Proverbs 6 Study Notes: Surety, the Ant, and Seven Detestable Things
A father warns his son to get free quickly from a pledge to cover another's debt and sends the lazy man to learn diligence from the ant. He then describes the scheming troublemaker, lists seven things the LORD detests, and warns that adultery brings ruin no payment can undo.
General
What end does 6:15 announce for the scheming troublemaker?
Answer: Sudden disaster that breaks him past all repair
The verse begins with therefore, tying the outcome to the scheming just described: calamity strikes him abruptly and he is broken in an instant, with no recovery (6:15). The one who plants discord reaps ruin. The same outcome is announced for the man who stays stubborn after many rebukes (29:1), a psalm describes how quickly the wicked are cast down (Psalm 73:18-19), and Paul states the principle that a person reaps what he sows (Galatians 6:7).
- Proverbs 6:15 (BSB)“Therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in an instant he will be shattered beyond recovery.”The consequence announced for the scheming troublemaker.
- Proverbs 29:1 (BSB)“A man who remains stiff-necked after much reproof will suddenly be shattered beyond recovery.”The man who stays stubborn after many rebukes meets the same sudden, final ruin.
- Psalm 73:18-19 (BSB)“Surely You set them on slick ground; You cast them down into ruin. How suddenly they are laid waste, completely swept away by terrors!”The psalmist sees how suddenly the wicked are cast down and swept away.
- Galatians 6:7 (BSB)“Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return.”What a person sows he will reap, as the sower of discord reaps calamity.
Theological
What judgment does 6:15 pronounce on the one who devises evil and sows discord?
Answer: Sudden disaster that breaks him past all repair
Introduced by therefore, the verse states the consequence of the preceding conduct: sudden calamity and irreparable breaking (6:15). The sower of discord harvests destruction. Proverbs pronounces the same end on the man who hardens himself after repeated reproof (29:1); the psalmist marvels at how suddenly the wicked are destroyed (Psalm 73:18-19); and Paul affirms that God is not mocked, since each reaps what he sows (Galatians 6:7).
- Proverbs 6:15 (BSB)“Therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in an instant he will be shattered beyond recovery.”The consequence announced for the scheming troublemaker.
- Proverbs 29:1 (BSB)“A man who remains stiff-necked after much reproof will suddenly be shattered beyond recovery.”The man who stays stubborn after many rebukes meets the same sudden, final ruin.
- Psalm 73:18-19 (BSB)“Surely You set them on slick ground; You cast them down into ruin. How suddenly they are laid waste, completely swept away by terrors!”The psalmist sees how suddenly the wicked are cast down and swept away.
- Galatians 6:7 (BSB)“Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return.”What a person sows he will reap, as the sower of discord reaps calamity.
General
Where does 6:25 locate the first step of resisting the adulteress?
Answer: In the heart, by refusing to crave her beauty
The warning goes beneath outward behavior: the son must not desire her beauty in his heart or let her eyes capture him (6:25). Sin starts with desire before it becomes an act. Jesus teaches that looking at a woman with lust is already adultery committed in the heart (Matthew 5:28), Job bound his eyes by covenant so that he would not look with desire (Job 31:1), and James explains how each person is drawn by his own desire, which, once conceived, produces sin and finally death (James 1:14-15).
- Proverbs 6:25 (BSB)“Do not lust in your heart for her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.”The father warns against inward desire for the adulteress.
- Matthew 5:28 (BSB)“But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”Jesus teaches that lustful looking is already adultery in the heart.
- Job 31:1 (BSB)““I have made a covenant with my eyes. How then could I gaze with desire at a virgin?”Job made a covenant with his eyes not to look with desire.
- 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 inner desire conceives and produces sin and death.
Theological
According to 6:25, where must the battle against the adulteress first be fought?
Answer: In the heart, by refusing to crave her beauty
The prohibition targets the heart: do not covet her beauty inwardly or be captured by her eyes (6:25). Proverbs locates sin's origin within, before any outward act. Christ makes the same point, defining lustful looking as adultery already committed in the heart (Matthew 5:28). Job's covenant with his eyes shows the same vigilance (Job 31:1), and James traces the progression from inward desire to sin to death (James 1:14-15). Because the problem is the heart itself, what is needed is a heart governed by God's word, not mere outward restraint.
- Proverbs 6:25 (BSB)“Do not lust in your heart for her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.”The father warns against inward desire for the adulteress.
- Matthew 5:28 (BSB)“But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”Jesus teaches that lustful looking is already adultery in the heart.
- Job 31:1 (BSB)““I have made a covenant with my eyes. How then could I gaze with desire at a virgin?”Job made a covenant with his eyes not to look with desire.
- 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 inner desire conceives and produces sin and death.
General
True or False: The troublemaker of 6:12-15 and the last item in the list of 6:16-19 share the same sin of spreading discord.
Answer: True
This is true. The worthless man continually sows discord (6:14), and the list of what the LORD detests ends with the one who spreads strife among brothers (6:19). The repetition ties the two paragraphs together and shows how seriously God regards division among His people. A psalm of David celebrates the goodness and delight of brothers living in unity (Psalm 133:1), and Paul tells believers to be on guard against people who cause divisions and to keep away from them (Romans 16:17), rejecting a divisive person after warning him twice (Titus 3:10).
- Proverbs 6:14 (BSB)“With deceit in his heart he devises evil; he continually sows discord.”The worthless man continually sows discord.
- Proverbs 6:19 (BSB)“a false witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up discord among brothers.”The list closes with the one who spreads strife among brothers.
- Psalm 133:1 (BSB)“A song of ascents. Of David. Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!”The psalm celebrates how good it is for brothers to live in unity.
- Romans 16:17 (BSB)“Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them.”Paul tells believers to be on guard against those who cause divisions.
- Titus 3:10 (BSB)“Reject a divisive man after a first and second admonition,”A divisive person is to be rejected after repeated warnings.
Theological
True or False: Sowing discord appears both in the portrait of the worthless man (6:12-15) and as the climactic item of 6:16-19.
Answer: True
This is true. The worthless man continually sows discord (6:14), and the numerical saying climaxes with the one who spreads strife among brothers (6:19), binding the two units together. Division within the covenant community is treated as grave. Scripture prizes the unity of brothers (Psalm 133:1), and the apostolic church is to guard against those who cause divisions (Romans 16:17) and to reject a divisive person after two warnings (Titus 3:10).
- Proverbs 6:14 (BSB)“With deceit in his heart he devises evil; he continually sows discord.”The worthless man continually sows discord.
- Proverbs 6:19 (BSB)“a false witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up discord among brothers.”The list closes with the one who spreads strife among brothers.
- Psalm 133:1 (BSB)“A song of ascents. Of David. Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!”The psalm celebrates how good it is for brothers to live in unity.
- Romans 16:17 (BSB)“Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them.”Paul tells believers to be on guard against those who cause divisions.
- Titus 3:10 (BSB)“Reject a divisive man after a first and second admonition,”A divisive person is to be rejected after repeated warnings.
General
What point do the questions about fire and hot coals make in 6:27-29?
Answer: Adultery brings consequences that no one escapes
The adulteress hunts for a man's very life, not just his money (6:26). Then the father asks two questions that expect the answer no: can a man carry fire against his chest without his clothes catching, or walk across burning coals without burning his feet (6:27-28)? Just as surely, the man who goes to his neighbor's wife will not escape punishment (6:29). Scripture elsewhere warns that God will judge adulterers (Hebrews 13:4), that people reap what they sow (Galatians 6:7), and that believers must flee sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:18).
- Proverbs 6:26-29 (BSB)“For the levy of the prostitute is poverty, and the adulteress preys upon your very life. Can a man embrace fire and his clothes not be burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without scorching his feet? So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished.”The adulteress hunts a man's life, and questions about fire show the certainty of consequences.
- 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.”God will judge adulterers, while marriage is to be honored by all.
- Galatians 6:7 (BSB)“Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return.”God is not mocked; people reap what they sow.
- 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.”Believers are told to flee sexual immorality, which is a sin against one's own body.
Theological
What do the rhetorical questions of 6:27-28 establish about adultery?
Answer: Adultery brings consequences that no one escapes
Having warned that the adulteress preys on a man's very life (6:26), the father asks two questions expecting a negative answer: fire held to the chest and coals walked upon inevitably burn (6:27-28). The application follows: whoever goes in to a neighbor's wife will surely be punished (6:29). Consequence is built into the act. The New Testament affirms that God will judge adulterers (Hebrews 13:4), that sowing and reaping are fixed by God (Galatians 6:7), and that sexual immorality is to be fled (1 Corinthians 6:18).
- Proverbs 6:26-29 (BSB)“For the levy of the prostitute is poverty, and the adulteress preys upon your very life. Can a man embrace fire and his clothes not be burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without scorching his feet? So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished.”The adulteress hunts a man's life, and questions about fire show the certainty of consequences.
