Bible Strands
Proverbs 5:14
I am on the brink of utter ruin in the midst of the whole assembly.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The speaker is the fool who ignored his teachers and mentors, now confessing his regret at the exact moment he faces public disgrace.
The words — The Hebrew מְעַט (m.'at) means "a little" or "just barely," paired with רָע (ra'), meaning "calamity," to form the literal sense of being "on the brink of ruin."
The thread — The warning against the company of fools appears in Proverbs 13:20, while 1 Corinthians 10:6 warns against craving evil things and 2 Peter 2:10 notes that punishment is reserved for those who indulge corrupt desires and despise authority.
Why it lands — The text demands that readers recognize the immediate, public consequences of ignoring wise instruction and choose disciplined boundaries over reckless indulgence.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 13:20 He who walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.
- 1 Corinthians 10:6 These things took place as examples to keep us from craving evil things as they did.
- 2 Peter 2:10 Such punishment is specially reserved for those who indulge the corrupt desires of the flesh and despise authority. Bold and self-willed, they are unafraid to slander glorious beings.
- Numbers 25:1 While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab,
- Hosea 4:11 to promiscuity, wine, and new wine, which take away understanding.
- Jude 1:7 In like manner, Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, who indulged in sexual immorality and pursued strange flesh, are on display as an example of those who sustain the punishment of eternal fire.