Proverbs 6:10 (KJV)

What does Proverbs 6:10 mean?

Proverbs 6:10 portrays a person putting off work by asking for a little more rest. Each delay sounds small, but the repeated requests show how the person remains inactive instead of beginning the task at hand.

The teacher addresses a person called a “sluggard,” or someone habitually unwilling to work. After asking that person when he will rise in verse 9, the teacher gives these words as the person’s likely reply. The picture of folded hands suggests someone settling down to rest rather than using them for work.

The Hebrew behind Proverbs 6:10

• “little” — מְעַט (meʿat): This word means a small amount. Its repetition before each request gives the delays a modest sound, even as they follow one another.
• “folding” — חִבֻּק (ḥibbuq): This word can refer to a folding or clasping. With “hands,” it forms a picture of a resting posture, as though the person is prepared to stay still.

Why Proverbs 6:10 matters

• The verse gives the inactive person a voice rather than describing him only from the outside. The words “a little sleep” read like an answer to the teacher’s question, “When wilt thou arise?” in verse 9.
• The warning takes shape across the sentence. The three uses of “a little” lead into verse 11, where poverty is pictured as arriving like a traveler and want like an armed man.
• The image of sleep fits the passage’s comparison with the ant. In verses 6–8, the ant gathers food in its season; in verse 10, the person being addressed is still asking for rest.