Amplified Bible
Proverbs 5:4
4But in the end she is bitter like [the extract of] wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword.
Proverbs 5:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword.
- New International Version (NIV)but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword.
- English Standard Version (ESV)but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.
- New King James Version (NKJV)But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword.
Context of Proverbs 5:4
2That you may exercise discrimination and discretion (good judgment), And your lips may reserve knowledge and answer wisely [to temptation]. 3For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey [like a honeycomb] And her speech is smoother than oil; But in the end she is bitter like [the extract of] wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. 5Her feet go down to death; Her steps take hold of Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead), 6So that she does not think [seriously] about the path of life; Her ways are aimless and unstable; you cannot know where her path leads.
Read all of Proverbs 5Proverbs 5:4 word by word
וְֽ֭אַחֲרִיתָהּ מָרָ֣ה כַֽלַּעֲנָ֑ה חַ֝דָּ֗ה כְּחֶ֣רֶב פִּיּֽוֹת׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 5:4
- Proverbs 6:24To keep you from the evil woman, From [the flattery of] the smooth tongue of an immoral woman.
- Proverbs 7:22Suddenly he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter [not knowing the outcome], Or as one in stocks going to the correction [to be given] to a fool,
- Proverbs 9:18But he does not know that the spirits of the dead are there, And that her guests are [already] in the depths of Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead).
- Proverbs 23:27For a prostitute is a deep pit, And an immoral woman is a narrow well.
- Ecclesiastes 7:26And I discovered that [of all irrational sins none has been so destructive in beguiling one away from God as immoral women for] more bitter than death is the woman whose heart is [composed of] snares and nets, and whose hands are chains. Whoever pleases God will escape from her, but the sinner will be taken captive by her [evil].
- Hebrews 12:15See to it that no one falls short of God’s grace; that no root of resentment springs up and causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;
- Judges 16:4After this he fell in love with a [Philistine] woman [living] in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
- Psalms 55:21The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, But his heart was hostile; His words were softer than oil, Yet they were drawn swords.
- Hebrews 4:12For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Commentaries on Proverbs 5:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Bitter as wormwood - כלענה Kelanah, like the detestable herb wormwood, or something analogous to it: something as excessive in its bitterness, as honey is in its sweetness.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Wormwood - In Eastern medicine this herb, the absinthium of Greek and Latin botanists, was looked upon as poisonous rather than medicinal. Compare Revelation 8:11.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-4The lips of an immoral woman may seem sweet and tempting, but they are actually bitter and dangerous. Sexual activity often starts with a kiss, and flattering words can lure someone in.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. her end--literally, "her future," in sense of reward, what follows (compare Psa 37:37; 73:17). Its nature is evinced by the use of figures, opposite those of Pr 5:3. The physical and moral suffering of the deluded profligate are notoriously terrible.Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 5:4
In the dictionaries
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
Amplified Bible — © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631
Commentaries