Proverbs 5:5

5 Her feet go down into death; and her steps pierce to hells. (Her feet go downward unto death; and her steps shall lead thee unto Sheol, or the land of the dead/and her steps shall lead thee to hell.)

Proverbs 5:5 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 5:5

Her feet go down to death
The ways in which she walks, and in which she leads others, issue oftentimes in corporeal death; and always in eternal death, if grace prevent not; and unless men are brought to a sense of sin, to repent of it and leave it. The Septuagint and Arabic versions render it, "the feet of imprudence" or "folly", in opposition to wisdom; that is, the feet of the foolish woman, such an one the harlot is; and such is the whore of Rome, notwithstanding all her boasted knowledge and wisdom. And into perdition, or the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death, she goes herself, and hither she brings all that follow her idolatrous practices, ( Revelation 17:8 ) ( 19:20 ) ( 21:8 ) ; her steps take hold on hell;
make sure of it; hell is the certain portion of the harlot, and of all those that follow her lewd courses, unless reclaimed by the grace of God; and this will be the case of the worshippers of antichrist, or who give into the idolatries of the church of Rome, or commit fornication with her, ( Revelation 14:9-11 ) . Or, "her steps support hell" F8; keep it up, and fill it with inhabitants; millions are carried into it by her means: or, reach unto hell; she stops not till she comes there, and her followers with her. The word may be rendered "the grave", and may respect such whores who haunted burying places, and prostituted themselves among the graves; and were called from hence "bustuariae moechae" F9.


FOOTNOTES:

F8 (wkmty) "sustentabunt", Montanus; "sustinant", Vatablus; "sustentent", Mercerus, Gejerus.
F9 Vid. Turnebi Adversar. l. 13. c. 19. & Sept. vers. in Jer. ii. 23.

Proverbs 5:5 In-Context

3 Give thou not attention to the falseness of a woman; for the lips of an whore be an honeycomb dropping (for a whore's lips be like a dripping honeycomb), and her throat is clearer than oil;
4 but the last things [of her] be (as) bitter as wormwood, and her tongue is (as) sharp as a sword carving, (or cutting,) on each side.
5 Her feet go down into death; and her steps pierce to hells. (Her feet go downward unto death; and her steps shall lead thee unto Sheol, or the land of the dead/and her steps shall lead thee to hell.)
6 Those go not by the path of life; her steps be uncertain, and may not be sought out. (They do not go on the path of life; her steps be uncertain, and should not be followed.)
7 Now therefore, my son, hear thou me (And so now, my son, listen to me), and go thou not away from the words of my mouth.
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.