Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 6:20
My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
Fourteenth Address. Chap. 6. Pro 6:20-35 . The Evil Woman
The holy memories and sanctions of the family are invoked ( Pro 6:20-23) to give weight to another earnest warning against the sin which destroys the purity and saps the foundations of family life ( Pro 6:24-35).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Pro 6:20
My son, keep thy fathers commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother.
Words of counsel to schoolboys
While your recollections of home are fresh I am anxious to direct your thoughts to one or two matters to which those recollections may possibly give a weight and a force which they might not otherwise possess.
I. Cherish home ties as among your most sacred possessions. One of the dangers of public school-life is learning to disparage feelings of affection for the home. It is not manly to scorn those boys who are at times home-sick. The truest manliness is not, and cannot be, divorced from tenderness; and while I would enforce with all my heart the necessity for courage in facing the first trouble of a schoolboys life, I would remind all who listen to me that the boy who retains most strongly his affection for his home will grow up a truer man and a truer gentleman than the youth who casts those affections on one side as something to be ashamed of.
II. Do not suppose that school life is in any way intended to supersede your home life. Most of you have come from homes in which you have been the objects of Christian thoughtfulness, and the subjects of religious training. The higher branches of what is called secular knowledge are but branches of the teaching that was begun at home. Secular is not opposed to sacred. Is not all learning sacred? The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and there is no true knowledge which may not be said to have its spring there. In the text Solomon means by the fathers commandment those principles of godliness and virtue which are inculcated in every Christian home. Not one of you has come here to begin, and not one of you will here complete, his education. When God sends us into the world it is that we may be educated for Him–trained for Him. That training–with all its defects and failings–begins in the home, and, wherever we may afterwards go, and under whatever circumstances we may afterwards be placed, our after-life is only a continuation of what our home life has been. When you leave school, carry your home life–those affections and feelings which have been wakened in you in the midst of those whom you love–carry these into your after-life, for without them life will be incomplete,
III. Never be ashamed of your religion. John Angell James attributed his position as a Christian man to the courage of a fellow-apprentice, who kneeled by his bedside to pray, when James was neglecting to do so through feelings of shame. That apprentice dared to do right. He was not ashamed to have it known that he prayed to God. It was said of an old naval officer, two or three hundred years ago, that as he feared God, he knew no other fear.
IV. Give your hearts wholly to the God of your fathers. Youth is the fittest time for religion, as it is the best time for learning anything. While your hearts are still fresh, and still susceptible of good impressions, yield them up to the Saviour. (F. Wagstaff.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 20. Keep thy father’s commandment] See on Pr 1:8.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Keep thy fathers commandment, so far as it is not contrary to Gods command.
Forsake not the law of thy mother, whom children are too apt to despise. See Pro 1:8.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
20-23. (Compare Pro 1:8;Pro 3:3, &c.).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
My son, keep thy father’s commandment,…. These are not the words of David to Solomon continued from Pr 4:4; but the words of Solomon to his son; and not to his son only, in a strict natural relation, but to everyone that came to him for and put himself under his instruction; and to everyone that stood in such a relation to a religious father; for not the divine Being, the Father of all, is here meant, according to some Jewish writers; though the commandment no doubt is the commandment of God taught by godly parents; or such a system of precepts that is founded upon and agrees unto the revealed will of God, and which being so should be laid up and kept in the heart, and not forgotten; and should be observed and attended to and obeyed throughout the whole course of life, as if it was the commandment of God himself; and indeed it is no other than that which pious parents train up their children in the knowledge of, instil into them, and urge upon them the observance of;
and forsake not the law of thy mother; the same as before, and which is mentioned to show that the same respect is to be had to a mother as to a father, the commandment and law of them being the same, and they standing in the same relation; which yet children are apt to make a difference in, and while they stand in awe of their father and his precepts, slight their mother and her directions, which ought not to be. Some understand this of the congregation of Israel, as some Jewish writers; and others of the church of God, the mother of us all.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
After these three smaller sections, the teacher of wisdom returns here to the theme of the eighth: Warning against sins of the flesh, whose power and prevalence among men is so immeasurably great, that their terrible consequences cannot sufficiently be held up before them, particularly before youth.
20 Keep, my son, the commandment of thy father,
And reject not the instruction of thy mother.
21 Bind them to thy heart evermore,
Fasten them about thy neck.
The suff. – em refers to the good doctrine (cf. Pro 7:3) pointed out by and ; the masc. stands, as is usual ( e.g., Pro 1:16; Pro 5:2), instead of the fem. Regarding the figure, reminding us of the Tefillin and of Amuletes for perpetual representation, vid., under Pro 3:3. Similarly of persons, Son 8:6. The verb (only here and Job 31:36) signifies to bend, particularly to bend aside (Arab. ‘ind , bending off, going aside; accus. as adv., aside, apud ), and to bend up, to wind about, circumplicare .
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| Parental Cautions; Cautions against Impurity. | |
20 My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: 21 Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. 22 When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. 23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: 24 To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. 25 Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids. 26 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. 27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? 28 Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? 29 So he that goeth in to his neighbour’s wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent. 30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; 31 But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house. 32 But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. 33 A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away. 34 For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. 35 He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.
Here is, I. A general exhortation faithfully to adhere to the word of God and to take it for our guide in all our actions.
1. We must look upon the word of God both as a light (v. 23) and as a law, Psa 6:20; Psa 6:23. (1.) By its arguments it is a light, which our understandings must subscribe to; it is a lamp to our eyes for discovery, and so to our feet for direction. The word of God reveals to us truths of eternal certainty, and is built upon the highest reason. Scripture-light is the sure light. (2.) By its authority it is a law, which our wills must submit to. As never such a light shone out of the schools of the philosophers, so never such a law issued from the throne of any prince, so well framed, and so binding. It is such a law as is a lamp and a light, for it carries with it the evidence of its own goodness.
2. We must receive it as our father’s commandment and the law of our mother, v. 20. It is God’s commandment and his law. But, (1.) Our parents directed us to it, put it into our hands, trained us up in the knowledge and observance of it, its original and obligation being most sacred. We believe indeed, not for their saying, for we have tried it ourselves and find it to be of God; but we were beholden to them for recommending it to us, and see all the reason in the world to continue in the things we have learned, knowing of whom we have learned them. (2.) The cautions, counsels, and commands which our parents gave us agree with the word of God, and therefore we must hold them fast. Children, when they are grown up, must remember the law of a good mother, as well as the commandment of a good father, Ecclesiasticus iii. 2. The Lord has given the father honour over the children and has confirmed the authority of the mother over the sons.
3. We must retain the word of God and the good instructions which our parents gave us out of it. (1.) We must never cast them off, never think it a mighty achievement (as some do) to get clear of the restraints of a good education: “Keep thy father’s commandment, keep it still, and never forsake it.” (2.) We must never lay them by, no, not for a time (v. 21): Bind them continually, not only upon thy hand (as Moses had directed, Deut. vi. 8) but upon thy heart. Phylacteries upon the hand were of no value at all, any further than they occasioned pious thoughts and affections in the heart. There the word must be written, there it must be hid, and laid close to the conscience. Tie them about thy neck, as an ornament, a bracelet, or gold chain,–about thy throat (so the word is); let them be a guard upon that pass; tie them about thy throat, that no forbidden fruit may be suffered to go in nor any evil word suffered to go out through the throat; and thus a great deal of sin would be prevented. Let the word of God be always ready to us, and let us feel the impressions of it, as of that which is bound upon our hearts and about our necks.
4. We must make use of the word of God and of the benefit that is designed us by it. If we bind it continually upon our hearts, (1.) It will be our guide, and we must follow its direction. “When thou goest, it shall lead thee (v. 22); it shall lead thee into, and lead thee in, the good and right way, shall lead thee from, and lead thee out of, every sinful dangerous path. It will say unto thee, when thou art ready to turn aside, This is the way; walk in it. It will be that to thee that the pillar of cloud and fire was to Israel in the wilderness. Be led by that, let it be thy rule, and then thou shalt be led by the Spirit; he will be thy monitor and support.” (2.) It will be our guard, and we must put ourselves under the protection of it: “When thou sleepest, and liest exposed to the malignant powers of darkness, it shall keep thee; thou shalt be safe, and shalt think thyself so.” If we govern ourselves by the precepts of the word all day, and make conscience of the duty God has commanded to us, we may shelter ourselves under the promises of the word at night, and take the comfort of the deliverances God does and will command for us. (3.) It will be our companion, and we must converse with it: “When thou awakest in the night, and knowest not how to pass away thy waking minutes, if thou pleasest, it shall talk with thee, and entertain thee with pleasant meditations in the night-watch; when thou awakest in the morning, and art contriving the work of the day, it shall talk with thee about it, and help thee to contrive for the best,” Ps. i. 2. The word of God has something to say to us upon all occasions, if we would but enter into discourse with it, would ask it what it has to say, and give it the hearing. And it would contribute to our close and comfortable walking with God all day if we would begin with him in the morning and let his word be the subject of our first thoughts. When I awake I am still with thee; we are so if the word be still with us. (4.) It will be our life; for, as the law is a lamp and a light for the present, so the reproofs of instruction are the way of life. Those reproofs of the word which not only show us our faults, but instruct us how to do better, are the way that leads to life, eternal life. Let not faithful reproofs therefore, which have such a direct tendency to make us happy, ever make us uneasy.
