Proverbs 7

¹My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.

²Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.

³Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.

⁴Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:

Pr 7:1-27. The subject continued, by a delineation of the arts of strange women, as a caution to the unwary. 1-4. Similar calls (Pr 3:1-3; 4:10, &c.).

⁵That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.

5. The design of the teaching (compare Pr 2:16; 6:24).

⁶For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,

6. For--or, “Since,” introducing an example to illustrate the warning, which, whether a narrative or a parable, is equally pertinent. window--or, “opening” looked--literally, “watched earnestly” (Jud 5:28). casement--or, “lattice.”

⁷And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,

7. simple--as in Pr 1:4. void of, &c.--(Compare Pr 6:32).

⁸Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,

8. her corner--where she was usually found. went ... house--implying, perhaps, confidence in himself by his manner, as denoted in the word went--literally, “tread pompously.”

⁹In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:

9. The time, twilight, ending in darkness. black ... night--literally, “pupil,” or, “eye,” that is, middle of night.

¹⁰And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.

10. attire--that of harlots was sometimes peculiar. subtile--or, “wary,” “cunning.”

¹¹(She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:

¹²Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)

11-12. loud--or, “noisy,” “bustling.” stubborn--not submissive. without ... streets, ... corner--(Compare 1Ti 5:13; Tit 2:5).

¹³So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him,

¹⁴I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.

¹⁵Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.

13-15. The preparations for a feast do not necessarily imply peculiar religious professions. The offerer retained part of the victim for a feast (Le 3:9, &c.). This feast she professes was prepared for him whom she boldly addresses as one sought specially to partake of it.

¹⁶I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.

¹⁷I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

16-17. my bed--or, “couch,” adorned in the costliest manner.

¹⁸Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.

¹⁹For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey:

²⁰He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed.

18-20. There is no fear of discovery.

²¹With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.

21. caused ... yield--or, “inclines.” flattering--(Compare Pr 5:3). forced him--by persuasion overcoming his scruples.

²²He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;

22. straightway--quickly, either as ignorant of danger, or incapable of resistance.

²³Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.

23. Till--He is now caught (Pr 6:26).

²⁴Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.

24. The inferential admonition is followed (Pr 7:26, 27), by a more general allegation of the evils of this vice.

²⁶For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her.

²⁷Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.

26-27. Even the mightiest fail to resist her deathly allurements.