For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
The book of Proverbs is a collection of practical wisdom sayings, much of it attributed to King Solomon of ancient Israel, written to teach people how to live well. This verse is part of a longer warning against overindulgence — specifically excessive drinking and overeating. The wisdom here isn't that enjoying food or drink is wrong; it's that habitual excess leads to real, measurable consequences. The vivid image of "drowsiness" clothing someone in rags captures something true — the lethargy and fog that come from chronic overindulgence eventually strip away productivity, dignity, and resources. Proverbs observes patterns in human life and names, plainly, what they produce.
God, give me wisdom about my appetites — the obvious ones and the hidden ones. Help me see clearly the things I reach for that slowly drain me rather than fill me. Teach me that self-discipline isn't just restriction — it's a form of freedom. And give me the honesty to actually want it. Amen.
Proverbs doesn't moralize — it observes. This verse isn't wagging a finger at you; it's describing what excess does over time, the way a doctor describes what happens to lungs that have smoked for twenty years. Overindulgence numbs you. Not dramatically, not all at once — but gradually, the way sleep deprivation works: so slowly you don't notice until you're already stumbling. The "drowsiness" here isn't just literal fatigue; it's the particular fog that settles in when we consistently hand ourselves over to whatever we crave in the moment. This verse deserves a wider reading than just alcohol and food. What are the modern equivalents — the things we consume to excess that slowly hollow us out? Screens that steal hours. Busyness used as a drug. Comfort pursued at the cost of growth. Distraction chosen over presence. Proverbs is asking a quiet, devastating question: what are you consuming that is, in fact, consuming you? The rags at the end of this verse aren't always financial. Sometimes they're relational, or spiritual, or the slow erosion of the person you meant to become.
What distinction does this verse seem to draw between enjoying something and overindulging in it — and how would you describe that line in your own life?
Beyond food and drink, what are the modern forms of excess that you think Proverbs would address if it were written today?
This verse connects excess directly to poverty and wearing rags — a hard consequence. Does that feel too severe, or does it reflect a pattern you've actually seen play out in a real person's life?
How does a habit of overindulgence — whatever form it takes — affect the people closest to you who depend on your attention, energy, or presence?
What is one specific habit of excess in your life right now — however ordinary or socially acceptable it looks — that you could place a deliberate boundary around this week?
And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.
Deuteronomy 21:20
Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
Philippians 3:19
Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.
Proverbs 19:15
And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
Ephesians 5:18
He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.
Proverbs 21:17
Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:21
He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.
Proverbs 18:9
How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
Proverbs 6:9
For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, And the drowsiness [of overindulgence] will clothe one with rags.
AMP
for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.
ESV
For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe [one] with rags.
NASB
for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.
NIV
For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.
NKJV
for they are on their way to poverty, and too much sleep clothes them in rags.
NLT
Drunks and gluttons will end up on skid row, in a stupor and dressed in rags.
MSG