Everyday life
Sleep in the Bible
34 passages of the Berean Standard Bible, line by line, from Nave’s Topical Bible.
Sayings
- He gives sleep to His belovedPs 127:2
The verses
Ps 127:2In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for bread to eat— for He gives sleep to His beloved.
- “I will lie down and sleep in peace”Ps 4:8, Ps 3:5
- When you rest, your sleep will be sweetProv 3:24
The verses
Prov 3:24When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you rest, your sleep will be sweet.
- The worker sleeps sweetly; the rich man’s abundance permits no sleepEccl 5:12
The verses
Eccl 5:12The sleep of the worker is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich man permits him no sleep.
- Do not love sleep, or you will grow poorProv 20:13
The verses
Prov 20:13Do not love sleep, or you will grow poor; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of food.
- “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands”Prov 6:9–10, Prov 24:33
The verses
Prov 6:9–10How long will you lie there, O slacker? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,
Prov 24:33A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,
- Laziness brings on deep sleepProv 19:15
The verses
Prov 19:15Laziness brings on deep sleep, and an idle soul will suffer hunger.
- The Protector of Israel will neither slumber nor sleepPs 121:4
The verses
Ps 121:4Behold, the Protector of Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
- Elijah taunts the prophets of Baal: perhaps he is sleeping1 Kgs 18:27
The verses
1 Kgs 18:27At noon Elijah began to taunt them, saying, “Shout louder, for he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or occupied, or on a journey. Perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened!”
- A vow: no sleep until a dwelling for the LORD is foundPs 132:3–5
The verses
Ps 132:3–5“I will not enter my house or get into my bed, I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
Examples
- Adam falls into a deep sleepGen 2:21
The verses
Gen 2:21So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he slept, He took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the area with flesh.
- Abram falls into a deep sleep as the sun setsGen 15:12
The verses
Gen 15:12As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and suddenly great terror and darkness overwhelmed him.
- Jacob sleeps with a stone under his headGen 28:11
The verses
Gen 28:11On reaching a certain place, he spent the night there because the sun had set. And taking one of the stones from that place, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep.
- Jacob: frost by night, and sleep fled from my eyesGen 31:40
The verses
Gen 31:40As it was, the heat consumed me by day and the frost by night, and sleep fled from my eyes.
- Jael kills Sisera as he sleeps from exhaustionJudg 4:21
The verses
Judg 4:21But as he lay sleeping from exhaustion, Heber’s wife Jael took a tent peg, grabbed a hammer, and went silently to Sisera. She drove the peg through his temple and into the ground, and he died.
- Delilah lulls Samson to sleep on her lapJudg 16:19
The verses
Judg 16:19And having lulled him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his head. In this way she began to subdue him, and his strength left him.
- Boaz sleeps by the grain heap; at midnight he finds RuthRuth 3:7–8
The verses
Ruth 3:7–8After Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then Ruth went in secretly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. At midnight, Boaz was startled, turned over, and there lying at his feet was a woman!
- David takes the spear and water jug from sleeping Saul1 Sam 26:7, 1 Sam 26:12
The verses
1 Sam 26:7That night David and Abishai came to the troops, and Saul was lying there asleep in the inner circle of the camp, with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. And Abner and the troops were lying around him.
1 Sam 26:12So David took the spear and water jug by Saul’s head, and they departed. No one saw them or knew about it, nor did anyone wake up; they all remained asleep, because a deep sleep from the LORD had fallen on them.
- Ish-bosheth is killed during his midday nap2 Sam 4:5
The verses
2 Sam 4:5Now Rechab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, set out and arrived at the house of Ish-bosheth in the heat of the day, while the king was taking his midday nap.
- Elijah falls asleep under a broom tree1 Kgs 19:5
The verses
1 Kgs 19:5Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.”
- Sleepless Xerxes has the royal records read to himEsth 6:1
The verses
Esth 6:1That night sleep escaped the king; so he ordered the Book of Records, the Chronicles, to be brought in and read to him.
- Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams: sleep escaped himDan 2:1
The verses
Dan 2:1In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that troubled his spirit, and sleep escaped him.
- Darius cannot sleep while Daniel is with the lionsDan 6:18
The verses
Dan 6:18Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting. No entertainment was brought before him, and sleep fled from him.
- Jonah sleeps below deck through a stormJonah 1:5
The verses
Jonah 1:5The sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the ship’s cargo into the sea to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down to the lowest part of the vessel, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.
- Jesus sleeps on a cushion in the stern during a stormMatt 8:24, Mark 4:38, Luke 8:23
The verses
Matt 8:24Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was engulfed by the waves; but Jesus was sleeping.
Mark 4:38But Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him and said, “Teacher, don’t You care that we are perishing?”
Luke 8:23As they sailed, He fell asleep, and a windstorm came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.
- The disciples fall asleep in GethsemaneMatt 26:40–43, Luke 22:45
The verses
Matt 26:40–43Then Jesus returned to the disciples and found them sleeping. “Were you not able to keep watch with Me for one hour?” He asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” A second time He went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cup cannot pass unless I drink it, may Your will be done.” And again Jesus returned and found them sleeping—for their eyes were heavy.
Luke 22:45When Jesus rose from prayer and returned to the disciples, He found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow.
- Peter sleeps in prison between two soldiersActs 12:6
The verses
Acts 12:6On the night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, with sentries standing guard at the entrance to the prison.
- Eutychus dozes off as Paul talks and falls from a windowActs 20:9
The verses
Acts 20:9And a certain young man named Eutychus, seated in the window, was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell from the third story and was picked up dead.
Sources
From Nave’s Topical Bible (Orville J. Nave, 1896; public domain): subjects chosen, lines shortened and put into modern words, lines of interpretation left out; each verse checked.
Berean Standard Bible · Public domain