Proverbs 2:18

For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.

For her house {H1004} inclineth {H7743} unto death {H4194}, and her paths {H4570} unto the dead {H7496}.

Her house is sinking toward death, her paths lead to the dead.

For her house sinks down to death, and her tracks to the departed spirits.

For her house inclineth unto death, And her paths unto the dead;

Proverbs 2:18 serves as a stark warning within a father's earnest instruction to his son, emphasizing the dire consequences of straying from the path of wisdom and righteousness.

Context

This verse is part of a larger discourse in Proverbs Chapter 2, where King Solomon, as a father, implores his son to embrace wisdom, understanding, and discernment. The preceding verses (Proverbs 2:16-17) introduce "the strange woman" or "the foreign woman" – often interpreted as an adulteress or immoral temptress – whose words are smooth but whose intentions are destructive. Verse 18 directly describes the inevitable outcome of following her.

Key Themes and Messages

  • The Perilous Path of Immorality: The verse vividly portrays the ultimate destination of those who succumb to illicit temptations. "Her house inclineth unto death" implies that her dwelling, her lifestyle, and her influence are not merely dangerous but are actively oriented towards destruction.
  • Spiritual and Existential Ruin: The phrase "her paths unto the dead" uses the Hebrew term repha'im (רְפָאִים), which often refers to the shades or spirits of the dead in the underworld, signifying a state of utter desolation, spiritual emptiness, and separation from life-giving wisdom. It's a warning not just of physical death, but of a profound loss of vitality and purpose.
  • The Deceptive Nature of Sin: While the strange woman's words may be alluring, her ultimate destination is ruin. This highlights how sin, particularly sexual immorality, often promises pleasure or gain but delivers only emptiness and destruction, echoing the wages of sin described elsewhere.
  • A Call for Discernment: The entire chapter urges the listener to seek understanding and discretion to avoid such destructive paths, contrasting it with the path of the righteous, which shines ever brighter.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew word for "death" here is mavet (מָוֶת), which can refer to physical cessation of life, but in wisdom literature, it frequently signifies spiritual death, ruin, or separation from God, the source of true life. The term "dead" (repha'im) further emphasizes a state of lifelessness and being cut off from the living, often associated with the gloomy realm of Sheol. It's a powerful metaphor for the ultimate consequences of choosing folly over wisdom.

Practical Application

Proverbs 2:18 remains profoundly relevant today. It serves as a timeless warning:

  • Guard Your Relationships: Be discerning about the company you keep and the influences you allow into your life. Relationships that encourage or lead to immoral behavior are ultimately destructive.
  • Understand Consequences: The Bible consistently teaches that choices have consequences. This verse makes it clear that certain paths, though seemingly appealing in the short term, lead to spiritual and relational death.
  • Embrace Wisdom and Purity: The antidote to falling into such traps is to actively pursue God's wisdom, which protects and preserves life. This involves making conscious choices for moral purity and integrity, as encouraged in Proverbs 4:23 to guard one's heart.
Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Proverbs 9:18

    But he knoweth not that the dead [are] there; [and that] her guests [are] in the depths of hell.

  • Ephesians 5:5

    For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

  • Galatians 5:19

    Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these]; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

  • Galatians 5:21

    Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told [you] in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

  • Proverbs 5:4

    But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword.

  • Proverbs 5:14

    I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.

  • 1 Corinthians 6:9

    ¶ Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

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