Глава 7

1–6. An introductory exhortation to keeping the commandments of God and, in general, to acquiring wisdom, as a bulwark against the deception of an adulterous wife. 6–9. The image of a foolish youth. 10–20. The harlot deceives the foolish with caresses and crafty promises. 21–23. Consequences of seduction. 24–27. Final admonition. Proverbs 7:1a. -[My son! Honor the Lord, and you will be strong, and fear no one besides Him.] Proverbs 7:2. Keep my commandments and live, and my teaching is like the pupil of your eyes. Proverbs 7:3. Tie them on your fingers, write them on the tablet of your heart. Proverbs 7:4. Say to wisdom: “You are my sister!” and call reason your own, Proverbs 7:5. so that they protect you from another’s wife, from a stranger who softens her words. The general introduction to the subsequent admonition against being carried away by the temptations of a dissolute wife has much in common, both in content and in form, with previous similar introductory remarks of the Wise One (Proverbs 1.8, 2.1, 6.20; more particularly compare v. 2 and Proverbs 4.4; v. 3 and Proverbs 3.3). In the text of LXX glory. at the beginning of Art. 2 there is an addition: ύιέ, τίμα τόν Κύριον, καί ὶσχύσεις, πλὴν δέ αύτοῦ μὴ φοβοῦ ἄλλον, “son, honor the Lord, and be strong! Do not fear anyone else besides Him.” Although these words are not found in other translations, and, at first glance, seem to somewhat interrupt the flow of speech, however, in view of similar passages in the book of Proverbs (Proverbs 1.7, 3.7), it is possible that these words were also in the Hebrew original, which was in the LXX. Instruction in Art. 4 – calling wisdom a sister, and reason a relative (relative) is typical in general for the Semitic image of representing relationships between persons and objects (for example, Job 17.14, 30.29); but especially for the Old Testament biblical teaching about wisdom (fn. Pres. 8:2; Sir 15.2): wisdom must become the beloved friend of the seeker of it, the object of his love and lust. The goal of wisdom is, without a doubt, the well-being of a person’s entire life, but here (v. 5) only one of the goals and one of the manifestations of wisdom is indicated: wisdom enables its zealot to resist the seductions of an adulterous wife. Proverbs 7:6. So, one day I looked out the window of my house, through my bars, Proverbs 7:7. and saw among the inexperienced, noticed among the young people a foolish young man, Proverbs 7:8. crossing the square near her corner and walking along the road to her house, Proverbs 7:9. at dusk in the evening of the day, in the darkness of the night and in the darkness. The behavior of a foolish young man is completely opposite to the rules of wisdom: he does not at all adhere to the rules prescribed by wisdom - to remove his path from an adulterous wife and not to approach the door of her house (Proverbs 5.8), or to drive out of his heart any lustful infatuation with the beautiful appearance of a harlot (Proverbs 6.5); on the contrary, he deliberately goes to her house (Proverbs 7.8), apparently filled with lust for her and criminal intentions, the satisfaction of which is facilitated by the chance of a foreseen meeting (v. 9, apparently indicating that the young man was intensely looking for adventure) with his harlot wife, whose seductive methods are now depicted, v. 10–20. Proverbs 7:10. And behold, a woman came towards him, dressed as a harlot, with a treacherous heart, Proverbs 7:11. noisy and unbridled; her feet do not live in her house: Proverbs 7:12. sometimes on the street, sometimes in the squares, and she builds forks at every corner. Proverbs 7:13. She grabbed him, kissed him, and with a shameless face said to him: Proverbs 7:14. “I have a peace offering: today I have fulfilled my vows; Proverbs 7:15. That’s why I came out to meet you to find you, and - I found you; Proverbs 7:16. I made my bed with carpets, with colorful Egyptian fabrics; Proverbs 7:17. I scented my bedroom with myrrh, aloe and cinnamon; Proverbs 7:18. come in, let's revel in tenderness until the morning, let's enjoy love, Proverbs 7:19. because the husband is not at home: he has gone on a long journey; Proverbs 7:20. he took a purse of silver with him; will come home by the day of the full moon.” If in Proverbs 5 disordered adulterous love was contrasted with the benefits of love for a single lawful wife: if in Proverbs 6.20–35 admonitions were taught to suppress mainly internal unclean heart movements, as the root and beginning of the sin of unchastity, then here, ch. 10–20, a detailed, concrete depiction of the temptations that come from outside to violate the seventh commandment of the Decalogue is given, and the culprit of men’s downfalls—the adulterous wife—is especially depicted in detail. Her extremely specific image confused both Jewish and Christian interpreters of the book of Proverbs, of whom the former were even inclined, because of this, to exclude the book of Proverbs from the canon, and some ancient Christian interpreters tried to explain the image of the harlot of Proverbs 7.1 in an allegorical sense - madness, wickedness, in contrast to the Wisdom of God depicted in Proverbs 8–9. But although it is impossible to deny the possibility of this allegorical understanding, however, the direct literal understanding of the section under consideration is completely consistent with the inspiration of the book of Proverbs, for the purpose of the picture, v. 10–20 ch. VII - instructive: The Wise One, through this specific image, wants to arouse in his disciple an aversion to the temptations of adultery and instill steadfastness in chastity. An adulterous wife appears on the street in the clothes of a harlot, with a veil (LXX: εῖδος ἔχουσα πορνικόν, Vulg.: omatu meretricio, v. 10), so as not to be mistaken for a married woman (cf. Gen. 38.14 ff.; Commentary. Bible vol. I, p. 216). Shamelessness, deceit and wickedness are revealed in all the actions and gestures of the wife (vv. 11-13); especially in her words. Wanting to give her invitation an innocent look, she presents the reason for the invitation (v. 14) as a religious celebration - the offering of a peace offering that was always combined with a feast (Lev. 7ff.). Then, luring the young man into his network, he speaks (vv. 15-18) about the luxurious atmosphere of the upcoming feast and carnal pleasures, and the last possible hesitation of the young man wins by mentioning the long-term absence of his husband from home (vv. 19-20). Proverbs 7:21. She captivated him with many kind words, and with the softness of her lips took possession of him. Proverbs 7:22. He immediately followed her, like an ox to the slaughter, [and like a dog to a chain,] and like a deer to a shot, Proverbs 7:23. until an arrow pierces his liver; like a bird throws itself into a snare, and does not know that it is for its destruction. The cunning speeches of the harlot, well calculated for the pliability of the sensual nature of a person, especially a young man, are crowned with success; after some hesitation, the young man limply surrenders into the hands of the destroyer and indulges in animal pleasures that destroy both body and soul. Proverbs 7:24. So, children, listen to me and pay attention to the words of my mouth. Proverbs 7:25. Let not your heart turn aside from her path, do not wander in her paths, Proverbs 7:26. for she has cast down many wounded, and many strong men have been slain by her: Proverbs 7:27. her house is the path to the underworld, descending into the inner dwellings of death. All the more convincing are the final admonitions to avoid the temptation of any kind of adultery, the end results of which are always the same; temporary and eternal destruction. You might be interested in: