Proverbs 23:34

34 And thou shalt be as one sleeping in the midst of the sea, and as a pilot fast asleep when the stern is lost.

Proverbs 23:34 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 23:34

Yea, thou shall be as he that lieth down in the midst of the
sea
Not in the open sea, and the waves of it, there fluctuating and tossed about; nor in an island encompassed by sea; but in a ship at sea, a drunken man reels and tumbles about, just as a ship does at sea; hence the motions and agitations of it, and of the men in it, are compared to the reeling and staggering of a drunken man, ( Psalms 107:26 Psalms 107:27 ) ; or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast:
where the motion is the greatest. Or all this may be expressive of the dangers which a drunkard is exposed unto, and of his stupidity and insensibility; for though he is in as great danger as one in the circumstances described, in a storm at sea, yet is not sensible of it; which agrees with what follows.

Proverbs 23:34 In-Context

32 But in the end, it will bite like a snake, and will spread abroad poison like a basilisk.

33 Thy eyes shall behold strange women, and thy heart shall utter perverse things.

34 And thou shalt be as one sleeping in the midst of the sea, and as a pilot fast asleep when the stern is lost.

35 And thou shalt say: They have beaten me, but I was not sensible of pain: they drew me, and I felt not: when shall I awake and find wine again?