Proverbs 5 Study Notes: Warning Against the Adulteress
A father warns his son that the forbidden woman's appealing words lead to bitterness, ruin, and death, and that going to her would waste his strength and wealth and end in regret. He urges faithful delight in his own wife instead, reminding him that the LORD sees every path and that sin traps the one who commits it.
General
What do the images of one's own cistern and well in 5:15-17 represent?
Answer: Finding delight within one's own marriage
Turning from warning to positive counsel, the father tells his son to drink water from his own cistern and well (5:15). A cistern was a storage pit for water. The image stands for finding satisfaction and love within one's own marriage rather than seeking it elsewhere. He asks why these waters should be spilled in the streets and says they should belong to him alone, not shared with strangers (5:16-17). The New Testament teaches the same faithfulness: marriage is to be honored and kept pure (Hebrews 13:4), and husband and wife belong to each other alone (1 Corinthians 7:2-3). The Song of Solomon uses similar water imagery for a bride kept for her husband (Song of Solomon 4:12).
- Proverbs 5:15-17 (BSB)“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.”The father uses images of water from one's own cistern and well.
- Hebrews 13:4 (BSB)“Marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.”Marriage is to be honored and the marriage bed kept undefiled.
- 1 Corinthians 7:2-3 (BSB)“But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband.”Paul says each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.
- Song of Solomon 4:12 (BSB)“My sister, my bride, you are a garden locked up, a spring enclosed, a fountain sealed.”The bride is pictured as a spring enclosed, using the same water imagery for marital faithfulness.
Theological
What do the cistern and well images of 5:15-17 signify?
Answer: Finding delight within one's own marriage
Proverbs 5:15 commands drinking from one's own cistern and well, a metaphor for finding sexual and emotional satisfaction exclusively within marriage; 5:16-17 asks why those waters should flow into the streets and insists they be one's own, not shared with strangers. The answer to temptation is not only avoidance but delight in God's good gift. Hebrews 13:4 and 1 Corinthians 7:2-3 teach the same exclusive faithfulness, and Song of Solomon 4:12 uses parallel water imagery.
- Proverbs 5:15-17 (BSB)“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.”The father uses images of water from one's own cistern and well.
- Hebrews 13:4 (BSB)“Marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.”Marriage is to be honored and the marriage bed kept undefiled.
- 1 Corinthians 7:2-3 (BSB)“But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband.”Paul says each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.
- Song of Solomon 4:12 (BSB)“My sister, my bride, you are a garden locked up, a spring enclosed, a fountain sealed.”The bride is pictured as a spring enclosed, using the same water imagery for marital faithfulness.
General
According to 5:5-6, where do the forbidden woman's steps lead?
Answer: Downward to death and the grave
The father says the forbidden woman's feet go down toward death and her steps head straight for Sheol, the realm of the dead or the grave (5:5). She gives no thought to the road that leads to life, and her ways wander without her even realizing it (5:6). Following her is not a harmless detour but a road to ruin. Earlier the father said her house slopes downward toward death and none who visit her find their way back to life (Proverbs 2:18-19), and later he describes her house as the highway down into Sheol (Proverbs 7:27). Paul states the principle directly: death is what sin pays out (Romans 6:23).
- Proverbs 5:5-6 (BSB)“Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to Sheol. She does not consider the path of life; she does not know that her ways are unstable.”The father describes where the forbidden woman's way leads and her lack of concern for life.
- Proverbs 2:18-19 (BSB)“For her house sinks down to death, and her tracks to the departed spirits. None who go to her return or negotiate the paths of life.”Her house is said to sink down toward death, and those who go to her do not regain the paths of life.
- Proverbs 7:27 (BSB)“Her house is the road to Sheol, descending to the chambers of death.”Her house is called the road to Sheol, descending to death.
- Romans 6:23 (BSB)“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”Paul states that the wages of sin is death, the outcome the father warns of.
