Proverbs 5:20

Proverbs 5:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?
• New International Version (NIV)Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife? Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?
• English Standard Version (ESV)Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?
• New King James Version (NKJV)For why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman, And be embraced in the arms of a seductress?

Context of Proverbs 5:20

18Let your fountain (wife) be blessed [with the rewards of fidelity], And rejoice in the wife of your youth. 19Let her be as a loving hind and graceful doe, Let her breasts refresh and satisfy you at all times; Always be exhilarated and delight in her love. Why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an immoral woman And embrace the bosom of an outsider (pagan)? 21For the ways of man are directly before the eyes of the Lord, And He carefully watches all of his paths [all of his comings and goings]. 22The iniquities done by a wicked man will trap him, And he will be held with the cords of his sin.

Proverbs 5:20 word by word

וְלָ֤מָּה תִשְׁגֶּ֣ה בְנִ֣י בְזָרָ֑ה וּ֝תְחַבֵּ֗ק חֵ֣ק נָכְרִיָּֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And why wilt thou, my sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• be ravishedשָׁגָהshâgâh · to wanderH7686
• with a strange womanזוּרzûr · be a strangerH2114
• and embraceחָבַקchâbaq · to embraceH2263
• the bosomחֵיקchêyq chêq chôq · bosom: embraceH2436
• of a strangerנׇכְרִיnokrîy · foreignH5237

Cross-references for Proverbs 5:20

• Proverbs 2:16To keep you from the immoral woman; From the seductress with her flattering words,
• Proverbs 6:24To keep you from the evil woman, From [the flattery of] the smooth tongue of an immoral woman.
• Proverbs 7:5That they may keep you from the immoral woman, From the foreigner [who does not observe God’s laws and] who flatters with her [smooth] words.
• Proverbs 22:14The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit [deep and inescapable]; He who is cursed by the Lord [because of his adulterous sin] will fall into it.
• Proverbs 23:27For a prostitute is a deep pit, And an immoral woman is a narrow well.
• 1 Kings 11:1Now king Solomon [defiantly] loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women,

Commentaries on Proverbs 5:20

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20Emphasis is laid (see the Proverbs 2:16 note) upon the origin of the beguiler.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-23Verses 15-23 Lawful marriage is a means God has appointed to keep from these destructive vices. But we are not properly united, except as we attend to God's word, seeking his direction and blessing, and acting with affection. Ever remember, that though secret sins may escape the eyes of our fellow-creatures, yet a man's ways are before the eyes of the Lord, who not only sees, but ponders all his goings. Those who are so foolish as to choose the way of…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-23These instructions on loving one's wife and avoiding immoral women were originally for young men starting their careers (see also Proverbs 2:16–22; 7:1–27). This topic is also common in ancient Egyptian wisdom writings.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 15-2015-20. By figures, in which well, cistern, and fountain [Pr 5:15, 18] represent the wife, and rivers of waters [Pr 5:16] the children, men are exhorted to constancy and satisfaction in lawful conjugal enjoyments. In Pr 5:16, fountains (in the plural) rather denote the produce or waters of a spring, literally, "what is from a spring," and corresponds with "rivers of waters."Read the comment

Topics related to Proverbs 5:20

• Adultery
• Chastity
• Harlot (Prostitute)
• Temptation
• Women
• Young Men

In the dictionaries

• Strange Woman
• Cord
• Harlot
• Mouth
• Education
• Embrace
• Hezekiah (2)
• Proverbs, the Book of
• Purity
• Song of Songs

Commentaries on Proverbs 5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings