And I find more bitter than death the woman
This was the issue of his diligent studies and researches, and
the observations he had made; this was what he found by sad and
woeful experience, and which he chose to take particular notice
of; that he might not only expose this vanity among others, and
caution men against it, even the love of women, which at best is
a bitter sweet, as the poet F11 calls it, though here
adulterous love is meant; but having this opportunity, might
express his sincere repentance for this folly of his life, than
which nothing had been more bitter to him, in the reflection of
his mind upon it: death is a bitter thing, and terrible to
nature, ( 1 Samuel
15:32 ) ; but to be ensnared by an adulterous woman is worse
than that; it brings not only such diseases of body as are both
painful and scandalous, but such horrors into the conscience,
when awakened, as are intolerable, and exposes to eternal death;
see ( Proverbs
5:3 Proverbs 5:4
) . By "the woman" is not meant the sex in general, which was far
from Solomon's intention to reflect upon and reproach; nor any
woman in particular, not Eve, the first woman, through whom came
sin and death into the world; but an adulterous woman: see (
Proverbs
5:4 ) . Some interpret this of original sin, or the
corruption of nature, evil concupiscence, which draws men into
sin, and holds them in it, the consequence of which is death
eternal; but such who find favour in the eyes of God are
delivered from the power and dominion of it; but obstinate and
impenitent sinners are held under it, and perish eternally.
Jarchi, by the woman, understands heresy; and so Jerom and others
interpret it of heretics and idolaters: it may very well be
applied to that Jezebel, the whore of Rome, the mother of
harlots, that deceives men, and leads them into perdition with
herself, ( Revelation
17:4 Revelation
17:5 Revelation
17:8 ) ( 18:23 ) ;
and who is intended by the harlot, and foolish and strange woman,
in the book of Proverbs, as has been observed; whose heart
[is] snares and nets, [and] her hands [as] bands;
all the schemes and contrivances of a harlot are to ensnare men
by her wanton looks and lascivious gestures; which are like
snares laid for the beasts, and likeness spread for fishes, to
take them in; and when she has got them, she holds them fast; it
is a very difficult thing and a very rare one, ever to get out of
her hands; so Plautus F12 makes mention of the nets of
harlots: the same holds true of error and heresy, and of
idolatry, which is spiritual adultery; the words used being in
the plural number, shows the many ways the adulterous woman has
to ensnare men, and the multitudes that are taken by her; see (
Revelation 13:3
Revelation 13:10
Revelation 13:14 ) ;
whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her:
or, "who is good before God", or "in his sight" F13;
(See Gill on
Ecclesiastes 2:26); to whom he gives his grace and is
acceptable to him; such an one as Joseph was shall escape the
snares and nets, the hands and bands, of such a woman; or if
fallen into them, as Solomon fell, shall be delivered out of
them, as it is observed by various interpreters: nothing but the
grace of God, the true fear of God, the power of godliness and
undefiled religion, can preserve a person from being ensnared and
held by an impure woman; not a liberal nor religious education,
not learning and good sense, nor any thing else; if a man is kept
out of the hands of such creatures, he ought to esteem it a
mercy, and ascribe it to the grace and goodness of God; but
the sinner shall be taken by her;
a hardened and impenitent sinner, that is destitute of the grace
and fear of God; who is habitually a sinner, and gives up himself
to commit iniquity; whose life is a continued series of sinning;
who has no guard upon himself, but rushes into sin, as the horse
into the battle; he becomes an easy prey to a harlot; he falls
into her snares, and is caught and held by her; see ( Proverbs
22:14 ) .