Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options
Close NET

Proverbs 5
New English Translation

Admonition to Avoid Seduction to Evil[a]

5 My child,[b] be attentive to my wisdom,
pay close attention[c] to my understanding,
2 in order to safeguard[d] discretion,[e]
and that your lips may guard knowledge.
3 For the lips[f] of the adulterous woman drip honey,
and her seductive words[g] are smoother than olive oil,
4 but in the end[h] she is bitter[i] as wormwood,[j]
sharp as a two-edged[k] sword.
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps lead straight to the grave.[l]
6 Lest[m] she should make level[n] the path leading to life,[o]
her paths have wandered,[p] but she is not able to discern it.[q]
7 So now, children,[r] listen to me;
do not turn aside from the words I speak.[s]
8 Keep yourself[t] far[u] from her,
and do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you give your vigor[v] to others
and your years to a cruel person,
10 lest strangers devour[w] your strength,[x]
and your labor[y] benefit[z] another man’s house.
11 And at the end of your life[aa] you will groan[ab]
when your flesh and your body are wasted away.[ac]
12 And you will say, “How I hated discipline!
My heart spurned reproof!
13 For[ad] I did not obey[ae] my teachers[af]
and I did not heed[ag] my instructors.[ah]
14 I almost[ai] came to complete ruin[aj]
in the midst of the whole congregation!”[ak]
15 Drink water from your own cistern
and running water from your own well.[al]
16 Should your springs be dispersed[am] outside,
your streams of water in the wide plazas?[an]
17 Let them be for yourself[ao] alone,
and not for strangers with you.[ap]
18 May your fountain be blessed,[aq]
and may you rejoice[ar] in the wife you married in your youth[as]—
19 a loving doe,[at] a graceful deer;
may her breasts satisfy you at all times,
may you be captivated[au] by her love always.
20 But why should you be captivated,[av] my son, by an adulteress,
and embrace the bosom of a different woman?[aw]
21 For the ways of a person[ax] are in front of the Lord’s eyes,
and the Lord[ay] weighs[az] all that person’s[ba] paths.
22 The wicked[bb] will be captured by his[bc] own iniquities,[bd]
and he will be held[be] by the cords of his own sin.[bf]
23 He will die because[bg] there was no discipline;
because of the greatness of his folly[bh] he will reel.[bi]

