KJV

Proverbs 7

Compare: BSB WEB KJV ASV

1¶ My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.

2Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.

3Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.

4Say unto wisdom, Thou [art] my sister; and call understanding [thy] kinswoman:

5That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger [which] flattereth with her words.

6¶ For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,

7And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,

8Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,

9In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:

10And, behold, there met him a woman [with] the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.

11(She [is] loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:

12Now [is she] without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)

13So she caught him, and kissed him, [and] with an impudent face said unto him,

14[I have] peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.

15Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.

16I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved [works], with fine linen of Egypt.

17I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

18Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.

19For the goodman [is] not at home, he is gone a long journey:

20He hath taken a bag of money with him, [and] will come home at the day appointed.

21With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.

22He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;

23Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it [is] for his life.

24¶ Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.

25Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.

26For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong [men] have been slain by her.

27Her house [is] the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.

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 7:1-5 Verses 1-5

We must lay up God's commandments safely. Not only, Keep them, and you shall live; but, Keep them as those that cannot live without them. Those that blame strict and careful walking as needless and too precise, consider not that the law is to be kept as the apple of the eye; indeed the law in the heart is the eye of the soul. Let the word of God dwell in us, and so be written where it will be always at hand to be read. Thus we shall be kept from the fatal effects of our own passions, and the snares of Satan. Let God's word confirm our dread of sin, and resolutions against it.

Proverbs 7:6-27 Verses 6-27

Here is an affecting example of the danger of youthful lusts. It is a history or a parable of the most instructive kind. Will any one dare to venture on temptations that lead to impurity, after Solomon has set before his eyes in so lively and plain a manner, the danger of even going near them? Then is he as the man who would dance on the edge of a lofty rock, when he has just seen another fall headlong from the same place. The misery of self-ruined sinners began in disregard to God's blessed commands. We ought daily to pray that we may be kept from running into temptation, else we invite the enemies of our souls to spread snares for us. Ever avoid the neighbourhood of vice. Beware of sins which are said to be pleasant sins. They are the more dangerous, because they most easily gain the heart, and close it against repentance. Do nothing till thou hast well considered the end of it. Were a man to live as long as Methuselah, and to spend all his days in the highest delights sin can offer, one hour of the anguish and tribulation that must follow, would far outweigh them.

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.

Related Topics

Adultery: General Scriptures Concerning Proverbs 7:5–23

that they may keep you from the adulteress, from the stranger with seductive words. / For at the window of my house I looked through the lattice. / I saw among the simple, I noticed among the youths, a young man lacking judgment,

Apples Proverbs 7:2

Keep my commandments and live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.

Bed: Perfumed Proverbs 7:17

I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, with aloes, and with cinnamon.

Being Naive Proverbs 7:7

I saw among the simple, I noticed among the youths, a young man lacking judgment,

Blindness: Spiritual Proverbs 7:7–23

I saw among the simple, I noticed among the youths, a young man lacking judgment, / crossing the street near her corner, strolling down the road to her house, / at twilight, as the day was fading into the dark of the night.

Chastity: General Scriptures Concerning Proverbs 7:1–5

My son, keep my words and treasure my commandments within you. / Keep my commandments and live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. / Tie them to your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.

Chastity: Preserved by Wisdom Proverbs 7:1–5

My son, keep my words and treasure my commandments within you. / Keep my commandments and live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. / Tie them to your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.

Children: Wicked Proverbs 7:7

I saw among the simple, I noticed among the youths, a young man lacking judgment,

Cinnamon: A Spice Proverbs 7:17

I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, with aloes, and with cinnamon.

Commandments: General Scriptures Concerning Proverbs 7:1–4

My son, keep my words and treasure my commandments within you. / Keep my commandments and live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. / Tie them to your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.

Flattery: Danger of Proverbs 7:21–23

With her great persuasion she entices him; with her flattering lips she lures him. / He follows her on impulse, like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer bounding into a trap, / until an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare—not knowing it will cost him his life.

Flattery: General Scriptures Concerning Proverbs 7:5, 21

that they may keep you from the adulteress, from the stranger with seductive words. / With her great persuasion she entices him; with her flattering lips she lures him.

Guarding your Heart Proverbs 7:25

Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths.

Harlot (Prostitute): Shamelessness of Proverbs 7:11–27

She is loud and defiant; her feet do not remain at home. / Now in the street, now in the squares, she lurks at every corner. / She seizes him and kisses him; she brazenly says to him:

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.