Proverbs7

The father admonishes his son to embrace wisdom and keep his commandments, thereby guarding against the allure of the "strange woman." He recounts observing a naive youth who, despite warnings, is enticed by a harlot's flattering words and promises of illicit pleasure. The chapter concludes with a solemn caution that her path leads to destruction and death for those who yield to her temptations.

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Hold Fast to Wisdom

My son, keep my words and treasure my commandments within you.

Keep my commandments and live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.

Tie them to your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.

Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call understanding your kinsman,

that they may keep you from the adulteress, from the stranger with seductive words.

The Observation of the Simple Youth

For at the window of my house I looked through the lattice.

I saw among the simple, I noticed among the youths, a young man lacking judgment,

crossing the street near her corner, strolling down the road to her house,

at twilight, as the day was fading into the dark of the night.

Then a woman came out to meet him, with the attire of a harlot and cunning of heart.

She is loud and defiant; her feet do not remain at home.

Now in the street, now in the squares, she lurks at every corner.

She seizes him and kisses him; she brazenly says to him:

“I have made my peace offerings; today I have paid my vows.

So I came out to meet you; I sought you, and I have found you.

I have decked my bed with coverings, with colored linen from Egypt.

I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, with aloes, and with cinnamon.

Come, let us take our fill of love till morning. Let us delight in loving caresses!

For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey.

He took with him a bag of money and will not return till the moon is full.”

With her great persuasion she entices him; with her flattering lips she lures him.

He follows her on impulse, like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer bounding into a trap,

until an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare— not knowing it will cost him his life.

Final Warning Against Immorality

Now, my sons, listen to me, and attend to the words of my mouth.

Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths.

For she has brought many down to death; her slain are many in number.

Her house is the road to Sheol, descending to the chambers of death.

Study Notes for Proverbs 7

Verse 1

Proverbs 7 continues the father's urgent appeal from chapters 1–6, framing moral instruction as the key to a flourishing life.

Verse 2

“Keep my commandments, and live” connects obedience directly to the covenant promise of life (Deuteronomy 30:19–20). To guard the law 'as the apple of thine eye' means protecting it with the utmost vigilance.

Verse 3

Binding the law on the fingers and heart are metaphors for complete internalization and constant remembrance, ensuring that the commands are always present in action and motivation.

Verse 5

The 'strange woman' (Hebrew: *zarah*) is typically an outsider or an adulteress who threatens the stability of the family and the covenant community through illicit sex.

Verse 6

The teacher shifts from direct command to a vivid, cautionary narrative, illustrating how moral failure occurs through a series of small, avoidable steps.

Verse 7

The youth is 'void of understanding' (*ḥăsar-lēḇ*), indicating a lack of moral discernment and practical wisdom, making him highly susceptible to temptation.

Verse 9

The description of the time—twilight and darkness—symbolizes the secrecy and moral obscurity that sin requires, highlighting the deliberate nature of the youth's approach.

Verse 10

The woman is described by her 'attire of an harlot' and her 'subtil of heart,' indicating that her external appearance is provocative and her internal motivation is deceitful and calculated.

Verse 12

Her restless, public behavior contrasts sharply with the ideal of the virtuous wife found elsewhere in Proverbs; she is actively seeking prey rather than managing her home.

Verse 14

She manipulates religious piety by claiming to have just offered peace offerings (*shelamim*). This implies she is pious, and also that she has plenty of sacrificial meat for a celebratory feast, lending a veneer of respectability to the encounter.

Verse 16

The luxurious description of the bed appeals directly to the youth’s sensual desires, creating a fantasy of comfort and illicit pleasure.

Verse 21

The power of temptation is centered on 'fair speech' and 'flattering,' emphasizing that sin often succeeds through calculated lies and persuasive appeals rather than through force.

Verse 22

The imagery of the ox going to slaughter illustrates the victim's blindness and the inevitability of ruin once the path of sin is embraced.

Verse 23

The 'dart strike through his liver' is a graphic image of fatal judgment. The liver was believed by ancient Hebrews to be the seat of life and deep emotion, signifying ultimate death.

Verse 24

The teacher concludes the narrative with an immediate call for attention, applying the lesson directly to the audience.

Verse 26

This verse warns that the danger is universal; even 'many strong men' (those confident in their control or standing) have been brought down by sexual sin, demonstrating its destructive reach.

Verse 27

The house of the adulteress is explicitly equated with 'Sheol' and the 'chambers of death,' underscoring the theological point that this sin leads ultimately to spiritual and physical destruction.

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Proverbs7

Hold Fast to Wisdom

The Observation of the Simple Youth

Final Warning Against Immorality

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