Proverbs
Chapter 7
Seduction
My son, keep my words and remain faithful to my commands.
Hold fast to my instruction and you will have life; treasure my teachings as the apple of your eye.
Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablets of your heart.
Let wisdom be your sister and knowledge your friend,
so that you will be saved from the adulterous woman, from the stranger with her enticing words.
From my window, I was looking out through the lattice and
I saw among the young men, an inexperienced youth
who walked along the road near her corner, toward the path to her house.
It was dusk; daylight was fading—the time of darkness and shadow.
And look! Out comes this woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute, covered with a veil.
She is brazen and shameless, unable to remain in the house.
Now at the corner, now in the square, she keeps watch.
She throws herself at him, kisses him and confidently says:
“I have to offer sacrifices and terminate my vows; because of this
I came out to meet you. I sought and found you.
I have spread on my bed quilts and fine Egyptian sheets and
sprinkled it with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
Come, let us abandon ourselves to pleasure and drink our fill of love all night,
for my husband is not at home but away on a long journey.
He has taken his moneybags and will not return before the full moon.”
She led him astray with such smooth and seductive words.
He immediately followed her, like an ox led to slaughter or a deer caught in a snare
until its liver is pierced by an arrow, like a bird springing at the snare, unaware that its life is at risk.
Now then, my sons, listen carefully to my words.
Do not be led astray or get lost in her ways.
For she has caused many to die, and even the strongest among them have been her victims.
Her house leads to Sheol and death.
Commentaries
First Collection.
These initial nine chapters serve as an introduction to the entire book, attributed to the final editor of the work.
Seduction.
The warning against illicit sex continues. Those who follow the flattery of prostitutes are described as inexperienced because they do not know the tragic end these relationships can cause. This passage might again address issues related to marrying foreign women. However, it could also serve as a metaphorical warning against the ideas and teachings spread by Greek thought throughout the ancient Near East. Most likely, these first nine chapters, which form the framework of the work, belong to a time when the influence of Greek culture was already beginning to be felt among the Israelites.