They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

PROVERBS 23:35KJV
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Proverbs 23:35 (KJV)

What does Proverbs 23:35 mean?

Proverbs 23:35 describes someone who has been badly hurt—struck and beaten—yet claims not to feel it and immediately looks to repeat the same behavior. The verse paints a picture of a person who, despite suffering consequences, is eager to return to whatever caused the harm, showing a lack of awareness or concern for the damage done.

In the context of Proverbs 23, this verse is part of a warning about the dangers of excessive drinking. The "they" refers to those who have inflicted harm, likely as a result of drunkenness, and the speaker is the person who has been drinking. The verse highlights the cycle of addiction or destructive behavior, where pain and consequences do not stop the person from seeking more of the same.

The Hebrew behind Proverbs 23:35

  • "Stricken" (נָכָה, nākhāh) means to be struck or hit, often with force. Here, it emphasizes real physical harm, not just a mild discomfort.
  • "Sick" (חָלָה, chālāh) usually means to be ill or weak. The speaker’s denial of sickness shows a refusal to admit harm.
  • "Beaten" (חָלַל, ḥālal) also means to be wounded or hurt, reinforcing the idea of repeated injury.
  • "Felt" (יָדַע, yāda‘) means to know or perceive. The speaker claims not to have even noticed the pain.
  • "Awake" (קִיץ, qîṣ) means to wake up, suggesting a return to awareness after being out of control.
  • "Seek" (בָּקַשׁ, bāqash) means to look for or desire. The person is actively choosing to go back to the source of harm.
  • "Yet" (יָסַף, yāsaf) means to add or continue, showing the cycle is ongoing.

Why Proverbs 23:35 matters

  • Proverbs 23:35 clears up the idea that consequences alone will stop self-destructive behavior; the verse shows that denial and craving can be stronger than pain.
  • The verse emphasizes the cycle of addiction, where a person’s desire overrides their awareness of harm, fitting into the larger warning against drunkenness in the chapter.
  • Proverbs 23:35 helps the reader see the real-life pattern of ignoring consequences, making the proverb’s warning vivid and relatable.

Where else these words appear

“beaten” Hebrew H1986 · used in 9 verses

  • Judges 5:22 Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty ones.
  • 1 Samuel 14:16 And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked; and, behold, the multitude melted away, and they went on beating down one another.
  • Isaiah 16:8 For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah: the lords of the heathen have broken down the principal plants thereof, they are come even unto Jazer, they wandered through the wilderness: her branches are stretched out, they are gone over the sea.

“awake” Hebrew H6974 · used in 21 verses

  • 1 Samuel 26:12 So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul's bolster; and they gat them away, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither awaked: for they were all asleep; because a deep sleep from the LORD was fallen upon them.
  • Psalms 44:23 Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever.
  • Jeremiah 31:26 Upon this I awaked, and beheld; and my sleep was sweet unto me.

“sick” Hebrew H2470 · used in 73 verses

  • Genesis 48:1 And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
  • 2 Kings 20:1 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.
  • Isaiah 39:1 At that time Merodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah: for he had heard that he had been sick, and was recovered.