4 But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.
6 Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.
7 Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.
8 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:
9 Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:
10 Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;
11 And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,
4 But her end H319 is bitter H4751 as wormwood, H3939 sharp H2299 as a twoedged H6310 sword. H2719
5 Her feet H7272 go down H3381 to death; H4194 her steps H6806 take hold H8551 on hell. H7585
6 Lest thou shouldest ponder H6424 the path H734 of life, H2416 her ways H4570 are moveable, H5128 that thou canst not know H3045 them.
7 Hear H8085 me now therefore, O ye children, H1121 and depart H5493 not from the words H561 of my mouth. H6310
8 Remove H7368 thy way H1870 far H7368 from her, and come not nigh H7126 the door H6607 of her house: H1004
9 Lest thou give H5414 thine honour H1935 unto others, H312 and thy years H8141 unto the cruel: H394
10 Lest strangers H2114 be filled H7646 with thy wealth; H3581 and thy labours H6089 be in the house H1004 of a stranger; H5237
11 And thou mourn H5098 at the last, H319 when thy flesh H1320 and thy body H7607 are consumed, H3615
4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death; Her steps take hold on Sheol;
6 So that she findeth not the level path of life: Her ways are unstable, `and' she knoweth `it' not.
7 Now therefore, `my' sons, hearken unto me, And depart not from the words of my mouth.
8 Remove thy way far from her, And come not nigh the door of her house;
9 Lest thou give thine honor unto others, And thy years unto the cruel;
10 Lest strangers be filled with thy strength, And thy labors `be' in the house of an alien,
11 And thou mourn at thy latter end, When thy flesh and thy body are consumed,
4 And her latter end `is' bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a sword `with' mouths.
5 Her feet are going down to death, Sheol do her steps take hold of.
6 The path of life -- lest thou ponder, Moved have her paths -- thou knowest not.
7 And now, ye sons, hearken to me, And turn not from sayings of my mouth.
8 Keep far from off her thy way, And come not near unto the opening of her house,
9 Lest thou give to others thy honour, And thy years to the fierce,
10 Lest strangers be filled `with' thy power, And thy labours in the house of a stranger,
11 And thou hast howled in thy latter end, In the consumption of thy flesh and thy food,
4 but her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on Sheol.
6 Lest she should ponder the path of life, her ways wander, she knoweth not [whither].
7 And now, children, hearken unto me, and depart not from the words of my mouth.
8 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:
9 lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel;
10 lest strangers be filled with thy wealth, and the fruits of thy toil [come] into the house of a stranger;
11 and thou mourn in thine end, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed;
4 But in the end she is as bitter as wormwood, And as sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death. Her steps lead straight to Sheol.
6 She gives no thought to the way of life. Her ways are crooked, and she doesn't know it.
7 Now therefore, my sons, listen to me. Don't depart from the words of my mouth.
8 Remove your way far from her. Don't come near the door of her house,
9 Lest you give your honor to others, And your years to the cruel one;
10 Lest strangers feast on your wealth, And your labors enrich another man's house.
11 You will groan at your latter end, When your flesh and your body are consumed,
4 But her end is bitter as wormwood, and sharp as a two-edged sword;
5 Her feet go down to death, and her steps to the underworld;
6 She never keeps her mind on the road of life; her ways are uncertain, she has no knowledge.
7 Give ear to me then, my sons, and do not put away my words from you.
8 Go far away from her, do not come near the door of her house;
9 For fear that you may give your honour to others, and your wealth to strange men:
10 And strange men may be full of your wealth, and the fruit of your work go to the house of others;
11 And you will be full of grief at the end of your life, when your flesh and your body are wasted;
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Proverbs 5
Commentary on Proverbs 5 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 5
Pr 5:1-23. A warning against the seductive arts of wicked women, enforced by considering the advantages of chastity, and the miserable end of the wicked.
1. This connection of wisdom and understanding is frequent (Pr 2:2; 3:7); the first denotes the use of wise means for wise ends; the other, the exercise of a proper discrimination in their discovery.
2. regard—or, "observe."
keep—preserve constantly.
3. (Compare Pr 2:16). Her enticing promises are deceitful.
4. her end—literally, "her future," in sense of reward, what follows (compare Ps 37:37; 73:17). Its nature is evinced by the use of figures, opposite those of Pr 5:3. The physical and moral suffering of the deluded profligate are notoriously terrible.
5. feet … , steps—that is, course of life ends in death.
6. her ways … know—Some prefer, "that she may not ponder the path of life," &c.; but perhaps a better sense is, "her ways are varied, so as to prevent your knowledge of her true character, and so of true happiness."
8, 9. Avoid the slightest temptation.
9. thine honour—in whatever consisting, strength (Pr 3:13) or wealth.
thy years—by cutting them off in dissipation.
unto the cruel—for such the sensual are apt to become.
10. wealth—literally, "strength," or the result of it.
labours—the fruit of thy painful exertions (Ps 127:2). There may be a reference to slavery, a commuted punishment for death due the adulterer (De 22:22).
11. at the last—the end, or reward (compare Pr 5:4).
mourn—roar in pain.
flesh and … body—the whole person under incurable disease.
12-14. The ruined sinner vainly laments his neglect of warning and his sad fate in being brought to public disgrace.
14. evil—for affliction, as in Ge 19:20; 49:15.
15-20. By figures, in which well, cistern, and fountain [Pr 5:15, 18] represent the wife, and rivers of waters [Pr 5:16] the children, men are exhorted to constancy and satisfaction in lawful conjugal enjoyments. In Pr 5:16, fountains (in the plural) rather denote the produce or waters of a spring, literally, "what is from a spring," and corresponds with "rivers of waters."
17. only thine own—harlots' children have no known father.
18. wife … youth—married in youth.
19. loving … roe—other figures for a wife from the well-known beauty of these animals.
breasts—(Compare So 1:13; Eze 23:3, 8).
ravished—literally, "intoxicated," that is, fully satisfied.
21. The reason, God's eye is on you,
22, 23. and He will cause sin to bring its punishment.
23. without instruction—literally, "in want of instruction," having refused it (compare Job 13:18; Heb 11:24).
go astray—literally, "be drunken." The word "ravished" (Pr 5:19) here denotes fulness of punishment.