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Proverbs 7

27 verses

TL;DR

Proverbs 7 warns the young reader against the seductive danger of a deceitful woman, urging him to cling to wisdom and understanding.

Summary

The chapter opens with an exhortation to the son to keep the father’s words and to treasure the law as a precious eye‑glass. Wisdom and understanding are personified as kin, and the father urges the child to keep them close to guard against the alluring stranger. The narrative then shifts to a vivid warning of a young man led astray by a harlot who seduces him with beauty, perfume, and gifts. She lures him into a house of sin, comparing his fall to an ox headed to the slaughter. The text ends with a stern admonition that her house leads to death and that many have fallen by her ways. The father implores his children to heed his counsel and avoid the path of temptation.

Outline
  1. Admonition to keep wisdom
  2. Narrative of seduction by a harlot
  3. Warning against the perilous path
Themes
Wisdom as protective guideSeduction and moral perilConsequences of disobedience
Keywords
wisdomseductiontemptationcautionconsequence
People
SonWisdomUnderstandingHarlotGoodman
Places
housestreetcornerwindowEgypt
Things
bedperfumemyrrhaloescinnamontapestryfine linenpeace offeringsbag of money
Key Verses
  • Proverbs 7:4: personifies wisdom and understanding as kin
  • Proverbs 7:22: vivid metaphor equating the man’s fall with an ox to slaughter
  • Proverbs 7:27: concluding warning that the woman’s house leads to death
  • Proverbs 7:5: invokes wisdom to guard against the alluring stranger
  • Proverbs 7:10: describes the harlot’s deceptive appearance and approach
Questions
  • What practical steps can we take today to keep wisdom close to our hearts?
  • How does the metaphor of the ox to the slaughter help us understand the seriousness of temptation?
  • In what ways do the gifts and adornments used by the harlot symbolize false promises?
  • Why does the chapter emphasize the house as a path to death?
  • What can we learn from the father’s urgent admonitions to his children?
Sentiment

mixed
the text mixes cautionary advice with vivid, sometimes graphic, descriptions of seduction