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Psalm 132:4

I will not give sleep to my eyes, or slumber to my eyelids,

2how he swore to the LORD, and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3“Surely I will not come into the structure of my house, nor go up into my bed;
4I will not give sleep to my eyes, or slumber to my eyelids,
5until I find out a place for the LORD, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
6Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah. We found it in the field of Jaar.
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← Psalm 132:3Psalm 132:5 →
Notice

Sleep and slumber become the measure of David’s resolve, making his vow to find a dwelling for YHWH feel urgent and costly.

Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.

What stands out to you about David naming both his eyes and his eyelids?

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How does the purpose in verse 5 shape your reading of David’s refusal to sleep?

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Connect

Where else Scripture says this

3 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.

This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
Proverbs 6:4Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids.Both passages use the same language of withholding sleep from the eyes and slumber from the eyelids.
Ruth 3:18Then she said, “Wait, my daughter, until you know what will happen; for the man will not rest until he has settled this today.”Both passages describe rest being deferred until a particular task is settled.
Genesis 24:33Food was set before him to eat, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told my message.” Laban said, “Speak on.”David postpones sleep until he finds a place for the LORD; Abraham’s servant postpones eating until he delivers his message.
One step

Something small to carry out of this verse

Read verses 2–5 and write down the vow’s purpose

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Encouragement

You need not measure devotion by lost sleep. David’s vow concerns a specific task: finding a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.

Now put it in your words.

Start an entry on Psalm 132:4. Write what it stirs. Psalmlog sets your words beside Scripture and gives you one next step. Your first entry is free, no account needed.

Keep goingPsalm 132 · the whole chapter with its connection mapPsalms · every chapterBuild a reading plan through Psalms

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).