Proverbs 5:1-14 Exposition on Adultery and Marriage Faithfulness
Proverbs 5:1-14 offers a stark warning against adultery, framing it as a destructive path that begins with seductive words and ends in ruin. The passage opens with an exhortation to the reader to pay attention to wisdom and understanding, setting the stage for the instruction that follows [4].
The text begins: "My son, pay attention to my wisdom; Lend your ear to my understanding, That you may observe discretion And your lips may reserve knowledge. For the lips of an adulteress drip honey And smoother than oil is her speech; But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death, Her steps take hold of Sheol. She does not ponder the path of life; Her ways are unstable, she does not know it. Now then, my sons, listen to me And do not depart from the words of my mouth. Keep your way far from her And do not go near the door of her house, Lest you give your vigor to others And your years to the cruel one; Lest strangers be filled with your strength And your hard-earned goods go to the house of an alien; And you groan at your latter end, When your flesh and your body are consumed; And you say, 'How I have hated instruction! And my heart spurned reproof! I have not listened to the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined my ear to my instructors! I was almost in all evil In the midst of the assembly and congregation'" (Proverbs 5:1-14 NASB).
This passage is part of the instructional discourses in the book of Proverbs, where a father figure imparts wisdom to his "son." The book frequently contrasts the path of wisdom with the path of folly, often personified by a wise woman and a "strange woman" or adulteress [4]. The historical setting is ancient Israel, where the wisdom tradition aimed to guide individuals in righteous living and societal harmony. Adultery was considered a grave social wrong and a significant sin under Mosaic law [1].
Key terms in this passage include "adulteress" and "honey" or "oil" describing her speech. An adulteress, in the context of Jewish law, was a married woman who engaged in illicit intercourse with a man who was not her husband [1, 2]. Intercourse between a married man and an unmarried woman was considered fornication [1]. The description of her speech as "drip[ping] honey" and being "smoother than oil" (Proverbs 5:3 NASB) highlights the deceptive and alluring nature of her words, which mask the destructive consequences [3, 4].
The passage emphasizes the contrast between the initial appeal and the ultimate outcome. While her words are sweet, her end is "bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword" (Proverbs 5:4 NASB). This imagery vividly portrays the pain and destruction that follow. Her path leads to "death" and "Sheol," indicating not only physical ruin but also spiritual and existential demise [4]. The "unstable" nature of her ways means she herself does not comprehend the destructive course she is on (Proverbs 5:6 NASB).
The instruction to "keep your way far from her and do not go near the door of her house" (Proverbs 5:8 NASB) is a call for strict avoidance. The consequences of succumbing to her allure are severe: loss of "vigor" and "years" to a "cruel one," and one's "hard-earned goods" going to "the house of an alien" (Proverbs 5:9-10 NASB). This suggests financial ruin, loss of reputation, and the squandering of one's life and resources. The ultimate lament in verses 12-14 expresses deep regret for having rejected instruction and reproof, leading to public shame and near complete ruin.
The broader biblical understanding of adultery extends beyond the physical act. Jesus, in Matthew 5:28, taught that lustful looking constitutes adultery in the heart, expanding the scope of the commandment [5]. The Tyndale House commentary on Exodus 20:14 notes that "adultery" can represent all sexual sins and signifies a breaking of faith [6]. Furthermore, marriage is often used in the Bible as a symbol for the covenant relationship between God and his people, making adultery a symbol of spiritual unfaithfulness [7, 8]. The warning in Proverbs 5, therefore, serves as a foundational teaching on faithfulness, not only in marriage but also in one's commitment to wisdom and God.
Sources
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Adultery — Conjugal infidelity. An adulterer was a man who had illicit intercourse with a married or a betrothed woman, and such a woman was an adulteress. Intercourse between a married man and an unmarried woman was fornication. Adultery was regarded as a great social wrong, as well as a great sin. The Mosaic law (Num. 5:11-31) prescribed that the suspected wife should be tried by the ordeal of the "water of jealousy." There is, however, no recorded instance of the application of this law. In subsequent times the Rabbis made various regulations with the view of disc”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Adultery — (Exodus 20:14) The parties to this crime, according to Jewish law, were a married woman and a man who was not her husband. The Mosaic penalty was that both the guilty parties should be stoned, and it applied as well to the betrothed as to the married woman, provided she were free. (22:22-24) A bondwoman so offending was to be scourged, and the man was to make a trespass offering. (Leviticus 19:20-22) At a later time, and when owing, to Gentile example, the marriage tie became a looser bond of union, public feeling in regard to adultery changed, and the pena”
- Proverbs “Proverbs 5:3 (NASB) — For the lips of an adulteress drip honey And smoother than oil is her speech;”
- Proverbs (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Proverbs 5 (introduction): INTRODUCTION TO PROVERBS 5 The general instruction of this chapter is to avoid whoredom, and make use of lawful marriage, and keep to that. It is introduced with an exhortation to attend to wisdom and understanding, Pro 5:1; one part of which lies in shunning an adulterous woman; who is described by her flattery, with which she deceives; by the end she brings men to, which is destruction and death; and by the uncertainty of her ways, which cannot be known, Pro 5:3. Wherefore men are advised to keep at the utmost distance from her, Pro 5:7; lest their h”
- Matthew (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Matthew 5:28: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her--with the intent to do so, as the same expression is used in Mat 6:1; or, with the full consent of his will, to feed thereby his unholy desires. hath committed adultery with her already in his heart--We are not to suppose, from the word here used--"adultery"--that our Lord means to restrict the breach of this commandment to married persons, or to criminal intercourse with such. The expressions, "whosoever looketh," and "looketh upon a woman," seem clearly to extend the range of ”
- Exodus (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Exodus 20:14: 20:14 adultery: Here this term represents all sexual sins, among which adultery most clearly indicates breaking faith. Adulterers satisfy their sexual desires as they please, and they break faith with their spouse in so doing. Jesus expanded on this command in Matt 5:27-30.”
- Ezekiel (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ezekiel 23:4: 23:4 Marriage is commonly used in the Bible as a symbol for the covenant relationship between God and his people (e.g., Isa 54:1-8; Eph 5:22-33). Adultery symbolizes Israel’s spiritual unfaithfulness (e.g., Hos 1–3). God makes his covenants in spite of, not because of, his people’s character (Rom 5:6-11).”
- Ezek (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ezek 23:4: 23:4 Marriage is commonly used in the Bible as a symbol for the covenant relationship between God and his people (e.g., Isa 54:1-8; Eph 5:22-33). Adultery symbolizes Israel’s spiritual unfaithfulness (e.g., Hos 1–3). God makes his covenants in spite of, not because of, his people’s character (Rom 5:6-11).”