Proverbs 5:3-11

3 For the lips of an ¹adulteress ²drip honey And ³smoother than oil is her speech;

4 But in the end she is ⁴bitter as wormwood, ⁵Sharp as a two-edged sword.

5 Her feet ⁶go down to death, Her steps take hold of Sheol.

6 She does not ponder the ⁷path of life; Her ways are ⁸unstable, she ⁹does not know it.

7 ¹⁰Now then, my sons, listen to me And ¹¹do not depart from the words of my mouth.

8 ¹²Keep your way far from her And do not go near the ¹³door of her house,

9 Or you will give your vigor to others And your years to the cruel one;

10 And strangers will be filled with your strength And your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien;

11 And you groan at your final end, When your flesh and your body are consumed;

Proverbs 5:3-11 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PROVERBS 5

The general instruction of this chapter is to avoid whoredom, and make use of lawful marriage, and keep to that. It is introduced with an exhortation to attend to wisdom and understanding, Pr 5:1,2; one part of which lies in shunning an adulterous woman; who is described by her flattery, with which she deceives; by the end she brings men to, which is destruction and death; and by the uncertainty of her ways, which cannot be known, Pr 5:3-6. Wherefore men are advised to keep at the utmost distance from her, Pr 5:7,8; lest their honour, strength, wealth, and labours, be given to others, Pr 5:9,10; and repentance and mourning follow, when too late, Pr 5:11-14. And, as a remedy against whoredom, entering into a marriage state is advised to, and a strict regard to that; allegorically expressed by a man's drinking water out of his fountain, and by his wife being as a loving hind and pleasant roe to him, the single object of his affections, Pr 5:15-19. As also the consideration of the divine omniscience is proposed, to deter him from the sin of adultery, Pr 5:20,21; as well as the inevitable ruin wicked men are brought into by it, Pr 5:22,23.

Cross References

• 1. Proverbs 2:16; Proverbs 5:20; Proverbs 7:5; Proverbs 22:14
• 2. Song of Songs 4:11
• 3. Psalms 55:21
• 4. Ecclesiastes 7:26
• 5. Psalms 57:4; Hebrews 4:12
• 6. Proverbs 7:27
• 7. Proverbs 4:26; Proverbs 5:21
• 8. 2 Peter 2:14
• 9. Proverbs 30:20
• 10. Proverbs 7:24
• 11. Psalms 119:102
• 12. Proverbs 7:25
• 13. Proverbs 9:14

Footnotes

• [a] Lit "strange woman"
• [b] Lit "palate"
• [c] Lit "That she not watch"
• [d] Or "latter"