Proverbs 6:18-28

18 A heart that devises 1wicked plans, 2Feet that run rapidly to evil,
19 A 3false witness who utters lies, And one who 4spreads strife among brothers.
20 5My son, observe the commandment of your father And do not forsake the teaching of your mother;
21 6Bind them continually on your heart; Tie them around your neck.
22 When you 7walk about, they will guide you; When you sleep, they will watch over you; And when you awake, they will talk to you.
23 For 8the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; And reproofs for discipline are the way of life
24 To 9keep you from the evil woman, From the smooth tongue of the adulteress.
25 10Do not desire her beauty in your heart, Nor let her capture you with her 11eyelids.
26 For 12on account of a harlot one is reduced to a loaf of bread, And an adulteress * 13hunts for the precious life.
27 Can a man take fire in his bosom And his clothes not be burned?
28 Or can a man walk on hot coals And his feet not be scorched?

Proverbs 6:18-28 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PROVERBS 6

In this chapter the wise man dissuades from rash suretyship; exposes the sin of idleness; describes a wicked man; makes mention of seven things hateful to God; exhorts to attend to parental instructions and precepts, and cautions against adultery. Suretyship is described, Pr 6:1; and represented as a snare and a net, in which men are taken, Pr 6:2; and advice is given what to do in such a case, for safety in it, and deliverance from it, Pr 6:3-5; The sin of slothfulness is exposed, by observing the industry of the ant, Pr 6:6-8; by expostulating with the sluggard for his continuance in sloth, and by mimicking him, Pr 6:9,10; and by the poverty it brings upon him, Pr 6:11. Then a naughty wicked man is described, by his mouth, eyes, feet, fingers, and heart, whose ruin is sudden and inevitable, Pr 6:11-15. The seven things hateful to God are particularly named, Pr 6:16-19. And next the exhortation in some preceding chapters is reassumed, to attend to the instructions of parents; which will be found ornamental, pleasant, and useful, Pr 6:20-23. Especially to preserve from the lewd woman cautioned against, Pr 6:24,25; whose company is dissuaded from; on account of the extreme poverty and distress she brings persons to, and even danger of life, Pr 6:26; from the unavoidable ruin such come into, Pr 6:27-29; from the sin of uncleanness being greater than that of theft, Pr 6:30,31; from the folly the adulterer betrays; from the destruction of his soul, and the disgrace he brings on himself, Pr 6:32,33; and from the rage and irreconcilable offence of the husband of the adulteress, Pr 6:34,35.

Cross References 13

  • 1. Genesis 6:5; Proverbs 24:2
  • 2. Proverbs 1:16; Isaiah 59:7; Romans 3:15
  • 3. Psalms 27:12; Proverbs 12:17; Proverbs 19:5, 9; Proverbs 21:28
  • 4. Proverbs 6:14
  • 5. Ephesians 6:1
  • 6. Proverbs 3:3
  • 7. Proverbs 3:23
  • 8. Psalms 19:8; Psalms 119:105
  • 9. Proverbs 5:3; Proverbs 7:5, 21
  • 10. Matthew 5:28
  • 11. 2 Kings 9:30; Jeremiah 4:30; Ezekiel 23:40
  • 12. Proverbs 5:9, 10; Proverbs 29:3
  • 13. Proverbs 7:23; Ezekiel 13:18

Footnotes 9

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