Proverbs 6:26

Proverbs 6:26 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life.
• New International Version (NIV)For a prostitute can be had for a loaf of bread, but another man’s wife preys on your very life.
• English Standard Version (ESV)for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread, but a married woman hunts down a precious life.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For by means of a harlot A man is reduced to a crust of bread; And an adulteress will prey upon his precious life.

Context of Proverbs 6:26

24to keep you from an evil woman and from the smooth talk of a loose woman. 25Do not desire her beauty in your heart. Do not let her catch you with her eyes. A prostitute’s price is ⌞only⌟ a loaf of bread, but a married woman hunts for ⌞your⌟ life itself. 27Can a man carry fire in his lap without burning his clothes? 28Can anyone walk on red-hot coals without burning his feet?

Proverbs 6:26 word by word

כִּ֤י בְעַד־אִשָּׁ֥ה זוֹנָ֗ה עַֽד־כִּכַּ֫ר לָ֥חֶם וְאֵ֥שֶׁת אִ֑ישׁ נֶ֖פֶשׁ יְקָרָ֣ה תָצֽוּד׃ פRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• For by means ofבַּ֫עַדbe‛ad · about/through/forH1157
• a whorishזָנָהzânâh · to fornicateH2181
• womanאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · womanH802
• to a pieceכִּכָּרkikâr · talentH3603
• of breadלֶ֫חֶםlechem · food: breadH3899
• and the adulteressאִישׁ'îysh · man: husbandH376
• will huntצוּדtsûd · to huntH6679
• for the preciousיָקָרyâqâr · preciousH3368
• lifeנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soul: lifeH5315

Cross-references for Proverbs 6:26

• Proverbs 5:10or strangers will benefit from your strength and you will have to work hard in a pagan’s house.
• Proverbs 29:3A person who loves wisdom makes his father happy, but one who pays prostitutes wastes his wealth.
• Luke 15:13“After a few days, the younger son gathered his possessions and left for a country far away from home. There he wasted everything he had on a wild lifestyle.
• 1 Samuel 2:36Then anyone who is left from your household will bow down in front of him to get a coin or a loaf of bread and say, ‘Please appoint me to one of the priestly classes so that I may eat a piece of bread.’ ”
• Genesis 39:14she called her household servants and said to them, “Look! My husband brought this Hebrew here to fool around with us. He came in and tried to go to bed with me, but I screamed as loud as I could.
• Ezekiel 13:8“ ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: Your predictions are false, and your visions are lies. That is why I’m against you, declares the Almighty Lord.

Commentaries on Proverbs 6:26

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 26By means of a whorish woman - In following lewd women, a man is soon reduced to poverty and disease. The Septuagint gives this a strange turn: timh gar pornhv, osh kai enov artou. "For the price or hire of a whore is about one loaf." So many were they in the land, that they hired themselves out for a bare subsistence. The Vulgate, Syriac, and Arabic, give the same sense. The old MS. Bible has it thus: The price forsothe of a strumpet is unneth oon lof…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 26The two forms of evil bring, each of them, their own penalty. By the one a man is brought to such poverty as to beg for “a piece of bread” (compare 1 Samuel 2:36): by the other and more deadly sin he incurs a peril which may affect his life. The second clause is very abrupt and emphatic in the original; “but as for a man‘s wife; she hunts for the precious life.”Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 20-35Verses 20-35 The word of God has something to say to us upon all occasions. Let not faithful reproofs ever make us uneasy. When we consider how much this sin abounds, how heinous adultery is in its own nature, of what evil consequence it is, and how certainly it destroys the spiritual life in the soul, we shall not wonder that the cautions against it are so often repeated. Let us notice the subjects of this chapter. Let us remember Him who willingly…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 26Sleeping with a prostitute has consequences, and sleeping with another man's wife can be dangerous. Her husband may seek revenge (Proverbs 6:34–35), and God observes and judges.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2626. The supplied words give a better sense than the old version: "The price of a whore is a piece of bread." adulteress--(Compare Margin), which the parallel and context (Pr 6:29-35) sustain. Of similar results of this sin, compare Pr 5:9-12. will hunt--alluding to the snares spread by harlots (compare Pr 7:6-8). precious life--more valuable than all else.Read the comment

Topics related to Proverbs 6:26

• Adultery
• Women
• Young Men

In the dictionaries

• Hunt
• Lust
• Naughtiness
• Poetry
• Suddenly
• Teach
• Harlot
• Hezekiah (2)
• James, Epistle of
• Life

Commentaries on Proverbs 6

• 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
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings