Bible Strands
Proverbs 5:9
lest you concede your vigor to others, and your years to one who is cruel;
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The speaker addresses a young man within a structured warning against sexual immorality. The warning appears as a middle clause in a three-part caution that frames the physical and financial costs of approaching a seductive woman.
The words — The Hebrew הוֹדֶךָ (ho.De.kha) translates literally as "your vigor," while אַכְזָרִי ('akh.za.ri) means "a cruel one." These terms specify the exact resources being surrendered through compromised relationships.
The thread — The text invokes Nehemiah 13:26, which cites Solomon’s downfall as a historical precedent for this specific warning. It also aligns with Hosea 4:13, which condemns misplaced devotion that drains vitality toward destructive ends.
Why it lands — The text states that yielding to temptation directly transfers physical strength and lifespan to hostile parties. It requires the reader to treat proximity to seduction as a measurable drain on their future and to enforce strict boundaries.
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
Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:
Cross-references
- Nehemiah 13:26 Did not King Solomon of Israel sin in matters like this? There was not a king like him among many nations, and he was loved by his God, who made him king over all Israel—yet foreign women drew him into sin.
- Hosea 4:13 They sacrifice on the mountaintops and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is pleasant. And so your daughters turn to prostitution and your daughters-in-law to adultery.
- Genesis 38:23 “Let her keep the items,” Judah replied. “Otherwise we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you could not find her.”
- Judges 16:19 And having lulled him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his head. In this way she began to subdue him, and his strength left him.
- Proverbs 6:29 So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished.