles 25:8</a>). (On the verb <span class="accented">khasal</span>, from which it is derived, see ch. 4:12.) With the statement of the verse we may compare David's complaint of the persistent persecution of his enemies (<a href="/psalms/59-15.htm">Psalm 59:15</a>), "If they be not satisfied, then will they stay all night" (margin). A similar construction to the one before us occurs in Virgil: "Et si non aliqua nocuisses, mortuus esses" - "And had you not, by some means or other done him an injury, you would have died" ('Eclog.,' 3:15); cf. also Juvenal: "Ergo non aliter poterit dormire; quibusdam somnum rixa facit" - "Therefore, not otherwise, would he have slept; contention to some produces sleep." Hitzig rejects vers. 16 and 17 against all manuscript authority. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/proverbs/4-16.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">For</span><br /><span class="heb">כִּ֤י</span> <span class="translit">(kî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunction<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3588.htm">Strong's 3588: </a> </span><span class="str2">A relative conjunction</span><br /><br /><span class="word">they cannot</span><br /><span class="heb">לֹ֣א</span> <span class="translit">(lō)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adverb - Negative particle<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3808.htm">Strong's 3808: </a> </span><span class="str2">Not, no</span><br /><br /><span class="word">sleep</span><br /><span class="heb">יִֽ֭שְׁנוּ</span> <span class="translit">(yiš·nū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3462.htm">Strong's 3462: </a> </span><span class="str2">To be slack, languid, sleep, to grow old, stale, inveterate</span><br /><br /><span class="word">unless</span><br /><span class="heb">אִם־</span> <span class="translit">(’im-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunction<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_518.htm">Strong's 518: </a> </span><span class="str2">Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not</span><br /><br /><span class="word">they do evil,</span><br /><span class="heb">יָרֵ֑עוּ</span> <span class="translit">(yā·rê·‘ū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7489.htm">Strong's 7489: </a> </span><span class="str2">To spoil, to make, good for, nothing, bad</span><br /><br /><span class="word">they are deprived</span><br /><span class="heb">וְֽנִגְזְלָ֥ה</span> <span class="translit">(wə·niḡ·zə·lāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive perfect - third person feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1497.htm">Strong's 1497: </a> </span><span class="str2">To pluck off, to flay, strip, rob</span><br /><br /><span class="word">of slumber</span><br /><span class="heb">שְׁ֝נָתָ֗ם</span> <span class="translit">(nā·ṯām)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_8142.htm">Strong's 8142: </a> </span><span class="str2">Sleep</span><br /><br /><span class="word">until</span><br /><span class="heb">אִם־</span> <span class="translit">(’im-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunction<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_518.htm">Strong's 518: </a> </span><span class="str2">Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not</span><br /><br /><span class="word">they make someone fall,</span><br /><span class="heb">יַכְשִֽׁילוּ׃</span> <span class="translit">(yaḵ·šî·lū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3782.htm">Strong's 3782: </a> </span><span class="str2">To totter, waver, to falter, stumble, faint, fall</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/proverbs/4-16.htm">Proverbs 4:16 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/proverbs/4-16.htm">Proverbs 4:16 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/proverbs/4-16.htm">Proverbs 4:16 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/proverbs/4-16.htm">Proverbs 4:16 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/proverbs/4-16.htm">Proverbs 4:16 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/proverbs/4-16.htm">Proverbs 4:16 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/proverbs/4-16.htm">Proverbs 4:16 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/proverbs/4-16.htm">Proverbs 4:16 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/proverbs/4-16.htm">Proverbs 4:16 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/proverbs/4-16.htm">Proverbs 4:16 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/proverbs/4-16.htm">OT Poetry: Proverbs 4:16 For they don't sleep unless they do (Prov. Pro Pr) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/proverbs/4-15.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Proverbs 4:15"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Proverbs 4:15" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/proverbs/4-17.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Proverbs 4:17"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Proverbs 4:17" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>