Proverbs 7:6-27

A Story of Seduction

6 At the window of my house I looked through my lattice.
7 I saw among the inexperienced,[a] I noticed among the youths, a young man lacking sense.
8 Crossing the street near her corner, he strolled down the road to her house
9 at twilight, in the evening, in the dark of the night.
10 A woman came to meet him, dressed like a prostitute, having a hidden agenda.[b]
11 She is loud and defiant; her feet do not stay at home.
12 Now in the street, now in the squares,[c] she lurks at every corner.
13 She grabs him and kisses him; she brazenly says[d] [e] to him,
14 "I've made fellowship offerings;[f] today I've fulfilled my vows.[g]
15 So I came out to meet you, to search for you, and I've found you.
16 I've spread coverings on my bed- richly colored linen from Egypt.
17 I've perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let's drink deeply of lovemaking until morning. Let's feast on each other's love!
19 My husband isn't home; he went on a long journey.
20 He took a bag of money with him and will come home at the time of the full moon."
21 She seduces him with her persistent pleading; she lures with her flattering[h] talk.
22 He follows her impulsively like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer bounding toward a trap[i]
23 until an arrow pierces its[j] liver,[k] like a bird darting into a snare- he doesn't know it will cost him his life.
24 Now, [my] sons, listen to me, and pay attention to the words of my mouth.
25 Don't let your heart turn aside to her ways; don't stray onto her paths.
26 For she has brought many down to death; her victims are countless.[l]
27 Her house is the road to Sheol, descending to the chambers of death.[m]

Proverbs 7:6-27 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PROVERBS 7

The sum of this chapter is to exhort men to attend to the doctrines and precepts of Wisdom, in order to avoid the adulterous woman; the exhortation to keep them with care, affection, and delight, in order to answer the end, is in Pr 7:1-5. A story is told, of Solomon's own knowledge, of a young man ensnared and ruined by a lewd woman; it begins Pr 7:6. The young man is described as foolish, and as throwing himself in the way of temptation, Pr 7:7-9; the harlot that met him is described by her attire, her subtlety, her voice, her inconstancy, her impudence, and pretensions to piety, Pr 7:10-14. The arguments she made use of to prevail upon him to go with her are taken partly from the elegance of her bed, the softness of it, and its sweet perfume, and satiety of love to be enjoyed in it, Pr 7:15-18; and partly from the absence of her husband, who was gone a long journey, and had made provision for it for a certain time, Pr 7:19,20. By which arguments she prevailed upon him to his utter ruin: which is illustrated by the similes of an ox going to the slaughter, a fool to the stocks, and a bird to the snare, Pr 7:21-23. And the chapter is concluded with an exhortation to hearken to the words of Wisdom, and to avoid the ways and paths of the harlot, by which many and mighty persons have been ruined; they being the direct road to hell and death, Pr 7:24-27.

Footnotes 13

  • [a]. Or simple, or gullible, or naive
  • [b]. Or prostitute, with a guarded heart
  • [c]. Pr 5:16
  • [d]. Lit she makes her face strong and says
  • [e]. Pr 21:29
  • [f]. Meat from a fellowship offering had to be eaten on the day it was offered; therefore she is inviting him to a feast at her house.
  • [g]. Lv 7:11-18; Dt 23:18-19; Ps 56:12
  • [h]. Lit smooth
  • [i]. Text emended; lit like shackles for the discipline of a fool; Hb obscure
  • [j]. Or his
  • [k]. Pr 2:16-19; 5:3-6; 23:27-28
  • [l]. Or and powerful men are all her victims
  • [m]. Pr 5:5; 9:18
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