The Example of a Young Man Seduced
Proverbs 7:1-27
Pro.7.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- שמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אמרי: VERB,qal,impv,2,f,sg
- ומצותי: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs+1s
- תצפן: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- אתך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Prov 6:20 (verbal): Same paternal injunction language — 'My son, keep your father's commandments' (שמור/ממצות) closely echoes Prov 7:1's charge to keep and lay up the words/commandments.
- Prov 3:1 (verbal): Similar address and imperative — 'My son, do not forget my teaching' (בני אל תשכח תורתי), reinforcing the theme of retaining parental instruction.
- Prov 1:8 (structural): Parallel opening of parental instruction ('Hear, my son, your father's instruction') — same instructional frame (father to son) that undergirds Prov 7:1.
- Ps 119:11 (verbal): Uses the same root concept of storing/hiding God's words ('Thy word have I hid in my heart' — צפן/צפנתי), echoing the image of laying up commandments internally.
- Deut 6:6 (allusion): Deuteronomic theme of keeping God's words on the heart ('And these words... shall be upon your heart') — a broader covenantal precedent for the exhortation to treasure commandments.
Alternative generated candidates
- My son, keep my words and my commands; store them with you.
- My son, keep my words and treasure my commandments within you.
Pro.7.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מצותי: NOUN,f,pl,abs,1cs
- וחיה: VERB,qal,juss,2,m,sg
- ותורתי: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs,1cs
- כאישון: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עיניך: NOUN,f,pl,abs+2ms
Parallels
- Proverbs 4:4 (verbal): Repeats the imperative to retain parental instruction and links obedience to life—'keep my commandments, and live' is echoed in Prov 4:4.
- Deuteronomy 6:6-8 (structural): Both passages instruct internalizing and constant remembrance of God's commands (teach them to your children, bind them as a sign, and keep them in your heart/eye).
- Deuteronomy 11:18 (allusion): Uses the 'between your eyes' / visual-token language for preserving the law, parallel to Proverbs' metaphor of guarding the law 'as the apple of your eye.'
- Psalm 17:8 (verbal): Employs the same ocular metaphor—'keep me as the apple of the eye'—which Proverbs 7:2 adapts to describe cherishing the Torah/commandments.
Alternative generated candidates
- Keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the pupil of your eye.
- Keep my commandments and live; guard my teaching as the pupil of your eye.
Pro.7.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- קשרם: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- על: PREP
- אצבעתיך: NOUN,f,pl,abs,2ms
- כתבם: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- על: PREP
- לוח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לבך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Prov.3.3 (verbal): Uses nearly identical language: bind (about your neck) and write (on the tablet/board of your heart) exhorting the reader to internalize steadfast qualities (mercy/truth).
- Prov.6.21 (verbal): Same idiom of binding commands on the heart and tying them about the neck; both verses urge constant remembrance and internalization of wisdom/instruction.
- Deut.6.8–9 (verbal): Earliest OT precedent for the motif: commands are to be bound on the hand and as frontlets between the eyes and written on doorposts—ritual/physical metaphors for keeping divine words constantly before one.
- Deut.11.18 (verbal): Repeats the Deuteronomic instruction to 'lay up these words in your heart' and to bind them on the hand—parallel metaphorical language linking remembrance (heart) and visible signs (hand/mark).
- Jer.31.33 (thematic): Proclaims God will 'put my law within them…and write it on their hearts'—a later prophetic development of the idea of the law or wisdom being internalized (written on the heart) rather than merely external observance.
Alternative generated candidates
- Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
- Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
Pro.7.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לחכמה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אחתי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1cs
- את: PRT,acc
- ומדע: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לבינה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- תקרא: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 7:1–5 (structural): Immediate context: verses 1–5 frame the same exhortation to keep wisdom close, explaining why one should 'call' wisdom sister and make understanding intimate.
- Proverbs 8:1–4 (verbal): Personification of Wisdom calling aloud parallels the language of addressing Wisdom and urging an intimate relationship with Understanding (both passages present Wisdom as a speaking, sought-after figure).
