Proverbs6

Proverbs 6 warns against the dangers of suretyship, slothfulness, and wickedness. It encourages diligence by observing the ant and lists seven things the Lord hates, including pride and sowing discord. The chapter concludes with a strong admonition against adultery, emphasizing its destructive and irredeemable consequences compared to other transgressions.

Warning Against Suretyship

My son, if you have put up security for your friend, if you committed yourself on behalf of another;

you have been snared by the words of your mouth, caught by the words of your own mouth.

Do this now, my son, and extricate yourself, since you put yourself in your friend's power: go, humble yourself, and pester your friend;

give your eyes no sleep, give your eyelids no rest;

break free, like a gazelle from the [hunter's] trap, like a bird from the grip of the fowler.

The Danger of Laziness

Go to the ant, you lazybones! Consider its ways, and be wise.

It has no chief, overseer or ruler;

yet it provides its food in summer and gathers its supplies at harvest-time.

Lazybones! How long will you lie there in bed? When will you get up from your sleep?

"I'll just lie here a bit, rest a little longer, just fold my hands for a little more sleep"-

and poverty comes marching in on you, scarcity hits you like an invading soldier.

The Deceitful and Wicked Man

A scoundrel, a vicious man, lives by crooked speech,

winking his eyes, shuffling his feet, pointing with his fingers.

With deceit in his heart, he is always plotting evil and sowing discord.

Therefore disaster suddenly overcomes him; unexpectedly, he is broken beyond repair.

Seven Things God Hates

There are six things ADONAI hates, seven which he detests:

a haughty look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,

a heart that plots wicked schemes, feet swift in running to do evil,

a false witness who lies with every breath, and him who sows strife among brothers.

Adherence to Instruction and the Adultery Trap

My son, obey your father's command, and don't abandon your mother's teaching.

Bind them always on your heart, tie them around your neck.

When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you wake up, they will talk with you.

For the mitzvah is a lamp, Torah is light, and reproofs that discipline are the way to life.

They keep you from an evil woman, from a loose woman's seductive tongue.

Don't let your heart lust after her beauty or allow her glance to captivate you.

The price of a whore is a loaf of bread, but the adulteress is hunting for a precious life.

Can a man carry fire inside his shirt without burning his clothes?

Can a man walk [barefoot] on hot coals without scorching his feet?

So is he who has sex with his neighbor's wife; anyone touching her will be punished.

A thief is not despised if he steals only to satisfy his appetite when hungry;

but even he, if caught, must pay back sevenfold; he may have to give up all the wealth that he owns.

He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself.

He will get nothing but blows and contempt, and his disgrace will not be wiped away.

For jealousy drives a man into a rage; he will show no mercy when he takes revenge;

he will not accept compensation; he'll refuse every bribe, no matter how large.

Study Notes for Proverbs 6

Verse 1

To be 'surety' means co-signing or guaranteeing a loan for a friend. Striking hands (v. 1) was the customary legal gesture for sealing such a binding financial agreement, placing the guarantor at high risk.

Verse 3

The counsel is practical and urgent: if trapped by a guarantee, one must act immediately to dissolve the agreement, even if it means humbling oneself before the creditor or friend to be released from the obligation.

Verse 5

Deliverance should be swift and desperate, like an animal escaping a trap. This metaphor emphasizes the severe financial danger associated with unchecked suretyship.

Verse 6

The ant is presented as a model of wisdom and diligence. It demonstrates industry, foresight, and self-organization, providing for its future without needing external compulsion or supervision.

Verse 11

Poverty is personified as a violent, unavoidable force. It comes stealthily like a traveler (or robber) and forcefully like an armed man, highlighting that laziness guarantees destitution.

Verse 12

The 'naughty person' (Hebrew *Beliyya'al*) describes a worthless and destructive individual whose entire manner of life is characterized by malicious speech and deceit.

Verse 13

This verse describes non-verbal communication used for malice. Winking, signaling with the feet, and teaching with the fingers indicate secretive, conspiratorial, and deceitful behavior.

Verse 15

Because the wicked man’s actions are continuous and deliberate, his judgment will be sudden and without remedy, emphasizing the finality of God's response to persistent malice.

Verse 16

This numerical proverb (six, yea, seven) is a literary device used to structure a list, indicating completeness and emphasizing the seriousness of these particular sins that destroy community and violate divine order.

Verse 19

Sowing discord among brethren is often placed last in such lists, suggesting it is the summation of anti-social behavior, as it actively undermines the harmony and community God desires.

Verse 20

The instruction transitions back to the primary theme of Proverbs: obedience to parental teaching, which is equated with adherence to divine wisdom and moral law.

Verse 24

The primary practical benefit of following wisdom is protection from the 'strange woman' (the adulteress), whose flattery and seduction lead to moral and physical ruin.

Verse 26

This verse contrasts the financial ruin caused by a prostitute ('a piece of bread') with the greater danger of the adulteress, who hunts for the husband's 'precious life,' meaning his honor, reputation, and very existence.

Verse 32

Adultery demonstrates a profound lack of moral sense and understanding (*lev*). The adulterer destroys his own soul (life/self) by inviting physical harm, public shame, and divine judgment.

Verse 34

The consequences of adultery are uniquely severe because they invoke the husband's uncontrollable rage (jealousy). This passion is not appeasable by financial compensation, demanding justice rather than a settlement.

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Proverbs6

Warning Against Suretyship

The Danger of Laziness

The Deceitful and Wicked Man

Seven Things God Hates

Adherence to Instruction and the Adultery Trap

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