II. Here is a particular caution against the sin of uncleanness.
1. When we consider how much this iniquity abounds, how heinous it is in its own nature, of what pernicious consequence it is, and how certainly destructive to all the seeds of the spiritual life in the soul, we shall not wonder that the cautions against it are so often repeated and so largely inculcated. (1.) One great kindness God designed men, in giving them his law, was to preserve them from this sin, v. 24. “The reproofs of instruction are therefore the way of life to thee, because they are designed to keep thee from the evil woman, who will be certain death to thee, from being enticed by the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman, who pretends to love thee, but intends to ruin thee.” Those that will be wrought upon by flattery make themselves a very easy prey to the tempter; and those who would avoid that snare must take well-instructed reproofs as great kindnesses and be thankful to those that will deal faithfully with them, Pro 27:5; Pro 27:6. (2.) The greatest kindness we can do ourselves is to keep at a distance from this sin, and to look upon it with the utmost dread and detestation (v. 25): “Lust not after her beauty, no, not in thy heart, for, if thou dost, thou hast there already committed adultery with her. Talk not of the charms in her face, neither be thou smitten with her amorous glances; they are all snares and nets; let her not take thee with her eye-lids. Her looks are arrows and fiery darts; they wound, they kill, in another sense than what lovers mean; they call it a pleasing captivity, but it is a destroying one, it is worse than Egyptian slavery.”
2. Divers arguments Solomon here urges to enforce this caution against the sin of whoredom.
(1.) It is a sin that impoverishes men, wastes their estates, and reduces them to beggary (v. 26): By means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread; many a man has been so, who has purchased the ruin of his body and soul at the expense of his wealth. The prodigal son spent his living on harlots, so that he brought himself to be fellow-commoner with the swine. And that poverty must needs lie heavily which men bring themselves into by their own folly, Job xxxi. 12.
(2.) It threatens death; it kills men: The adulteress will hunt for the precious life, perhaps designedly, as Delilah for Samson’s, at least, eventually, the sin strikes at the life. Adultery was punished by the law of Moses as a capital crime. The adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. Every one knew this. Those therefore who, for the gratifying of a base lust, would lay themselves open to the law, could be reckoned no better than self-murderers.
(3.) It brings guilt upon the conscience and debauches that. He that touches his neighbour’s wife, with an immodest touch, cannot be innocent, v. 29. [1.] He is in imminent danger of adultery, as he that takes fire in his bosom, or goes upon hot coals, is in danger of being burnt. The way of this sin is down-hill, and those that venture upon the temptations to it hardly escape the sin itself. The fly fools away her life by playing the wanton with the flames. It is a deep pit, which it is madness to venture upon the brink of. He that keeps company with those of ill fame, that goes in with them, and touches them, cannot long preserve his innocency; he thrusts himself into temptation and so throws himself out of God’s protection. [2.] He that commits adultery is in the high road to destruction. The bold presumptuous sinner says, “I may venture upon the sin and yet escape the punishment; I shall have peace though I go on.” He might as well say, I will take fire into my bosom and not burn my clothes, or I will go upon hot coals and not burn my feet. He that goes into his neighbour’s wife, however he holds himself, God will not hold him guiltless. The fire of lust kindles the fire of hell.
(4.) It ruins the reputation and entails perpetual infamy upon that. It is a much more scandalous sin than stealing is, v. 30-33. Perhaps it is not so in the account of men, at least not in our day. A thief is sent to the stocks, to the gaol, to Bridewell, to the gallows, while the vile adulterer goes unpunished, nay, with many, unblemished; he dares boast of his villanies, and they are made but a jest of. But, in the account of God and his law, adultery was much the more enormous crime; and, if God is the fountain of honour, his word must be the standard of it. [1.] As for the sin of stealing, if a man were brought to it by extreme necessity, if he stole meat for the satisfying of his soul when he was hungry, though that will not excuse him from guilt, yet it is such an extenuation of his crime that men do not despise him, do not expose him to ignominy, but pity him. Hunger will break through stone-walls, and blame will be laid upon those that brought him to poverty, or that did not relieve him. Nay, though he have not that to say in his excuse, if he be found stealing, and the evidence be ever so plain upon him, yet he shall only make restitution seven-fold. The law of Moses appointed that he who stole a sheep should restore four-fold, and an ox five-fold (Exod. xxii. 1); accordingly David adjudged, 2 Sam. xii. 6. But we may suppose in those cases concerning which the law had not made provision the judges afterwards settled the penalties in proportion to the crimes, according to the equity of the law. Now, if he that stole an ox out of a man’s field must restore five-fold, it was reasonable that he that stole a man’s goods out of his house should restore seven-fold; for there was no law to put him to death, as with us, for burglary and robbery on the highway, and of this worst kind of theft Solomon here speaks; the greatest punishment was that a man might be forced to give all the substance of his house to satisfy the law and his blood was not attainted. But, [2.] Committing adultery is a more heinous crime; Job calls it so, and an iniquity to be punished by the judge, Job xxxi. 11. When Nathan would convict David of the evil of his adultery he did it by a parable concerning the most aggravated theft, which, in David’s judgment, deserved to be punished with death (2 Sam. xii. 5), and then showed him that his sin was more exceedingly sinful than that. First, It is a greater reproach to a man’s reason, for he cannot excuse it, as a thief may, by saying that it was to satisfy his hunger, but must own that it was to gratify a brutish lust which would break the hedge of God’s law, not for want, but for wantonness. Therefore whoso commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding, and deserves to be stigmatized as an arrant fool. Secondly, It is more severely punished by the law of God. A thief suffered only a pecuniary mulct, but the adulterer suffered death. The thief steals to satisfy his soul, but the adulterer destroys his own soul, and falls an unpitied sacrifice to the justice both of God and man. “Sinner, thou hast destroyed thyself.” This may be applied to the spiritual and eternal death which is the consequence of sin; he that does it wounds his conscience, corrupts his rational power, extinguishes all the sparks of the spiritual life, and exposes himself to the wrath of God for ever, and thus destroys his own soul. Thirdly, The infamy of it is indelible, v. 33. It will be a wound to his good name, a dishonour to his family, and, though the guilt of it may be done away by repentance, the reproach of it never will, but will stick to his memory when he is gone. David’s sin in the matter of Uriah was not only a perpetual blemish upon his own character, but gave occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme his name too.
(5.) It exposes the adulterer to the rage of the jealous husband, whose honour he puts such an affront upon, Psa 6:34; Psa 6:35. He that touches his neighbour’s wife, and is familiar with her, gives him occasion for jealousy, much more he that debauches her, which, if kept ever so secret, might then be discovered by the waters of jealousy, Num. v. 12. “When discovered, thou hadst better meet a bear robbed of her whelps than the injured husband, who, in the case of adultery, will be as severe an avenger of his own honour as, in the case of manslaughter, of his brother’s blood. If thou art not afraid of the wrath of God, yet be afraid of the rage of a man. Such jealousy is; it is strong as death and cruel as the grave. In the day of vengeance, when the adulterer comes to be tried for his life, the prosecutor will not spare any pains or cost in the prosecution, will not relent towards thee, as he would perhaps towards one that had robbed him. He will not accept of any commutation, any composition; he will not regard any ransom. Though thou offer to bribe him, and give him many gifts to pacify him, he will not rest content with any thing less than the execution of the law. Thou must be stoned to death. If a man would give all the substance of his house, it would atone for a theft (v. 31), but not for adultery; in that case it would utterly be contemned. Stand in awe therefore, and sin not; expose not thyself to all this misery for a moment’s sordid pleasure, which will be bitterness in the end.”
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
FURTHER WARNINGS AGAINST
THE EVIL WOMAN
(Pro 6:20 to Pro 7:27)
Vs. 20-21 repeat the counsel of Pro 1:8-9; Pro 3:21-22 that the son faithfully obey the teaching of father and mother; that he keep these teachings always in his heart for meditation and guidance. Display of physical tokens is not intended, Exo 13:5-9.
Vs. 22-23 emphasize the adequacy of these instructions to meet all needs, Psa 119:11; 2Ti 3:16-17.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
CRITICAL NOTES,
Pro. 6:21. Continually, for evermore.
Pro. 6:22. Langes Commentary translates into the imperative form, let it lead thee, etc.
Pro. 6:22. Last clause, literally Whoso will destroy his life, he does it.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Pro. 6:20-23
On Pro. 6:20-21, see Homiletics on chap. Pro. 1:8, and Pro. 4:1
THE LAW OF GODS WORD
I. The Divine law as a lamp.
1. It is like a lamp because it is portable. A light that cannot be carried from place to place will be useless to a man who has to find his way home in the dark on an uneven road. Life is such a journey, and the commandment of the Lord can be carried in mans memory and heart: Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee (Psa. 119:11).
2. Its existence declares that men need light from a source outside themselves. A mans eyes on a dark night are not sufficient to enable him to find the right road. If he depends simply upon them he will find that the light within him is darkness (Luk. 11:35). He must have external help. The existence of Gods revelation in the world proves that man has not enough light within him to guide his feet into the way of peace. His own spiritual perception will not enable him to find his way through the night to eternal day.
3. It is in constant requisition. The position and relation of our globe to the sun makes it certain that night will constantly succeed the day. And while night continues to follow day the lamp will be needed to illumine the darkness. The Divine lamp will never be out of use while temptation, and doubt, and sin, and ignorance beset the path of man, as certainly as the revolution of the globe brings the night.
II. The commandment as a guide. When thou goest, it shall lead thee (Pro. 6:22). Where leading is promised ignorance is implied. The man who trusts to another to guide him acknowledges by the act that the guide knows more than he does. Scripture takes for granted that man is ignorant. Its existence implies that man needs information and direction concerning his life.
III. The commandment as a guard. When thou sleepest, it shall keep thee. A keeper, or guard, implies danger in general, and in this instance in particular. There is a general danger in times of pestilence, and there is a special danger in some places and under some circumstances. There is a danger common to all vessels when sailing the ocean, but there are some parts which are especially dangerous. So is it with men in relation to sin. There is the general liability to fall into sin common to all men, but there are dangers which more especially beset youth and inexperience, and there is one sin above all others which is terrible in its effects and ruinous to the whole man. The text applies to a general keeping from the common danger and to a special keeping from this special danger (Pro. 6:24).
IV. The commandment is a keeper, a guide, and a lamp to those only who keep it. A man binds his sandal upon his foot and it keeps his foot, because it has itself been kept in its right place. There is a mutual keeping. There can be no keeping by the word unless there is a keeping of the word. A greater than Solomon has told us this truth. Our Lord, in His parable of the sower, reminds us of those wayside hearers who, not keeping the word, were not kept by it, and of those who, like the rocky and thorny ground, kept it only for a while and were only kept by it until the time of temptation scorched them, and their profession withered away (Mat. 13:1-7). And our Lord Himself used the commandment in the hour of His temptation to keep Him. To all the advances of the tempter he replied, It is written.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
Pro. 6:20. The first feature that arrests attention in this picture is, that effects are attributed to the law of a mother which only Gods law can produce. The inference is obvious and sure. It is assumed that the law which a mother instils is the Word of God dwelling richly in her own heart, and that she acts as a channel to convey that Word to the heart of her children. To assume it as actually done is the most impressive method of enjoining it. Parents are, by the constitution of things, in an important sense mediators between God and their children for a time. Your children are, by grace, let into you, so as to drink in what you contain. The only safety is, that you be by grace let into Christ, so that what they get from you shall be, not what springs within you, but what flows into you from the Springhead of holiness. To the children it is the law of their mother, and therefore they receive it; but in substance it is the truth from Jesus, and to receive it is life.Arnot.
We have already noticed (ch. Pro. 1:8) the fifth commandment as comprehending the first five; just as the tenth commandment comprehends the latter five. They ought to be painted so in churches. Handed down so, we verily believe, to Moses, each table must have carried five commandments. Honouring our father, in all the broad meaning of that term, is the first commandment in, not with (as in Eng. version), promise (Eph. 6:2).Miller.