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 5:1 sn In this chapter the sage/father exhorts discretion (1, 2) then explains how to avoid seduction (3-6); this is followed by a second exhortation to prevention (7, 8) and an explanation that obedience will avoid ruin and regret (9-14); finally, he warns against sharing love with strangers (15-17) but to find it at home (18-23). For an analysis of the chapter, see J. E. Goldingay, “Proverbs V and IX,” RB 84 (1977): 80-93.
  2. Proverbs 5:1 tn The text again has “my son.” In this passage perhaps “son” would be the most fitting because of the warning against going to the adulterous woman. However, since the image of the adulterous woman probably represents all kinds of folly (through personification), and since even in this particular folly the temptation works both ways, the general address to either young men or women should be retained. The text was certainly not intended to convey that only women could seduce men.
  3. Proverbs 5:1 tn Heb “incline your ear” (so NAB, NRSV); NLT “listen carefully.”
  4. Proverbs 5:2 tn Heb “keep, protect, guard.”
  5. Proverbs 5:2 sn This “discretion” is the same word in 1:4; it is wise, prudential consideration, careful planning, or the ability to devise plans with a view to the best way to carry them out. If that ability is retained then temptations to digress will not interfere.
  6. Proverbs 5:3 sn “Lips” is a metonymy of cause, referring to her words. Dripping honey is compared by implication to her words, which are flattering and smooth (cf. Song 4:11). See M. Dahood, “Honey That Drips. Notes on Proverbs 5:2-3, ” Bib 54 (1973): 65-66.
  7. Proverbs 5:3 tn Heb “her palate.” The word חֵךְ (khekh, “palate; roof of the mouth; gums”) is a metonymy of cause (= organ of speech) for what is said (= her seductive speech). The present translation clarifies this metonymy with the phrase “her seductive words.”
  8. Proverbs 5:4 sn Heb “her end” (so KJV). D. Kidner notes that Proverbs does not allow us to forget that there is an afterward (Proverbs [TOTC], 65).
  9. Proverbs 5:4 sn The verb “to be bitter” (מָרַר, marar) describes things that are harmful and destructive for life, such as the death of the members of the family of Naomi (Ruth 1:20) or finding water that was undrinkable (Exod 15:22-27). The word indicates that the sweet talking will turn out badly.
  10. Proverbs 5:4 tn The Hebrew term translated “wormwood” refers to the aromatic plant that contrasts with the sweetness of honey. Some follow the LXX and translate it as “gall” (cf. NIV). The point is that there was sweetness when the tryst had alluring glamour, but afterward it had an ugly ring (W. G. Plaut, Proverbs, 74).
  11. Proverbs 5:4 sn The Hebrew has “like a sword of [two] mouths,” meaning a double-edged sword that devours/cuts either way. There is no movement without damage. There may be a wordplay here with this description of the “sword with two mouths,” and the subject of the passage being the words of her mouth which also have two sides to them. The irony is cut by the idiom.
  12. Proverbs 5:5 tn The term שְׁאוֹל (sheʾol, “grave”) is paralleled to “death,” so it does not refer here to the realm of the unblessed. sn The terms death and grave could be hyperbolic of a ruined life, but probably refer primarily to the mortal consequences of a life of debauchery.
  13. Proverbs 5:6 tc The LXX and other versions read “not” instead of “lest.” This may be an effort to make sense of the unusual syntax, or perhaps the MT has been corrupted. The general sense is the same in either case.tn Heb “The path of life lest she clear the way.” This is the only occasion where the particle פֶּן (pen, “lest”) appears to occur in the middle of its clause rather than at the beginning. The particle implies some action has been taken to avert or avoid what follows. The translation treats the “path of life” as the object and links the clause to the previous verse. One may note, however, that if the two halves of this verse reversed, normal syntax and good sense are also restored. “Her paths have wandered. She is not able to discern—the path leading to life, lest she make it clear.” (Or “lest she examine it.” See note on the verb.)
  14. Proverbs 5:6 tn Two roots are proposed for the verb פָּלַס (palas), “to clear/make a way” or “to observe; to examine.” If the latter root, then it would mean “lest she examine the path of life.”
  15. Proverbs 5:6 tn Heb “the path of life.” The noun חַיִּים (khayyim, “of life”) functions as a genitive of direction (“leading to”).
  16. Proverbs 5:6 tn The verb נוּעַ (nuaʿ) means “to quiver; to waver; to roam around.” As the perfect form of a dynamic verb, it is past or perfective. Here it should be perfective to recognize the continuing results. Some translations treat the verb as stative and so present tense (cf. KJV “her ways are moveable”), but it is morphologically dynamic as revealed by its imperfect form. Others treat it as an imperfect, rendering it in future tense (NAB “her paths will ramble”) or general present (NLT “She staggers down a crooked trail.”).
  17. Proverbs 5:6 tn The verb יָדַע (yadaʿ, “to know”) is a stative verb in the imperfect form, which can be either future or modal. Here it is a modal abilitive: she is unable to know. DCH includes יָדַע II, “be quiet, at rest; be submissive” citing Jer 4:18 and Job 21:19. See also D. W. Thomas, “A Note on לא תדע in Proverbs v 6, ” JTS 37 (1936): 59, proposing “she is not tranquil.”
  18. Proverbs 5:7 tn Heb “sons.”
  19. Proverbs 5:7 tn Heb “the words of my mouth” (so KJV, NAB, NRSV).
  20. Proverbs 5:8 tn Heb “your way.”
  21. Proverbs 5:8 sn There is a contrast made between “keep far away” (הַרְחֵק, harkheq) and “do not draw near” (וְאַל־תִּקְרַב, veʾal tiqrav).
  22. Proverbs 5:9 sn The term הוֹד (hod, “vigor; splendor; majesty”) in this context means the best time of one’s life (cf. NIV “your best strength”), the full manly vigor that will be wasted with licentiousness. Here it is paralleled by “years,” which refers to the best years of that vigor, the prime of life. Life would be ruined by living this way, or the revenge of the woman’s husband would cut it short.
  23. Proverbs 5:10 tn Heb “eat their fill of” or “become sated from” your strength.
  24. Proverbs 5:10 tn The word כֹּחַ (koakh, “strength”) refers to what laborious toil would produce (so a metonymy of cause). Everything that this person worked for could become the property for others to enjoy.
  25. Proverbs 5:10 tn “labor, painful toil.”
  26. Proverbs 5:10 tn The term “benefit” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity and smoothness.
  27. Proverbs 5:11 tn Heb “at your end.”
  28. Proverbs 5:11 tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav consecutive; it is equal to a specific future within this context.sn The verb means “to growl, groan.” It refers to a lion when it devours its prey, and to a sufferer in pain or remorse (e.g., Ezek 24:23).
  29. Proverbs 5:11 tn Heb “in the finishing of your flesh and your body.” The construction uses the Qal infinitive construct of כָּלָה (kalah) in a temporal clause; the verb means “be complete, at an end, finished, spent.”
  30. Proverbs 5:13 tn The vav that introduces this clause functions in an explanatory sense.
  31. Proverbs 5:13 tn Heb “did not listen to the voice of.” The picture is that of treating the teacher’s instruction as background noise instead of paying attention to it or obeying it.
  32. Proverbs 5:13 tn The Hebrew term מוֹרַי (moray) is the nominal form based on the Hiphil plural participle with a suffix, from the root יָרָה (yarah). The verb is “to teach,” the common noun is “instruction, law [torah],” and this participle form is teacher (“my teachers”).
  33. Proverbs 5:13 tn The idiom is based on attentiveness: “did not incline my ear to.”
  34. Proverbs 5:13 tn The form is the Piel plural participle of לָמַד (lamad) used substantivally.
  35. Proverbs 5:14 tn The expression כִּמְעַט (kimʿat) is “like a little.” It means “almost,” and is used of unrealized action (BDB 590 s.v. 2). Cf. NCV “I came close to”; NLT “I have come to the brink of.”
  36. Proverbs 5:14 tn Heb “I was in all evil” (cf. KJV, ASV).
  37. Proverbs 5:14 tn The text uses the two words “congregation and assembly” to form a hendiadys, meaning the entire assembly.
  38. Proverbs 5:15 sn Paul Kruger develops this section as an allegory consisting of a series of metaphors. He suggests that what is at issue is private versus common property. The images of the cistern, well, or fountain are used of a wife (e.g., Song 4:15) because she, like water, satisfies desires. Streams of water in the street would then mean sexual contact with a lewd woman. According to 7:12 she never stays home but is in the streets and is the property of many (P. Kruger, “Promiscuity and Marriage Fidelity? A Note on Prov 5:15-18, ” JNSL 13 [1987]: 61-68).
  39. Proverbs 5:16 tn The verb means “to be scattered; to be dispersed”; here the imperfect takes a deliberative nuance in a rhetorical question.
  40. Proverbs 5:16 tc The verse is usually understood as a rhetorical question, expecting a “no” answer (e.g. NIV, NASB, ESV, NKJV). The LXX records a negative volitional statement “Let them not flow out.”
  41. Proverbs 5:17 tn The ל (lamed) preposition denotes possession: “for you” = “yours.” The term לְבַדֶּךָ (levadekha) is appositional, underscoring the possession as exclusive.
  42. Proverbs 5:17 sn The point is that what is private is not to be shared with strangers; it belongs in the home and in the marriage. The water from that cistern is not to be channeled to strangers or to the public.
  43. Proverbs 5:18 sn The positive instruction is now given: Find pleasure in a fulfilling marriage. The “fountain” is another in the series of implied comparisons with the sexual pleasure that must be fulfilled at home. That it should be blessed (the passive participle of בָּרַךְ, barakh) indicates that sexual delight is God-given; having it blessed would mean that it would be endowed with fruitfulness, that it would fulfill all that God intended it to do.
  44. Proverbs 5:18 tn The form is a Qal imperative with a vav (ו) of sequence; after the jussive of the first half this colon could be given an equivalent translation or logically subordinated.
  45. Proverbs 5:18 tn Or “your young wife”; Heb “in the wife of your youth” (so NIV, NLT, HCSB). The genitive may function as an attributive adjective: “young wife” or “youthful wife.” Or the genitive may be temporal in that it refers to the age in which a man married his wife: “the wife you married in your youth” (cf. NCV, CEV). The temporal genitive is supported by parallel passages with similar constructions in Prov 2:17 and Mal 2:14.
  46. Proverbs 5:19 tn The construct expression “a doe of loves” is an attributive genitive, describing the doe with the word “loves.” The plural noun may be an abstract plural of intensification (but this noun only occurs in the plural). The same construction follows with a “deer of grace”—a graceful deer.sn The imagery for intimate love in marriage is now employed to stress the beauty of sexual fulfillment as it was intended. The doe and deer, both implied comparisons, exhibit the grace and love of the wife.
  47. Proverbs 5:19 sn The verb שָׁגָה (shagah) means “to swerve; to meander; to reel” as in drunkenness; it signifies a staggering gait expressing the ecstatic joy of a captivated lover. It may also mean “to be always intoxicated with her love” (cf. NRSV).
  48. Proverbs 5:20 tn In the interrogative clause the imperfect has a deliberative nuance.
  49. Proverbs 5:20 tn Heb “foreigner” (so ASV, NASB), but this does not mean that the woman is non-Israelite. This term describes a woman who is outside the moral boundaries of the covenant community—she is another man’s wife, but since she acts with moral abandonment she is called “foreign.”
  50. Proverbs 5:21 tn Heb “man.”
  51. Proverbs 5:21 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  52. Proverbs 5:21 tn BDB 814 s.v. פָּלַס 2 suggests that the participle מְפַּלֵּס (mepalles) means “to make level [or, straight].” As one’s ways are in front of the eyes of the Lord, they become straight or right. It could be translated “weighs” since it is a denominative from the noun for “balance, scale”; the Lord weighs or examines the actions.
  53. Proverbs 5:21 tn Heb “all his”; the referent (the person mentioned in the first half of the verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  54. Proverbs 5:22 tn The suffix on the verb is the direct object suffix; “the wicked” is a second object by apposition: They capture him, the wicked. Since “the wicked” is not found in the LXX, it could be an old scribal error; or the Greek translator may have simply smoothed out the sentence. C. H. Toy suggests turning the sentence into a passive idea: “The wicked will be caught in his iniquities” (Proverbs [ICC], 117).
  55. Proverbs 5:22 tn The word is the subject of the clause, but the pronominal suffix has no clear referent. The suffix is proleptic, referring to the wicked.
  56. Proverbs 5:22 tn Heb “his own iniquities will capture the wicked.” The translation shifts the syntax for the sake of smoothness and readability.
  57. Proverbs 5:22 sn The lack of discipline and control in the area of sexual gratification is destructive. The one who plays with this kind of sin will become ensnared by it and led to ruin.
  58. Proverbs 5:22 tn The Hebrew is structured chiastically: “his own iniquities will capture the wicked, by the cords of his own sin will he be held.”
  59. Proverbs 5:23 tn The preposition ב (bet) is used in a causal sense: “because” (cf. NCV, TEV, CEV).
  60. Proverbs 5:23 sn The word אִוַּלְתּוֹ (ʾivvalto, “his folly”) is from the root אול and is related to the noun אֶוִיל (ʾevil, “foolish; fool”). The noun אִוֶּלֶת (ʾivvelet, “folly”) describes foolish and destructive activity. It lacks understanding, destroys what wisdom builds, and leads to destruction if it is not corrected.
  61. Proverbs 5:23 sn The verb שָׁגָה (shagah, “to swerve; to reel”) is repeated in a negative sense. If the young man is not captivated by his wife but is captivated with a stranger in sinful acts, then his own iniquities will captivate him and he will be led to ruin.
Close EXB

Proverbs 5
Expanded Bible

Warning About Adultery

5 My son, pay attention to my wisdom;
    ·listen [L bend your ear] to my words of understanding.
2 ·Be careful to use good sense [or So you might keep discrete]
    and ·watch what you say [L your lips might protect knowledge].
3 The ·words of another man’s wife [lips of an immoral/L strange woman] may ·seem sweet as [L drip like] honey;
    ·they [L her tongue/palette] may be as smooth as olive oil.
4 But in the end she ·will bring you sorrow [L is bitter like wormwood],
    ·causing you pain [L sharp] like a two-edged sword.
5 ·She is on the way [L Her feet go down] to death;
    her steps ·are headed straight [or grab on] to ·the grave [L Sheol].
6 She gives little thought to the path of life.
    ·She doesn’t even know that her ways are wrong [L Her paths wander and she does not even realize it].

7 Now, my sons, listen to me,
    and don’t ·ignore what I say [L turn aside from the speeches of my mouth].
8 ·Stay away from such a woman [L Keep your path far from her].
    Don’t even go near the ·door [entrance] of her house,
9 or you will give your ·riches [honor; or vitality; vigor] to others,
    and the best years of your life will be given to someone cruel.
10 Strangers will ·enjoy your wealth [or sap your strength],
    and what you worked so hard for will ·go to someone else [L end up in the house of a foreigner].
11 You will groan at the end of your life
    when your ·health is gone [L body and flesh are exhausted].
12 Then you will say, “I hated ·being told what to do [instruction; discipline]!
    ·I would not listen to [L My heart despised] correction!
13 I would not listen to my teachers
    or ·pay attention [extend my heart] to my instructors.
14 I ·came [or am] close to being completely ruined
    in front of ·a whole group of people [L the assembled congregation].”

15 ·Be faithful to your own wife [L Drink water from your own well; Song 4:10–15],
    ·just as you drink [L gushing] water from your own ·well [cistern].
16 Don’t ·pour your water in the streets [L let your fountains burst forth outside];
    ·don’t give your love to just any woman [L streams of water in the public squares].
17 These things are yours alone
    and shouldn’t be shared with strangers.
18 ·Be happy with the wife you married when you were young [L Rejoice in the wife of your youth].
    ·She gives you joy, as your fountain gives you water [L May your spring be blessed].
19 She is a lovely deer and a graceful doe.
    Let her ·love [or breasts] always make you happy;
    let her love always ·hold you captive [intoxicate/inebriate you; Song 4:10].
20 My son, ·don’t be held captive [L why should you be intoxicated/inebriated…?] by a ·woman who takes part in adultery [L stranger].
    Don’t fondle the bosom of a ·woman who is not your wife [L foreigner].

21 The ·Lord sees everything you do [L eyes of the Lord are on the path of every person],
    and he watches ·where you go [L all their ways].
22 An evil man will be ·caught [captured] in his wicked ways;
    the ropes of his sins will tie him up.
23 He will die ·because he does not control himself [L without discipline/instruction],
    and he will be ·held captive [or intoxicated; inebriated] by his ·foolishness [stupidity].

Read full chapter
Next
Proverbs 4
Proverbs 6
Next
Previous Next
Close NET

Proverbs 6:20-35
New English Translation

20 My child,[a] guard the commands of your father
and do not forsake the instruction of your mother.
21 Bind them[b] on your heart[c] continually;
fasten them around your neck.
22 When you walk about,[d] they[e] will guide you;
when you lie down, they will watch over you;
when you wake up,[f] they will talk[g] to you.
23 For the commandments[h] are like[i] a lamp,[j]
instruction is like a light,
and rebukes of discipline are like[k] the road leading to life,[l]
24 by keeping[m] you from the evil woman,[n]
from the smooth tongue of[o] the loose woman.[p]
25 Do not lust[q] in your heart for her beauty,
and do not let her captivate you with her alluring eyes;[r]
26 for on account of[s] a prostitute one is brought down to a loaf of bread,
but the wife of another man[t] preys on your precious life.[u]
27 Can a man hold[v] fire[w] against his chest[x]
without[y] burning his clothes?
28 Can[z] a man walk on hot coals
without scorching his feet?
29 So it is with[aa] the one who sleeps with[ab] his neighbor’s wife;
no one[ac] who touches[ad] her will escape punishment.[ae] [af]
30 People[ag] do not despise a thief when he steals
to fulfill his need[ah] when he is hungry.
31 Yet[ai] if he is caught[aj] he must repay[ak] seven times over,
he might even have to give[al] all the wealth of his house.
32 A man who commits adultery with a woman lacks sense,[am]
whoever does it destroys his own life.[an]
33 He will be beaten and despised,[ao]
and his reproach will not be wiped away;[ap]
34 for jealousy kindles[aq] a husband’s[ar] rage,
and he will not show mercy[as] when he takes revenge.
35 He will not consider[at] any compensation;[au]
he will not be willing, even if you multiply the compensation.[av]

