4Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your intimate friend; 5That they may keep you from an adulteress,
From the foreigner who flatters with her words. 6For at the window of my house
I looked out through my lattice, 7And I saw among the naive,
And discerned among the youths
A young man lacking sense, 8Passing through the street near her corner;
And he takes the way to her house, 9In the twilight, in the evening,
In the middle of the night and in the darkness. 10And behold, a woman comes to meet him,
Dressed as a harlot and cunning of heart. 11She is boisterous and rebellious,
Her feet do not remain at home; 12She is now in the streets, now in the squares,
And lurks by every corner. 13So she seizes him and kisses him
And with a brazen face she says to him: 14“I was due to offer peace offerings;
Today I have paid my vows. 15“Therefore I have come out to meet you,
To seek your presence earnestly, and I have found you. 16“I have spread my couch with coverings,
With colored linens of Egypt. 17“I have sprinkled my bed
With myrrh, aloes and cinnamon. 18“Come, let us drink our fill of love until morning;
Let us delight ourselves with caresses. 19“For my husband is not at home,
He has gone on a long journey; 20He has taken a bag of money with him,
At the full moon he will come home.” 21With her many persuasions she entices him;
With her flattering lips she seduces him. 22Suddenly he follows her
As an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or as one in fetters to the discipline of a fool, 23Until an arrow pierces through his liver;
As a bird hastens to the snare,
So he does not know that it will cost him his life. 24Now therefore, my sons, listen to me,
And pay attention to the words of my mouth. 25Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths. 26For many are the victims she has cast down,
And numerous are all her slain. 27Her house is the way to Sheol,
Descending to the chambers of death.
New American Standard Bible (©1995)
Say to wisdom, "You are my sister," And call understanding your intimate friend;GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
Say to wisdom, "You are my sister." Give the name "my relative" to understanding King James Bible
Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman: Douay-Rheims Bible
Say to wisdom: Thou art my sister: and call prudence thy friend, Darby Bible Translation
Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister, and call intelligence thy kinswoman: English Revised Version
Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman: Webster's Bible Translation
Say to wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman: World English Bible
Tell wisdom, "You are my sister." Call understanding your relative, Young's Literal Translation
Say to wisdom, 'My sister Thou art.' And cry to understanding, 'Kinswoman!'
Proverbs 7:3 Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart.
Proverbs 7:5 That they may keep you from an adulteress, From the foreigner who flatters with her words.
Matthew Henry's Whole Bible Commentary Chapter 7 The scope of this chapter is, as of several before, to warn young men against the lusts of the flesh. Solomon remembered of what ill consequence it was to his father, perhaps found himself, and perceived his son, addicted to it, or at least had observed how many hopeful young men among his subjects had been ruined by those lusts; and therefore he thought he could never say enough to dissuade men from them, that "every one may possess his vessel in sanctification and honour, and not in the lusts of uncleanness." In this chapter we have, I. A general exhortation to get our minds principled and governed by the world of God, as a sovereign antidote against this sin (v. 1-5). II. A particular representation of the great danger which unwary young men are in of being inveigled into this snare (v. 6-23). III. A serious caution inferred thence, in the close, to take heed of all approaches towards this sin (v. 24-27). We should all pray, "Lord, lead us not into this temptation." Verses 1-5 These verses are an introduction to his warning against fleshly lusts, much the same with that, ch. 6:20, etc., and ending (v. 5) as that did (v. 24), To keep thee from the strange woman; that is it he aims at; only there he had said, Keep thy father's commandment, here (which comes all to one), Keep my commandments, for he speaks to us as unto sons. He speaks in God's name; for it is God's commandments that we are to keep, his words, his law. The word of God must be to us, 1. As that which we are most careful of. We must keep it as our treasure; we must lay up God's commandments with us, lay them up safely, that we may not be robbed of them by the wicked one, v. 1. We must keep it as our life: Keep my commandments and live (v. 2), not only, "Keep them, and you shall live;" but, "Keep them as you would your life, as those that cannot live without them." It would be death to a good man to be deprived of the word of God, for by it he lives, and not by bread alone. 2. As that which we are most tender of: Keep my law as the apple of thy eye. A little thing offends the eye, and therefore nature has so well guarded it. We pray, with David, that God would keep us as the apple of his eye (Ps. 17:8), that our lives and comforts may be precious in his sight; and they shall be so (Zec. 2:8) if we be in like manner tender of his law and afraid of the least violation of it. Those who reproach strict and circumspect walking, as needless preciseness, consider not that the law is to be kept as the apple of the eye, for indeed it is the apple of our eye; the law is light; the law in the heart is the eye of the soul. 3. As that which we are proud of and would be ever mindful of (v. 3): "Bind them upon thy fingers; let them be precious to thee; look upon them as an ornament, as a diamond-ring, as the signet on thy right hand; wear them continually as thy wedding-ring, the badge of thy espousals to God. Look upon the word of God as putting an honour upon thee, as an ensign of thy dignity. Bind them on thy fingers, that they may be constant memorandums to thee of thy duty, that thou mayest have them always in view, as that which is graven upon the palms of thy hands." 4. As that which we are fond of and are ever thinking of: Write them upon the table of thy heart, as the names of the friends we dearly love, we say, are written in our hearts. let the word of God dwell richly in us, and be written there where it will be always at hand to be read. Where sin was written (Jer. 17:1) let the word of God be written. It is the matter of a promise (Heb. 8:10, I will write my law in their hearts), which makes the precept practicable and easy. 5. As that which we are intimately acquainted and conversant with (v. 4): "Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister, whom I dearly love and take delight in; and call understanding thy kinswoman, to whom thou art nearly allied, and for whom thou hast a pure affection; call her thy friend, whom thou courtest." We must make the word of God familiar to us, consult it, and consult its honour, and take a pleasure in conversing with it. 6. As that which we make use of for our defence and armour, to keep us from the strange woman, from sin, that flattering but destroying thing, that adulteress; particularly from the sin of uncleanness, v. 5. Let the word of God confirm our dread of that sin and our resolutions against it; let it discover to us its fallacies and suggest to us answers to all its flatteries.
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Cry Friend Insight Intelligence Intimate Kinsman Kinswoman Relative Sister Special Understanding Wisdom New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. GOD'S WORD® is a copyrighted work of God's Word to the Nations. Quotations are used by permission. Copyright 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. All rights reserved. Alphabetical: and are call friend intimate kinsman my Say sister to understanding wisdom You your Bible Browser | |
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