Proverbs 6

Proverbs 6 is the sixth chapter of the Book of Proverbs in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.Template:Sfn The book is a compilation of several wisdom literature collections, with the heading in 1:1 may be intended to regard Solomon as the traditional author of the whole book, but the dates of the individual collections are difficult to determine, and the book probably obtained its final shape in the post-exilic period.Template:Sfn This chapter is a part of the first collection of the book.Template:Sfn

Text

Hebrew

The following table shows the Hebrew text of Proverbs 6 with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).

Verse	Hebrew	English translation (JPS 1917)
1	Template:Script/Hebrew	My son, if thou art become surety for thy neighbour, If thou hast struck thy hands for a stranger—
2	Template:Script/Hebrew	Thou art snared by the words of thy mouth, Thou art caught by the words of thy mouth—
3	Template:Script/Hebrew	Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, Seeing thou art come into the hand of thy neighbour; Go, humble thyself, and urge thy neighbour.
4	Template:Script/Hebrew	Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.
5	Template:Script/Hebrew	Deliver thyself as a gazelle from the hand [of the hunter], And as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6	Template:Script/Hebrew	Go to the ant, thou sluggard; Consider her ways, and be wise;
7	Template:Script/Hebrew	Which having no chief, Overseer, or ruler,
8	Template:Script/Hebrew	Provideth her bread in the summer, And gatherest her food in the harvest.
9	Template:Script/Hebrew	How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
10	Template:Script/Hebrew	’Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep’—
11	Template:Script/Hebrew	So shall thy poverty come as a runner, And thy want as an armed man.
12	Template:Script/Hebrew	A base person, a man of iniquity, Is he that walketh with a froward mouth; .
13	Template:Script/Hebrew	That winketh with his eyes, that scrapeth with his feet, That pointeth with his fingers;
14	Template:Script/Hebrew	Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth evil continually; He soweth discord.
15	Template:Script/Hebrew	Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; On a sudden shall he be broken, and that without remedy.
16	Template:Script/Hebrew	There are six things which the LORD hateth, Yea, seven which are an abomination unto Him:
17	Template:Script/Hebrew	Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood;
18	Template:Script/Hebrew	A heart that deviseth wicked thoughts, Feet that are swift in running to evil;
19	Template:Script/Hebrew	A false witness that breatheth out lies, And he that soweth discord among brethren.
20	Template:Script/Hebrew	My son, keep the commandment of thy father, And forsake not the teaching of thy mother;
21	Template:Script/Hebrew	Bind them continually upon thy heart, Tie them about thy neck.
22	Template:Script/Hebrew	When thou walkest, it shall lead thee, When thou liest down, it shall watch over thee; And when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
23	Template:Script/Hebrew	For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching is light, And reproofs of instruction are the way of life;
24	Template:Script/Hebrew	To keep thee from the evil woman, From the smoothness of the alien tongue.
25	Template:Script/Hebrew	Lust not after her beauty in thy heart; Neither let her captivate thee with her eyelids.
26	Template:Script/Hebrew	For on account of a harlot a man is brought to a loaf of bread, But the adulteress hunteth for the precious life.
27	Template:Script/Hebrew	Can a man take fire in his bosom, And his clothes not be burned?
28	Template:Script/Hebrew	Or can one walk upon hot coals, And his feet not be scorched?
29	Template:Script/Hebrew	So he that goeth in to his neighbour’s wife; Whosoever toucheth her shall not go unpunished.
30	Template:Script/Hebrew	Men do not despise a thief, if he steal To satisfy his soul when he is hungry;
31	Template:Script/Hebrew	But if he be found, he must restore sevenfold, He must give all the substance of his house.
32	Template:Script/Hebrew	He that committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding; He doeth it that would destroy his own soul.
33	Template:Script/Hebrew	Wounds and dishonour shall he get, And his reproach shall not be wiped away. .
34	Template:Script/Hebrew	For jealousy is the rage of a man, And he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35	Template:Script/Hebrew	He will not regard any ransom; Neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text, which includes the Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).Template:Sfn

There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BC; some extant ancient manuscripts of this version include Codex Vaticanus (B; $𝔊$^B; 4th century), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK: $𝔊$^S; 4th century), and Codex Alexandrinus (A; $𝔊$^A; 5th century).Template:Sfn

Analysis

This chapter belongs to a section regarded as the first collection in the book of Proverbs (comprising Proverbs 1–9), known as "Didactic discourses".Template:Sfn The Jerusalem Bible describes chapters 1–9 as a prologue of the chapters 10–22:16, the so-called "[actual] proverbs of Solomon", as "the body of the book".

