Old Testament Commentary - Proverbs 7

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 7 A whorish woman leads a man as an ox to the slaughter—The house of an adulterous woman is the way to hell.
1 My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee. 2 Keep my ^acommandments, and live; and my law as the ^bapple of thine eye. 3 ^aBind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine ^bheart.		2^a 1 Ne. 17:15 (3, 15); D&C 14:7 ^b Deut. 32:10 (7-10) 3^a Deut. 6:8 ^b Jer. 31:33
4 Say unto ^awisdom, Thou art my sister; and call ^bunderstanding thy kinswoman: 5 That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger^a which ^aflattereth with her words.	5^a the stranger Those who have a favorable association with the Lord in righteouness he calleth his friends and his people. They who have lost their close association with God and his spirit are called 'strangers'. Foriegners and Strangers are those who are not worth members of the body of Christ. Fellow citizens are members in good standing with the flock of God. Those who falsely associated with the flock are but wolves in sheeps clothing and by the Lord who knows all things, they are as strangers. It is true that these acts being spoken of here take two people. That which applies to the one also would apply to the other as well though it has been kept in the context of the 'strange' women, the man would just as much be or is becoming estranged from the Lord as well.	4^a Alma 37:35 ^b TG Understanding 5^a 2 Ne. 28:22 (20-23)
6 ¶ For at the window of my house I looked through my casement, 7 And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding, 8 Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,
9 In the ^atwilight, in the evening, in the black and ^bdark night: 10 And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an ^aharlot, and subtil of heart. 11 (She is loud and ^astubborn; her feet abide not in her house: 12 Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at ^aevery corner.)		9^a Job 24:15 ^b Alma 10:25; Alma 14:6; Moses 6:27; Moses 7:26 10^a TG Lust; TG Sexual Immorality 11^a TG Stubbornness 12^a D&C 10:27 (26-27)
13 So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, 14 I have peace ^aofferings with me; this day have I payed my vows. 15 Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.		14^a IE she cynically suggests her piety
16 I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. 17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, ^aaloes, and cinnamon. 18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.		17^a HEB probably indicates fragrant wood
19 For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey: 20 He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed.
21 With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. 22 He goeth after her ^astraightway, as an ox goeth to the ^bslaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; 23 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the ^asnare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.		22^a OR suddenly; all at once ^b TG Fornication 23^a Eccl. 9:12
24 ¶ Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. 25 Let not thine ^aheart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. 26 For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. 27 Her ^ahouse is the way to ^bhell, going down to the chambers of death.		25^a Alma 5:41 27^a TG Whoredom ^b Prov. 5:4; Jacob 2:35 (27-35); TG Damnation