Proverbs 3:24

24 If you sit down, you will not panic, and [if] you lie down, then your sleep shall be sweet.

Proverbs 3:24 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 3:24

When thou liest down thou shalt not be afraid
That is, when thou liest down on thy bed at night in order to take sleep, having committed thyself into the hands of a faithful Creator and covenant God and Father, and of Christ the Redeemer and Wisdom of God; thou shalt not be afraid of thieves breaking in to hurt thy person or rob thee of thy property, or of fire to consume thy dwelling and substance, and of nocturnal apparitions and diabolical spectres deceiving thy sight and disturbing thy mind: or when thou art "asleep" ^F5, for so the word also signifies; thou shall not be surprised out of it with any of the above things, or terrified in it with uneasy imaginations, anxious cares, and distressing dreams; yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet;
free of all uneasy thoughts and cares, sound and refreshing, pleasant and comfortable, like that of the labouring man, ( Ecclesiastes 5:12 ) ; see ( Psalms 4:8 ) . This epithet of "sweet" is often given to "sleep" in poetic writings {f}.

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FOOTNOTES:

F5 (bkvt) "dormieris", V. L. "eum dormies", Vatablus.
F6 (glukuv upnov) , Homer. Odyss. 7. v. 289. & 19. v. 511. Theocrit. Idyll. 11. v. 22, 23.

Proverbs 3:24 In-Context

22 They shall be life for your soul and adornment for your neck.

23 Then you will walk in the confidence of your ways, and your foot will not stumble.

24 If you sit down, you will not panic, and [if] you lie down, then your sleep shall be sweet.

25 Do not be afraid of sudden panic, or the storm of wickedness that will come.

26 Yahweh will be {your confidence} and guard your foot from capture.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "fear, dread"