Proverbs

Proverbs 4:16–17

¹⁶For they cannot sleep

unless they do evil;

they are deprived of slumber

until they make someone fall.

¹⁷For they eat the bread of wickedness

and drink the wine of violence.

Word by word

Each English word or phrase beside the Hebrew it translates, in the order of the English. Choose a number to open that word’s study.

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
For	כִּ֤י	kî	Conjunction	H3588 burning, branding
they cannot	לֹ֣א	lō	Adverb - Negative particle	H3808 not
sleep	יִֽ֭שְׁנוּ	yiš·nū	Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural	H3462 sleep
unless	אִם־	’im-	Conjunction	H518 if
they do evil	יָרֵ֑עוּ	yā·rê·‘ū	Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine plural	H7489 be evil, bad
they are deprived	וְֽנִגְזְלָ֥ה	wə·niḡ·zə·lāh	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive perfect - third person feminine singular	H1497 tear away, seize, rob
of slumber	שְׁ֝נָתָ֗ם	šə·nā·t̲ām	Noun - feminine singular construct; third person masculine plural	H8142 sleep
until	אִם־	’im-	Conjunction	H518 if
they make someone fall	יִכְשׁוֹלוּ׃	yiḵ·šō·lū	Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine plural	H3782 stumble, stagger, totter

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
For	כִּ֣י	kî	Conjunction	H3588 burning, branding
they eat	לָ֭חֲמוּ	lā·ḥă·mū	Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural	H3898 fight, do battle
the bread	לֶ֣חֶם	le·ḥem	Noun - masculine singular construct	H3899 bread, food
of wickedness	רֶ֑שַׁע	re·ša‘	Noun - masculine singular	H7562 wickedness
and drink	יִשְׁתּֽוּ׃	yiš·tū	Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural	H8354 drink
the wine	וְיֵ֖ין	wə·yên	Conjunctive waw; Noun - masculine singular construct	H3196 wine
of violence	חֲמָסִ֣ים	ḥă·mā·sîm	Noun - masculine plural	H2555 violence, wrong

Other passages that speak to the same thing. Point at one to read it.

Proverbs 4:16 Psalm 36:4 · Micah 2:1 · Isaiah 57:20 · 2 Peter 2:14 · Proverbs 1:16

Proverbs 4:17 Proverbs 20:17 · James 5:4–5 · Micah 6:12 · Proverbs 9:17 · Psalm 14:4

Cross-references from OpenBible.info, used under CC BY 4.0. The best-supported references for each verse are shown.

Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible.