1
My son, keep my words,
and treasure my commandments within your heart.
2
Keep my commandments, and you will live;
keep my teaching as the apple of your eye.
3
Bind them on your fingers,
and write them on the tablet of your heart.
4
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call understanding your kinswoman,
5
that they may keep you from the strange woman,
from the foreign woman who flatters with her words.
6
For at the window of my house I looked out,
through my lattice,
7
and I saw among the simple,
I noticed among the young men,
a youth without sense,
8
passing along the street near her corner,
and he took the road to her house,
9
in the twilight, in the evening,
in the dark of night.
10
Then a woman came to meet him,
dressed like a prostitute, with a crafty heart;
11
she is loud and stubborn;
her feet do not stay at home.
12
Now she is in the street, now in the squares,
and at every corner she lies in wait.
13
So she seized him and kissed him,
and with a bold face she said to him:
14
“I had to offer peace offerings;
today I have paid my vows.
15
That is why I came out to meet you,
to seek you, and now I have found you.
16
I have spread my couch with coverings,
with colored linens from Egypt.
17
I have perfumed my bed
with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18
Come, let us take our fill of love until morning;
let us delight ourselves with love.
19
For my husband is not at home;
he has gone on a long journey.
20
He has taken a bag of money with him;
he will come home at the full moon.”
21
With much persuasive speech she led him astray;
with the smoothness of her lips she seduced him.
22
All at once he followed her,
as an ox goes to the slaughter,
or as a fool to the correction of the stocks,
23
until an arrow struck through his liver;
as a bird rushes into a snare,
not knowing that it will cost him his life.
24
Now therefore, my sons, listen to me,
and pay attention to the words of my mouth.
25
Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways,
and do not stray into her paths.
26
For she has brought down many wounded;
yes, all her slain are a mighty throng.
27
Her house is the way to Sheol,
going down to the chambers of death.
🕳️💄⚠️ Summary of Proverbs 7 – The Trap of the Foreign Woman and the Unwatchful Soul
Proverbs 7 is an intense warning about the danger of sexual temptation, this time told as a real-life account observed by Solomon. An inexperienced young man is lured by the enticements of an unfaithful woman. It is a lesson on the importance of binding the word in the heart, so as not to fall into deadly sin.
📌 1. Bind the Word and Be Wise (verses 1–5)
“Keep my commandments in your heart… bind them on your fingers.”
- Solomon begins with counsel that:
– The word of the Lord becomes a personal guide
– Wisdom and understanding are regarded as close kin - The purpose: to protect from the enticement of a foreign woman
🎯 The word of the Lord is not merely knowledge — it is a living shield.
📌 2. The Story of an Inexperienced Young Man (verses 6–23)
“I saw among the inexperienced… a foolish young man…”
- Solomon watched from his window:
– A young man walked toward the house of the foreign woman
– Night was falling — an atmosphere favorable to sin - The woman:
– Dressed like a prostitute, cunning, and aggressive
– Offered instant pleasure, without consequences
– Claimed to be pure after sacrifice, yet her life was full of lust - The end result:
– The young man followed like an ox to the slaughter
– “He did not know that it would cost him his life…”
🎯 Sexual sin wraps death in the scent of perfume and sweet words.
📌 3. Do Not Be Drawn In — Run! (verses 24–27)
“Now, children, listen to me…”
- Solomon’s final warning:
– Do not stray into the path of such a woman
– Many victims have already fallen — even the strong have been brought down
– Her house = the road to the world of the dead
🎯 Better to be ashamed for turning away than to be ruined by being trapped.
📖 Main Teaching
- Sexual temptation is very real and deadly
- Sin often wears the mask of religion and false closeness
- The word of the Lord is the only stronghold
- Young people (and older people!) need to be watchful against the “night path”
- Misdirected sexuality leads to death, not true pleasure
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
“Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”
→ Even wise people can fall if they underestimate temptation.
“For this is the will of God, your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality…”
→ Sexual holiness is the calling of all believers.
“Everyone who looks at a woman… has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
→ Sexual sin begins with the gaze and the desire of the heart.
“The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
→ The word = a weapon against enticement and deceit.
🎯 Proverbs 7 says that without the word, a person is sure to be swept away — but with the word, we can resist, turn away, and remain living in holiness.
🕊️ “Bind it on your fingers…” – Proverbs 7:3
🕊️ “I saw… a foolish young man…” – Proverbs 7:7
🕊️ “With much enticement she persuaded the young man…” – Proverbs 7:21
🕊️ “He did not know that it would cost him his life…” – Proverbs 7:23
🕊️ “Many are the ones who have fallen because of her…” – Proverbs 7:26