Theological
What destination does 5:5-6 assign to the forbidden woman's way?
Answer: Downward to death and the grave
Proverbs 5:5 says the forbidden woman's feet descend to death, while her steps head directly for Sheol; 5:6 adds that she gives no thought to life's road, and her ways wander without her knowing it. Sexual sin is portrayed as a road ending in death. Proverbs 2:18-19 and 7:27 describe her house in the same terms, and Romans 6:23 states the governing principle that death is what sin pays out.
- Proverbs 5:5-6 (BSB)“Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to Sheol. She does not consider the path of life; she does not know that her ways are unstable.”The father describes where the forbidden woman's way leads and her lack of concern for life.
- Proverbs 2:18-19 (BSB)“For her house sinks down to death, and her tracks to the departed spirits. None who go to her return or negotiate the paths of life.”Her house is said to sink down toward death, and those who go to her do not regain the paths of life.
- Proverbs 7:27 (BSB)“Her house is the road to Sheol, descending to the chambers of death.”Her house is called the road to Sheol, descending to death.
- Romans 6:23 (BSB)“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”Paul states that the wages of sin is death, the outcome the father warns of.
General
What practical counsel does the father give in 5:7-8 about the forbidden woman?
Answer: Stay far from her and not even approach her house
Calling his sons to listen and not turn from his words (5:7), the father gives simple counsel: keep your road well away from her and stay away from her doorway (5:8). He does not tell his son to test how close he can come without falling, but to stay well out of reach of temptation. Paul likewise tells believers to run from sexual sin (1 Corinthians 6:18) and tells Timothy to flee youthful passions (2 Timothy 2:22). Joseph showed this when his master's wife grabbed him and he ran out of the house (Genesis 39:12).
- Proverbs 5:7-8 (BSB)“So now, my sons, listen to me, and do not turn aside from the words of my mouth. Keep your path far from her; do not go near the door of her house,”The father's practical counsel is to keep well away from the forbidden woman.
- 1 Corinthians 6:18 (BSB)“Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a man can commit is outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.”Paul commands believers to flee from sexual immorality.
- 2 Timothy 2:22 (BSB)“Flee from youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, together with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”Paul tells Timothy to flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness.
- Genesis 39:12 (BSB)“She grabbed Joseph by his cloak and said, “Sleep with me!” But leaving his cloak in her hand, he escaped and ran outside.”Joseph ran outside when his master's wife grabbed him, a model of keeping away.
Theological
What strategy against temptation does the father prescribe in 5:7-8?
Answer: Stay far from her and not even approach her house
After a renewed call to listen (5:7), Proverbs 5:8 commands distance: keep one's road well away from her and do not approach her doorway. The wise response to sexual temptation is avoidance, not testing one's strength against it. The New Testament commands the same flight (1 Corinthians 6:18; 2 Timothy 2:22), and Joseph's escape from Potiphar's wife models it (Genesis 39:12).
- Proverbs 5:7-8 (BSB)“So now, my sons, listen to me, and do not turn aside from the words of my mouth. Keep your path far from her; do not go near the door of her house,”The father's practical counsel is to keep well away from the forbidden woman.
- 1 Corinthians 6:18 (BSB)“Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a man can commit is outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.”Paul commands believers to flee from sexual immorality.
- 2 Timothy 2:22 (BSB)“Flee from youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, together with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”Paul tells Timothy to flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness.
- Genesis 39:12 (BSB)“She grabbed Joseph by his cloak and said, “Sleep with me!” But leaving his cloak in her hand, he escaped and ran outside.”Joseph ran outside when his master's wife grabbed him, a model of keeping away.
General
What does the ruined man confess as his life closes in 5:12-14?
Answer: That he hated correction and would not listen to his teachers
The father imagines his son as a wasted life draws to its close, lamenting how much he hated discipline and how his heart scorned correction (5:12). He admits he did not obey his teachers or listen to those who instructed him (5:13), and now he is close to complete ruin in front of the whole community (5:14). The problem was not a lack of teaching but a refusal to receive it. Wisdom herself warns that those who reject her counsel will reap what their own choices produce (Proverbs 1:29-31). A later saying contrasts loving discipline with hating correction (Proverbs 12:1), and Hebrews says discipline hurts while it lasts but later brings righteousness and peace (Hebrews 12:11).
- Proverbs 5:12-14 (BSB)“and you will say, “How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof! I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my mentors. I am on the brink of utter ruin in the midst of the whole assembly.””The father imagines the young man's bitter confession at the end of a ruined life.
- Proverbs 1:29-31 (BSB)“For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the LORD. They accepted none of my counsel; they despised all my reproof. So they will eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.”Wisdom warns that those who reject her counsel will eat the fruit of their own way.
- Proverbs 12:1 (BSB)“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.”A later saying contrasts loving discipline with hating correction.
- Hebrews 12:11 (BSB)“No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who have been trained by it.”Discipline is painful at the time but later yields righteousness and peace.
Theological
What confession does 5:12-14 place in the mouth of the ruined man?
Answer: That he hated correction and would not listen to his teachers
Proverbs 5:12-14 presents a retrospective lament: the man admits he hated discipline, despised reproof, and refused to heed his teachers, and now stands near utter ruin before the assembly. His ruin came not from ignorance but from rejecting instruction he had received. Proverbs 1:29-31 describes the same outcome for those who spurn Wisdom's counsel, Proverbs 12:1 contrasts love of discipline with hatred of correction, and Hebrews 12:11 shows the good fruit of discipline accepted.
- Proverbs 5:12-14 (BSB)“and you will say, “How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof! I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my mentors. I am on the brink of utter ruin in the midst of the whole assembly.””The father imagines the young man's bitter confession at the end of a ruined life.
- Proverbs 1:29-31 (BSB)“For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the LORD. They accepted none of my counsel; they despised all my reproof. So they will eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.”Wisdom warns that those who reject her counsel will eat the fruit of their own way.
- Proverbs 12:1 (BSB)“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.”A later saying contrasts loving discipline with hating correction.
- Hebrews 12:11 (BSB)“No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who have been trained by it.”Discipline is painful at the time but later yields righteousness and peace.
General
True or False: In 5:18-20, the father offers the son no positive alternative to the adulteress, only the command to keep away from her.
Answer: False
This is false. Keeping away from her (5:8) is only part of his counsel. The father also blesses the son's marriage and urges him to take joy in the wife he married in his youth (5:18). He speaks warmly of her with tender images of a lovely deer, and prays that the son will be always satisfied with her and held captive by her love (5:19). Then he asks why the son would ever be captivated by an adulteress instead (5:20). Marital love is treated as a good gift from God to be enjoyed, not merely endured. The Teacher also urges enjoying life with one's beloved wife (Ecclesiastes 9:9), Malachi calls the wife of one's youth a covenant companion to whom faith must be kept (Malachi 2:14), and at creation God joined husband and wife as one flesh (Genesis 2:24).
- Proverbs 5:18-20 (BSB)“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. Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress, or embrace the bosom of a stranger?”The father blesses marriage and calls the son to be captivated by his wife's love rather than an adulteress.
- Ecclesiastes 9:9 (BSB)“Enjoy life with your beloved wife all the days of the fleeting life that God has given you under the sun—all your fleeting days. For this is your portion in life and in your labor under the sun.”The Teacher likewise urges enjoying life with one's beloved wife as a gift from God.
- Malachi 2:14 (BSB)“Yet you ask, “Why?” It is because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have broken faith, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.”Malachi calls the wife of one's youth a companion and wife by covenant, to whom faith must be kept.
- Genesis 2:24 (BSB)“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”God's design at creation unites a man to his wife as one flesh.
Theological
True or False: In 5:18-20, the father sets no positive delight against the pull of the adulteress; his only remedy is avoidance.