- Proverbs 4:6–7 (thematic): Both passages urge the reader to cling to Wisdom and Insight—'forsake her not' and to prize Wisdom as the principal thing—echoing the familial intimacy recommended in 7:4.
- Proverbs 1:8 (thematic): Parental exhortation to heed instruction ('my son, hear the instruction of thy father') parallels the pedagogical tone of 7:4, which teaches the child to claim Wisdom as family and take instruction to heart.
Alternative generated candidates
- Say to Wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call Insight your kinswoman.
- Say to Wisdom, "You are my sister"; call Insight your kinswoman.
Pro.7.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לשמרך: VERB,qal,inf,0,0,0,suff2ms
- מאשה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- זרה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- מנכריה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אמריה: NOUN,f,pl,def
- החליקה: VERB,hiph,perf,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 2:16-19 (verbal): Uses the same phraseology about the 'strange woman' and warns that she leads men away to death; closely parallels the purpose 'to keep you from the strange woman.'
- Proverbs 5:3-6 (thematic): Describes the adulteress's seductive speech ('lips drip honey') and the deadly end of following her, echoing the warning against her flattering words in Prov 7:5.
- Proverbs 6:24-29 (thematic): Gives practical warnings and consequences for succumbing to an immoral woman (burning desire, loss of honor), reinforcing the protective intent expressed in Prov 7:5.
- Proverbs 9:13-18 (structural): Portrays the loose, seductive woman who calls the simple, paralleling the characterization and danger of the 'strange woman' in Prov 7:5.
- Proverbs 23:26-28 (allusion): Speaks of giving one’s heart to a harlot and being ensnared—an image that echoes the entrapment and need for preservation from the strange woman in Prov 7:5.
Alternative generated candidates
- To keep you from the strange woman, from the foreigner with smooth speech.
- That you may keep you from the strange woman, from the foreigner whose words are smooth.
Pro.7.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- בחלון: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- ביתי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1cs
- בעד: PREP
- אשנבי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1
- נשקפתי: VERB,niphal,perf,1,_,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 7:7 (structural): Immediate literary continuation—after looking through the lattice the speaker describes what she saw (the young man), so 7:6–7 form a single observational scene.
- Proverbs 6:25–29 (thematic): Warnings against lusting after an adulteress and the consequences of closeness to her—same advisory theme about seeing/being drawn to a seductive woman.
- Proverbs 5:3–6 (thematic): Depicts the allure and deadly outcome of the forbidden woman’s mouth and paths; parallels the moral purpose of the watcher’s surveillance in 7:6 (to warn and expose danger).
- 2 Kings 9:30 (allusion): Narrative image of a woman looking out of a window to speak to a man (Jezebel addressing Jehu); a comparable motif of a woman at a window/lattice engaging with a passerby.
Alternative generated candidates
- For I looked through my window, through my lattice I peered.
- For at the window of my house, through the lattice, I looked out.
Pro.7.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וארא: VERB,qal,impf,1,?,sg
- בפתאים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אבינה: VERB,qal,imperf,1,sg
- בבנים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- נער: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חסר: ADJ,m,sg
- לב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 1:4 (verbal): Uses the same key terms — 'simple' and 'young' — and frames the wisdom tradition’s purpose to give prudence to the simple and knowledge to youths, paralleling the description of the naïve young man in 7:7.
- Proverbs 1:20-22 (thematic): Wisdom proclaims and addresses the 'simple' and 'fools,' calling out the naïve who refuse discipline — a thematic parallel to the observation of a 'young man lacking sense' in 7:7.
- Proverbs 5:3-6 (thematic): Warning against the adulteress and her seductive speech aimed at naïve young men; mirrors the situation in ch.7 where a simple youth is enticed by a woman.
- Proverbs 7:6-8 (structural): Immediate narrative context: the speaker looks from his window, sees the simple youth, and watches him take the road to the woman's house — 7:7 is part of this contiguous scene.
- Proverbs 22:15 (thematic): Declares that foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, requiring correction — thematically parallels the characterization of the youth in 7:7 as lacking discernment and in need of instruction.
