Proverbs 6:10

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — The speaker addresses a designated "slacker" in Proverbs 6, pressing him immediately after asking when he will rise from sleep.

The words — מְעַט (me'at) literally means "a little," and חִבּוּק יָדַיִם (chibbuq yadayim) translates to "folding of hands."

The thread — The identical phrase appears in Proverbs 24:33, while the surrounding context in Proverbs 6 links this delay to the ant's industry and the arrival of poverty.

Why it lands — The text demands immediate action, showing how incremental hesitation directly triggers the sudden deprivation described in the following verse.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

מְעַ֣טme.'Ata little of שֵׁ֭נוֹתShe.notsleep<s>מְעַ֣טme.'Ata little of תְּנוּמ֑וֹתte.nu.Motslumber<s>מְעַ֓ט׀me.'Ata little of חִבֻּ֖קchi.Bukfolding of יָדַ֣יִםya.Da.yimhands לִשְׁכָּֽב׃li/sh.Kavto/ rest

King James Version

Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

Cross-references

Proverbs 24:33 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,
Proverbs 6:6 Walk in the manner of the ant, O slacker; observe its ways and become wise.
Proverbs 23:33 Your eyes will see strange things, and your mind will utter perversities.