Christianity
Proverbs 7The Seduction at Twilight
Summary
Proverbs 7 is a vivid story told from a window. The father watches a young man void of understanding walking at dusk near the house of a married woman. Dressed as a harlot, she seizes him, kisses him, and says her husband is away on a long journey. With flattering words she persuades him, and he follows her like an ox to the slaughter. The father urges his son to treat wisdom as a sister and keep her teaching as the apple of his eye.
Key verse
“Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.”
Proverbs 7:2
Themes
- Temptation
- Naivety
- Seduction
- Guarding the Heart
Text
My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.
Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.
Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:
That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.
For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,
And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,
Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,
In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:
And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.
(She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:
Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)
So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him,
I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.
Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.
I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.
I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.
For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey:
He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed.
With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.
He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;
Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.
Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.
Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.
For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her.
Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.
Text: King James Version (1611/1769), public domain.
Across traditions
Islam
Surah Yusuf (12): Joseph Seeks RefugeQuran 12:23 to 24 tells of the woman in whose house Joseph lived bolting the doors and inviting him, and Joseph replying, I seek refuge in Allah. Joseph is the model of the resistance Proverbs 7 urges.
Christianity
Genesis 39: Joseph and Potiphar's WifeWhen Potiphar's wife pressures Joseph day after day, he refuses and finally flees, leaving his garment behind (Genesis 39:7 to 12), the opposite outcome to the young man of Proverbs 7.
Questions about Proverbs 7
What is the apple of thine eye in Proverbs 7:2?
The phrase refers to the pupil of the eye, something guarded instinctively. The father asks his son to protect God's law with the same care.
Is Proverbs 7 only about adultery?
Its plain subject is a married woman seducing a naive youth. Many readers also see a broader lesson about how flattery, secrecy and a lack of judgment lead people step by step into ruin.