Alternative generated candidates
- And I saw among the simple-minded; I noticed among the youths a young man lacking sense.
- I saw among the simple; I perceived among the youths a young man lacking sense.
Pro.7.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- עבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בשוק: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אצל: PREP
- פנה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ודרך: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ביתה: NOUN,m,sg,suff-3,f,sg
- יצעד: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 5:8 (verbal): Explicit instruction to keep far from her and not to go near the door of her house — a direct verbal contrast to the young man who 'took the path to her house' in 7:8.
- Proverbs 7:11 (structural): Immediate parallel within the same chapter that depicts the woman 'in the streets' and roaming about, expanding and contextualizing the street/corner scene introduced in 7:8.
- Proverbs 1:10-15 (thematic): The motif of youths being enticed by sinners to leave the right way and join them in the streets mirrors the seduction narrative framing the man’s approach to the woman in 7:8.
- Proverbs 2:16-19 (thematic): The ‘strange woman’ who seduces men and leads them to ruin echoes the moral danger implicit in the young man’s deliberate route to her house in 7:8.
Alternative generated candidates
- He passed through the street near her corner; he took the road toward her house.
- He passed through the street near her corner; he took the road that leads to her house.
Pro.7.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בנשף: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בערב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- באישון: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לילה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואפלה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Prov.7.10 (verbal): Immediate continuation of the same scene—both verses establish the nocturnal setting of the seduction; the encounter in the evening/night is described across vv.9–10.
- Prov.5.3-6 (thematic): Warning against the seductive 'strange woman' using evening/secret allurements; both passages portray deceptive sexual enticement that leads to ruin.
- Prov.2.16-19 (thematic): Like Prov.7.9, this passage depicts the strange/wicked woman and her house as a secret, deadly temptation—both warn that clandestine nocturnal encounters lead to death and loss.
- Gen.39:7-12 (allusion): Potiphar’s wife’s covert sexual advances toward Joseph (repeated attempts in private) parallel the theme of a woman seeking a man in private/nighttime and the moral testing of the male victim.
Alternative generated candidates
- In the evening, at twilight, in the dead of night and darkness.
- At twilight, in the evening, at the dead of night and in darkness.
Pro.7.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והנה: ADV
- אשה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לקראתו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m
- שית: VERB,qal,inf
- זונה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ונצרת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 5:3-6 (verbal): Uses the same seductress imagery (enticing lips, smooth words, the 'strange woman') and warns of the fatal outcome of following her—language and theme closely parallel Prov 7:10.
- Proverbs 6:24-29 (thematic): Warns against the adulterous woman who ensnares and destroys, using the motif of entrapment and loss of honor similar to the scenario introduced in Prov 7:10.
- Proverbs 2:16-19 (thematic): Describes rescue from the immoral woman and the ruin she brings (straying from faithfulness), thematically linked to the danger posed by the woman who meets the young man in Prov 7:10.
- Ezekiel 16:25-29 (allusion): Prophetic depiction of a woman adorned and prostituting herself—uses imagery of finery and harlotry to portray moral corruption, echoing the visual and ethical motifs of Prov 7:10.
- Hosea 4:12-14 (thematic): Portrays Israel as an adulterous woman lured by other lovers; the rhetoric of sexual seduction and covenantal unfaithfulness parallels the moral warning implicit in Prov 7:10.
Alternative generated candidates
- Behold, a woman meets him—she is a prostitute, crafty of heart.
- And behold, a woman meets him—she is a prostitute, crafty of heart.
Pro.7.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- המיה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- היא: PRON,dem,3,f,sg
- וסררת: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- בביתה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,poss3f
- לא: PART_NEG
- ישכנו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- רגליה: NOUN,f,pl,suff
Parallels
- Prov.9:13 (verbal): The figure of 'Woman Folly' is described as loud and insolent—language and characterization parallel the 'loud/rebellious' depiction of the adulterous woman in Prov 7:11.
- Prov.5:3-5 (verbal): The 'strange woman' whose speech tempts and whose feet 'go down to death' echoes 7:11's image of a woman whose feet do not stay at home and who leads men to ruin.