Answer: False
This is false. Avoidance (5:8) is only half the counsel. Proverbs 5:18 pronounces a blessing on the son's fountain and calls him to take joy in the wife he married in his youth; 5:19 uses tender imagery and prays that he be always satisfied with her and held captive by her love; 5:20 then asks why he would be captivated by an adulteress. Marital delight is commended as God's good gift and the positive answer to temptation. Ecclesiastes 9:9 commends the same enjoyment, Malachi 2:14 grounds it in covenant faithfulness, and Genesis 2:24 roots it in the creation design.
- Proverbs 5:18-20 (BSB)“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. Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress, or embrace the bosom of a stranger?”The father blesses marriage and calls the son to be captivated by his wife's love rather than an adulteress.
- Ecclesiastes 9:9 (BSB)“Enjoy life with your beloved wife all the days of the fleeting life that God has given you under the sun—all your fleeting days. For this is your portion in life and in your labor under the sun.”The Teacher likewise urges enjoying life with one's beloved wife as a gift from God.
- Malachi 2:14 (BSB)“Yet you ask, “Why?” It is because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have broken faith, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.”Malachi calls the wife of one's youth a companion and wife by covenant, to whom faith must be kept.
- Genesis 2:24 (BSB)“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”God's design at creation unites a man to his wife as one flesh.
General
How does 5:3-4 contrast the forbidden woman's speech with where it leads?
Answer: Her words seem sweet and smooth, but the end is bitter and cutting
The father asks his son to listen so that he will keep discretion and knowledge (5:1-2). Then he warns about the forbidden woman, a woman who is not his wife and who tempts the young man toward adultery. Her lips seem to drip with honey and her talk slides out more smoothly than oil (5:3), but finally she proves as bitter as wormwood, a bitter plant, and as sharp as a two-edged sword (5:4). What looks sweet at first ends in pain. The father had already promised that wisdom would rescue his son from her persuasive words (Proverbs 2:16), and later he describes her flattering speech luring a young man (Proverbs 7:21). James traces the same path: desire lures and entices, produces sin, and ends in death (James 1:14-15).
- Proverbs 5:1-4 (BSB)“My son, pay attention to my wisdom; incline your ear to my insight, that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge. 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.”The father calls for attention and describes the forbidden woman's appealing speech and its bitter outcome.
- Proverbs 2:16 (BSB)“It will rescue you from the forbidden woman, from the stranger with seductive words”The father earlier promised that wisdom would rescue his son from this woman's seductive words.
- Proverbs 7:21 (BSB)“With her great persuasion she entices him; with her flattering lips she lures him.”Her flattering speech is described again as the means by which she lures a young man.
- James 1:14-15 (BSB)“But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”James traces how desire that lures and entices ends in sin and death, the same bitter outcome.
Theological
What contrast between appearance and outcome does 5:3-4 draw regarding the forbidden woman?
Answer: Her words seem sweet and smooth, but the end is bitter and cutting
After calling for attention so the son may preserve discretion (5:1-2), the father contrasts the forbidden woman's speech (dripping honey, smoother than oil, 5:3) with her end (bitter like wormwood and cutting like a two-edged sword, 5:4). Temptation presents itself as sweet, but its outcome is bitter and wounding. The warning continues themes from Proverbs 2:16 and Proverbs 7:21, and James 1:14-15 traces the same progression from enticing desire to sin and death.
- Proverbs 5:1-4 (BSB)“My son, pay attention to my wisdom; incline your ear to my insight, that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge. 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.”The father calls for attention and describes the forbidden woman's appealing speech and its bitter outcome.
- Proverbs 2:16 (BSB)“It will rescue you from the forbidden woman, from the stranger with seductive words”The father earlier promised that wisdom would rescue his son from this woman's seductive words.