Pro. 6:21. Bind them continually signifieth such a care of firm binding as when one, to be sure of binding strong, doth as it were always hold the strings in his hands, and is continually pulling them. And surely we had need so to bind continually Gods commandments and law to our hearts and necks, for they are but loose knots which the best of us make, and they are ever and anon slipping back, unless our diligence be still pulling hard to keep them close. To bind that to our hearts which bindeth us to godliness, is to loose ourselves; to tie that about our necks which ties us to religion, is to free ourselves. A good fathers commandment, a good mothers law, doth tie us in observance unto Gods law; if, therefore, we shall bind the one upon our hearts continually, if we shall tie the other about our necks, this will give us the freedom of true sons, both with God and man. This hearty binding, and willing tying of ourselves, taketh away all burdensome feeling of any tie or binding from us.Jermin.
Bind them upon thine heart for ever, because through all eternity these commandments will be the very highest objects of affection. Holiness will be the greatest treasure of the blessed. And, second, tie them about thy neck for a still higher reason. Holiness is a bright ornament. It is precious on its own account. It is worthy, not on account of what it does, or of what it seems, but of what it is. That is, if we neither had joy in it nor won profit by it, it would be glorious like a necklace upon the blind, intrinsically, and on its own account.Miller.
Pro. 6:22. No such guide to God as the Word, which, while a man holds to, he may safely say, Lord, if I be deceived, Thou hast deceived me; if I be out of the way, Thy Word has misled me. If thou sleep with some good meditation in thy mind it shall keep thee from foolish and sinful dreams and fancies, and set thy heart in a holy frame when thou awakest. He that raketh up his fire at night shall find fire in the morning. How precious are Thy thoughts unto me, O God (Psa. 139:17). What follows? When I awake, I am still with Thee (Pro. 6:18).Trapp.
I. The thing to be done. The Word of God is to talk with us. A mans character is obviously much influenced by his habitual talk. Sentiments received in conversation powerfully affect the mind. The idea of dealing with the Holy Scripture as a conversible companion is implied in the very name, The Word of God, and in the statement that God, who in sundry times, and in divers manners, spoke to the Fathers, by the prophets, has spoken to us by His son (Heb. 1:1).
1. The word of God will talk to us instructively. No part is addressed to mere speculation or curiosity. It has always in view the object of furnishing the mind with that which shall be useful in the highest sense, and for the longest duration.
2. It will talk without flattery. Our best friends seldom dare to tell us all that is thought of us. But the Word of God tells us what we actually are, and where our faults and danger lie.
3. It will talk with us affectionately. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, yet they may be wounds after all, to minds too susceptible. But there is a depth of love even in the sternest rebukes of the Word of God.
II. The particular time when the Word of God may talk with us. When thou wakest.
1. To forewarn us. Every day is a little life, and who can say what the coming hour may bring forth.
2. To fore-arm us. There is not an hour in which some temptation may not present itself, or some principle be severely tried. A spiritual armour is therefore necessary, while a part of that armour, which is indispensable, is the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God (Eph. 6:17).
3. To pre-occupy us. How is it, said a friend to a learned physician, that amidst much employment and continual exercise of mind you preserve such unruffled tranquillity? It is, said he, because I give the first hour of every morning to the Holy Scriptures and to prayer. Much benefit may well be expected from a pre-occupation of the mind and heart, so entirely consonant to the whole tenor of mans relations to his Maker and perpetual benefactor.Bullar.
Observe three benefits of keeping instruction, and in each the fit time and the act. A man walking, needs a guide; sleeping, needs a watchman; awaking, needs a friend to talk with him.Francis Taylor.
Pro. 6:23.The reproofs of the law may alarm and terrify, but they are not to be less valued on that account. The threatenings of hell guard the way to heaven, and strongly urge us to keep the Kings highway, the only way of safety.Lawson.
The parallelism with Psa. 119:105, deserves special notice. The alliteration, the law is light, like the vulgate, lex, lux, reproduces a corresponding paronomasia in the Hebrew.Plumptre.
He that hath the word of Christ richly dwelling in him, may lay his hand upon his heart and say, as dying Ecolampadius did: Here is plenty of light. Under the law all was in riddles; Moses was veiled; and yet that saying was then verified. There was light enough to lead men to Christ the end of the law (Rom. 10:4). Reproofs of instruction, or corrections of instruction. A lesson set on with a whipping is best remembered.Trapp.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
EXHORTATION TO FILIAL OBEDIENCE, AND ADDITIONAL CAUTIONS AGAINST LEWDNESS, Pro 6:20-35.
20. My son, etc. See Pro 1:8 for substantially the same formula. Compare, also, Pro 3:3.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1). An Appeal To ‘My Son’ To Keep His Commandment And Not Forsake The Torah ( Pro 6:20-23 ).
That Solomon sees ‘his’ commandment and torah as based on the commandment and Torah as given by Moses is brought out here by the description of the commandment as a lamp and the torah as a light. This was how Israel saw the Torah (Psa 119:105; Psa 43:3). It is also made clear by the technical terms used (commandment and torah were descriptions closely connected with the Torah. See for example Exo 24:12; Deu 30:10; Jos 22:5 ; 1Ki 2:3; etc.), and by the fact that ‘the Torah of Moses’ (Jos 1:7-8; Jos 8:31; Jos 22:5; Jos 23:6; Jdg 1:16; Jdg 4:11) would undoubtedly have formed a background to Solomon’s thinking, having been taught to him from an early age (his knowledge of them is assumed in 1Ki 2:3).
This subsection follows the usual chiastic pattern:
A My son, keep the commandment of your father, and forsake not the law of your mother, bind them continually on your heart, tie them about your neck (Pro 6:20-21).
B When you walk, it will lead you (Pro 6:22 a).
C When you sleep, it will watch over you (Pro 6:22 b).
B And when you awake, it will talk with you (Pro 6:22 c).
A For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light, and reproofs of instruction are the way of life (Pro 6:23).
Note than in A reference is to the commandment and the torah (law) which are to be constantly heeded, whilst in the parallel similar reference is made to the commandment and the torah which indicate the way of life. In B and parallel they give daily guidance. Centrally in C they watch over him while he sleeps.
Pro 6:20-21
‘My son, keep the commandment of your father,
And forsake not the law (torah) of your mother,
Bind them continually on your heart,
Fasten them about your neck.’
He was to ‘keep the commandment of his father’, that is guard it and observe it. He was ‘not to forsake the torah (law) of his mother’. These words assume a body of specific teaching passed on by father and mother which are in conformity to each other. We can contrast here Pro 1:8 where the exhortation was to ‘hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother’. It was the responsibility of the family heads to ensure that their children were taught the covenant law (e.g. Deu 11:19). Any instruction by father or mother would therefore inevitably involve the Torah, and in the case of youngsters this would be done by the mother. The use of torah here is therefore significant.
The same combination of commandment and torah is found in Pro 3:1 except for the fact that there it speaks of ‘my commandments’, and is in the plural (and has been in every reference up to this point – Pro 2:1; Pro 3:1; Pro 4:4). Its primary reference there was to Solomon’s commandments, although as reflecting God’s commandments. It may be that here the aim of the singular is in order to emphasise that there is reference to a specific commandment, the commandment not to commit adultery. Or more likely it may be because ‘the commandment’ is a composite word in parallel with torah (compare Deu 17:19-20), both referring to the law of Moses as passed on by father and mother. Solomon’s assumption is that father and mother are passing on sound teaching (he can hardly be saying, ‘do whatever your father and mother tell you no matter what it is’), and in Israel that would be based on the Torah of Moses..
‘His son’ is to bind them continually in his heart (inner being). He must treasure them and consider them and respond to them continually. He is to ‘fasten them about his neck’. Like a necklace he is to make them an adornment to him. For this picture compare Pro 1:9; Pro 3:3; Pro 3:22.
This verse reminds us of Moses’ instruction in Deu 11:18 (compare Deu 6:6-9; , ‘therefore you shall lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes’, but here abbreviated and altered in order to conform to the previous illustrations. This is another indication that the torah (law) of Moses is in mind.
Pro 6:22
‘When you walk, it will lead you,
When you sleep, it will watch over you,
And when you awake, it will talk with you.’
.
Note the change from ‘them’ (referring either to ‘the commandment’ and ‘the torah’ or to the instructions that they contained) to ‘it’, referring to the combination of both, or to wisdom, which is, of course, an exemplification of both. If the latter it emphasises the close connection between wisdom and the commandment and torah on which the teaching of father and mother is based.
God’s wisdom, His commandment and Torah, will lead him in his daily walk, will watch over him when he sleeps, giving him peaceful sleep (Pro 3:24), and will speak to him when he is awake (‘when I awake I am still with you’ – Psa 139:18). It will be to him like a shepherd, and indeed like a mother and father. It will thus affect every part of his life. It is a reminder to us that we should look to the guidance of God’s word in our daily walk, and allow it to talk to us when we first wake up, whilst through the night our knowledge of that word will give us peaceful sleep (compare Pro 3:24; Psa 4:8).