- Prov.2:16-19 (thematic): Warnings about the 'strange woman' who leaves her husband, destroys lives, and leads to death mirror Prov 7:11's depiction of a wandering, dangerous woman.
- Prov.6:24-29 (thematic): Warnings against adultery and the inevitable consequences (shame, injury, burning)—the moral and practical consequences of following a wandering/adulterous woman's feet parallel the situation described in 7:11.
Alternative generated candidates
- She is loud and rebellious; at home her feet do not stay.
- She is loud and rebellious; her feet do not stay at home.
Pro.7.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- פעם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בחוץ: ADV
- פעם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ברחבות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ואצל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- כל: DET
- פנה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- תארב: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 1:20-21 (verbal): Wisdom is personified as calling out in the streets and public squares—uses the same imagery of a female figure making herself known in public spaces, creating a deliberate contrast with the adulteress in Prov 7.
- Proverbs 8:1-3 (verbal): Again Wisdom is pictured as standing at the city's gates and public places; parallels the motif of a woman present and active in public thoroughfares.
- Proverbs 9:13-18 (thematic): The woman Folly is portrayed as boisterous and sitting at the door—another personified female figure who entices the naive, paralleling the seductive behavior and setting of the adulteress in Prov 7.
- Proverbs 5:3-6 (thematic): Describes the seductive speech and fatal outcome of the loose woman; thematically parallels Prov 7:12’s depiction of the woman who lurks in public to ensnare victims and leads them to death.
Alternative generated candidates
- At times in the street, at times in the squares, and at every corner she lies in wait.
- At times in the streets, at every corner she lies in wait; in the squares she prowls.
Pro.7.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והחזיקה: CONJ+VERB,hiph,perf,3,f,sg
- בו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- ונשקה: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- העזה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- פניה: NOUN,f,sg,suff
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 5:3-6 (thematic): The forbidden woman’s speech and lips ‘drip honey’ and lead the simple to death—parallels the seductive words and physical advances (kiss) that lure the young man in Prov 7:13.
- Proverbs 7:21-23 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: after she kisses and speaks (v.13) he follows her and is led to destruction (vv.21–23); a direct structural parallel within the same warning scene.
- Genesis 38:14-15 (verbal): Tamar disguises herself and kisses Judah as part of sexual deception; the act of a woman’s kiss used to seduce or deceive echoes the action in Prov 7:13.
- Judges 16:15-17 (thematic): Delilah’s entreaties and intimate appeals to Samson to extract his secret illustrate the trope of a woman’s seductive intimacy (leading to betrayal) similar to the seductress’s kiss and persuasion in Proverbs 7.
- Song of Solomon 1:2 (thematic): ’Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth’ uses kiss-language as erotic enticement; provides a contrasting cultural image of kissing as intimate desire, illuminating how Prov 7:13 employs kiss imagery for illicit seduction.
Alternative generated candidates
- She seizes him and kisses him; with an impudent face she says to him,
- She seized him and kissed him; with a bold face she said to him,
Pro.7.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- זבחי: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- שלמים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- עלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- שלמתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,?,sg
- נדרי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+1cs
Parallels
- Psalm 66:13-14 (verbal): Uses the same pair of images — bringing/bearing sacrifices and fulfilling vows: “I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will perform my vows to you,” closely echoing “I have peace offerings; I have paid my vows.”
- Psalm 116:14,17 (verbal): Speaks of paying vows and offering sacrifices of thanksgiving (“I will pay my vows to the LORD… I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving”), paralleling the declarative fulfillment of vows and offerings in Prov 7:14.
- Psalm 50:14 (verbal): Commands/frames cultic action as offering a sacrifice and performing vows to God (“Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High”), matching the language and purpose of pledging/offering in Prov 7:14.
- Leviticus 7:11-15 (structural): Gives the regulations and character of the זבחי שלמים (peace/thanksgiving offerings) discussed in Prov 7:14; provides the cultic context for the phrase “peace offerings” and their use in fulfilling vows.
Alternative generated candidates
- “Peace offerings are for me today; I have paid my vows.
- "Peace offerings are prepared for me today; I have paid my vows."
