Proverbs 4:16 (GNV)

Passage

For they can not sleepe, except they haue done euill, and their sleepe departeth except they cause some to fall.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 4:14 Enter not into the way of the wicked, and walke not in the way of euill men.

Proverbs 4:15 Auoide it, and goe not by it: turne from it, and passe by.

Proverbs 4:16 For they can not sleepe, except they haue done euill, and their sleepe departeth except they cause some to fall.

Proverbs 4:17 For they eate the breade of wickednesse, and drinke the wine of violence.

Proverbs 4:18 But the way of the righteous shineth as the light, that shineth more and more vnto the perfite day.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sleepe", "except", "haue", "done", "euill", and "departeth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sleepe" and "except", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "Auoide it and goe not by it..." into verse 17's "For they eate the breade of wickednesse...", so "sleepe" and "except" belong inside that flow. In Proverbs context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "sleepe" and "except" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.