- Proverbs 7:21 (BSB)“With her great persuasion she entices him; with her flattering lips she lures him.”Her flattering speech is described again as the means by which she lures a young man.
- James 1:14-15 (BSB)“But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”James traces how desire that lures and entices ends in sin and death, the same bitter outcome.
General
Which losses does 5:9-11 warn the young man would suffer by going to the forbidden woman?
Answer: His strength, years, and wealth given to others, and a spent body
The father spells out the cost. The young man would hand over his strength to others and his years to someone cruel (5:9). Strangers would enjoy his wealth, and what he worked for would go to another man's household (5:10). When his life draws to a close he would groan with his body worn out (5:11). Adultery is not a private pleasure without a price; it drains a person's strength, time, and possessions. Another warning says the adulteress preys on a man's very life (Proverbs 6:26), and that adultery destroys the one who commits it and brings lasting disgrace (Proverbs 6:32-33). In Jesus' parable, the older brother says the younger son wasted their father's wealth on prostitutes (Luke 15:30).
- Proverbs 5:9-11 (BSB)“lest you concede your vigor to others, and your years to one who is cruel; lest strangers feast on your wealth, and your labors enrich the house of a foreigner. At the end of your life you will groan when your flesh and your body are spent,”The father lists what the young man would lose by going to her.
- Proverbs 6:26 (BSB)“For the levy of the prostitute is poverty, and the adulteress preys upon your very life.”Another warning says the adulteress preys on a man's very life.
- Proverbs 6:32-33 (BSB)“He who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself. Wounds and dishonor will befall him, and his reproach will never be wiped away.”Adultery is said to destroy the one who commits it and bring lasting disgrace.
- Luke 15:30 (BSB)“But when this son of yours returns from squandering your wealth with prostitutes, you kill the fattened calf for him!’”In Jesus' parable the older brother charges the prodigal with wasting the family's wealth on prostitutes.
Theological
What losses does 5:9-11 enumerate as the consequences of going to the forbidden woman?
Answer: His strength, years, and wealth given to others, and a spent body
Proverbs 5:9-11 lists the costs: vigor surrendered to others and years to someone cruel, wealth consumed by strangers and labor enriching a foreign household, and finally groaning at life's end with body and flesh consumed. Sexual sin is shown to squander strength, time, and substance. Proverbs 6:26 and 6:32-33 make the same case, and the older brother's charge against the prodigal in Luke 15:30 illustrates the waste.
- Proverbs 5:9-11 (BSB)“lest you concede your vigor to others, and your years to one who is cruel; lest strangers feast on your wealth, and your labors enrich the house of a foreigner. At the end of your life you will groan when your flesh and your body are spent,”The father lists what the young man would lose by going to her.
- Proverbs 6:26 (BSB)“For the levy of the prostitute is poverty, and the adulteress preys upon your very life.”Another warning says the adulteress preys on a man's very life.
- Proverbs 6:32-33 (BSB)“He who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself. Wounds and dishonor will befall him, and his reproach will never be wiped away.”Adultery is said to destroy the one who commits it and bring lasting disgrace.
- Luke 15:30 (BSB)“But when this son of yours returns from squandering your wealth with prostitutes, you kill the fattened calf for him!’”In Jesus' parable the older brother charges the prodigal with wasting the family's wealth on prostitutes.
General
What reason does 5:21 give for avoiding adultery, beyond its earthly costs?
Answer: The LORD sees and examines all of a person's ways
After warning about the costs of adultery, the father gives a deeper reason: a person's ways lie in full view before the LORD, who examines every path (5:21). Even sin done in secret is open before God. The motive for faithfulness is not only avoiding loss or shame but living in God's sight. Hebrews says all creation lies open and exposed before God (Hebrews 4:13), the LORD tells Jeremiah that He watches every one of their ways (Jeremiah 16:17), and the psalmist confesses that God knows all his ways (Psalm 139:3).
