1 Thessalonians 5:7 meaning summary explained with word-by-word analysis enriched with context, commentary and Cross References from KJV, NIV, ESV and NLT.
1 Thessalonians 5:7 kjv
For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
1 Thessalonians 5:7 nkjv
For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.
1 Thessalonians 5:7 niv
For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.
1 Thessalonians 5:7 esv
For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night.
1 Thessalonians 5:7 nlt
Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk.
1 Thessalonians 5 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Rom 13:11 | ...it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep... | Spiritual awakening for believers. |
| Rom 13:12 | The night is almost gone, and the day is near... | Contrast of spiritual night and day. |
| Eph 5:14 | For this reason it says, "Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead!" | Call to wake up from spiritual death. |
| Isa 5:20 | Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness... | Spiritual blindness. |
| Jn 3:19 | And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light... | Love for darkness over light. |
| Eph 5:8 | for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord... | Believers' transformation from darkness. |
| Lk 21:34 | Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life... | Warning against spiritual stupor. |
| Prov 23:29-30 | Who has woe? Who has sorrow? ...Those who linger long over wine... | Consequences of lingering drunkenness. |
| 1 Pet 4:3 | For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness... | Gentile lifestyle vs. believer's life. |
| 1 Pet 5:8 | Be of sober spirit, be on the alert... | Exhortation to spiritual sobriety. |
| 1 Thess 5:5 | for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; | Believers are of light and day. |
| 1 Thess 5:6 | So then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. | Command to be alert and sober. |
| 1 Cor 15:34 | Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning... | Call to sobriety and cease sin. |
| Gen 19:32 | Come, let us make our father drink wine, and let us lie with him... | Drunkenness leading to immoral acts. |
| Job 24:13-16 | They are among those who rebel against the light... At night the thief enters... | Wickedness thrives in darkness. |
| Mt 24:42-43 | Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming... | Command to be vigilant for Christ's return. |
| Mk 13:35-37 | Therefore, stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come... | Watchfulness for the master's return. |
| Isa 28:1-3 | Woe to the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim... | Prophetic judgment against drunkards. |
| Joel 1:5 | Awake, drunkards, and weep; and wail, all you wine drinkers... | Call for drunkards to lament. |
| Titus 2:11-12 | For the grace of God has appeared... training us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age. | Grace trains for sober and godly living. |
| 2 Cor 6:14 | For what fellowship has light with darkness? | Incompatibility of light and darkness. |
| Isa 59:10 | We grope along the wall like blind men... We stumble at noon as in the twilight... | Spiritual blindness and stumbling. |
1 Thessalonians 5 verses
1 Thessalonians 5 7 meaning
1 Thessalonians 5:7 states a general observation that acts such as sleeping and getting drunk naturally occur during the night. In the context of the preceding verses, this serves as a contrasting principle for believers. While unbelievers, characterized as "children of the night and darkness," engage in spiritual unawareness and indulgence befitting the night, believers are called to live as "children of the day" in sobriety and vigilance, recognizing that their spiritual state and conduct should be distinct from the world's darkness.
1 Thessalonians 5 7 Context
1 Thessalonians chapter 5 primarily focuses on the Day of the Lord and the conduct expected of believers in anticipation of Christ's return. The preceding verses (1 Thess 5:1-6) emphasize that this day will come unexpectedly for the "children of darkness" but not for believers, who are "children of light and children of the day." Paul then exhorts believers to live according to their identity – to not "sleep" as others do, but to be "alert and sober." Verse 7 reinforces this contrast by drawing an analogy from common human experience, where physical sleep and drunkenness are activities typically associated with the darkness and cover of night. This highlights the natural pattern of the world versus the supernatural call for believers to live in spiritual vigilance and clarity.
1 Thessalonians 5 7 Word analysis
For (γάρ, gar): A conjunction indicating explanation or a reason for the preceding statement. It introduces the general truth that supports the exhortation to be alert and sober.
those who sleep (οἱ καθεύδοντες, hoi katheúdontes): This refers to both literal physical sleep and, more importantly in this context, metaphorical spiritual sleep. It signifies a state of unawareness, spiritual lethargy, or moral indifference to the Day of the Lord. The present participle suggests an ongoing state or characteristic habit.
sleep at night (νυκτὸς καθεύδουσιν, nyktòs katheúdousin): Nyktòs means "of night" or "during the night." The pairing emphasizes the natural and expected timing for physical rest. Metaphorically, it implies that spiritual "sleepers" dwell and act within the realm of spiritual darkness and ignorance.
and those who get drunk (καὶ οἱ μεθυσκόμενοι, kai hoi methyskómenoi): Hoi methyskómenoi are "those who are becoming drunk" or "those who are in the habit of getting drunk." This also uses a present participle, denoting a characteristic action or ongoing process. It refers to literal intoxication but expands to symbolize spiritual stupor, lack of self-control, excessive worldly indulgence, and mind-numbing activities that make one oblivious to divine realities.
get drunk at night (νυκτὸς μεθύσκονται, nyktòs methýskontai): Again, the natural association of getting drunk with the cover of darkness and night. Historically and culturally, revelries and excessive drinking often took place under the veil of night, partly for privacy and partly because darkness facilitates such activities. Spiritually, it implies that those immersed in worldly excess are operating in moral and spiritual darkness.
Grouped Analysis: "those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night."This pairing draws a powerful contrast. Paul presents the normal, everyday behaviors associated with "night" people—sleep (unawareness/inactivity) and drunkenness (loss of self-control/sensory indulgence). Both activities, especially in ancient societies, were often viewed as proper for night or could serve as cover for activities that would be shamed by daylight. For Paul, these represent the typical behaviors of a world that lives in spiritual darkness, oblivious to God's impending judgment and Christ's return. This common understanding sets the stage for the command to believers (in the subsequent verses) to live in stark contrast: awake and sober, as befits children of the day. The repetitive structure highlights the norm for the "outside" world.
1 Thessalonians 5 7 Bonus section
The repeated emphasis on "night" in this verse, coupled with "day" in the preceding verses, creates a stark spiritual dichotomy: night as the sphere of sin, unawareness, and indulgence, versus day as the sphere of light, vigilance, and holy living. This extends beyond literal darkness or light; it's a cosmic framework defining two ways of existence in anticipation of Christ's return. The passage subtly highlights that while there is a physical dimension to sleep and drunkenness, Paul's primary concern is their spiritual analogs which characterize life apart from Christ. The use of present participles for "sleeping" and "getting drunk" further indicates these are characteristic, ongoing patterns of behavior for those living outside of God's light, solidifying the contrast for the Thessalonian believers.
1 Thessalonians 5 7 Commentary
1 Thessalonians 5:7 articulates a universally understood principle: sleep and revelry are naturally functions of the night. This verse functions as a vivid illustration and explanation for the preceding exhortations for believers to be "alert and sober" (1 Thess 5:6). Paul leverages common observation to underscore the fundamental distinction between believers and the unbelieving world. Those "of the night" embody both physical and spiritual darkness, leading to heedlessness (sleep) and uncontrolled indulgence (drunkenness). Spiritually, this translates to an unwatchful life, unaware of the impending Day of the Lord, and a life immersed in worldly excesses and sin that dulls the spirit. Believers, being "children of light and of the day," are called to a lifestyle directly opposed to this, one characterized by spiritual wakefulness and self-control, regardless of the physical time of day. This is a call to align their conduct with their new identity in Christ, not blending into the world's darkness but standing out as lights.