- 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.”God will judge adulterers, while marriage is to be honored by all.
- Galatians 6:7 (BSB)“Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return.”God is not mocked; people reap what they sow.
- 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.”Believers are told to flee sexual immorality, which is a sin against one's own body.
General
In 6:23-24 the parents' commandment is called a lamp and a light. From what does it specifically aim to keep the son?
Answer: From the adulteress and her smooth, flattering speech
The instruction is a lamp and a light, and even its corrections lead along the path of life (6:23). Its stated purpose here is protection: to keep the son from the wicked woman and from the smooth talk of the adulteress (6:24). Light shows where the path goes and where the dangers lie. In the same way God's word guides the steps of the believer (Psalm 119:105), His commandments make the eyes bright (Psalm 19:8), and treasuring His word in the heart is a guard against sin (Psalm 119:11).
- Proverbs 6:23-24 (BSB)“For this commandment is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way to life, to keep you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.”The teaching is a lamp and a light, given to keep the son from the adulteress.
- Psalm 119:105 (BSB)“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”God's word is described as a lamp and light that guide one's steps.
- Psalm 19:8 (BSB)“The precepts of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart; the commandments of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”The LORD's commandments are radiant and give light to the eyes.
- Psalm 119:11 (BSB)“I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.”Storing God's word in the heart is a guard against sinning.
Theological
According to 6:23-24, from what is the instruction called a lamp and a light meant to keep the son?
Answer: From the adulteress and her smooth, flattering speech
The commandment and teaching are lamp and light, and disciplinary reproofs are the way of life (6:23). Their immediate protective purpose is named: to guard the son from the wicked woman and the adulteress's smooth tongue (6:24). Illumination exposes the snare before one steps into it. Scripture speaks of God's word the same way: a lamp and light for the path (Psalm 119:105), commandments that enlighten the eyes (Psalm 19:8), and a word hidden in the heart as a safeguard against sin (Psalm 119:11).
- Proverbs 6:23-24 (BSB)“For this commandment is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way to life, to keep you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.”The teaching is a lamp and a light, given to keep the son from the adulteress.
- Psalm 119:105 (BSB)“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”God's word is described as a lamp and light that guide one's steps.
- Psalm 19:8 (BSB)“The precepts of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart; the commandments of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”The LORD's commandments are radiant and give light to the eyes.
- Psalm 119:11 (BSB)“I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.”Storing God's word in the heart is a guard against sinning.
General
According to 6:20-22, what will the parents' teaching do for the son if he keeps it close?
Answer: Guide, guard, and speak to him through all of his day
The son is to keep his father's command and hold on to his mother's teaching, binding them on his heart and around his neck so they are always close (6:20-21). The teaching then becomes a companion through the whole day: guiding him on the road, watching over him at rest, and speaking to him when he rises (6:22). The pattern echoes Moses' command that God's words be on Israel's hearts and talked about when walking, resting, and rising (Deuteronomy 6:6-9). Proverbs opens with the same charge to heed father and mother (1:8), and loving devotion and faithfulness are likewise to be bound around the neck and written on the heart (3:3).
- Proverbs 6:20-22 (BSB)“My son, keep your father’s commandment, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. Bind them always upon your heart; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will guide you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you.”The son is told to keep his parents' teaching close, and what it will do for him.
- Deuteronomy 6:6-9 (BSB)“These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts. And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.”Moses commands that God's words be on the heart and spoken of at every part of the day.
- Proverbs 1:8 (BSB)“Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.”Proverbs opens with the same call to heed father and mother.
- Proverbs 3:3 (BSB)“Never let loving devotion or faithfulness leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.”Loving devotion and faithfulness are likewise to be bound on the neck and written on the heart.
Theological
According to 6:20-22, what will the parents' teaching do for the son once it is bound to his heart?
Answer: Guide, guard, and speak to him through all of his day
The command is to keep the father's commandment and not abandon the mother's teaching, binding them continually on heart and neck (6:20-21). Internalized, the instruction accompanies the son through every part of life: guiding him as he goes, keeping him as he rests, and addressing him as he wakes (6:22). The language closely recalls the Shema's instruction that the LORD's words be on the heart and spoken of when walking, lying down, and rising (Deuteronomy 6:6-9). The book's prologue gives the same charge (1:8), and 3:3 applies the same binding imagery to loving devotion and faithfulness.
- Proverbs 6:20-22 (BSB)“My son, keep your father’s commandment, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. Bind them always upon your heart; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will guide you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you.”The son is told to keep his parents' teaching close, and what it will do for him.
- Deuteronomy 6:6-9 (BSB)“These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts. And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.”Moses commands that God's words be on the heart and spoken of at every part of the day.
- Proverbs 1:8 (BSB)“Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.”Proverbs opens with the same call to heed father and mother.
- Proverbs 3:3 (BSB)“Never let loving devotion or faithfulness leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.”Loving devotion and faithfulness are likewise to be bound on the neck and written on the heart.
General
The list in 6:16-19 opens by counting six things and then seven. What follows in verses 17-19?
Answer: Seven items follow, and the LORD detests every one of them
Verse 16 counts six things the LORD hates and then seven that He finds detestable, and verses 17-19 go on to name seven: pride in the eyes, lies from the tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots wickedness, feet eager for evil, a witness who testifies falsely, and a person who spreads strife among brothers. The LORD detests all seven (6:16), so none is a minor matter and none is ranked below another. Counting one number and then the next is a way of introducing a list found elsewhere in Scripture, used by Agur (30:15-16, 18-19) and by the prophet Amos (Amos 1:3). Here the seventh item, stirring up strife among brothers (6:19), repeats the sin of the troublemaker just described (6:14).
- Proverbs 6:16-19 (BSB)“There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that run swiftly to evil, a false witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up discord among brothers.”The list of what the LORD hates, introduced by counting six and then seven.
- Proverbs 30:18-19 (BSB)“There are three things too wonderful for me, four that I cannot understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship at sea, and the way of a man with a maiden.”Agur uses the same counting pattern, three and then four, to introduce a list.
- Proverbs 30:15-16 (BSB)“The leech has two daughters: Give and Give. There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’: Sheol, the barren womb, land never satisfied with water, and fire that never says, ‘Enough!’”Another three-then-four list shows the same way of introducing a list.
- Amos 1:3 (BSB)“This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Damascus, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they threshed Gilead with sledges of iron.”The prophet uses a three-then-four pattern to introduce judgment on a nation.
Theological
The saying in 6:16-19 is introduced by the count six, then seven. What do verses 17-19 actually give?
Answer: Seven items follow, and the LORD detests every one of them
The numerical saying announces six things the LORD hates and seven He finds detestable (6:16), and the catalogue that follows names exactly seven: proud eyes, a deceitful tongue, hands that murder the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet quick to wrongdoing, perjury in court, and the sowing of discord among brothers (6:17-19). Every item falls under the same verdict of the LORD's hatred; the list does not rank them. The pattern of one number followed by the next is a recognized way of introducing a list in Scripture's poetry, found in Agur's sayings (30:15-16, 18-19) and in Amos's oracles (Amos 1:3). The seventh item picks up the description of the worthless man who continually sows discord (6:14).
- Proverbs 6:16-19 (BSB)“There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that run swiftly to evil, a false witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up discord among brothers.”The list of what the LORD hates, introduced by counting six and then seven.
- Proverbs 30:18-19 (BSB)“There are three things too wonderful for me, four that I cannot understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship at sea, and the way of a man with a maiden.”Agur uses the same counting pattern, three and then four, to introduce a list.
- Proverbs 30:15-16 (BSB)“The leech has two daughters: Give and Give. There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’: Sheol, the barren womb, land never satisfied with water, and fire that never says, ‘Enough!’”Another three-then-four list shows the same way of introducing a list.
- Amos 1:3 (BSB)“This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Damascus, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they threshed Gilead with sledges of iron.”The prophet uses a three-then-four pattern to introduce judgment on a nation.
General
What situation does the father describe in 6:1-2?
Answer: The son has promised to guarantee another person's debt
The father speaks to a son who has become surety, meaning he has pledged himself, sealed with a handshake, to pay what someone else owes if that person fails, whether the other party is a neighbor or a stranger (6:1). By his own spoken promise he is now caught, like an animal held in a trap (6:2). Proverbs returns to this danger more than once: guaranteeing a stranger's obligation brings harm (11:15), such a pledge is the act of a man without sense (17:18), and a guarantor who has nothing to pay with may lose even his bed (22:26-27). The lesson is the folly of binding oneself by rash words to obligations one does not control.
- Proverbs 6:1-2 (BSB)“My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have struck hands in pledge with a stranger, if you have been trapped by the words of your lips, ensnared by the words of your mouth,”The father describes a son who has bound himself to cover another person's obligation.
- Proverbs 11:15 (BSB)“He who puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer, but the one who hates indebtedness is secure.”Another saying warns that guaranteeing a stranger's obligation brings harm.
- Proverbs 17:18 (BSB)“A man lacking judgment strikes hands in pledge and puts up security for his neighbor.”Making such a pledge for a neighbor is called the act of someone without sense.
- Proverbs 22:26-27 (BSB)“Do not be one who gives pledges, who puts up security for debts. If you have nothing with which to pay, why should your bed be taken from under you?”A guarantor who cannot pay may lose even the bed he sleeps on.
Theological
What commitment has the son made, according to 6:1-2, that now leaves him ensnared?
Answer: The son has promised to guarantee another person's debt
The opening case is suretyship: the son has struck a pledge, binding himself to answer for another party's obligation, neighbor or stranger alike (6:1). His own words have become the snare that holds him (6:2). The warning is consistent across the book: surety for a stranger brings harm (11:15), a pledge of this kind marks a man without sense (17:18), and a guarantor who cannot pay may lose even his bed (22:26-27). The concern is prudence with one's words and commitments, not a general rule about lending.
- Proverbs 6:1-2 (BSB)“My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have struck hands in pledge with a stranger, if you have been trapped by the words of your lips, ensnared by the words of your mouth,”The father describes a son who has bound himself to cover another person's obligation.
- Proverbs 11:15 (BSB)“He who puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer, but the one who hates indebtedness is secure.”Another saying warns that guaranteeing a stranger's obligation brings harm.
- Proverbs 17:18 (BSB)“A man lacking judgment strikes hands in pledge and puts up security for his neighbor.”Making such a pledge for a neighbor is called the act of someone without sense.
- Proverbs 22:26-27 (BSB)“Do not be one who gives pledges, who puts up security for debts. If you have nothing with which to pay, why should your bed be taken from under you?”A guarantor who cannot pay may lose even the bed he sleeps on.
General
What about the ant does the father hold up as a lesson for the lazy man (6:6-8)?
Answer: It stores food in summer though no ruler directs it
The father sends the lazy person to watch the ant and learn wisdom from it (6:6). The lesson is self-driven foresight: with no commander, overseer, or ruler making it work, the ant lays up food during summer and harvest (6:7-8). Agur later lists ants among the small creatures that are very wise because they store their food in summer (30:24-25). Another saying praises the son who works hard at harvest and shames the one who sleeps through it (10:5), while the slacker who neglects plowing at the proper time finds nothing when harvest comes (20:4).
- Proverbs 6:6-8 (BSB)“Walk in the manner of the ant, O slacker; observe its ways and become wise. Without a commander, without an overseer or ruler, it prepares its provisions in summer; it gathers its food at harvest.”The lazy man is sent to learn from the ant's diligence and foresight.
- Proverbs 30:24-25 (BSB)“Four things on earth are small, yet they are exceedingly wise: The ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer;”Agur also counts ants among small creatures that are very wise because they store food in summer.
- Proverbs 10:4-5 (BSB)“Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. He who gathers in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.”Diligent hands and harvest-time work are praised, and sleeping through harvest is shamed.
- Proverbs 20:4 (BSB)“The slacker does not plow in season; at harvest time he looks, but nothing is there.”The slacker who does not plow in season finds nothing at harvest, the opposite of the ant.
Theological
What quality of the ant does 6:6-8 commend to the sluggard?
Answer: It stores food in summer though no ruler directs it
The sluggard is sent to a tiny teacher (6:6). The ant's wisdom lies in diligence that needs no outside compulsion and in foresight: with no one in command or keeping watch over it, it lays up provision in summer and gathers at harvest (6:7-8). Agur makes the same observation, counting ants among the small but very wise creatures (30:24-25). The book consistently links diligent work in season with provision (10:4-5) and idleness in season with empty hands (20:4).
- Proverbs 6:6-8 (BSB)“Walk in the manner of the ant, O slacker; observe its ways and become wise. Without a commander, without an overseer or ruler, it prepares its provisions in summer; it gathers its food at harvest.”The lazy man is sent to learn from the ant's diligence and foresight.
- Proverbs 30:24-25 (BSB)“Four things on earth are small, yet they are exceedingly wise: The ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer;”Agur also counts ants among small creatures that are very wise because they store food in summer.
- Proverbs 10:4-5 (BSB)“Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. He who gathers in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.”Diligent hands and harvest-time work are praised, and sleeping through harvest is shamed.
- Proverbs 20:4 (BSB)“The slacker does not plow in season; at harvest time he looks, but nothing is there.”The slacker who does not plow in season finds nothing at harvest, the opposite of the ant.
General
Which of these is NOT among the seven things listed in 6:17-19?
Answer: Neglecting to offer the required sacrifices
The list moves through the body, from proud eyes and a lying tongue to hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots wickedness, and feet eager for evil, and then ends with two sins against the community: the false witness in court and the one who spreads strife among brothers (6:17-19). Every item is a sin against God and neighbor; neglect of ritual does not appear. Other sayings confirm several of the items: the LORD detests the proud heart (16:5) and lips that lie (12:22), and the false witness will surely be punished (19:5), in keeping with the command against false testimony (Exodus 20:16).
- Proverbs 6:17-19 (BSB)“haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that run swiftly to evil, a false witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up discord among brothers.”The seven things detestable to the LORD, moving through the body to sins against the community.
- Proverbs 16:5 (BSB)“Everyone who is proud in heart is detestable to the LORD; be assured that he will not go unpunished.”The LORD detests the proud in heart, in keeping with the first item, haughty eyes.
- Proverbs 12:22 (BSB)“Lying lips are detestable to the LORD, but those who deal faithfully are His delight.”The LORD detests lying lips, confirming the second item.
- Proverbs 19:5 (BSB)“A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who utters lies will not escape.”The false witness will surely be punished.
- Exodus 20:16 (BSB)“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”One of the Ten Commandments forbids false witness against a neighbor.
Theological
Which item does NOT appear in the catalogue of 6:17-19?
Answer: Neglecting to offer the required sacrifices
The catalogue traces sin through the members of the body: proud eyes, a deceitful tongue, murderous hands, a scheming heart, feet quick to evil (6:17-18), and then two sins against neighbor and community, false testimony and sowing discord among brothers (6:19). The heart stands at the center of the list. Neglect of ritual worship is not in view. Other passages confirm several items: God detests the proud heart (16:5) and lying lips (12:22), and the false witness will surely be punished (19:5), as the commandment against false testimony forbids (Exodus 20:16).
- Proverbs 6:17-19 (BSB)“haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that run swiftly to evil, a false witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up discord among brothers.”The seven things detestable to the LORD, moving through the body to sins against the community.
- Proverbs 16:5 (BSB)“Everyone who is proud in heart is detestable to the LORD; be assured that he will not go unpunished.”The LORD detests the proud in heart, in keeping with the first item, haughty eyes.
- Proverbs 12:22 (BSB)“Lying lips are detestable to the LORD, but those who deal faithfully are His delight.”The LORD detests lying lips, confirming the second item.
- Proverbs 19:5 (BSB)“A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who utters lies will not escape.”The false witness will surely be punished.
- Exodus 20:16 (BSB)“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”One of the Ten Commandments forbids false witness against a neighbor.
General
True or False: In 6:10-11 poverty is pictured as arriving gently and with fair warning, so the lazy man has time to change course.
Answer: False
This is false. After asking the slacker how long he will keep lying in bed (6:9), the father imitates his excuse, just a bit more rest and a few more minutes with folded hands (6:10), and warns that poverty will then break in on him as a robber would, and need as a bandit would (6:11). The picture is of loss that comes unexpectedly and by force. Small delays add up to ruin. The same warning is repeated almost word for word after a scene of a neglected field overrun with thorns (24:30-34), laziness is said to bring deep sleep and hunger (19:15), and the slacker is pictured turning on his bed like a door on its hinges (26:14).
- Proverbs 6:9-11 (BSB)“How long will you lie there, O slacker? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.”The father mocks the slacker's excuses and warns of the result.
- Proverbs 24:30-34 (BSB)“I went past the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment. Thorns had grown up everywhere, thistles had covered the ground, and the stone wall was broken down. I observed and took it to heart; I looked and received instruction: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.”The same warning closes a scene of a neglected, overgrown field.
- Proverbs 19:15 (BSB)“Laziness brings on deep sleep, and an idle soul will suffer hunger.”Laziness is said to bring deep sleep and hunger.
- Proverbs 26:14 (BSB)“As a door turns on its hinges, so the slacker turns on his bed.”The slacker is pictured turning on his bed like a door on its hinges, going nowhere.
Theological
True or False: According to 6:10-11 the sluggard's poverty comes on him gradually and predictably, giving ample time to reform.
