"In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety."
— Psalm 4:8 (NIV)
Psalm 4:8 is the "in peace I will lie down and sleep" verse. This page gives the verse, where it sits in Psalm 4, and a plain reading. For more on the theme, see Bible verses about sleep, Bible verses about anxiety, and Bible verses about peace.
Free PDF
Get the free 30 Days of Love Verses PDF
Sign up for the daily Bible verse email, and get the free 30 Days of Love Verses PDF. 30 Days of Love Verses · Open the PDF
The verse
The King James reads: "I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety."
"Peace" is shalowm (H7965), wholeness and well-being. "Lie down" is shakab (H7901), and "sleep" is yashen (H3462). "Alone" (KJV "only") is badad (H910). "Dwell" is yashab (H3427), and "safety" is betach (H983), security or confidence.
Where it sits in Psalm 4
Psalm 4 is headed "For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David." It opens as a prayer from a hard place: "Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer" (Psalm 4:1).
Midway through, David speaks of night: "Tremble and do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent" (Psalm 4:4). Just before this verse he says, "Fill my heart with joy when their grain and new wine abound" (Psalm 4:7). Verse 8 is the last line of the psalm.
What the verse is saying
David starts the psalm in distress and ends it in bed, asleep. Nothing in the psalm says the trouble went away. What changed is where he locates his safety: "you alone, Lord." Because God is the one keeping watch, David does not have to.
That makes lying down an act of trust. The psalm just before this one says it too: "I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me" (Psalm 3:5). And Psalm 121 adds why it works: "he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep" (Psalm 121).
Questions people ask
What does Psalm 4:8 say?
In the NIV it says, "In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety." The KJV says, "I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety."
What does Psalm 4:8 mean?
David chooses to sleep in peace because his safety rests on God alone. Going to bed becomes a way of trusting God to keep watch through the night.
Who wrote Psalm 4?
The heading says "A psalm of David."
What is the context of Psalm 4:8?
It is the last line of a prayer that begins in distress (Psalm 4:1). Earlier David tells people to search their hearts on their beds and be silent (Psalm 4:4).
What other verses are like Psalm 4:8?
Psalm 3:5 (I lie down and sleep; I wake again), Proverbs 3:24 (when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet), and Psalm 121:4 (he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep) are close companions.
