# Proverbs 05 📖: Warning Against Adultery [[📚 Explore the Bible Books]] [[-Proverbs Overview]] | [[Proverbs 04]] | [[Proverbs 06]] > [!info] Table of Contents > [[#📜 Scripture Text (NET)]] > [[#📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary]] > [[#🤔 Interesting Facts]] > [[#🧠 Chapter Summary]] > [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]] > [[#🔎 Key Observations / 🛟 Life Application]] > [[#💬 Discussion Questions]] > [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]] > [[#🔗 Related Passages]] > [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]] > [[#📂 Internal Notes]] ## 📜 Scripture Text (NET) (The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005) ## Avoid Immoral Women [[#Verse 01.]] My child, be attentive to my wisdom; pay close attention to my understanding, [[#Verse 02.]] in order to safeguard discretion and that your lips may guard knowledge. [[#Verse 03.]] For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey, and her seductive words are smoother than olive oil, [[#Verse 04.]] but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. [[#Verse 05.]] Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave. [[#Verse 06.]] Lest she should make level the path leading to life, her paths have wandered, but she is not able to discern it. [[#Verse 07.]] So now, children, listen to me; do not turn aside from the words I speak. [[#Verse 08.]] Keep yourself far from her, and do not go near the door of her house, [[#Verse 09.]] lest you give your vigor to others and your years to a cruel person, [[#Verse 10.]] lest strangers devour your strength and your labor benefit another man’s house. [[#Verse 11.]] And at the end of your life you will groan when your flesh and your body are wasted away. [[#Verse 12.]] And you will say, “How I hated discipline! My heart spurned reproof! [[#Verse 13.]] For I did not obey my teachers, and I did not heed my instructors. [[#Verse 14.]] I almost came to complete ruin in the midst of the whole congregation!” [[#Verse 15.]] Drink water from your own cistern and running water from your own well. [[#Verse 16.]] Should your springs be dispersed outside, your streams of water in the wide plazas? [[#Verse 17.]] Let them be for yourself alone and not for strangers with you. [[#Verse 18.]] May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife you married in your youth— [[#Verse 19.]] a loving doe, a graceful deer; may her breasts satisfy you at all times; may you be captivated by her love always. [[#Verse 20.]] But why should you be captivated, my son, by an adulteress, and embrace the bosom of a different woman? [[#Verse 21.]] For the ways of a person are in front of the Lord’s eyes, and the Lord weighs all that person’s paths. [[#Verse 22.]] The wicked will be captured by his own iniquities, and he will be held by the cords of his own sin. [[#Verse 23.]] He will die because there was no discipline; because of the greatness of his folly he will reel. ## 📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary 1-14- Be careful not to fall to fleeting temptations. 15-20- Focus on building up your marriage, not finding a new one. 21-23- The Lord sees our hearts and does not stop the evil from falling down. ###### Overall. ###### Verse 01. ###### Verse 02. ###### Verse 03. ###### Verse 04. ###### Verse 05. ###### Verse 06. ###### Verse 07. ###### Verse 08. ###### Verse 09. ###### Verse 10. ###### Verse 11. ###### Verse 12. ###### Verse 13. ###### Verse 14. ###### Verse 15. ###### Verse 16. ###### Verse 17. ###### Verse 18. ###### Verse 19. ###### Verse 20. ###### Verse 21. ###### Verse 22. ###### Verse 23. ## 🤔 Interesting Facts - Chapter 5 contains one of the most detailed biblical warnings against adultery. - The imagery used—“her feet go down to death”—highlights the spiritual and physical consequences of sexual sin. - The concept of marital fidelity is celebrated as a joyful and holy relationship, not merely a duty. - This chapter addresses both the seductiveness and the consequences of illicit relationships, offering a holistic moral warning. - It emphasizes that God sees all actions, including secret sins, and holds people accountable. 