Bible Strands
Proverbs 7:5
that they may keep you from the adulteress, from the stranger with seductive words.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The speaker instructs the listener to personify wisdom and understanding as family, immediately preceding a narrative observation of a young man's vulnerability. This directive frames the warning as a protective measure before the described scene unfolds.
The words — The Hebrew לִשְׁמָרְךָ (li-sh-mar-kha) literally means "to keep you," establishing protection as wisdom's primary function. The verb הֶחֱלִיקָה (he-che-li-kah) translates to "she makes smooth," describing the adulteress's persuasive speech.
The thread — This warning against a foreign woman with smooth speech recurs in Proverbs 2:16, Proverbs 6:24, and Proverbs 5:3. Each passage links the danger of her words directly to the necessity of wisdom's guardianship.
Why it lands — The text demands that the reader accept wisdom as a structural boundary against deceptive persuasion. It requires active vigilance rather than passive reliance on personal discernment.
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
That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 2:16 It will rescue you from the forbidden woman, from the stranger with seductive words
- Proverbs 6:24 to keep you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.
- Proverbs 5:3 Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil,