Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.
It is the closing warning of the story of the strange woman and the youth lacking understanding, commanding the heart not to turn aside to her ways nor wander into her paths. She stands for a class and not one woman alone, whose smooth enticement ends in bitterness and death, whose house is the way to hell going down to the chambers of death, and whose alluring bed is a hidden snare lulling the unwary into the sleep of death. It is spoken especially to young men to take warning in time and escape grievous snares, for the vicious life it forbids offers only momentary pleasure followed by long years of bitter remorse and is fatal to the health of soul and body. It therefore calls for guarding the heart and inward inclinations by fleeing youthful lusts, refusing when sinners entice, looking straight ahead and turning neither to the right nor the left, and trusting in the Lord and not in self for victory over temptation. Being tempted is no sin, but running into temptation of one's own accord is a mistake, and listening to the charmer until the heart goes after what is forbidden is sin.
Context and Meaning
The verse is the impressive closing warning of the story of the strange woman and the young man void of understanding, commanding the heart not to turn aside to her ways and not to wander into her paths. It warns against turning inwardly toward the adulterous woman's ways or straying onto her paths, calling for guarding the heart and inward inclinations and avoiding the course that leads into sexual sin. It belongs to practical moral instruction in the first seven chapters to choose wisdom, the path of life, and heed reproof, with rejection of that instruction leading to spiritual disease and death.
The woman represents a class rather than one particular woman, whose character is more fully described in the chapter. Its plain speech is purposeful to show sexual sin in its true colors as exceeding sinful, without coarseness and without making vice attractive. It holds deep philosophy to be read slowly and thought over. Parts of its chapter are not well suited to a mixed assembly of men and women, yet its instruction should take hold on the heart of both men and women and warn them against the sins condemned there.
Her smooth and honeyed enticement ends in bitterness and death, for she has wounded and slain many strong men. Her alluring bed is a hidden snare lulling the unwary into the sleep of death. Her house is the way to hell going down to the chambers of death, marking a downward course and a terrible fate unless one turns back. Being tempted is no sin and feeling temptation as grievous is no weakness, but running into temptation of one's own accord is a mistake. Listening to the charmer until the heart goes after what is forbidden is sin, and gazing at the danger until sinking into it is weakness that leaves one almost too late to cry for rescue.
Moral Warning and Application
The verse is the closing warning of the story of the strange woman and the young man void of understanding, commanding the heart not to turn aside to her ways and not to wander into her paths. It is directed especially to young men to take warning in time and escape the grievous snares thick about their feet, lest they be lured from the path of virtue into a snare that marks a downward course and a terrible fate unless they turn back. The vicious life it forbids offers only momentary pleasure followed by long years of bitter remorse, and is fatal to the health alike of soul and body.
It warns against turning inwardly toward the adulterous woman's ways or straying onto her paths, and calls for guarding the heart and inward inclinations and avoiding the course that leads into sexual sin and immorality. Because her smooth and honeyed enticement ends in bitterness and death, and she has wounded and slain many strong men, and her house is the way to hell going down to the chambers of death, the heart must not turn aside and the feet must not wander into her paths. This means fleeing youthful lusts and refusing when sinners entice, following righteousness, faith, charity and peace with a pure heart, guarding the heart with diligence, looking straight ahead, pondering the feet, establishing the ways, turning neither to right nor left, and removing the foot from evil. It means trusting in the Lord and not self, fearing the Lord and departing from evil, and standing fast in the faith like men and being strong, trusting the faithful Lord to establish and keep from evil and give victory over temptation.
Its perilous moral danger also warns young women, for those paths are places where a single false step can commit one to a life of shame selling herself and not merely her time or labor. Daughters must not be sent to earn a living in great cities in dense ignorance of passion and the great and sacred functions of the body, left to walk alone and learn surreptitiously in vulgar if not corrupting forms. Fathers and especially mothers must overcome false modesty and silence and give open instruction, so that ignorance does not augment the ranks of unhappy fallen women.
The same warning is applied to morality enforced through political power, which is pictured as a harlot in disguise whose path leads to death and whose hidden chambers and followers bring violence, hatred, and division. It is applied to attractive public vanities that plant evil impressions in the young and draw them away from holiness toward death. It applies to the city's inviting byways of crime and sin and to alluring voices that draw careless people toward ruin and destruction, warning against letting the heart turn toward the ways of temptation or following paths that lead to sin.
