Proverbs 7:8-18

8 Passing through the street near her corner, He went the way to her house,
9 In the twilight, in the evening of the day, In the middle of the night and in the darkness.
10 Behold, there a woman met him with the attire of a prostitute, And with crafty intent.
11 She is loud and defiant. Her feet don't stay in her house.
12 Now she is in the streets, now in the squares, And lurking at every corner.
13 So she caught him, and kissed him. With an impudent face she said to him:
14 "Sacrifices of peace-offerings are with me. This day I have paid my vows.
15 Therefore I came out to meet you, To diligently seek your face, And I have found you.
16 I have spread my couch with carpets of tapestry, With striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let's take our fill of loving until the morning. Let's solace ourselves with loving.

Proverbs 7:8-18 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.

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