1 Thessalonians 5:7 Meaning: Night Is for Sleep and Drunkenness
For those who sleep, sleep in the night; and those who are drunk are drunk in the night.
For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that are drunken are drunken in the night.
for those sleeping, by night do sleep, and those making themselves drunk, by night are drunken,
for they that sleep sleep by night, and they that drink drink by night;
Meaning in one sentence
Paul uses the common sense that sleep and drunkenness happen at night to argue that believers, as children of the day, must be watchful and sober.
Context
Paul is wrapping up his first letter to the Thessalonians, a church he founded but had to leave abruptly. In chapter five he urges them to stay ready for the Lord’s return. He has just called them “children of light and children of the day,” reminding them they no longer belong to darkness. Now he makes a plain observation: night is the natural time for sleeping and for getting drunk. His point is not to criticise sleep or drink themselves, but to show that such behaviours fit the darkness, not the daylight. Christians, he says, should live in a way that matches who they are, people of the day.
Key Words
The Greek word for “sleep” here (katheudō) can mean ordinary sleep, but Paul has already used it in the previous verse for spiritual drowsiness, being careless and indifferent toward God. The same word appears in Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins who all slept while waiting for the bridegroom. Paul is calling believers to stay awake, not to doze off in their faith.
The word for “drunk” (methuskō) describes someone becoming intoxicated. In the ancient world, drunkenness was closely linked to darkness and shame, people got drunk at night, not in broad daylight. Paul uses this everyday reality to make a spiritual point: just as it is unnatural to be drunk at noon, it is unnatural for a child of the day to be spiritually intoxicated or numb.
“Night” (nux) here is more than a time of day. It stands for the realm of ignorance, sin, and separation from God. Paul’s argument rests on identity: you are day people. So live like it.
How Christians Read This Verse
Commentators across traditions agree that Paul is drawing a simple analogy. Matthew Henry (Reformed) says sleep and drunkenness are “works of darkness” that belong to the night. Adam Clarke (Methodist) notes that even pagans considered daytime drunkenness scandalous. The Cambridge Bible (Anglican) points out that negligence and wantonness have no place in those who belong to the day, and calls drunkenness a condition of being “besotted and enslaved by evil.” Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (Protestant) emphasises that the verse is literal in reference but supports the spiritual call: “our work ought to be day work… such as will bear the eye of day.” All the commentators read the night as both literal and symbolic, and none take Paul to be forbidding ordinary sleep or drink.
A common misunderstanding
Some readers take this verse as a literal command that Christians must never sleep or drink alcohol at night. In fact, Paul is making a simple observation about the natural order, night is when people sleep and get drunk, to drive home a spiritual point. Since believers belong to the day, they should be spiritually awake and clearheaded, not living as if they were still in the dark.
Living This Out
This week, pay attention to the times you find yourself spiritually drowsy or numbed. Maybe it’s scrolling through your phone late at night instead of praying. Maybe it’s drinking too much to avoid facing something. Paul is not saying you can’t rest or enjoy a glass of wine. He is saying your identity has changed. You are a child of the day. So when you feel yourself slipping into the patterns of the night, indifference, hiding, excess, remind yourself: that belongs to the old life. You belong to the light. Let that truth wake you up.
Main takeaway: Because we belong to the day, we must live awake and sober, not like those who belong to the night.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Nighttime is when people sleep and when some people get drunk. But God says you are a child of the day, like the sunshine. So you should stay awake for Jesus and follow Him.
For ages 9, 12
Paul says that sleeping and getting drunk are things people do at night. That’s because darkness hides those actions. But if you belong to Jesus, you are a child of the day. You don’t have to hide anything. So don’t live like you’re still in the dark. Stay alert, keep trusting God, and help your friends stay awake too.
Questions People Ask
What does 'sleep' mean in 1 Thessalonians 5:7?
The Greek word can mean ordinary sleep, but Paul uses it metaphorically for spiritual indifference or carelessness. In context, he is warning believers not to be spiritually asleep like those who do not know God.
Is Paul saying Christians should never sleep or drink?
No. He is not forbidding sleep or moderate drinking. He is using a common observation, that night is the natural time for sleeping and getting drunk, to argue that believers, who belong to the day, should be spiritually awake and sober.
What does 'night' represent in this verse?
Night stands both for literal nighttime and for the realm of spiritual darkness: ignorance, sin, and separation from God. Paul contrasts night with day, which represents life in Christ.
How does this verse connect to the Day of the Lord?
Earlier in chapter five, Paul warns that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. Because believers are children of the day, they should be watchful and sober, not caught off guard like those who belong to the darkness.
Why does Paul mention drunkenness here?
Drunkenness was associated with darkness and shame in the ancient world. By linking it to nighttime, Paul reinforces his point: such behaviour fits the old life of darkness, not the new life of light that believers are called to live.
For pastors & researchers
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