בְּנִי לְחָכְמָתִי הַקְשִׁיבָה לִתְבוּנָתִי הַט־אָזְנֶךָ׃   5:1

Prov. 5:1   My son, pay attention to my wisdom;

                             incline your ear to my understanding,

It seems to me that in this verse, the scribe has ignored his own advice given in Prov. 3:7.  Moreover, in many verses in this book you may see that the scribe often seems to exalt his own wisdom.

לִשְׁמֹר מְזִמּוֹת וְדַעַת שְׂפָתֶיךָ יִנְצֹרוּ׃   5:2

Prov. 5:2   to observe discretion,

                             that your lips may preserve knowledge.

כִּי נֹפֶת תִּטֹּפְנָה שִׂפְתֵי זָרָה וְחָלָק מִשֶּׁמֶן חִכָּהּ׃   5:3

Prov. 5:3   For the lips of a female stranger may drip honey,

                             and her mouth be smoother than oil,                           [Return to Prov. 20:16]

וְאַחֲרִיתָהּ מָרָה כַלַּעֲנָה חַדָּה כְּחֶרֶב פִּיּוֹת׃   5:4

Prov. 5:4   but her end is as bitter as wormwood,

                             as biting as a knife of two edges.

I believe that the female stranger mentioned in the preceding verse is a metaphor for evil and foolishness.  She is the counterpart to wisdom, which the scribe also personifies as a female.

רַגְלֶיהָ יֹרְדוֹת מָוֶת שְׁאוֹל צְעָדֶיהָ יִתְמֹכוּ׃   5:5

Prov. 5:5   Her feet shall be descenders of death,

                             her steps shall attain the netherworld.

אֹרַח חַיִּים פֶּן־תְּפַלֵּס נָעוּ מַעְגְּלֹתֶיהָ לֹא תֵדָע׃   5:6

Prov. 5:6   Lest she had made the path of life smooth,

                             her tracks wander; she can not recognize.

וְעַתָּה בָנִים שִׁמְעוּ־לִי וְאַל־תָּסוּרוּ מֵאִמְרֵי־פִי׃   5:7

Prov. 5:7   So now, children, listen to me,

                             that you must not depart from the sayings of my mouth!

הַרְחֵק מֵעָלֶיהָ דַרְכֶּךָ וְאַל־תִּקְרַב אֶל־פֶּתַח בֵּיתָהּ׃   5:8

Prov. 5:8   Put your way far from her,

                             that you may not come near to the entrance of her house,

פֶּן־תִּתֵּן לַאֲחֵרִים הוֹדֶךָ וּשְׁנֹתֶיךָ לְאַכְזָרִי׃   5:9

Prov. 5:9   lest you would give your vigor to others,

                             and your years to cruelty,

פֶּן־יִשְׂבְּעוּ זָרִים כֹּחֶךָ וַעֲצָבֶיךָ בְּבֵית נָכְרִי׃   5:10

Prov. 5:10   lest strangers would be sated of your strength,

                             and your creations be in an alien house,

וְנָהַמְתָּ בְאַחֲרִיתֶךָ בִּכְלוֹת בְּשָׂרְךָ וּשְׁאֵרֶךָ׃   5:11

Prov. 5:11   and you groan at your end,

                             at your flesh and your body being consumed,

וְאָמַרְתָּ אֵיךְ שָׂנֵאתִי מוּסָר וְתוֹכַחַת נָאַץ לִבִּי׃   5:12

Prov. 5:12   as you say, “How I hated instruction,

                             that my heart spurned correction!”

וְלֹא־שָׁמַעְתִּי בְּקוֹל מוֹרָי וְלִמְלַמְּדַי לֹא־הִטִּיתִי אָזְנִי׃   5:13

Prov. 5:13   “Nor did I listen to the voice of my instructors,

                             and I did not incline my ear to my teachers.”

כִּמְעַט הָיִיתִי בְכָל־רָע בְּתוֹךְ קָהָל וְעֵדָה׃   5:14

Prov. 5:14   “I was too close into all evil

                             in the midst of a company and a congregation.”

שְׁתֵה־מַיִם מִבּוֹרֶךָ וְנֹזְלִים מִתּוֹךְ בְּאֵרֶךָ׃   5:15

Prov. 5:15   Drink water from your own cistern

                             and streams from the midst of your own spring.

יָפוּצוּ מַעְיְנֹתֶיךָ חוּצָה בָּרְחֹבוֹת פַּלְגֵי־מָיִם׃   5:16

Prov. 5:16   Your springs will be dispersed outside,

                             courses of water in the plazas.

יִהְיוּ־לְךָ לְבַדֶּךָ וְאֵין לְזָרִים אִתָּךְ׃   5:17

Prov. 5:17   They will be for you, only for you,

                             and not for strangers with you.

יְהִי־מְקוֹרְךָ בָרוּךְ וּשְׂמַח מֵאֵשֶׁת נְעוּרֶךָ׃   5:18

Prov. 5:18   Your fountain will be blessed,

                             and rejoice because of the wife of your youthful years.

אַיֶּלֶת אֲהָבִים וְיַעֲלַת־חֵן דַּדֶּיהָ יְרַוֻּךָ בְכָל־עֵת בְּאַהֲבָתָהּ תִּשְׁגֶּה תָמִיד׃   5:19

Prov. 5:19   A hind of lovers and a graceful doe,

                             her breasts will intoxicate you on every occasion;

                       you will continually reel in her love.

וְלָמָּה תִשְׁגֶּה בְנִי בְזָרָה וּתְחַבֵּק חֵק נָכְרִיָּה׃   5:20

Prov. 5:20   Then how could you stray, my son, with a female stranger,

                             and embrace the bosom of an alien?

כִּי נֹכַח עֵינֵי יְהוָה דַּרְכֵי־אִישׁ וְכָל־מַעְגְּלֹתָיו מְפַלֵּס׃   5:21

Prov. 5:21   Surely the ways of each are in front of the eyes of the Lord,

                             and every one of his tracks is weighed out.

עַוֹונֹותָיו יִלְכְּדֻנֹו אֶת־הָרָשָׁע וּבְחַבְלֵי חַטָּאתֹו יִתָּמֵךְ׃   5:22

Prov. 5:22   One's own iniquities will trap him, the wicked man,

                             and by the cords of his own sin he will be held.

הוּא יָמוּת בְּאֵין מוּסָר וּבְרֹב אִוַּלְתֹּו יִשְׁגֶּה׃   5:23

Prov. 5:23   He shall die because of no instruction,

                             and through the greatness of his folly, he shall reel.

This chapter provides a strong argument that the author is immersed in metaphors.  He is addressing himself to Israel, not to a son, reinforcing the Talmudic belief described at Prov. 1:8.  The strange woman is a personification of evil and idolatry.  Notice that in v. 5:7 the author again addresses “children,” not just a “son,” as he did before in Prov. 4:1.  The implication is that in general he is addressing Israel, yet occasionally crying out (in despair?) to each of its inhabitants.

[Return to Proverbs Chapters]   [Prev.:  Prov. 4]   [Next:  Prov. 6]