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 6:20 tn The text again has “my son.” In this passage perhaps “son” would be the most fitting because of the warning against the adulterous woman. However, since even in this particular folly the temptation works both ways, the general address to either young men or women is retained. Similar warnings would apply to daughters to be warned of smooth-talking, seductive men.
  2. Proverbs 6:21 sn The figures used here are hypocatastases (implied comparisons). There may also be an allusion to Deut 6 where the people were told to bind the law on their foreheads and arms. The point here is that the disciple will never be without these instructions. See further, P. W. Skehan, Studies in Israelite Poetry and Wisdom (CBQMS), 1-8.
  3. Proverbs 6:21 sn The Hebrew word לֵב (lev) “heart” includes the mind. Hebrew does not separate “heart knowledge” and “head knowledge.” While “heart” may convey a deep commitment, the “mind” is crucial to considering and adopting the instruction. To have the instruction “on your mind” is critical to the deliberate talking to oneself needed to conform to the instruction, to meditating on it and assimilating it into one’s world view.
  4. Proverbs 6:22 tn The verbal form is the Hitpael infinitive construct with a preposition and a suffixed subjective genitive to form a temporal clause. The term הָלַךְ (halakh) in this verbal stem means “to go about; to go to and fro.” The use of these terms in v. 22 also alludes to Deut 6:7.
  5. Proverbs 6:22 tn Heb “it will guide you.” The verb is singular and the instruction is the subject.
  6. Proverbs 6:22 tn Heb “Then you will wake up. It (the instruction) will talk to you.” In both of the preceding cola an infinitive construct was used for the temporal clauses. Now the construction uses a perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive. The verb verb “wake up” is consecutive to “lie down [to sleep].” But it is also the circumstance for the following verb “will talk,” so it is has been subordinated here as a temporal clause.
  7. Proverbs 6:22 sn The meaning of the verb שִׂיחַ (siakh) has been understood variously as meditating, considering, whispering, or talking (in praise or complaint); cf. TEV, NLT “advise you.” The picture here is that the person has been so dedicated to the instruction that it is the first thing that comes to mind upon waking. The words of instruction “bound on the mind/heart” in 6:21 become, in today’s terminology, the words of one’s self-talk.
  8. Proverbs 6:23 tn Heb “the commandment” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).
  9. Proverbs 6:23 tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.
  10. Proverbs 6:23 sn The terms “lamp,” “light,” and “way” are all metaphors. The positive teachings and commandments will illumine or reveal to the disciple the way to life; the disciplinary correctives will provide guidance into fullness of life.
  11. Proverbs 6:23 tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.
  12. Proverbs 6:23 tn Heb “the way of life” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NIV, NLT “the way to life.” The noun “life” is a genitive following the construct “way.” It could be an attributive genitive modifying the kind of way/course of life that instruction provides, but it could also be objective in that the course of life followed would produce and lead to life.
  13. Proverbs 6:24 tn The infinitive construct is epexegetical here, explaining how these teachings function as lights: “by keeping you.” This verse is the transition from the general admonition about heeding the teachings to the practical application.
  14. Proverbs 6:24 tc The word translated “woman” is modified by רַע (raʿ, “evil”) in the sense of violating the codes of the community and inflicting harm on others. The BHS editors propose changing it to read “strange woman” as before, but there is not support for that. Some commentaries follow the LXX and read רַע as “wife of a neighbor” (cf. NAB; also NRSV “the wife of another”; CEV “someone else’s wife”) but that seems to be only a clarification.
  15. Proverbs 6:24 tn The word “tongue” is not in construct; the word “foreign woman” is in apposition to “smooth of tongue,” specifying whose it is. The word “smooth” then is the object of the preposition, “tongue” is the genitive of specification, and “foreign woman” in apposition.
  16. Proverbs 6:24 sn The description of the woman as a “strange woman” and now a “loose [Heb “foreign”] woman” is within the context of the people of Israel. She is a “foreigner” in the sense that she is a nonconformist, wayward, and loose. It does not necessarily mean that she is not ethnically an Israelite.
  17. Proverbs 6:25 tn The negated jussive gives the young person an immediate warning. The verb חָמַד (khamad) means “to desire,” and here in the sense of lust. The word is used in the Decalogue of Deut 5:21 for the warning against coveting.sn Lusting after someone in the heart, according to Jesus, is a sin of the same kind as the act, not just the first step toward it (Matt 5:28). Playing with temptation in the heart—the seat of the will and the emotions—is only the heart reaching out after the sin.
  18. Proverbs 6:25 tn Heb “her eyelids” (so KJV, NASB); NRSV “eyelashes”; TEV “flirting eyes”). This term is a synecdoche of part (eyelids) for the whole (eyes) or a metonymy of association for painted eyes and the luring glances that are the symptoms of seduction (e.g., 2 Kgs 9:30). The term “alluring” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarification.
  19. Proverbs 6:26 tn The word בְּעַד (beʿad) may be taken either as “on account of” (= by means of a) prostitute (cf. ASV, NASB), or “for the price of” a prostitute (cf. NAB). Most expositors take the first reading, though that use of the preposition is unattested, and then must supply “one is brought to.” The verse would then say that going to a prostitute can bring a man to poverty, but going to another man’s wife can lead to death. If the second view were taken, it would mean that one had a smaller price than the other. It is not indicating that one is preferable to the other; both are to be avoided.
  20. Proverbs 6:26 tn Heb “the wife of a man.”
  21. Proverbs 6:26 tn These two lines might be an example of synthetic parallelism, that is, “A, what’s more B.” The A-line describes the detrimental moral effect of a man going to a professional prostitute; the B-line heightens this and describes the far worse effect—moral and mortal!—of a man committing adultery with another man’s wife. When a man goes to a prostitute, he lowers himself to become nothing more than a “meal ticket” to sustain the life of that woman; however, when a man commits adultery, he places his very life in jeopardy—the rage of the husband could very well kill him.
  22. Proverbs 6:27 tn The Qal imperfect (with the interrogative) here has a potential nuance—“Is it possible to do this?” The sentence is obviously a rhetorical question making an affirmation that it is not possible.
  23. Proverbs 6:27 sn “Fire” provides the analogy for the sage’s warning: Fire represents the sinful woman (hypocatastasis) drawn close, and the burning of the clothes the inevitable consequences of the liaison. See J. L. Crenshaw, “Impossible Questions, Sayings, and Tasks,” Semeia 17 (1980): 19-34. The word “fire” (אֵשׁ, ʾesh) plays on the words “man” (אִישׁ,ʾish) and “woman” (אִשָּׁה, ʾishah); a passage like this probably inspired R. Gamaliel’s little explanation that what binds a man and a woman together in a holy marriage is י (yod) and ה (he), the two main letters of the holy name Yah. But if the Lord is removed from the relationship, that is, if these two letters are removed, all that is left is the אֵשׁ—the fire of passion. Since Gamaliel was the teacher of Paul, this may have influenced Paul’s advice that it was better to marry than to burn (1 Cor 7:9).
  24. Proverbs 6:27 tn Heb “snatch up fire into his bosom.”
  25. Proverbs 6:27 tn The second colon begins with the vav (ו) disjunctive on the noun, indicating a disjunctive clause; here it is a circumstantial clause.
  26. Proverbs 6:28 tn The particle indicates that this is another rhetorical question like that in v. 27.
  27. Proverbs 6:29 tn Heb “thus is the one.”
  28. Proverbs 6:29 tn Heb “approaches.” The verb בּוֹא (boʾ) with the preposition אֶל (ʾel) means “come to” or “approach,” but is also used as a euphemism for sexual relations.
  29. Proverbs 6:29 tn Heb “anyone who touches her will not.”
  30. Proverbs 6:29 sn The verb “touches” is intended here to be a euphemism for illegal sexual contact (e.g., Gen 20:6).
  31. Proverbs 6:29 tn Heb “will be exempt from”; NASB, NLT “will not go unpunished.”
  32. Proverbs 6:29 tn The verb is יִנָּקֶה (yinnaqeh), the Niphal imperfect from נָקָה (naqah, “to be empty; to be clean”). From it we get the adjectives “clean,” “free from guilt,” “innocent.” The Niphal has the meanings (1) “to be cleaned out” (of a plundered city; e.g., Isa 3:26), (2) “to be clean; to be free from guilt; to be innocent” (Ps 19:14), (3) “to be free; to be exempt from punishment” [here], and (4) “to be free; to be exempt from obligation” (Gen 24:8).
  33. Proverbs 6:30 tn Heb “they do not despise.”
  34. Proverbs 6:30 tn Heb “himself” or “his life.” Since the word נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, traditionally “soul”) refers to the whole person, body and soul, and since it has a basic idea of the bundle of appetites that make up a person, the use here for satisfying his hunger is appropriate.
  35. Proverbs 6:31 tn The term “yet” is supplied in the translation.
  36. Proverbs 6:31 tn Heb “is found out.” The perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive may continue or advance from a previous verb’s framework. Here it advances from “steals” in 6:30 and serves as the condition for the following imperfect verb.
  37. Proverbs 6:31 tn The imperfect tense has an obligatory nuance. The verb in the Piel means “to repay; to make restitution; to recompense”; cf. NCV, TEV, CEV “must pay back.”
  38. Proverbs 6:31 tn This final clause in the section is somewhat cryptic. The guilty thief must pay back sevenfold what he stole, even if it means he must use the substance of his whole house. The verb functions as an imperfect of possibility: “he might even give.”
  39. Proverbs 6:32 tn The term לֵב (lev, “mind, heart”) here represents thinking by means of metonymy (i.e., the mind stands for what the mind does). The overstatement, “lacking the ability to think,” means lacking discernment, wisdom, good sense. Cf. NAB “is a fool”; NIV “lacks judgment”; NKJV “lacks understanding,” NCV, NRSV “has no sense.”
  40. Proverbs 6:32 tn Heb “soul.” The noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul”) functions as a metonymy of association for “life” (BDB 659 s.v. 3.c).
  41. Proverbs 6:33 tn Heb “He will find (or obtain) a wound and contempt.”
  42. Proverbs 6:33 sn Even though the text has said that the man caught in adultery ruins his life, it does not mean that he was put to death, although that could have happened. He seems to live on in ignominy, destroyed socially and spiritually. He might receive blows and wounds from the husband and shame and disgrace from the spiritual community. D. Kidner observes that in a morally healthy society the adulterer would be a social outcast (Proverbs [TOTC], 75).
  43. Proverbs 6:34 tn The word “kindles” was supplied in the translation; both “rage” and “jealousy” have meanings connected to heat.
  44. Proverbs 6:34 tn Heb “a man’s.”
  45. Proverbs 6:34 tn The verb חָמַל (khamal) means “to show mercy; to show compassion; to show pity,” usually with the outcome of sparing or delivering someone. The idea here is that the husband will not spare the guilty man any of the punishment (cf. NRSV “he shows no restraint”).
  46. Proverbs 6:35 tn Heb “lift up the face of,” meaning “regard.”
  47. Proverbs 6:35 tc The MT’s “he will not lift the face of all of compensation” is probably a case of wrong word division. If the two letters of the word כֹל (kol, “all”) are divided and joined to the previous and following words, the text reads לֹא יִשָּׂא פָנֶיךָ לְכֹפֶר (loʾ yissaʾ faneka lekofer) “he will not lift your face for [any] compensation.”tn The word rendered “compensation” is כֹּפֶר (kofer); it is essentially a ransom price, a sum to be paid to deliver another from debt, bondage, or crime. The husband cannot accept payment as a ransom for a life, since what has happened cannot be undone so easily.
  48. Proverbs 6:35 tn BDB 1005 s.v. שֹׁחַד suggests that this term means “hush money” or “bribe” (cf. NIV, NRSV, NLT). C. H. Toy takes it as legal compensation (Proverbs [ICC], 142).
Close EXB

Proverbs 6:20-35
Expanded Bible

Warning About Adultery

20 My son, ·keep [protect] your father’s commands,
    and don’t ·forget [L abandon; forsake] your mother’s ·teaching [instruction].
21 ·Keep their words in mind [L Bind them to your heart] forever
    ·as though you had them tied [fasten them] around your neck.
22 They will ·guide [lead] you when you walk.
    They will ·guard [protect] you when you sleep.
    They will ·speak to you [or occupy your attention] when you are awake.
23 These commands are like a lamp;
    this ·teaching [instruction] is like a light [C making things clear].
And ·the correction that comes from them [L disciplined correction]
    ·will help you have [L is the path of] life.
24 They will ·keep [guard] you from ·sinful women [the evil woman]
    and from the ·pleasing words [L flattering tongue] of ·another man’s unfaithful wife [L the foreign woman].
25 Don’t desire her because she is beautiful.
    Don’t let her capture you by ·the way she looks at you [L her eyelashes].
26 A prostitute will ·treat you like [or cost you] a loaf of bread,
    ·and [or but] a ·woman who takes part in adultery [married woman] ·may cost you [L hunts; stalks] your life.
27 You cannot ·carry [or scoop] hot coals ·against your chest [or into your lap]
    without burning your clothes,
28 and you cannot walk on hot coals
    without burning your feet.
29 The same is true if you ·have sexual relations with [L go to] ·another man’s wife [L the wife of a neighbor/friend].
    ·Anyone who does so will be punished [L All who touch her will not go unpunished].

30 People don’t ·hate [despise] a thief
    when he steals because he is hungry.
31 But if he is caught, he must pay back ·seven times what he stole [L sevenfold],
    and ·it may cost him everything he owns [L he must give the riches of his house].
32 A man who takes part in adultery ·has no sense [L lacks heart];
    he will destroy himself.
33 He will ·be beaten up and disgraced [L find affliction and scorn],
    and his ·shame [reproach] will never ·go away [L be blotted out].
34 Jealousy makes a husband very angry,
    and he will ·have no pity [not forgive] when he gets revenge.
35 He will accept no payment for the wrong;
    he will ·take no amount of money [not take a bribe no matter how large].

Read full chapter
Next
Proverbs 5
Proverbs 7
Next
Previous Next
Close NET

Proverbs 7
New English Translation

Admonition to Avoid the Wiles of the Adulteress[a]

7 My child,[b] devote yourself to my words
and store up my commands inside yourself.[c]
2 Keep my commands[d] so that you may live,[e]
and obey[f] my instruction as your most prized possession.[g]
3 Bind them on your forearm;[h]
write them on the tablet of your heart.[i]
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”[j]
and call understanding a close relative,
5 so that they may keep you from the adulterous woman,[k]
from the loose woman[l] who has flattered[m] you[n] with her words.
6 For at the window of my house
through my window lattice I looked out
7 and I saw among the naive[o]—
I discerned among the youths[p]—
a young man[q] who lacked sense.[r]
8 He was passing by the street near her corner,
making his way[s] along the road to her house[t]
9 in the twilight, the evening,[u]
in the dark of the night.[v]
10 Suddenly[w] a woman came out to meet him!
She was dressed like a prostitute[x] and with secret intent.[y]
11 (She is loud and rebellious,
she[z] does not remain[aa] at home—
12 at one time outside, at another[ab] in the wide plazas,
and by every corner she lies in wait.)
13 So she grabbed him and kissed him,
and with a bold expression[ac] she said to him,
14 “I have meat from my peace offerings at home;[ad]
today I have fulfilled my vows!
15 That is why I came out to meet you,
to look for you,[ae] and I found you!
16 I have spread my bed with elegant coverings,[af]
with richly colored fabric[ag] from Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed
with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s drink deeply[ah] of lovemaking[ai] until morning,
let’s delight ourselves[aj] with love’s pleasures.
19 For my husband[ak] is not at home;[al]
he has gone on a journey of some distance.
20 He has taken a bag of money with him;[am]
he will not return until[an] the end of the month.”[ao]
21 She turned him aside[ap] with her persuasions;[aq]
with her smooth talk[ar] she was enticing him along.[as]
22 Suddenly he was going[at] after her
like an ox that goes to the slaughter,
like a stag prancing into a trapper’s snare[au]
23 till an arrow pierces his liver[av]—
like a bird hurrying into a trap,
and he does not know that it will cost him his life.[aw]
24 So now, sons,[ax] listen to me,
and pay attention to the words I speak.[ay]
25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways—
do not wander into her pathways;
26 for she has brought down[az] many fatally wounded,
and all those she has slain are many.[ba]
27 Her house is the way to the grave,[bb]
going down to the chambers of death.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 7:1 sn The chapter begins with the important teaching of the father (1-5), then it focuses on the seduction: first the victim (6-9), then the temptress (10-12), then the persuasion (13-20), and the capitulation (21-23); the chapter concludes with the deadly results of adultery (24-27).
  2. Proverbs 7:1 tn The text again has “my son.” In this passage perhaps “son” would be the most fitting because of the warning against the adulterous woman. However, since even in this particular folly the temptation works both ways, the general address to either young men or women is retained. Similar warnings would apply to daughters to be warned of smooth-talking, seductive men.
  3. Proverbs 7:1 tn Heb “store up with yourself.” Most translations either use “store” (NIV, NRSV) or “treasure” (NASB, ESV, NKJV) and “with you” (ESV, NRSV, KJV) or “within you” (NIV, NASB, NKJV). BDB 860 s.v. צָפַן Qal.1 suggests that “within you” means “in your own keeping.” HALOT 1049 s.v. describes the verb as “to keep in one’s heart.” NIDOTTE 837 s.v. צָפַן says the verb “takes on the technical meaning of memorizing the commandments of God.” The instructions are to have these lessons stored up inside so that you can draw on them in need.sn The idea here is to study to be prepared. It is the opposite of the idea of getting in a difficult situation and then looking for something in the Bible to apply to your life. This verse is about applying your life to biblical wisdom and being prepared for situations that may come your way.
  4. Proverbs 7:2 tc Before v. 2 the LXX inserts: “My son, fear the Lord and you will be strong, and besides him, fear no other.” Although this addition has the precedent of 3:7 and 9 and harmonizes with 14:26, it does not fit here; the advice is to listen to the teacher.
  5. Proverbs 7:2 tn The construction of an imperative with the vav (ו) of sequence after another imperative denotes a logical sequence of purpose or result: “that you may live,” or “and you will live.”
  6. Proverbs 7:2 tn The term “obey” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the parallelism; it is supplied for the sake of clarity and smoothness. Some English versions, in light of the second line of v. 1, supply “guard” (e.g., NIV, NCV, NLT).
  7. Proverbs 7:2 tn The Hebrew phrase refers to the pupil of the eye, perhaps by the idiom “the little man in [the] eye.” The term אִישׁוֹן (ʾishon, “pupil”) appears to be a diminutive from אִישׁ (ʾish, “man”). The saying may have arisen because the pupil will make a small reflection of the person looking into another’s eyes. Because of the importance of protecting the eye from harm, the “pupil” of the eye “has the idea of something precious that was to be guarded jealously” (NIDOTTE 386 s.v. אִישׁוֹן). Traditionally this Hebrew idiom is translated into English as “the apple of your eye” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); a more contemporary rendering would be “as your most prized possession.” The point is that the teaching must be the central focus of the disciple’s vision and attention.
  8. Proverbs 7:3 tn Heb “fingers” (so KJV and many other English versions). In light of Deut 6:8, “fingers” appears to be a metonymy for the lower part of the arm or for the hands.
  9. Proverbs 7:3 sn This is an allusion to Deut 6:8. Binding the teachings on the fingers and writing them on the tablets here are implied comparisons for preserving the teaching in memory so that it can be recalled and used with ease.
  10. Proverbs 7:4 sn The metaphor is meant to signify that the disciple will be closely related to and familiar with wisdom and understanding, as close as to a sibling. Wisdom will be personified in the next two chapters, and so referring to it as a sister in this chapter certainly prepares for that personification.
  11. Proverbs 7:5 tn Heb “strange” (so KJV, ASV). See the note at 2:16, which is identical to this verse, except for using a synonym for the beginning verb.
  12. Proverbs 7:5 tn Heb “strange woman.” This can be interpreted as a “wayward wife” (so NIV) or an “unfaithful wife” (so NCV). As discussed earlier, the designations “strange woman” and “foreign woman” could refer to Israelites who stood outside the community in their lawlessness and loose morals—an adulteress or wayward woman. H. Ringgren and W. Zimmerli, however, suggest that she is also a promoter of a pagan cult, but that is not entirely convincing (Spruche/Prediger [ATD], 19).
  13. Proverbs 7:5 tn The Hiphil of חָלַק (khalaq, “to be smooth/slippery”) means “to use smooth words,” that is, to flatter (Pss 5:10; 36:3; Prov 2:16; 28:23; 29:5). The seductive speech of the temptress is as sweet as honey and smooth as oil (5:3).sn As the perfect verb of a dynamic root, the verb reports what she has done. She probably flatters every man who crosses her path, but this advice is given to the young man who would have on his mind what she has said to him. Part of succumbing to temptation often involves becoming narrowly focused on something perceived as pleasurable and blocking out any thought of the consequences. (Compare Eve in Gen 3.) The sage goes on to tell a story in order to make the trap and the consequences vivid.
  14. Proverbs 7:5 tn The term “you” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness.
  15. Proverbs 7:7 tn Heb פֶּתִי (peti, “naive, simpleton”).sn This naive young man who lacked wisdom is one of the פֶּתִי (peti) simpletons, lacking keen judgment, one void of common sense (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT) or understanding (cf. KJV, ASV). He is young, inexperienced, featherbrained (so D. Kidner, Proverbs [TOTC], 75).
  16. Proverbs 7:7 tc Heb “sons.” The MT reads בַבָּנִים (vabbanim) “among the sons,” perhaps meaning “young men” (cf. Song 2:3; HALOT 138, s. v. I בֵּן). Based on the Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate, perhaps the text should read בַנְבָלִים (vanevalim, “among the fools”).
  17. Proverbs 7:7 tn Heb “lad” or “youth.”
  18. Proverbs 7:7 tn The term לֵב (lev, “mind, heart”) is used as a metonymy of association for what one does with the mind (thinking), and so refers to discernment, wisdom, good sense.
  19. Proverbs 7:8 tn The verb צָעַד (tsaʿad) means “to step; to march.” It suggests that the youth was intentionally making his way to her house. The verb is the imperfect tense; it stresses continual action parallel to the active participle that began the verse, but within a context that is past time.
  20. Proverbs 7:8 tn Heb “way of her house.” The term “way” is an adverbial accusative telling where he was marching. It is described by the genitive “her house” identifying where the way goes by or to.
  21. Proverbs 7:9 tn Heb “in the evening of the day.”
  22. Proverbs 7:9 tn Heb “in the middle of the night, and dark”; KJV “in the black and dark night”; NRSV “at the time of night and darkness.”
  23. Proverbs 7:10 tn The particle וְהִנֵּה (vehinneh) introduces a dramatic sense of the immediate to the narrative; it has a deictic force, “and look!—there was a woman,” or “all of a sudden this woman….”
  24. Proverbs 7:10 tn Heb “with the garment of a prostitute.” The noun שִׁית (shit, “garment”) is an adverbial accusative specifying the appearance of the woman. The words “she was” are supplied in the translation to make a complete English sentence.
  25. Proverbs 7:10 tn Heb “kept secret of heart”; cf. ASV, NRSV “wily of heart.” The verbal form is the passive participle from נָצַר (natsar) in construct. C. H. Toy lists the suggestions of the commentators: false, malicious, secret, subtle, excited, hypocritical (Proverbs [ICC], 149). The LXX has “causes the hearts of the young men to fly away.” The verb means “to guard; to watch; to keep”; to be guarded of heart means to be wily, to have secret intent—she has locked up her plans and gives nothing away (e.g., Isaiah 48:6 as well). Interestingly enough, this contrasts with her attire which gives everything away.
  26. Proverbs 7:11 tn Heb “her feet.” This is a synecdoche, a part for the whole; the point is that she never stays home, but is out and about all the time.
  27. Proverbs 7:11 tn Heb “dwell” or “settle”; NAB “her feet cannot rest.”
  28. Proverbs 7:12 tn The repetition of the noun פַּעַם (paʿam, “step, occasion”) is an idiom indicating different occasions. It could be rendered idiomatically in English as “now [here], now [there],” “once [here], then [there],” or “at one time…at another time” (BDB 822 s.v. פַּעַם 3.e).
  29. Proverbs 7:13 tn Heb “she made her face bold.” The Hiphil perfect of עָזַז (ʿazaz, “to be strong”) means she has an impudent face (cf. KJV, NAB, NRSV), a bold or brazen expression (cf. NASB, NIV, NLT).
  30. Proverbs 7:14 tn Heb “peace offerings are with me.” The peace offerings refer to the meat left over from the votive offering made at the sanctuary (e.g., Lev 7:11-21). Apparently the sacrificial worship meant little to this woman spiritually. By expressing that she has peace offerings, she could be saying that she has fresh meat for a meal at home, or that she was ceremonially clean, perhaps after her period. At any rate, it is all probably a ruse for winning a customer.
  31. Proverbs 7:15 tn Heb “to look diligently for your face.”
  32. Proverbs 7:16 tn Heb “with spreads I have spread my bed.” The rare noun is a cognate to the verb.
  33. Proverbs 7:16 tn The feminine noun means “dark-hued stuffs” (BDB 310 s.v. חֲטֻבוֹת). The form is a passive participle from a supposed root II חָטַב (khatav), which in Arabic means to be of a turbid, dusky color mixed with yellowish red. Its Aramaic cognate means “variegated”; cf. NAB “with brocaded cloths of Egyptian linen.” BDB’s translation of this colon is unsatisfactory: “with dark hued stuffs of yarn from Egypt.”
  34. Proverbs 7:18 tn The verb means “to be saturated; to drink one’s fill,” and can at times mean “to be intoxicated with.”
  35. Proverbs 7:18 tn Heb “loves.” The word דּוֹד (dod) means physical love or lovemaking. It is found frequently in the Song of Solomon for the loved one, the beloved.
  36. Proverbs 7:18 tn The form is the Hitpael cohortative of עָלַס (ʿalas), which means “to rejoice.” Cf. NIV “let’s enjoy ourselves.”
  37. Proverbs 7:19 tn Heb “the man.” The LXX interpreted it as “my husband,” taking the article to be used as a possessive. Many English versions do the same.
  38. Proverbs 7:19 tn Heb “in his house.”
  39. Proverbs 7:20 tn Heb “in his hand.”
  40. Proverbs 7:20 tn Heb “he will come back to his home at.”
  41. Proverbs 7:20 tn Heb “new moon.” Judging from the fact that the husband took a purse of money and was staying away until the next full moon, the woman implies that they would be safe in their escapade. If v. 9 and v. 20 are any clue, he could be gone for about two weeks—until the moon is full again.
  42. Proverbs 7:21 tn Heb “she turned him aside.” This expression means that she persuaded him. sn While this verb is a Hebrew perfect (and so past tense in English) the next verb is an imperfect (past progressive). The sage is taking us inside the transition in the man’s mind. He is hooked but not yet reeled in. He has turned and maybe taken a step in her direction, but not really committed yet inside. The second half of the verse points to her continuing enticement to keep him coming until he commits; she is close to closing the deal.
  43. Proverbs 7:21 sn The term לֶקַח (leqakh) was used earlier in Proverbs for wise instruction; now it is used ironically for enticement to sin (see D. W. Thomas, “Textual and Philological Notes on Some Passages in the Book of Proverbs,” VTSup 3 [1955]: 280-92).
  44. Proverbs 7:21 tn Heb “smoothness of her lips”; cf. NAB “smooth lips”; NASB “flattering lips.” The term “lips” is a metonymy of cause representing what she says. The noun חֵלֶק (kheleq) “smoothness” is the counterpart to the verb “flatter” is 7:5.
  45. Proverbs 7:21 tn The basic meaning of the verb נָדַח (nadakh) is “to go/be led astray.” In the causative Hiphil form it means “to drive away, to entice, to seduce.” As an imperfect verb in a past time setting it is progressive: she turned him aside and was leading him astray.
  46. Proverbs 7:22 tn The participle with “suddenly” gives a vivid picture. It depicts the inner change in the man. She had turned him and been enticing him along, but he was still like an ox deciding whether to really follow the call after turning in its direction. Then suddenly, like a switch has been thrown inside, he goes on under his own will power, just like the dumb ox he has become.
  47. Proverbs 7:22 tn The present translation follows R. B. Y. Scott (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes [AB], 64). This third colon of the verse would usually be rendered, “fetters to the chastening of a fool” (KJV, ASV, and NASB are all similar). But there is no support that עֶכֶס (ʿekhes) means “fetters.” It appears in Isaiah 3:16 as “anklets.” The parallelism here suggests that some animal imagery is required. Thus the ancient versions have “as a dog to the bonds.”
  48. Proverbs 7:23 sn The figure of an arrow piercing the liver (an implied comparison) may refer to the pangs of a guilty conscience that the guilty must reap along with the spiritual and physical ruin that follows (see on these expressions H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament).
  49. Proverbs 7:23 tn The expression that it is “for/about/over his life” means that it could cost him his life (e.g., Num 16:38). Alternatively, the line could refer to moral corruption and social disgrace rather than physical death—but this would not rule out physical death too.
  50. Proverbs 7:24 tn The literal translation “sons” works well here in view of the warning. Cf. KJV, NAB, NRSV “children.”
  51. Proverbs 7:24 tn Heb “the words of my mouth.”
  52. Proverbs 7:26 tn Heb “she has caused to fall.”
  53. Proverbs 7:26 tn Heb “numerous” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT) or “countless.”
  54. Proverbs 7:27 tn The noun “Sheol” in parallelism to “the chambers of death” probably means the grave. The noun is a genitive of location, indicating the goal of the road(s). Her house is not the grave; it is, however, the sure way to it. Cf. 2:18.sn Her house is the way to the grave. The young man’s life is not destroyed in one instant; it is taken from him gradually as he enters into a course of life that will leave him as another victim of the wages of sin. The point of the warning is to prevent such a course from starting. Sin can certainly be forgiven, but the more involvement in this matter the greater the alienation from the healthy community.
Close EXB