Pro.7.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- על: PREP
- כן: ADV
- יצאתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- לקראתך: PREP,NOUN,m,sg,cs,suff,2,m,sg
- לשחר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פניך: NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- ואמצאך: CONJ+VERB,qal,imf,1,_,sg+OBJ,2,m
Parallels
- Prov.5:3-6 (thematic): Same thematic warning against the 'strange woman'—both passages describe her seductive speech and the danger of being led astray by her.
- Prov.6:24-35 (thematic): Another proximate Proverbs warning about adultery and its consequences; echoes the motif of avoiding the adulteress and the peril of yielding to her advances.
- Song of Solomon 3:4 (verbal): "I found him whom my soul loves" parallels the brief, declarative use of 'I found you' after seeking—similar verb and motif of seeking/ finding a beloved or sought‑for person.
- Psalm 105:4 (verbal): Uses the phrase 'seek his face' (seek his presence), paralleling the language 'to seek your face' here—same lexeme and pursuit‑of‑presence formula, though applied to God in the Psalms and to a person in Proverbs.
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore I went out to meet you, to seek your face, and I have found you.
- "Therefore I went out to meet you, to seek your face, and I have found you."
Pro.7.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מרבדים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- רבדתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
- ערשי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss,1,sg
- חטבות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- אטון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 7:17 (structural): Immediate continuation of the seductress's speech—another line in the same speech describing how she has prepared and perfumed her bed.
- Proverbs 7:18 (structural): Follows verse 16 as part of the same scene (she waits for her husband to be away and invites the man); completes the seductive action begun in v.16.
- Proverbs 5:3-6 (thematic): Parallel warning about the adulteress: uses seductive sensory imagery (sweetness of lips, fatal outcome) and counsels avoidance—contrasts the allure described in Prov 7:16 with deadly consequences.
- Ezekiel 16:13 (verbal): Uses similar language of lavish adornment (fine linen, jewels, ornaments) to depict a woman's dressing up; in Ezekiel the adornment is tied to prostitution and unfaithfulness, echoing the seductress motif in Proverbs 7:16.
Alternative generated candidates
- I have spread my couch with coverings—embroidered linens of Egypt.
- "I have decked my couch with coverings, with colored linens of Egypt."
Pro.7.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- נפתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- משכבי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- מר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אהלים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וקנמון: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Song 4:13-14 (verbal): Lists of aromatics (nard, saffron/calamus/cinnamon, myrrh, aloes) closely parallel the same perfumes in Prov 7:17 and share the erotic/bridal garden imagery.
- Song 1:12-13 (verbal): Uses spice/myrrh fragrance language to describe the beloved and a perfumed setting—similar sensual perfume imagery used to entice.
- Psalm 45:8 (verbal): Speaks of garments smelling of myrrh and aloes in a royal/bridal context; parallels the association of costly fragrances with intimate/ceremonial bedchamber imagery.
- Prov 5:18-19 (thematic): Contrasts the faithful husband's enjoyment of his wife and marital delight with the seductive imagery of the adulteress in Prov 7; both passages use sexual/bed imagery to teach moral points.
Alternative generated candidates
- I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
- "I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon."
Pro.7.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לכה: VERB,qal,imp,2,f,sg
- נרוה: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- דדים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- עד: PREP
- הבקר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- נתעלסה: VERB,hitpael,impf,1,pl
- באהבים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 5:3-6 (verbal): Warning against the 'strange woman' whose lips 'drop honey'—similar seductive language and the lure of illicit sexual pleasure that leads to ruin.
- Proverbs 7:21-23 (structural): Immediate continuation of the same scene: the seductress's words lead the young man into her house and ultimately to destruction—direct narrative parallel and consequence.
- Proverbs 2:16-19 (thematic): Describes a forbidden woman who seduces and strips a man of honor and years—echoes the theme of sexual temptation and loss found in 7:18.
- Song of Solomon 7:6-13 (allusion): Erotic and invitational language celebrating nighttime love and intimacy; a poetic counterpoint that parallels the sensual invitation of 7:18 (though in a positive, mutual context).