Answer: False
This is false. The father mocks the sluggard's repeated requests for a little more rest (6:9-10) and then compares the coming poverty to a robber and a bandit (6:11): sudden and unwelcome. The gradual part is the sluggard's habit, not the warning he receives. The identical saying caps the observation of a slacker's ruined field (24:30-34), and elsewhere idleness is tied to deep sleep and hunger (19:15) and to turning on one's bed without ever getting up (26:14).
- Proverbs 6:9-11 (BSB)“How long will you lie there, O slacker? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.”The father mocks the slacker's excuses and warns of the result.
- Proverbs 24:30-34 (BSB)“I went past the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment. Thorns had grown up everywhere, thistles had covered the ground, and the stone wall was broken down. I observed and took it to heart; I looked and received instruction: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.”The same warning closes a scene of a neglected, overgrown field.
- Proverbs 19:15 (BSB)“Laziness brings on deep sleep, and an idle soul will suffer hunger.”Laziness is said to bring deep sleep and hunger.
- Proverbs 26:14 (BSB)“As a door turns on its hinges, so the slacker turns on his bed.”The slacker is pictured turning on his bed like a door on its hinges, going nowhere.
General
How does 6:12-14 describe the worthless, wicked man?
Answer: He uses sly gestures while plotting evil and stirring strife
This man's whole body serves deceit: crooked speech, winks, signals made with feet and fingers (6:12-13). Behind the gestures lies a heart full of deceit that plans evil and keeps spreading discord (6:14). Other sayings link the winking eye with grief (10:10) and with scheming (16:30), and another saying pairs the perverse man who spreads dissension with the gossip who divides close friends (16:28).
- Proverbs 6:12-14 (BSB)“A worthless person, a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth, winking his eyes, speaking with his feet, and pointing with his fingers. With deceit in his heart he devises evil; he continually sows discord.”The father describes the troublemaker's body language and the heart behind it.
- Proverbs 10:10 (BSB)“He who winks the eye causes grief, and foolish lips will come to ruin.”The winking eye is linked with causing grief.
- Proverbs 16:30 (BSB)“He who winks his eye devises perversity; he who purses his lips is bent on evil.”Winking and pursed lips accompany scheming evil.
- Proverbs 16:28 (BSB)“A perverse man spreads dissension, and a gossip divides close friends.”A perverse man spreads dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.
Theological
What portrait of the worthless man does 6:12-14 draw?
Answer: He uses sly gestures while plotting evil and stirring strife
The worthless man enlists mouth, eyes, feet, and fingers in duplicity (6:12-13), communicating by covert signals. The root is inward: deceit in the heart that devises evil and continually spreads discord (6:14). Elsewhere Proverbs ties the winking eye to grief (10:10) and to plotted perversity (16:30), and it sets the perverse man who spreads dissension beside the gossip who divides close friends (16:28).
- Proverbs 6:12-14 (BSB)“A worthless person, a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth, winking his eyes, speaking with his feet, and pointing with his fingers. With deceit in his heart he devises evil; he continually sows discord.”The father describes the troublemaker's body language and the heart behind it.
- Proverbs 10:10 (BSB)“He who winks the eye causes grief, and foolish lips will come to ruin.”The winking eye is linked with causing grief.
- Proverbs 16:30 (BSB)“He who winks his eye devises perversity; he who purses his lips is bent on evil.”Winking and pursed lips accompany scheming evil.
- Proverbs 16:28 (BSB)“A perverse man spreads dissension, and a gossip divides close friends.”A perverse man spreads dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.
General
How does 6:30-35 contrast the hungry thief with the adulterer?
Answer: The thief can repay, but no payment removes the adulterer's disgrace
People do not despise a starving thief, yet even he, when caught, must repay sevenfold, though it cost everything in his house (6:30-31). The adulterer is worse off: he lacks sense and destroys himself, earning wounds and a disgrace that will not be erased (6:32-33). The wronged husband's jealous anger will accept no payment, however large the gift (6:34-35). Theft can be answered with restitution, as the Law required (Exodus 22:3-4), but the harm of adultery cannot simply be paid back. The father elsewhere lists the same kind of lasting loss (5:9-11).
- Proverbs 6:30-35 (BSB)“Men do not despise the thief if he steals to satisfy his hunger. Yet if caught, he must pay sevenfold; he must give up all the wealth of his house. 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. For jealousy enrages a husband, and he will show no mercy in the day of vengeance. He will not be appeased by any ransom, or persuaded by lavish gifts.”The father contrasts the hungry thief's repayment with the adulterer's lasting ruin.
