Proverbs 5

King James Version

Full text for Proverbs Chapter 5

1¶ My son, attend unto my wisdom, [and] bow thine ear to my understanding:

2That thou mayest regard discretion, and [that] thy lips may keep knowledge.

3For the lips of a strange woman drop [as] an honeycomb, and her mouth [is] smoother than oil:

4But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword.

5Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.

6Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, [that] thou canst not know [them].

7Hear me now therefore, O ye children, 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 honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:

10Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours [be] in the house of a stranger;

11And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,

12And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;

13And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!

14I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.

15¶ Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.

16Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, [and] rivers of waters in the streets.

17Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee.

18Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.

19[Let her be as] the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.

20And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?

21For the ways of man [are] before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings.

22His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.

23He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Proverbs 5 warns against the seductive and destructive path of the "strange woman," whose initial allure leads to bitter ruin, loss of honor, and eventual death. The father urges his son to embrace wisdom and find satisfaction and joy within the covenant of marriage with his own wife. The chapter concludes by reminding that God observes all human actions, and the wicked are ensnared by their own folly and sin.

Medium Summary

The chapter begins with an exhortation to attend to wisdom and understanding, emphasizing the importance of discretion and knowledge. It then vividly describes the peril of the "strange woman," whose words are smooth and enticing, yet her ultimate end is bitter as wormwood and sharp as a two-edged sword, leading to death and hell. The son is warned to remove himself far from her house, lest he lose his honor, wealth, and years to cruel strangers, culminating in deep regret for having rejected instruction. In contrast, the father advises the son to find fulfillment and joy with his own wife, likening her to a personal, blessed wellspring. This counsel is reinforced by the truth that the Lord observes all human ways, and the wicked are inevitably caught in the snares of their own iniquities, perishing through their great folly and lack of instruction.

Long Summary

Proverbs chapter 5 opens with a father's earnest plea for his son to heed wisdom and understanding, thereby safeguarding discretion and knowledge. He immediately introduces the grave danger posed by the "strange woman," whose deceptive lips offer words smoother than oil, yet whose ultimate outcome is described as bitter as wormwood and sharp as a two-edged sword. Her path leads directly to death and hell, ensnaring those who fail to discern her shifting, unknowable ways. The admonition intensifies, urging the son to keep his way far from her house and to avoid any proximity to her influence. The dire consequences of succumbing to her include the forfeiture of honor to others and years to the cruel, along with the loss of wealth to strangers. The son is warned that he will mourn bitterly in his final days, his body consumed, lamenting his hatred of instruction and his heart's despising of reproof. He will confess his disobedience to teachers, recognizing that he was nearly engulfed in public evil. In stark contrast to this destructive path, the father counsels his son to drink from his own cistern and well, a metaphor for finding satisfaction and joy within his own marriage. He is encouraged to let his own fountain be blessed and to rejoice with the wife of his youth, likening her to a loving hind and pleasant roe, whose love should continually ravish him. The rhetorical question then challenges why one would seek such satisfaction from a strange woman. The chapter concludes with a profound theological reminder: all the ways of man are under the watchful eye of the LORD, who carefully considers every step. The wicked are ultimately trapped by their own iniquities, held fast by the cords of their sins, and will perish without instruction, led astray by the magnitude of their own folly.

Core Concepts

  • The Strange Woman's DeceptionHer words are initially alluring and smooth, like honey and oil, but her ultimate end is bitter and destructive, leading to death and hell. Her paths are deceptive and unknowable, designed to ensnare.
  • Consequences of AdulteryEngaging with the strange woman leads to the loss of honor, wealth, and years to cruel strangers, culminating in bitter regret and self-reproach for rejecting wisdom. It results in public shame and physical decay.
  • Value of Marital FidelityThe chapter strongly advocates for finding satisfaction and joy exclusively within one's own marriage, metaphorically described as drinking from one's own blessed cistern and well. The wife of youth is presented as the proper source of love and fulfillment.
  • Divine ObservationA fundamental principle is established that the LORD observes all human actions and ponders every step, implying that no sin, especially secret sin, goes unnoticed. This serves as a deterrent to transgression.
  • Ensnarement by SinThe wicked are depicted as being caught and held by their own iniquities and the cords of their sins, illustrating the self-destructive nature of unrighteous choices. Their folly leads them astray and ultimately to death without instruction.
  • Importance of InstructionThe text repeatedly emphasizes the critical role of heeding wisdom, instruction, and reproof, contrasting it with the tragic outcome of those who despise such guidance and perish in their folly.