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

24It will keep you from the immoral woman, from the smooth tongue of a promiscuous woman. 25Don’t lust for her beauty. Don’t let her coy glances seduce you. For a prostitute will bring you to poverty, but sleeping with another man’s wife will cost you your life. 27Can a man scoop a flame into his lap and not have his clothes catch on fire? 28Can he walk on hot coals and not blister 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 5:10Strangers will consume your wealth, and someone else will enjoy the fruit of your labor.
• Proverbs 29:3The man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but if he hangs around with prostitutes, his wealth is wasted.
• Luke 15:13“A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living.
• 1 Samuel 2:36Then all of your surviving family will bow before him, begging for money and food. ‘Please,’ they will say, ‘give us jobs among the priests so we will have enough to eat.’”
• Genesis 39:14she called out to her servants. Soon all the men came running. “Look!” she said. “My husband has brought this Hebrew slave here to make fools of us! He came into my room to rape me, but I screamed.
• Ezekiel 13:8“Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because what you say is false and your visions are a lie, I will stand against you, says the Sovereign 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