Proverbs 7
Expanded Bible

The Woman of Adultery

7 My son, ·remember what I say [guard my speech], and ·treasure [store/hide in you] my commands.

2 ·Obey [Guard] my commands, and you will live.
    Guard my ·teachings [instructions] ·as you would your own [L like the apple of your] eyes.
3 ·Remind yourself of them [L Bind them on your fingers];
    write them on your heart as if on a tablet.
4 ·Treat wisdom as a sister [L Say to Wisdom, “You are my sister”; 1:20–33; 8:1—9:6],
    and ·make understanding your closest friend [L call Understanding “Friend”].
5 ·Wisdom and understanding [L She] will ·keep you away [guard you] from ·adultery [L the strange woman],
    away from the ·unfaithful wife [L foreign woman] and her ·pleasing [flattering] words.

6 Once while I was at the window of my house
    I looked out through the ·shutters [lattice; curtains]
7 and saw some ·foolish [simpleminded; immature; naive], young men.
    I noticed one of them ·had no wisdom [had no sense; L lacked heart].
8 He was ·walking down [crossing] the street near the corner
    on the road leading to her house.
9 It was the twilight of the evening;
    the darkness of the night was just beginning.
10 Then the woman ·approached [or propositioned] him,
    dressed like a prostitute
    and ·planning to trick him [L with a guarded heart].
11 She was ·loud [boisterous; noisy] and ·stubborn [defiant]
    and ·never stayed at [L her feet do not rest in her own] home.
12 ·She was always out [L A foot] in the streets ·or in [L a foot in] the city squares,
    ·waiting around [lurking] on the corners of the streets.
13 She grabbed him and kissed him.
    ·Without shame [L Her face was brazen as] she said to him,
14 “I made my fellowship offering [Lev. 3; 7:11–21; C the offerer ate the meat of the offering].
    Today I have ·kept [paid back] my ·special promises [vows].
15 So I have come out to meet you;
    I have been ·looking for you [L seeking your face] and have found you.
16 I have ·covered [ornamented] my bed
    with colored sheets from Egypt.
17 I have ·made my bed smell sweet [L sprinkled my bed]
    with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s ·make [be intoxicated with] love until morning.
    Let’s ·enjoy each other’s [rejoice in] love.
19 My husband is not home;
    he has gone on a ·long [faraway] trip.
20 He took a ·lot of money with him [L pouch of money in his hand]
    and won’t be home ·for weeks [L until the new moon].”
21 By her clever words she ·made him give in [seduces him];
    by ·her pleasing words [L the flattery of her lips] she ·led him into doing wrong [persuades/compels him].
22 All at once he followed her,
    like an ox led to the ·butcher [slaughter],
like a ·deer caught in a trap [or fool to the stocks]
23     ·and shot through the liver with an arrow [until an arrow pierces his liver].
Like a bird ·caught in [L hurrying to] a trap,
he didn’t know ·what he did would kill him [it would cost him his life].

24 Now, my sons, listen to me;
    pay attention to ·what I say [L the speech of my mouth].
25 Don’t ·let yourself be tricked by such a woman [L turn your heart to her paths];
    don’t ·go where she leads you [wander onto her paths].
26 She has ·ruined many good men [L caused many corpses to fall],
    and many ·have died because of her [are those she has killed].
27 Her house is on the ·road [path] to ·death [L Sheol; C the grave or the underworld],
    ·the road that leads down to the grave [L going down to the chambers of death].

Read full chapter
Next
Proverbs 6
Proverbs 8
Next
Previous Next
Close NET

Proverbs 22:14
New English Translation

14 The mouth[a] of an adulteress is like[b] a deep pit;[c]
the one against whom the Lord is angry[d] will fall into it.[e]

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:14 sn The word “mouth” is a metonymy of cause; it refers to the seductive speech of the strange woman (e.g., 2:16-22; and chs. 5, 7).
  2. Proverbs 22:14 tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied for the sake of clarity.
  3. Proverbs 22:14 sn The point of the metaphor is that what the adulteress says is like a deep pit. The pit is like the hunter’s snare; it is a trap that is difficult to escape. So to succumb to the adulteress—or to any other folly this represents—is to get oneself into a difficulty that has no easy escape.
  4. Proverbs 22:14 tn Heb “the one who is cursed by the Lord” (cf. NASB). The construction uses the passive participle in construct with Yahweh. The “Lord” is genitive of agency after the passive form. The verb means “be indignant, express indignation.” So it is talking about one against whom the Lord is angry.
  5. Proverbs 22:14 tn Heb “will fall there.” The “falling” could refer to the curse itself or to the result of the curse. sn The proverb is saying that the Lord will use the seductive, deceptive words of the adulteress to bring about the downfall of one who is inclined to such folly.
Close EXB

Proverbs 22:14
Expanded Bible

14 The ·words [L mouth] of ·an unfaithful wife [L the strange woman] are like a deep ·trap [pit].
Those who make the Lord angry will ·get caught by them [L fall in it].

Read full chapter
Next
Proverbs 21
Proverbs 23
Next
Previous Next
Close NET

Proverbs 30:20
New English Translation

20 This is the way[a] of an adulterous[b] woman:
she has eaten and wiped her mouth[c]
and has said, “I have not done wrong.”[d]

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 30:20 sn Equally amazing is the insensitivity of the adulterous woman to the sin. The use of the word “way” clearly connects this and the preceding material. Its presence here also supports the interpretation of the final clause in v. 19 as referring to sexual intimacy. While that is a wonder of God’s creation, so is the way that human nature has distorted it and ruined it.
  2. Proverbs 30:20 sn The word clearly indicates that the woman is married and unchaste, but the text describes her as amoral as much as immoral—she sees nothing wrong with what she does.
  3. Proverbs 30:20 sn The acts of “eating” and “wiping her mouth” are euphemistic; these acts of having a meal stand in as a metaphor for sexual activity (e.g., Prov 9:17).
  4. Proverbs 30:20 sn This is the amazing part of the observation. It is one thing to sin, for everyone sins, but to dismiss the act of adultery so easily, as if it were no more significant than a meal, is incredibly brazen.
Close EXB

Proverbs 30:20
Expanded Bible

20 “This is the way of a woman who takes part in adultery:
    She acts as if she had eaten and washed her face;
she says, ‘I haven’t done anything wrong.’

Read full chapter
Next
Proverbs 29
Proverbs 31
Next
dropdown
New English Translation (NET)

NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

Expanded Bible (EXB)

The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.