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

24keeping you from the immoral woman, from a wayward wife’s smooth tongue. 25Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyelids. For on account of a prostitute one is reduced to a loaf of bread; a man’s wife preys on your precious life. 27Can a man scoop fire into his lap without burning his clothes? 28Or can a man walk upon hot coals without scorching 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 5:10lest strangers feast on your strength, your labors go to a foreigner’s house.
• Proverbs 29:3Whoever loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.
• Luke 15:13“Not many days later, the younger son gathered everything and traveled to a far country, and there he squandered his inheritance on wild living.
• 1 Samuel 2:36Anyone left in your household will come and bow low to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and will say: ‘Please, assign me to one of the priestly offices so that I may eat a morsel of bread.’”
• Genesis 39:14she screamed to the men of her house and said to them, “Look! Someone brought a Hebrew man to us to fool with us. He approached me to lie with me so I screamed out loud.
• Ezekiel 13:8Therefore thus says Adonai Elohim: “Because you have spoken falsely and prophesied lies, therefore behold, I am against you.” It is a declaration of Adonai.

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