- Ecclesiastes 8:15 (thematic): 'Eat, drink, and be merry' motif expresses carpe diem indulgence—parallels the hedonistic impulse of spending the night in sensual pleasure implied by 7:18.
Alternative generated candidates
- Come, let us drink our fill of love until morning; let us delight ourselves with loves.
- "Come, let us take our fill of love until morning; let us delight ourselves in loves."
Pro.7.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- אין: PART,neg
- האיש: NOUN,m,sg,def
- בביתו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- הלך: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בדרך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מרחוק: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 5:3-6 (thematic): Same anti‑adultery theme within Proverbs: the 'strange woman' uses seductive speech and allure (honey) to ensnare the simple, leading to ruin—parallels the seductress’ opportunity in Prov 7:19.
- Proverbs 6:24-29 (thematic): Warning against succumbing to an adulteress and the folly of temptation; images of entrapment and the inevitable harm mirror the situation created by the absent husband in Prov 7:19.
- Genesis 39:7-12 (structural): Potiphar’s wife attempts seduction when Joseph is alone in the house—narrative parallel of sexual temptation occurring when the husband/owner is not present.
- 2 Samuel 11:1-5 (thematic): David's adultery with Bathsheba arises when her husband is away at war—a narrative instance where a husband's absence creates the opportunity for illicit sexual encounter, echoing Prov 7:19.
Alternative generated candidates
- For the man is not at home; he has gone a long journey.
- "For the man is not at home; he has gone on a long journey."
Pro.7.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- צרור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הכסף: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לקח: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בידו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
- ליום: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הכסא: NOUN,m,sg,def
- יבא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ביתו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Genesis 44:1-12 (verbal): Narrative motif of silver placed in a sack and tied to a man's possessions — parallels the image of a bundle/bag of silver taken in hand.
- Ecclesiastes 5:10 (thematic): Reflection on the futility and peril of desire for money; thematically related to passages that highlight money's influence on human action and destiny.
- Proverbs 23:5 (thematic): Warns that riches are fleeting and can vanish suddenly — resonates with imagery of carrying money that will not secure lasting safety or status.
- Job 31:24-28 (thematic): Condemns making gold and silver one's trust and confidence; thematically connects to the idea of taking up money and its moral or existential consequences.
Alternative generated candidates
- He has taken a bag of money in his hand; on the appointed day he will come home.
- "He has taken a bag of money in his hand; at the appointed day he will return home."
Pro.7.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הטתו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ברב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לקחה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- בחלק: PREP
- שפתיה: NOUN,f,pl,abs+suf:3,f
- תדיחנו: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Prov.6:24-26 (verbal): Close verbal and thematic parallel: warns that a man is led astray by a harlot's lips and by flattering speech—same idea of seduction through words as in Prov 7:21.
- Prov.5:3-6 (thematic): Depicts the seductive speech of the 'strange woman' whose lips drop honey but lead to bitterness—same motif of enticing speech that deceives the listener.
- Prov.2:16-19 (thematic): Promises deliverance from the adulterous woman who seduces and leads to death; thematically parallels the danger and consequence of being led astray by persuasive words.
- Prov.7:22 (structural): Immediate narrative consequence within the same episode: after being led astray by words (7:21), the man follows her to ruin (7:22–23), showing the cause-and-effect relationship.
Alternative generated candidates
- With many persuasions she enticed him; with the smoothness of her lips she seduced him.
- With many smooth words she persuaded him; with the flattering of her lips she seduced him.
Pro.7.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הולך: VERB,qal,ptc,3,m,sg
- אחריה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- פתאם: ADV
- כשור: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- טבח: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- יבוא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- וכעכס: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- מוסר: NOUN,m,sg,const
- אויל: ADJ,m,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 5:22-23 (thematic): Both passages portray the sinner as ensnared by his own iniquity and doomed to ruin—an image of being led into destruction as a consequence of illicit desire.
- Proverbs 9:13-18 (thematic): Personification of Folly as a seductive woman who lures the simple to death closely parallels the narrative and warning against the adulterous/strange woman in Proverbs 7.
