Bible Commentaries
Proverbs 7

Verses 1-5

FURTHER WARNINGS AGAINST

THE EVIL WOMAN

(Proverbs 7:1-27)

The Source of Protection

(Proverbs 7:1-5)

Verses 1-3 pause in the continued warning against the evil woman to again admonish the son to remember and obey the words and commandments of the father. Verse 4 also instructs the son to regard wisdom as his sister and understanding as his kinswoman (Vs. 4). Wisdom is again personified in this verse. The purpose is to emphasize that wisdom delivers from the strange woman, Vs. 5 and 2:10, 16.

Verses 6-9

The Weakness of the Young

(Proverbs 7:6-9)

Verses 6-9 reveal the need of the naive, inexperienced young man for protection. He wanders where time and place favor temptation. It is twilight when light wanes and shadows conceal. He wanders aimlessly in the street where the strange woman seeks a companion.

Verses 10-12

Advantages of the Strange Woman

(Proverbs 7:10-12)

Verses 10-12 show the advantages that favor the strange woman. She is dressed to display her physical charms and appeal to his carnal nature. She is subtle of heart, not immediately revealing her purpose, but brazen and insistent as suggestions for an evening of pleasure are made. She is experienced in street contacts.

Verses 13-20

The Seductive Tactics

(Proverbs 7:13-20)

Verses 13-20 provide a detailed account of the seductive tactics of the adulteress:

1) She caught the young man (embraced him) and kissed him, employing the physical appeal of kiss and body contact, Proverbs 5:3; Proverbs 7:13.

2) She had that day offered peace offerings and paid her religious vows. It is a day for feasting and the young man is invited to share it, Vs. 14; Leviticus 7:16-18.

3) She implies that she had come looking for him; that he is special, Vs. 15.

4) She had more than just a feast in mind. Her bed had been prepared with attractive coverings and perfumed with the best spices. She was inviting the young man to a night of sexual pleasure, Vs. 16-18.

5) She quiets his fear of discovery by her husband with assurance that he is away on a long journey and will not return until a distant day, Vs. 19-20.

Verses 21-23

The Unprepared Is Overcome

(Proverbs 7:21-23)

Verse 21 declares the young man’s surrender. After some indecision, he yields to her much fair speech. Evidently he had misgivings that required more than a nod or wink to overcome, but he was not sufficiently prepared to withstand the seductress - a need often addressed in Proverbs.

Verse 22 declares that the decision to yield was sudden or all at once (see margin). The young man yields unaware of the grave consequences of his sin of adultery, Vs. 23; Proverbs 6:32-33; Proverbs 2:18; Proverbs 5:5; Proverbs 9:18.

Verses 24-27

The Concluding Instruction

(Proverbs 7:24-27)

Verses 24-27 conclude the father’s warning against the evil woman with a three-fold counsel:

1) Let not your heart (mind) dwell on the attractions of the adulteress, Vs. 25a; Proverbs 23:7.

2) Stay away from the woman who seeks to entice, Vs. 25b; Proverbs 5:8.

3) Consider the many who have suffered personally and by influence upon others because of the adulteress, Vs. 26-27; Proverbs 2:18; Proverbs 5:5; Proverbs 9:18; Nehemiah 13:26.

NOTE: Reference to hell in Proverbs 5:5; Proverbs 7:27 means about the same as death, but death in the Old Testament means more than cessation of life, see Isaiah 66:24; Daniel 12:2.