It is the closing warning of the story of the strange woman and the youth lacking understanding, commanding the heart not to turn aside to her ways nor wander into her paths. She stands for a class and not one woman alone, whose smooth enticement ends in bitterness and death, whose house is the way to hell going down to the chambers of death, and whose alluring bed is a hidden snare lulling the unwary into the sleep of death. It is spoken especially to young men to take warning in time and escape grievous snares, for the vicious life it forbids offers only momentary pleasure followed by long years of bitter remorse and is fatal to the health of soul and body. It therefore calls for guarding the heart and inward inclinations by fleeing youthful lusts, refusing when sinners entice, looking straight ahead and turning neither to the right nor the left, and trusting in the Lord and not in self for victory over temptation. Being tempted is no sin, but running into temptation of one's own accord is a mistake, and listening to the charmer until the heart goes after what is forbidden is sin.
Context and Meaning
The verse is the impressive closing warning of the story of the strange woman and the young man void of understanding, commanding the heart not to turn aside to her ways and not to wander into her paths. It warns against turning inwardly toward the adulterous woman's ways or straying onto her paths, calling for guarding the heart and inward inclinations and avoiding the course that leads into sexual sin. It belongs to practical moral instruction in the first seven chapters to choose wisdom, the path of life, and heed reproof, with rejection of that instruction leading to spiritual disease and death.
The woman represents a class rather than one particular woman, whose character is more fully described in the chapter. Its plain speech is purposeful to show sexual sin in its true colors as exceeding sinful, without coarseness and without making vice attractive. It holds deep philosophy to be read slowly and thought over. Parts of its chapter are not well suited to a mixed assembly of men and women, yet its instruction should take hold on the heart of both men and women and warn them against the sins condemned there.
Her smooth and honeyed enticement ends in bitterness and death, for she has wounded and slain many strong men. Her alluring bed is a hidden snare lulling the unwary into the sleep of death. Her house is the way to hell going down to the chambers of death, marking a downward course and a terrible fate unless one turns back. Being tempted is no sin and feeling temptation as grievous is no weakness, but running into temptation of one's own accord is a mistake. Listening to the charmer until the heart goes after what is forbidden is sin, and gazing at the danger until sinking into it is weakness that leaves one almost too late to cry for rescue.
Moral Warning and Application
The verse is the closing warning of the story of the strange woman and the young man void of understanding, commanding the heart not to turn aside to her ways and not to wander into her paths. It is directed especially to young men to take warning in time and escape the grievous snares thick about their feet, lest they be lured from the path of virtue into a snare that marks a downward course and a terrible fate unless they turn back. The vicious life it forbids offers only momentary pleasure followed by long years of bitter remorse, and is fatal to the health alike of soul and body.
It warns against turning inwardly toward the adulterous woman's ways or straying onto her paths, and calls for guarding the heart and inward inclinations and avoiding the course that leads into sexual sin and immorality. Because her smooth and honeyed enticement ends in bitterness and death, and she has wounded and slain many strong men, and her house is the way to hell going down to the chambers of death, the heart must not turn aside and the feet must not wander into her paths. This means fleeing youthful lusts and refusing when sinners entice, following righteousness, faith, charity and peace with a pure heart, guarding the heart with diligence, looking straight ahead, pondering the feet, establishing the ways, turning neither to right nor left, and removing the foot from evil. It means trusting in the Lord and not self, fearing the Lord and departing from evil, and standing fast in the faith like men and being strong, trusting the faithful Lord to establish and keep from evil and give victory over temptation.
Its perilous moral danger also warns young women, for those paths are places where a single false step can commit one to a life of shame selling herself and not merely her time or labor. Daughters must not be sent to earn a living in great cities in dense ignorance of passion and the great and sacred functions of the body, left to walk alone and learn surreptitiously in vulgar if not corrupting forms. Fathers and especially mothers must overcome false modesty and silence and give open instruction, so that ignorance does not augment the ranks of unhappy fallen women.
The same warning is applied to morality enforced through political power, which is pictured as a harlot in disguise whose path leads to death and whose hidden chambers and followers bring violence, hatred, and division. It is applied to attractive public vanities that plant evil impressions in the young and draw them away from holiness toward death. It applies to the city's inviting byways of crime and sin and to alluring voices that draw careless people toward ruin and destruction, warning against letting the heart turn toward the ways of temptation or following paths that lead to sin.