ASV
Proverbs 5
1My son, attend unto my wisdom; Incline thine ear to my understanding:
2That thou mayest preserve discretion, And that thy lips may keep knowledge.
3For the lips of a strange woman drop honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil:
4But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword.
5Her feet go down to death; Her steps take hold on Sheol;
6So that she findeth not the level path of life: Her ways are unstable, [and] she knoweth [it] not.
7Now therefore, [my] sons, hearken unto me, And depart not from the words of my mouth.
8Remove thy way far from her, And come not nigh the door of her house;
9Lest thou give thine honor unto others, And thy years unto the cruel;
10Lest strangers be filled with thy strength, And thy labors [be] in the house of an alien,
11And thou mourn at thy latter end, When thy flesh and thy body are consumed,
12And say, How have I hated instruction, And my heart despised reproof;
13Neither have I obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!
14I was well-nigh in all evil In the midst of the assembly and congregation.
15Drink waters out of thine own cistern, And running waters out of thine own well.
16Should thy springs be dispersed abroad, And streams of water in the streets?
17Let them be for thyself alone, And not for strangers with thee.
18Let thy fountain be blessed; And rejoice in the wife of thy youth.
19[ As] a loving hind and a pleasant doe, Let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; And be thou ravished always with her love.
20For why shouldest thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, And embrace the bosom of a foreigner?
21For the ways of man are before the eyes of Jehovah; And he maketh level all his paths.
22His own iniquities shall take the wicked, And he shall be holden with the cords of his sin.
23He shall die for lack of instruction; And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
Study This Passage
Key Words and Topics
These study connections are drawn from the internal BSB concordance and topical index imported into Daily Bread Intake.
Key Words in This Passage
Select a word to open the full concordance search.
Related Topics
Adultery: General Scriptures Concerning Proverbs 5:3–22
Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil, / in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a double-edged sword. / Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to Sheol.
Being a Good Husband Proverbs 5:18, 19
May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth: / A loving doe, a graceful fawn—may her breasts satisfy you always; may you be captivated by her love forever.
Being a Husband Proverbs 5:18, 19
May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth: / A loving doe, a graceful fawn—may her breasts satisfy you always; may you be captivated by her love forever.
Chastity: General Scriptures Concerning Proverbs 5:15–21
Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well. / Why should your springs flow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares? / Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers.
Children: Commandments To Proverbs 5:1, 2
My son, pay attention to my wisdom; incline your ear to my insight, / that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge.
Cistern: Figurative Proverbs 5:15
Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well.
Company: Evil Proverbs 5:8
Keep your path far from her; do not go near the door of her house,
Cord of Sin Proverbs 5:22
The iniquities of a wicked man entrap him; the cords of his sin entangle him.
Death of the Wicked Proverbs 5:22, 23
The iniquities of a wicked man entrap him; the cords of his sin entangle him. / He dies for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly.
Deer: Gentleness of Proverbs 5:19
A loving doe, a graceful fawn—may her breasts satisfy you always; may you be captivated by her love forever.
Flattery: General Scriptures Concerning Proverbs 5:3
Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil,
Fountains and Springs of a Good Wife Proverbs 5:18
May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth:
God is Declared to Be: Omniscient Proverbs 5:21
For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and the LORD examines all his paths.
God: Knowledge of Proverbs 5:21
For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and the LORD examines all his paths.
Harlot (Prostitute): To be Shunned Proverbs 5:3–20
Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil, / in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a double-edged sword. / Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to Sheol.
Heart: Known to God Proverbs 5:21
For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and the LORD examines all his paths.
Hell in the RV the Word |Sheol| Itself Occurs in the Following Scriptures Proverbs 5:5
Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to Sheol.
Hell: The Future Home of the Wicked Proverbs 5:5
Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to Sheol.
Hell: The Society of the Wicked Leads To Proverbs 5:5
Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to Sheol.
Honey: Lips of a Strange Woman Proverbs 5:3
Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil,
Husband: General Scriptures Concerning Proverbs 5:15–19
Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well. / Why should your springs flow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares? / Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers.
Husbands: Duty of, to Wives: To be Faithful to Them Proverbs 5:19
A loving doe, a graceful fawn—may her breasts satisfy you always; may you be captivated by her love forever.
Iniquity Proverbs 5:22
The iniquities of a wicked man entrap him; the cords of his sin entangle him.
Lasciviousness: General Scriptures Concerning Proverbs 5:3–5, 8–13
Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil, / in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a double-edged sword. / Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to Sheol.
Select a topic to open the full topical search.
Bible Dictionary
Related Dictionary Terms
Explore people, places, themes, and biblical terms connected to this passage.
Commentary Insights
Study and Reflection
Explore devotional and study commentary connected to this passage.
Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
Pastoral and devotional reflections focused on spiritual formation and application.
Proverbs 5:1-14 Verses 1-14
Solomon cautions all young men, as his children, to abstain from fleshly lusts. Some, by the adulterous woman, here understand idolatry, false doctrine, which tends to lead astray men's minds and manners; but the direct view is to warn against seventh-commandment sins. Often these have been, and still are, Satan's method of drawing men from the worship of God into false religion. Consider how fatal the consequences; how bitter the fruit! Take it any way, it wounds. It leads to the torments of hell. The direct tendency of this sin is to the destruction of body and soul. We must carefully avoid every thing which may be a step towards it. Those who would be kept from harm, must keep out of harm's way. If we thrust ourselves into temptation we mock God when we pray, Lead us not into temptation. How many mischiefs attend this sin! It blasts the reputation; it wastes time; it ruins the estate; it is destructive to health; it will fill the mind with horror. Though thou art merry now, yet sooner or later it will bring sorrow. The convinced sinner reproaches himself, and makes no excuse for his folly. By the frequent acts of sin, the habits of it become rooted and confirmed. By a miracle of mercy true repentance may prevent the dreadful consequences of such sins; but this is not often; far more die as they have lived. What can express the case of the self-ruined sinner in the eternal world, enduring the remorse of his conscience!
Proverbs 5:15-23 Verses 15-23
Lawful marriage is a means God has appointed to keep from these destructive vices. But we are not properly united, except as we attend to God's word, seeking his direction and blessing, and acting with affection. Ever remember, that though secret sins may escape the eyes of our fellow-creatures, yet a man's ways are before the eyes of the Lord, who not only sees, but ponders all his goings. Those who are so foolish as to choose the way of sin, are justly left of God to themselves, to go on in the way to destruction.