- Proverbs 1:17-19 (structural): Uses trap/net imagery and sudden, self-inflicted ruin for those greedy or foolish—structurally similar similes of walking unknowingly into destruction (cf. ‘to the slaughter’).
- Isaiah 53:7 (thematic): The image of a creature brought silently to slaughter (’like a lamb/ox to the slaughter’) echoes the Proverb’s simile, conveying passivity and inevitable doom.
Alternative generated candidates
- He goes after her at once, like an ox going to the slaughter, and like a fool to the stocks.
- He follows her at once, like an ox to the slaughter, like a fool to the punishment of the stocks.
Pro.7.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- עד: PREP
- יפלח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- חץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כבדו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- כמהר: PREP+VERB,qal,part,ms,sg
- צפור: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- פח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- ידע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- בנפשו: PREP,3,m,sg
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 5:22-23 (thematic): Both passages link illicit sexual folly to inevitable ruin and death—sin ensnares the sinner and leads to destruction.
- Proverbs 6:26-29 (thematic): Warnings about adultery use similar imagery of inescapable consequences (loss of life, honor, or being ensnared) as in Prov 7:23.
- Amos 3:5 (verbal): Uses a closely parallel image of a bird falling into a snare—like Prov 7:23’s ‘as a bird to a snare’—to portray inescapable judgment.
- Proverbs 1:32-33 (thematic): Expresses the same principle that turning to folly/slumbering in the face of temptation results in destruction and death.
Alternative generated candidates
- Till an arrow pierces his liver; like a bird hastening into a snare, he does not know that it is his very life.
- Until an arrow pierces his inward parts; like a bird rushing into a snare, he does not know that his life is at stake.
Pro.7.24 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ועתה: CONJ
- בנים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- שמעו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- והקשיבו: VERB,hiph,imp,2,m,pl
- לאמרי: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,cstr
- פי: NOUN,m,sg,construct
Parallels
- Proverbs 1:8 (verbal): Both verses are paternal summons—'Hear, my son'—opening parental instruction and urging the child to receive the father's teaching.
- Proverbs 4:1 (verbal): Uses the same vocative address to children ('Hear, O children') and introduces a sustained section of father-to-children moral instruction, paralleling the call to attend to the father's words.
- Proverbs 8:32 (allusion): Wisdom's voice similarly addresses 'my children' with 'listen to me' and promises blessing to those who keep wisdom's ways, echoing the summons in 7:24 to heed spoken instruction.
- Psalm 34:11 (thematic): A related summons—'Come, ye children, hearken unto me'—invites learners to attend to instruction about the fear of the LORD, reflecting the same pedagogical motif of oral exhortation.
Alternative generated candidates
- Now therefore, my sons, hear me; give ear to my words.
- And now, my sons, hear me; give ear to the words of my mouth.
Pro.7.25 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אל: NEG
- ישט: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- דרכיה: NOUN,f,pl,abs+3,f,sg
- לבך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- תתע: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- בנתיבותיה: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs+suff:3fs
Parallels
- Proverbs 7:24 (structural): Immediate context — a direct admonition to listen and turn away: the verse before issues the same warning framework ('hear me, my son; and attend to my sayings') that leads into the command not to turn aside.
- Proverbs 5:6-8 (verbal): Very close wording and theme — warns the reader not to let their way or heart be led into the woman's paths and explicitly commands to keep one's way far from her (do not go near her house).
- Proverbs 4:14-15 (verbal): Parallel command-language against entering the path of the wicked: similar verbs and imperatives urging avoidance of a dangerous way (do not enter, turn away, pass by).
- Proverbs 2:18-19 (thematic): Describes the deadly outcome of the woman's house and paths (leading down to death), thematically reinforcing the warning not to be led into her ways.
- Psalm 1:1 (thematic): Shared metaphor of walking/standing in ways — blessed one does not walk in the counsel or path of the wicked, echoing the injunction not to follow harmful paths.
Alternative generated candidates
- Let not your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths.
- Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths.
Pro.7.26 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- רבים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- חללים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- הפילה: VERB,hiphil,perf,3,f,sg
- ועצמים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- כל: DET
- הרגיה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 7:23 (verbal): Uses the same slaughter imagery—'as an ox to the slaughter'—showing the man being led to destruction, which parallels 7:26's depiction of many brought down and slain by the woman.
- Proverbs 2:18 (thematic): Speaks of the 'strange woman' whose house 'inclines unto death' and whose paths 'are to the dead,' thematically mirroring 7:26's portrayal of victims and death resulting from the seductress.
- Proverbs 9:18 (verbal): Describes the woman's house as full of the dead ('her guests are in the depths of Sheol'), directly echoing the theme of many ruined/slain by the seductive woman in 7:26.
- Proverbs 6:26 (thematic): Warns that a harlot/adulteress brings a man to ruin and 'hunts' his life, paralleling 7:26's language of victims and those slain by her.
- Proverbs 5:11-14 (thematic): Describes the eventual mourning, loss, and consumption that follow adultery—regret and ruin that correspond to 7:26's emphasis on the many casualties inflicted by the woman.
Alternative generated candidates
- For she has cast down many wounded; all her slain are a mighty throng.
- For she has cast down many wounded, and all her victims are mighty men undone.
Pro.7.27 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- דרכי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,1,_,sg
- שאול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ביתה: NOUN,m,sg,suff-3,f,sg
- ירדות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- אל: NEG
- חדרי: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- מות: VERB,qal,infabs
Parallels
- Prov.2:18 (verbal): Nearly identical phrasing: "her house descends to death" — the same motif and language recurs in Proverbs warning that the adulterous woman's house leads to Sheol.
- Prov.5:5 (verbal): Uses similar imagery of feet/ways descending to death and Sheol; another Proverbs warning about sexual folly whose end is death.
- Prov.9:18 (structural): The figure of a house that hides death (the house of Folly) parallels the house of the adulteress — both portray a seductive dwelling that leads guests into Sheol.
- Ps.9:17 (thematic): Speaks of the wicked being turned into Sheol; thematically connects the proverb's claim that the adulteress' house leads to the realm of the dead as the fate of the wicked.
- Rom.6:23 (thematic): New Testament moral principle that 'the wages of sin is death' echoes Proverbs' linkage of sinful paths (adultery) with death/Sheol.
Alternative generated candidates
- Her ways are the ways of Sheol; her house descends to the chambers of death.
- Her house is the way to the grave; her paths lead down to the inner chambers of death.
My son, keep my words and my commandments; keep them with you.
Keep my commands and live; guard my instruction as the pupil of your eye.
Bind them on your fingers; inscribe them upon the tablet of your heart.
Say to Wisdom, 'You are my sister,' and call Insight your kinswoman.
That you may keep yourself from the strange woman, from the foreigner with her smooth words.
For I looked through my window, through the lattice I peered,
and I saw among the naive; I perceived among the young men—one lacking understanding.
He passed through the street beside her corner; he took the road toward her house.
In the twilight, in the evening, at the middle of the night, and in the darkness. And behold, a woman met him—wanton and crafty of heart.
She is loud and rebellious; her feet do not stay at home.
At times she is in the streets, at times in the public squares; she lurks at every corner.
She seized him and kissed him; with a brazen face she said to him,
“Peace offerings are upon me today; I have paid my vows.”
Therefore I went out to meet you, to seek your face, and I have found you.
I have spread my bed with coverings—embroidered rugs of Egypt.
I have anointed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
Come, let us take our fill of love until morning; let us delight ourselves in loves.
For the man is not at home; he has gone on a long journey;
he has taken a bag of money in his hand; he will come home on the appointed day.
With much persuasive speech she enticed him; with the flattering of her lips she led him astray.
He goes after her immediately—like an ox to the slaughter, like a fool to the discipline of the stocks.
Until an arrow pierces his liver; like a bird hastening into a snare, he does not know that it is for his life. Now therefore, my sons, listen to me; give ear to the words of my mouth.
Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths.
For she has cast down many wounded, and all her slain are a mighty throng.
Her house is the way to Sheol; it descends to the chambers of death.