6:4

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

4a Allow no sleep to your eyes

4b or slumber to your eyelids.

There is an ellipsis in 6:4b. In some languages, the missing verb may need to be supplied from 6:4a. For example:

4b
⌊nor allow⌋ slumber to your eyelids.

6:4a–b

no sleep…or slumber: In Hebrew, sleep refers to regular sleep. The second term, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as slumber, refers to light or occasional sleep, in other words, snoozing or dozing. This progression from regular sleep in 6:4a to just dozing in 6:4b can be seen in the following versions:

Don’t go to sleep or even rest your eyes (New Century Version)
-or-
Don’t let yourself go to sleep or even stop to rest (Good News Translation)

The guarantor should go to the neighbor at once, without delay. He should not allow a night’s sleep or even a short nap to delay this action.

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