Thy Strong Word — Proverbs 5: The Forbidden Woman

Solomon, in the context of a father’s advice to his son, offers wisdom and guidance on the dangers of succumbing to the temptations of adultery. He contrasts the fleeting pleasures of immoral relationships with the lasting satisfaction of faithfulness within marriage. He advises the reader to cherish and be satisfied with their own spouse, warning that straying leads to dire consequences, including loss of honor, wealth, and health. But is there more to these verses than sexual purity?

The Rev. Dr. Curtis Deterding, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Fort Myers, FL, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Proverbs 5.

Step into the spiritually rich landscape of the Book of Proverbs, a text divinely inspired and attributed to Solomon, the sage king endowed by God with unsurpassed wisdom. This ancient scripture begins with heartfelt lessons from a father to a son, laying a foundation of moral and ethical guidance before unfolding into a collection of timeless proverbs. It uniquely personifies wisdom and folly as two paths that stand before humanity, offering a choice between a life filled with virtue, fear of the Lord, and understanding, and one marred by shortsighted pleasures and foolishness. Proverbs serves as a compass for those seeking to walk in righteousness, offering insights that resonate deeply with the human experience, guiding us toward a life of purpose and discernment according to God’s will.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations.

Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org.

Proverbs 5

Warning Against Adultery

5 My son, be attentive to my wisdom;
    incline your ear to my understanding,
²that you may keep discretion,
    and your lips may guard knowledge.
³For the lips of a forbidden^[a] woman drip honey,
    and her speech^[b] is smoother than oil,
⁴but in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
    sharp as a two-edged sword.
⁵Her feet go down to death;
    her steps follow the path to^[c] Sheol;
⁶she does not ponder the path of life;
    her ways wander, and she does not know it.

⁷And now, O sons, listen to me,
    and do not depart from the words of my mouth.
⁸Keep your way far from her,
    and do not go near the door of her house,
⁹lest you give your honor to others
    and your years to the merciless,
¹⁰lest strangers take their fill of your strength,
    and your labors go to the house of a foreigner,
¹¹and at the end of your life you groan,
    when your flesh and body are consumed,
¹²and you say, “How I hated discipline,
    and my heart despised reproof!
¹³I did not listen to the voice of my teachers
    or incline my ear to my instructors.
¹⁴I am at the brink of utter ruin
    in the assembled congregation.”

¹⁵Drink water from your own cistern,
    flowing water from your own well.
¹⁶Should your springs be scattered abroad,
    streams of water in the streets?
¹⁷Let them be for yourself alone,
    and not for strangers with you.
¹⁸Let your fountain be blessed,
    and rejoice in the wife of your youth,
¹⁹    a lovely deer, a graceful doe.
Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight;
    be intoxicated^[d] always in her love.
²⁰Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman
    and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?^[e]
²¹For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord,
    and he ponders^[f] all his paths.
²²The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him,
    and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.
²³He dies for lack of discipline,
    and because of his great folly he is led astray.

Footnotes

Proverbs 5:3 Hebrew strange; also verse 20
Proverbs 5:3 Hebrew palate
Proverbs 5:5 Hebrew lay hold of
Proverbs 5:19 Hebrew be led astray; also verse 20
Proverbs 5:20 Hebrew a foreign woman
Proverbs 5:21 Or makes level

Rev. Dr. Phil Booe

Native North Carolinian Rev. Dr. Phil Booe serves pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, and host of Thy Strong Word on KFUO Radio. His parishioners probably think he can’t teach Bible study without a mug of coffee in his hand, and he’ll always be happy to eat a plate of sushi. When he’s not shepherding his flock or teaching on the radio, you might find him watching bad movies from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, and especially binging RiffTrax and MST3K episodes. Some day he’d love to travel to the Lutheran homeland in Germany, but for now he spends time in Minnesota with his wife, son, daughter, and cat, and looks forward to Holy Week every year.