1. "Drink water from your own cistern" (5:15) uses a picture every Israelite understood. In a dry land, a family's cistern was precious and private. 2. Her words are described as smoother than olive oil but in the end as bitter as wormwood (5:3-4). Wormwood is a plant known for its bitter taste. 3. Verse 5 mentions Sheol, the Hebrew word for the grave or the realm of the dead. 4. The costs of adultery listed in 5:9-10 include losing strength, years, and wealth to strangers. 5. The man who ignored his teachers ends up in near ruin before the whole assembly (5:12-14), suggesting public disgrace. 6. The wife is compared to a loving doe and a graceful deer (5:19). Song of Songs uses similar animal imagery (Song of Songs 2:9). 7. The Hebrew verb for being "captivated" in 5:19-20 is the same verb used for the fool who "goes astray" in 5:23, a deliberate wordplay. 8. The wicked are pictured as caught in the cords of their own sin (5:22). 9. This chapter is a practical application of the seventh commandment, "You shall not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14). 10. Proverbs 5 to 7 contain the longest warnings about sexual sin in the book. ## 🧠 Chapter Summary **Main Teaching**: Proverbs 5 warns against the allure of adultery and highlights the consequences of sexual immorality. It commends faithfulness in marriage and describes intimacy with one’s spouse as a joyful and honorable path. **How It Fits in Proverbs**: This chapter applies wisdom to one of the most dangerous areas of life—sexual behavior—and emphasizes the protective nature of godly instruction. It builds on the theme that wisdom leads to life and sin leads to ruin. **Apologetic Insight**: Proverbs 5 strongly affirms the biblical sexual ethic in contrast to modern views that normalize or celebrate sexual freedom. It argues that sexual boundaries are not restrictive but life-giving, and that moral failure has personal, relational, and spiritual consequences. ## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter Christ is the faithful Bridegroom who loves His bride, the church, and gave Himself for her (Ephesians 5:25-27). Proverbs 5 calls a husband to rejoice in the wife of his youth (5:18), a picture of the faithful love Jesus shows His people. ## 🔎 Key Observations / 🛟 Life Application - 📌 Sexual immorality leads to regret and destruction. - 📌 Marital faithfulness is to be cherished and enjoyed. - 📌 God sees and weighs every path we take. #### Today, I can apply this chapter by: - ✅ If you’re married, plan a date night to intentionally invest in your relationship. - ✅ Avoid flirtatious or inappropriate conversations with people outside your marriage. - ✅ Read a Bible verse on purity and ask God for strength to resist temptation. - ✅ Think through where you’re most tempted and create boundaries to avoid those places or situations. - ✅ Practice contentment by thanking God today for your spouse or for His plan for your future. ## 💬 Discussion Questions 1. The adulterous woman's words are sweet at first but bitter in the end (5:3-4). How does sin often hide its true cost? 2. Instead of only saying "don't," this chapter calls husbands to delight in their wives (5:15-19). Why is building a healthy marriage one of the best defenses against temptation? 3. The Lord sees every path a person takes (5:21). How should that truth shape our private choices? ## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember - 📖 verses 3-5: The lips of the adulterous woman drip honey, but her path leads down to death. - 📖 verses 18-19: Rejoice in the wife of your youth and be captivated by her love. - 📖 verse 21: The Lord sees all a person's ways and examines every path. Nothing is hidden from Him. ## 🔗 Related Passages - 🔗 [[1 Corinthians 06#Verse 18.|1 Corinthians 6:18-20]] - Flee sexual immorality and honor God with your body. - 🔗 [[Hebrews 13#Verse 04.|Hebrews 13:4]] - Marriage should be honored by all. - 🔗 [[Matthew 05#Verse 28.|Matthew 5:28]] - Jesus addresses lust in the heart. - 🔗 [[Ephesians 05#Verse 25.|Ephesians 5:25-27]] - Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her. - 🔗 [[Song of Songs 04#Verse 12.|Song of Songs 4:12]] - The beloved bride is a garden locked, a spring sealed. ## 🙏 Devotional Reflection > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## 📂 Internal Notes