Drowsiness, often understood as a state of being sleepy or lethargic, is addressed in the Bible primarily in a metaphorical sense, symbolizing spiritual laziness, lack of vigilance, and moral laxity. The Scriptures frequently warn against the dangers of drowsiness, urging believers to remain alert and diligent in their faith and conduct.

Biblical References:

1. Proverbs 19:15 · "Laziness brings on deep sleep, and an idle soul will suffer hunger." This verse highlights the consequences of laziness, equating it with a deep sleep that leads to unmet needs and spiritual hunger. The imagery of sleep here serves as a warning against complacency and the neglect of one's responsibilities.

2. Proverbs 6:9-11 · "How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit." This passage uses the metaphor of sleep to caution against procrastination and idleness, suggesting that such behavior leads to spiritual and material poverty.

3. Romans 13:11 · "And do this, understanding the occasion. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed." The Apostle Paul exhorts believers to awaken from spiritual drowsiness, emphasizing the urgency of living in readiness for the return of Christ.

4. 1 Thessalonians 5:6 · "So then, let us not sleep as the others do, but let us remain awake and sober." Here, Paul contrasts spiritual drowsiness with the vigilance required of Christians, urging them to remain alert and self-controlled in anticipation of the Lord's coming.

5. Matthew 26:40-41 · "Then 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.'" In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus admonishes His disciples for their physical and spiritual drowsiness, linking it to vulnerability to temptation.

Theological Implications:

Drowsiness in the biblical context is often associated with a lack of spiritual discipline and awareness. It serves as a metaphor for the dangers of neglecting one's spiritual duties and the call to live a life of active faith. The Bible encourages believers to be vigilant, watchful, and prepared, recognizing that spiritual lethargy can lead to moral and spiritual decline.

Practical Application:

Believers are called to combat spiritual drowsiness through prayer, study of the Scriptures, and active participation in the life of the church. By remaining spiritually alert, Christians can better resist temptation, fulfill their God-given responsibilities, and live in anticipation of Christ's return. The call to wakefulness is a reminder of the importance of maintaining a vibrant and active faith, characterized by diligence and readiness.(n.) State of being drowsy.2702. kataphero -- to bring down
... From kata and phero (including its alternate); to bear down, ie (figuratively) overcome
(with drowsiness); specially, to cast a vote -- fall, give, sink down. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2702.htm - 6k5124. numah -- somnolence, indolence
... 5123, 5124. numah. 5125 . somnolence, indolence. Transliteration: numah Phonetic
Spelling: (noo-maw') Short Definition: drowsiness. ... drowsiness. ...
/hebrew/5124.htm - 6k

5123. num -- to be drowsy, slumber
... 1). sleep, slumber. A primitive root; to slumber (from drowsiness) -- sleep,
slumber. 5122, 5123. num. 5124 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/5123.htm - 5k

8572. tenumah -- slumber
... Word Origin from num Definition slumber NASB Word Usage slumber (5). slumbering.
From nuwm; drowsiness, ie Sleep -- slumber(-ing). see HEBREW nuwm. 8571, 8572 ...
/hebrew/8572.htm - 6k

Begins to Treat of the Union of the Soul with God in Prayer. How ...
... Do not imagine that this state of prayer is, like the one preceding it, a sort of
drowsiness (I call it 'drowsiness' because the soul seems to slumber, being ...
/.../teresa/the interior castle or the mansions/chapter i begins to treat.htm

How to Make Use of Christ as the Life, when the Believer is So ...
... 5. Through their not stirring up themselves, and shaking off that spirit of laziness
and drowsiness, when it first seizeth upon them; but, with the sluggard ...
/.../brown/christ the way the truth and the life/chapter xxi how to make.htm

Of the Causes which Alienate us from God.
... and the thoughts wherein I meditated upon Thee were like unto the efforts of those
desiring to awake, who, still overpowered with a heavy drowsiness, are again ...
/.../augustine/the confessions and letters of st/chapter v of the causes which.htm

Whether Sloth Should be Accounted a Capital vice?
... "idleness, drowsiness, uneasiness of the mind, restlessness of the body, instability,
loquacity, curiosity." Therefore it seems that either Gregory or Isidore ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether sloth should be accounted.htm

Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners:
... 'Christian. Now then, to prevent drowsiness in this place, let us fall into good
discourse. 'Hopeful. With all my heart. 'Christian. Where shall we begin? ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/grace abounding to the chief.htm

How to Make Use of Christ as the Life when the Soul is Dead as to ...
... 4. There is a giving way to spiritual drowsiness, and upsitting in duties,
and in the way of God. "I sleep," said the spouse, Cant. ...
/.../brown/christ the way the truth and the life/chapter xxiii how to make.htm

On Redeeming the Time
... We cannot think good of him, who is such a slave to drowsiness as to neglect
his business for it. "Let this, therefore, teach us ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 93 on redeeming the.htm

Let These Dealers in Crowns Then Recognize in the Meantime the ...
... that Bacchus the same as Osiris among the Egyptians, was designedly crowned with
ivy, because it is the nature of ivy to protect the brain against drowsiness. ...
/.../tertullian/the chaplet or de corona/chapter vii let these dealers.htm

Under Ban of the Ritual
... The heavy drowsiness of a mid-winter noon had depopulated her booths and
bazaars and quieted the quaint traffic of her squares. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter ii under ban of.htm

The Turning Point
... many will whose sorrow for sin leads them into a proud unbelief and wilful despair
of God's love; but he was wise, for he shook off the drowsiness of his ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 20 1874/the turning point.htm

Drowsiness (2 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Drowsiness (2 Occurrences). ... Proverbs 23:21 for the drunkard
and the glutton shall become poor; and drowsiness clothes them in rags. ...
/d/drowsiness.htm - 7k

Nod (2 Occurrences)
... 2. (vi) To incline the head with a quick motion; to make a slight bow; to make a
motion of assent, of salutation, or of drowsiness, with the head; as, to nod ...
/n/nod.htm - 8k

Quaffer (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance Quaffer (1 Occurrence). Proverbs 23:21 For the quaffer
and glutton become poor, And drowsiness clotheth with rags. (YLT). ...
/q/quaffer.htm - 6k

Glutton (4 Occurrences)
... Proverbs 23:21 for the drunkard and the glutton shall become poor; and drowsiness
clothes them in rags. (WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV). ...
/g/glutton.htm - 10k

Gluttons (3 Occurrences)
... NIV). Proverbs 23:21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty;
and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. (See NIV). ...
/g/gluttons.htm - 7k

Rag
... Plural in Proverbs 23:21, "Drowsiness will clothe a man with rags" (qera'im "torn
garment"; compare 1 Kings 11:30), and figuratively in Isaiah 64:6 the King ...
/r/rag.htm - 7k

Rags (6 Occurrences)
... (See NIV). Proverbs 23:21 for the drunkard and the glutton shall become poor; and
drowsiness clothes them in rags. (WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV). ...
/r/rags.htm - 8k

Eutychus (1 Occurrence)
... Fortunate, (Acts 20:9-12), a young man of Troas who fell through drowsiness from
the open window of the third floor of the house where Paul was preaching, and ...
/e/eutychus.htm - 8k

Drunkard (15 Occurrences)
... (YLT). Proverbs 23:21 for the drunkard and the glutton shall become poor; and
drowsiness clothes them in rags. (WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS RSV NIV). ...
/d/drunkard.htm - 11k

Drowsy (2 Occurrences)

/d/drowsy.htm - 7k

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