- Proverbs 5:21 (BSB)“For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and the LORD examines all his paths.”The father gives a God-centered reason for faithfulness: nothing is hidden from the LORD.
- Hebrews 4:13 (BSB)“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”Nothing in creation is hidden from God's sight; all are exposed before Him.
- Jeremiah 16:17 (BSB)“For My eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from My face, and their guilt is not concealed from My eyes.”The LORD says His eyes are on all the ways of His people and their guilt is not concealed.
- Psalm 139:3 (BSB)“You search out my path and my lying down; You are aware of all my ways.”The psalmist confesses that God is aware of all his ways.
Theological
What theological ground for fidelity does 5:21 add to the practical warnings?
Answer: The LORD sees and examines all of a person's ways
Proverbs 5:21 grounds the call to fidelity in God's omniscience: a man's ways lie open before the LORD, who searches every path he takes. All of life is lived before the face of God, so secret sin is never truly secret. Hebrews 4:13 states that all creation lies exposed to Him, Jeremiah 16:17 declares that no way or guilt is hidden from His eyes, and Psalm 139:3 confesses His exhaustive knowledge of our ways.
- Proverbs 5:21 (BSB)“For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and the LORD examines all his paths.”The father gives a God-centered reason for faithfulness: nothing is hidden from the LORD.
- Hebrews 4:13 (BSB)“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”Nothing in creation is hidden from God's sight; all are exposed before Him.
- Jeremiah 16:17 (BSB)“For My eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from My face, and their guilt is not concealed from My eyes.”The LORD says His eyes are on all the ways of His people and their guilt is not concealed.
- Psalm 139:3 (BSB)“You search out my path and my lying down; You are aware of all my ways.”The psalmist confesses that God is aware of all his ways.
General
How does 5:22-23 describe the fate of the wicked man?
Answer: He is snared by his own sins and dies, refusing correction
The chapter ends by showing sin's own trap. The wicked man's wrongdoing catches him, and his sin binds him like cords (5:22). He perishes because he would not accept discipline, misled by his great foolishness (5:23). Sin promises freedom but ends in bondage. Jesus says whoever sins is enslaved by sin (John 8:34). A psalm says the wicked are caught by what their own hands have done (Psalm 9:16), and Paul warns that people reap what they sow, and those who sow to the flesh reap destruction (Galatians 6:7-8).
- Proverbs 5:22-23 (BSB)“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.”The chapter ends by describing how the wicked man's sin captures and destroys him.
- John 8:34 (BSB)“Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”Jesus says everyone who sins is a slave to sin, the bondage pictured in 5:22.
- Psalm 9:16 (BSB)“The LORD is known by the justice He brings; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands. Higgaion Selah”The wicked are ensnared by the work of their own hands.
- Galatians 6:7-8 (BSB)“Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return. The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”Paul warns that a person reaps what he sows, and sowing to the flesh reaps destruction.
Theological
What end does 5:22-23 describe for the wicked man?
Answer: He is snared by his own sins and dies, refusing correction
Proverbs 5:22 depicts sin as self-entrapping: the wicked man's iniquities capture him and his sin binds him like ropes; 5:23 adds that he perishes for want of discipline, misled by his great folly. Sin's bondage and its deadly end are here shown from within, echoing Jesus' teaching that whoever sins is enslaved by sin (John 8:34). Psalm 9:16 describes the wicked snared by their own work, and Galatians 6:7-8 applies the law of sowing and reaping.
- Proverbs 5:22-23 (BSB)“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.”The chapter ends by describing how the wicked man's sin captures and destroys him.
- John 8:34 (BSB)“Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”Jesus says everyone who sins is a slave to sin, the bondage pictured in 5:22.
- Psalm 9:16 (BSB)“The LORD is known by the justice He brings; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands. Higgaion Selah”The wicked are ensnared by the work of their own hands.
- Galatians 6:7-8 (BSB)“Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return. The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”Paul warns that a person reaps what he sows, and sowing to the flesh reaps destruction.