Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Proverbs 7:24

Clarke's Commentary

Verse Proverbs 7:24. Hearken unto me now, therefore, O ye children — Ye that are young and inexperienced, seriously consider the example set before your eyes, and take warning at another's expense.

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

More about sexual misbehaviour (6:20-7:27)

Sometimes teaching can be so well known that people no longer take any notice of it. Therefore, they must remind themselves to be obedient to familiar truths (20-22). One matter concerning which the writer repeats his earlier warnings is sexual immorality. Offenders are merely destroying themselves (23-29). People may not despise a desperately hungry person who steals food; nevertheless, the person must be dealt with and made to repay (with interest) what was stolen. But people will certainly despise a man who takes another’s wife; and there is no repayment he can make that will calm the anger of the offended husband (30-35).
Chapter 7 gives a colourful picture of how an immoral woman can trap a weak, easily led young man. The section opens with a renewed emphasis on the importance of a young man’s getting wisdom and holding on to it firmly. Then he will know best how to resist the temptations he meets (7:1-5).
The writer imagines himself looking out the window and seeing a silly young man wandering around the streets at night (6-9). The young man is met by a prostitute who sees him as a likely customer (10-12). She assures him that there is nothing wrong with going to bed with her. After all, she is a very religious person who has just been to the temple, and she had the feeling that she would meet this particular man (13-17). Furthermore, her husband is away for a few weeks on business. Clearly, all the circumstances indicate that the young man is meant to go with her (18-20).
After some indecision the man gives in, and in exchange for a night’s pleasure his whole life is spoiled (21-23). All young men should take note and resist the temptations offered by such women (24-27).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

FINAL WORD OF WARNING - THE EPILOGUE

"Now therefore, my sons, hearken unto me, And attend to the words of my mouth. Let not thy heart decline to her ways; Go not astray in her paths. For she hath cast down many wounded: Yea, all her slain are a mighty host. Her house is the way to Sheol, Going down to the chambers of death."

"The defense advised here is threefold. (1) Guard your mind. One is in danger as soon as his mind wanders in her direction. (2) Keep away. Avoid all contact, literally, as well as mentally. (3) Look past her, farther down the road, to the countless slain, to the chambers of death."Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, op. cit., p. 76.

"Her slain are a mighty host" "We think of Samson, and David, and Solomon, mighty men indeed, who were victims of illicit love and suffered for it."The Pulpit Commentary, op. cit., p. 157. "The house of the evil woman is here compared to a field of battle strewn with the corpses of the many slain."Barnes' Notes on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, a 1987 reprint of the 1878 Edition), op. cit., p. 29.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Chapter 7

He continues his exhortation to the son in chapter 7. Still talking about these women that are the wrong sort.

My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee. Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the pupil of your eye. Bind them upon your fingers, write them on the table of your heart. Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman: That they may keep thee from the strange woman, and from the stranger who flatters with her words ( Proverbs 7:1-5 ).

So keep the commandments. Say to wisdom, "Thou art my sister." Be wise, my son.

For at the window of my house I looked through the casement, and I beheld among the simple ones, and I discerned among the young people, a young man who was void of understanding, and he was passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way towards her house, and in the twilight, and in the evening, and in the black and the dark night: And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of a harlot, subtile of heart. (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house: Now is she without, now she's in the streets, she's lying in wait at every corner.) So she caught him, and she kissed him, and with an impudent face she said unto him, I have made my peace offerings; this day I have paid my vows ( Proverbs 7:6-14 ).

Which was declaring, "I am ceremonially clean. I have gone, you know, I've had my period." And after the period a woman was then to bring the peace offering to offer, and now you're ceremonially clean for sexual relationships. Now this to me is interesting. It is an interesting kind of a paradox. Here she is observing the law for purification, following the law. "I've paid my vows, you know, and I brought my peace offerings. I have my peace offerings, paid my vows and all, you know. So I'm now ceremonially clean. I'm able to have intercourse." And yet a harlot, yet seeking to entice a man. And this strange paradox of obedience to the law, and yet disobedience to God. And unfortunately, we observe this strange paradox so often.

In the religious circles where somehow we have a weird kind of a twisted judgment, thinking that because I've gone to church, because I've done my righteous thing, that I now have some kind of a license to do the unrighteous thing. And this admixture of light and darkness, walking after the Spirit and trying to live after the flesh. Trying to please God and still following the lust of my own flesh. It's an incongruency. And yet we see it so often in the religious circles where people are trying to get this strange admixture of the flesh and the Spirit.

So here she is. "I've done my peace offering, and I've got it with me. I've paid my vows. Come to my house, you know, my husband's gone. He took a bag of money. He's gone on a trip. He's not going to be back 'til the new moon. So, you know, come on over." And how wrong it is. How often some of the young people from the College and Career or Singles fellowship tell about meeting someone here. And because they met them in church, they figured that they would be morally upright and all, and how that the guys just keep trying to come on when they're out on a date or something. And though they come to church and they'll read the Word and they'll sing the choruses, they'll raise their hands and all, and yet turn right around, and you get out in the car or something and they're trying to make advances that are improper advances. These things ought not to be, that weird kind of an inconsistency.