The structure of chapter involves some advices:

1. Advises release from foolish indebtedness (1–5)
2. Admonishes avoiding laziness (6–8)
3. Warns of the danger of poverty (9–11) and deviousness (12–15),
4. Lists conduct that the Lord hates (16–19)
5. Warns about immorality (20–35).

The New King James Version entitles the chapters and sections as follows:

• Dangerous Promises (verses 1–5)
• The Folly of Indolence (verses 6–11)
• The Wicked Man (verses 12–19)
• Beware of Adultery (verses 20–35)

Template:AnchorFour warnings (6:1–19)

This section contains four miscellaneous sayings which are more reminiscent of the proverbial sayings in chapters 10–31 than the instructions in chapters 1–9:Template:Sfn

1. Warning against acting as guarantor for debts (verses 1–5)
2. Warning against laziness and encourage diligence (verses 6–11)
3. Warning of the danger of scoundrel (verses 12–15)
4. Warnings of things that the Lord hates (verses 16–19)

Verses 16–19 contain a graded numerical saying (cf. Proverbs 30:15–31; Job 5:19; Amos 1:3–2:8) that is particularly useful both as a means of classification and as an aid to memorization.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The saying lists 'different kinds of malicious and disruptive activity through a review of the unhealthy body': 'eyes… tongue… hands… heart… feet' (cf. Proverbs 4:23–27), with the addition of 'false witness' and 'one who stirs up strife' to make up the seven vices.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Verse 1

My son, if you become surety for your friend,

If you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,

• "Surety": or "guaranty", "collateral" There are several references to suretyship in Proverbs, the first coming here (verses 1–6). According to Perowne,Template:Quote Accordingly, the writer of Proverbs "has no quarter for it, but condemns it unsparingly on every mention of it". Subsequent references to surety are at Proverbs 11:15, 17:18, 20:16, 22:26 and 27:13.
• "Shaken": in Hebrew literally "struck" as in "struck hands in pledge" (NIV), that is, a handshake signaling the guarantee of a pledge (such as Proverbs 11:15; 17:18; 2 2:26, 2 Kings 10:15).Template:Sfn An unwise guarantor would be threatened with not only 'penury' (cf. Proverbs 22:26–27) but also slavery (cf. 2 Kings 4:1–7; Nehemiah 5:1–8).Template:Sfn

Template:AnchorThe price of adultery (6:20–35)

This passage focuses on the instruction to protect against the enticements of the seductress, in particular here of "a married woman".Template:Sfn An affair with the adulteress would exact a heavy price, 'a man's very life', as a jealous and enraged husband would seek revenge and demand a higher price than money (verses 34–35).Template:Sfn

Verse 21

Bind them continually upon your heart,

and tie them around your neck.

• "Bind them": an allusion to Deuteronomy 6:6–8 (cf. Proverbs 3:3, 24) where the people of Israel were told to bind a copy of the law on their foreheads and arms.Template:Sfn

Verse 22

When you walk, their counsel will lead you.

When you sleep, they will protect you.

When you wake up, they will advise you.

Verse 23

For like a lamp is a commandment, and instruction is light,

and the way of life[a] is the reproof of discipline,

Verse 24

They will protect you

from the flattering words

of someone else's wife.

Verse 25

Don’t hunger in your heart after her beauty.

Don’t let her eyes capture you.

Verse 26

For the price of a woman, a prostitute,[a] is the price of a loaf of bread,

but the woman belonging to a man[b] hunts precious life.

Verse 27

Can a man carry fire in his lap

without burning his clothes?

Verse 28

Or can one walk on hot coals

and his feet not be scorched?

Verse 29

It is just as dangerous to sleep with another man's wife. Whoever does it will suffer.

See also

• Related Bible parts: Proverbs 1, Proverbs 2, Proverbs 7, Proverbs 9

Sources

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External links

• Jewish translations:
  • Mishlei - Proverbs - Chapter 6 (Judaica Press) translation [with Rashi's commentary] at Chabad.org
• Christian translations:
  • Online Bible at GospelHall.org (ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English)
• Book of Proverbs Chapter 6 King James Version
• Template:Librivox book Various versions