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Proverbs 23:35
ESV "They struck me," you will say, "but I was not hurt; they beat me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake? I must have another drink."
NIV "They hit me," you will say, "but I’m not hurt! They beat me, but I don’t feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink?"
NASB 'They struck me, but I did not become ill; They beat me, but I did not know it. When will I awake? I will seek another drink.'
CSB "They struck me, but I feel no pain! They beat me, but I didn’t know it! When will I wake up? I’ll look for another drink."
NLT And you will say, 'They hit me, but I didn’t feel it. I didn’t even know it when they beat me up. When will I wake up so I can look for another drink?'
KJV They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.
NKJV “They have struck me, but I was not hurt; They have beaten me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?”

What does Proverbs 23:35 mean?

In a drunken stupor, one can be almost oblivious to pain. Even when covered with bruises, he says, "They struck me, but I was not hurt." His thoughts are not on his pain, but on the next drink. While this sounds like a good thing, pain is one of the ways our bodies warn us of danger. Being numbed to pain means being unaware of harm being done to the body. This is one of the many consequences of intoxication given in this passage of the book of Proverbs (Proverbs 23:29–34). Insensitivity, lack of awareness, lack of inhibition, and blurred senses are why alcohol factors into so many accidents, acts of violence, and life-altering mistakes.

Rather than recoil at this, a person controlled by alcohol instead seeks to get back to a drunken state. Solomon's warnings about the abuse of alcohol should be taken seriously by everyone, but especially by believers. Believers are clearly commanded not to be controlled by wine, "for that is debauchery," but to be controlled by the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). When alcohol controls a person, he is unable to do what he should do. He does only what his instincts and the world around him push him to do. However, the believer who is controlled by the Spirit does what he ought to do and lives according to God's will (Ephesians 5:15–21).
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