"So she caught him, she kissed him, and with an impudent face she said to him, 'I have a peace offering with me; this day I have paid my vows.'"

Therefore I came to meet you, and I diligently sought you until I found you. And I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestries, with the carved works, of fine linen from Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves ( Proverbs 7:15-18 ).

Now here again is a total misconception that prevails to the present day. Somehow people have a weird terminology calling sexual intercourse love. It can be an expression of love. But it is generally, when outside of marriage always an expression of lust. And so rather than saying, "Come, let's take our fill of love," in reality you should say, "Come, let's take our fill of lust. Let's seek to fulfill the desires of our flesh."

There isn't true love in that. True love is giving, not seeking to receive. Seeketh not its own. But yet people have classified this love from the time of Proverbs and they still do today. "Oh, we made love last night." No, that's degrading to the term of love. Unless, as I say, it's as God has ordained within the sacred bonds of marriage and it becomes that beautiful expression between husband and wife, where as God said, "The two become one flesh" ( Genesis 2:24 ).

For my husband is not at home, he's gone on a long journey: He has taken a bag of gold with him, he's not going to come back until the appointed day. And so with her fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. And he's going after her straightway, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a fool goes to the correction of the stocks; Until a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hastes to the snare, and he knows not that it is for his life. Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, attend to the words of my mouth. Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. Her house is the way to hell, and going down to the chambers of death ( Proverbs 7:19-27 ).

So in speaking of and warning his son concerning the whorish woman, first of all, he makes mention of the fact that she can bring a man to a crust of bread. Oh, I think of the lives and the homes and the values that have been destroyed by these kind of women. All of the homes that are suffering today because some little gal's flirting in the office. Flattering, telling you how smart you are, how strong you are, how macho you are. And you get home and your wife is maybe saying, "Why don't you ever want to do anything, you know? And when you going to mow the lawn? You're so lazy, you know." And you're getting this kind of a crossfire. Pretty soon, you've imagined yourself to be in love, and pretty soon you're brought to a crust of bread. Destroyed. "She has cast down many wounded, many strong men have been slain by her." Oh, God, I think of the many strong men who have been slain by the weakness of their own flesh. "Her house is the way to hell." "

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children,.... The Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and Arabic versions, read, in the singular number, "my son", in the same manner as the chapter begins; but it is in the plural number in the Hebrew text; and so read the Targum and Syriac version, "children", the children of Solomon; not only those of his own body, but all such that put themselves under his instruction, or were willing to take his advice: it may be extended to all the children of men, for all are interested herein; especially such who profess to be the children of God and of Christ, the followers of wisdom. This is the epilogue, or application of the above story. Since this is the case, that young men are in danger of being ensnared and brought to ruin by this harlot, therefore take the advice of the wisest of men, even of Wisdom herself;

and attend to the words of my mouth; the doctrines of Christ; the best preservative from the allurements of the whore of Rome.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      24 Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.   25 Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.   26 For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her.   27 Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.

      We have here the application of the foregoing story: "Hearken to me therefore, and not to such seducers (Psalms 7:24; Psalms 7:24); give ear to a father, and not to an enemy." 1. "Take good counsel when it is given you. Let not thy heart decline to her ways (Psalms 7:25; Psalms 7:25); never leave the paths of virtue, though strait and narrow, solitary and up-hill, for the way of the adulteress, though green, and broad, and crowded with company. Do not only keep thy feet from those ways, but let not so much as thy heart incline to them; never harbour a disposition this way, nor think otherwise than with abhorrence of such wicked practices as these. Let reason, and conscience, and the fear of God ruling in the heart, check the inclinations of the sensual appetite. If thou goest in her paths, in any of the paths that lead to this sin, thou goest astray, thou art out of the right way, the safe way; therefore take heed, go not astray, lest thou wander endlessly." 2. "Take fair warning when it is given you." (1.) "Look back, and see what mischief this sin has done. The adulteress has been the ruin not of here and there one, but she has cast down many wounded." Thousands have been undone, now and for ever, by this sin; and those not only the weak and simple youths, such as he was of whom he had now spoken, but many strong men have been slain by her,Psalms 7:26; Psalms 7:26. Herein, perhaps, he has an eye especially to Samson, who was slain by this sin, and perhaps to David too, who by this sin entailed a sword upon his house, though so far the Lord took it away that he himself should not die. These were men not only of great bodily strength, but of eminent wisdom and courage, and yet their fleshly lusts prevailed over them. Howl, fir-trees, if the cedars be shaken. Let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. (2.) "Look forward with an eye of faith, and see what will be in the end of it," Psalms 7:27; Psalms 7:27. Her house, though richly decked and furnished, and called a house of pleasure, is the way to hell; and her chambers are the stair-case that goes down to the chambers of death and everlasting darkness. The cup of fornication must shortly be exchanged for the cup of trembling; and the flames of lust, if not quenched by repentance and mortification, will burn to the lowest hell. Therefore stand in awe and sin not.