- Exodus 22:3-4 (BSB)“But if it happens after sunrise, there is guilt for his bloodshed. A thief must make full restitution; if he has nothing, he himself shall be sold for his theft. If what was stolen is actually found alive in his possession—whether ox or donkey or sheep—he must pay back double.”The Law required a thief to make restitution for what he took.
- 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 elsewhere lists the lasting losses that follow adultery.
Theological
What is the force of the comparison between the thief and the adulterer in 6:30-35?
Answer: The thief can repay, but no payment removes the adulterer's disgrace
The argument moves from lesser to greater. Even the hungry thief, though not despised, must make full sevenfold restitution when caught, at the cost of his whole household (6:30-31). The adulterer lacks sense and destroys himself; his wounds and disgrace are permanent (6:32-33), and the injured husband's jealousy will accept no ransom or gift (6:34-35). Theft can be satisfied by restitution under the Law (Exodus 22:3-4), but adultery's damage cannot be bought off. The father's earlier warning describes the same irreversible loss (5:9-11).
- Proverbs 6:30-35 (BSB)“Men do not despise the thief if he steals to satisfy his hunger. Yet if caught, he must pay sevenfold; he must give up all the wealth of his house. 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. For jealousy enrages a husband, and he will show no mercy in the day of vengeance. He will not be appeased by any ransom, or persuaded by lavish gifts.”The father contrasts the hungry thief's repayment with the adulterer's lasting ruin.
- Exodus 22:3-4 (BSB)“But if it happens after sunrise, there is guilt for his bloodshed. A thief must make full restitution; if he has nothing, he himself shall be sold for his theft. If what was stolen is actually found alive in his possession—whether ox or donkey or sheep—he must pay back double.”The Law required a thief to make restitution for what he took.
- 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 elsewhere lists the lasting losses that follow adultery.
General
What does the father urge the son to do once he has made such a pledge (6:3-5)?
Answer: Go at once, humbly plead for release, and not rest until free
Because the son has put himself in his neighbor's power, the father tells him to act at once: humble himself, keep pressing his request, and allow himself no sleep until he is released (6:3-4). Two pictures of escape show the urgency: a gazelle breaking away from a hunter and a bird slipping out of a fowler's trap (6:5). Waiting passively is not an option. A prudent person sees danger and takes shelter (22:3), and people can be caught as suddenly as birds in a net (Ecclesiastes 9:12), so the time to get free is now.
- Proverbs 6:3-5 (BSB)“then do this, my son, to free yourself, for you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands: Go, humble yourself, and press your plea with your neighbor. Allow no sleep to your eyes or slumber to your eyelids. Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.”The father urges immediate, humble action to escape the pledge.
- Proverbs 22:3 (BSB)“The prudent see danger and take cover, but the simple keep going and suffer the consequences.”The prudent see trouble coming and act to avoid it, as the son is told to do here.
- Ecclesiastes 9:12 (BSB)“For surely no man knows his time: Like fish caught in a cruel net or birds trapped in a snare, so men are ensnared in an evil time that suddenly falls upon them.”People can be caught suddenly like birds in a snare, the same image of danger used in 6:5.
Theological
What course of action does 6:3-5 prescribe for the son who has bound himself as surety?
Answer: Go at once, humbly plead for release, and not rest until free
Having placed himself in his neighbor's hand, the son must act without delay: humble himself, press his case persistently, and deny himself rest until he is freed (6:3-4). The paired images of the gazelle escaping the hunter and the bird escaping the fowler stress urgency (6:5). The counsel fits the book's wider teaching that prudence foresees danger and takes cover (22:3), and that people may be ensnared suddenly like birds (Ecclesiastes 9:12).
- Proverbs 6:3-5 (BSB)“then do this, my son, to free yourself, for you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands: Go, humble yourself, and press your plea with your neighbor. Allow no sleep to your eyes or slumber to your eyelids. Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.”The father urges immediate, humble action to escape the pledge.
- Proverbs 22:3 (BSB)“The prudent see danger and take cover, but the simple keep going and suffer the consequences.”The prudent see trouble coming and act to avoid it, as the son is told to do here.
- Ecclesiastes 9:12 (BSB)“For surely no man knows his time: Like fish caught in a cruel net or birds trapped in a snare, so men are ensnared in an evil time that suddenly falls upon them.”People can be caught suddenly like birds in a snare, the same image of danger used in 6:5.