Pro 6:23
‘For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light,
And reproofs of instruction are the way of life.’
The commandment and the torah of his father and mother, as given by God, will lead him because they are a lamp and a light. They give him light when he first wakes up. They continually illuminate his way. They show him the way that he should take, and enable him to avoid objects over which he might stumble. They guide him in the way that is pleasing to God. In the words of the Psalmist (Psa 119:105), ‘your word is a lamp to my feet, and light to my path’. The Psalmist may well have obtained his thought from this passage.
‘Reproofs of instruction are the way of life.’ For the way of wholesome and abundant life is entered into and walked in by responding to the reproofs of disciplinary instruction, and these come from the commandment and torah. In order to enjoy life disciplinary instruction is necessary (compare Pro 3:11).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Discourse 7. Addressed To ‘My Son’. He Is Urged To Observe The Commandment And The Torah, Avoiding The Enticement Of The Adulterous Woman, And Being Aware Of The Wrath Of The Deceived Husband ( Pro 6:20-35 ).
Having illustrated in Pro 6:1-19 the different types of people to whom wisdom speaks, the naive, the fool and the scorner, Solomon now returns to pleading with his ‘son’ to listen to wisdom, and to avoid the enticing woman who is the very opposite of woman wisdom, and is in this case his neighbour’s wife. Nevertheless she is still seen as ‘a stranger’ (Pro 6:24), partly because he would not normally come across her in daily life, and partly because she is operating outside the covenant.
It must be remembered that to Solomon his ‘son’ would have little to do with women whom, apart from his own relatives, he would not meet in daily life, for women in Jerusalem lived sheltered lives. Outside their family they kept themselves to themselves. His experience of life would mainly be of interaction with men. The only exception, of course, was women like the one described here, who thrust themselves on men’s attention. This is one reason why, when giving instruction concerning women, Solomon only refers to immoral women. It was not because he was anti-women. Indeed he made wisdom a woman. It was because they were not, on the whole, involved in community life.
The passage divides up into three sections (determined by the chiasms) as follows:
1) An appeal to ‘my son’ to keep his commandment and not forsake the torah (Pro 6:20-23).
2) A warning that giving way to the flattery and lust of a strange woman will have unpleasant consequences (Pro 6:24-29).
3) A warning that to commit adultery will bring on him the wrath of the offended husband (Pro 6:30-35).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Effects of the Word of God upon our Spirit Man Before Solomon takes us out into the street to see the behaviour of the adulteress, he gives us the remedy and means to avoid her seduction. We must first spend time with the Lord and in His Word in order to strengthen us. Pro 6:20-23 tells us that if we will place the Word of God into our hearts that it will speak to us.
Illustration – It has been my personal experience that when I have studied the Scriptures late at night and I lay down to rest, His Word begins to give me insight and revelation as I shut my eyes, as I dream and even when I awake the next morning. If I begin my day with the Word of God, I find it being quickened to my heart during the day. If I neglect His Word that day, then I have no experiences with the Word that day. This is how God has created us and how He has designed His Word to be at work in our lives. You have noticed that the more you spend time with God the more you hear His voice.
Our partaking of God’s Word is how we prepare and strengthen our spirit, our inner man, for this journey into the world and into the path where the adulteress stalks her prey. A person deceives himself when he thinks that God will speak to him when he has not been in the Word of God. If the Word of God is not on our mind, then we will not be keen to discern the voice of God. If we are dull of hearing from the Lord, we will be more likely to listen to the voice of the world, or to the voice of reason. It is only when we partake of God’s Word that our spirits become sensitive to the voice of God. The Word of God has been designed to speak to us when we plant it in our hearts. This is the way God designed us to be led by the Spirit.
I have been around some great businessmen who loved the Lord and in the presence of some of the greatest ministers in the world today. I have noticed that they all take time to make decisions. They often prefer to sleep on a matter before making a decision in order to listen for the voice of God. When I have given them my presentation or my opinion on a matter, they listen, but then they take the time to wait on the Lord and hear from Him before a decision is made.
We must also recognize the fact that Proverbs 2-8 emphasizes the process of indoctrination on our spiritual journey. Thus, we now are told in Pro 6:20-23 how indoctrination works in the make-up of the human being.
Pro 6:20 My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
Pro 6:21 Pro 6:22 Pro 6:22
Pro 6:22 “when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee” Word Study on “keep” – Strong says the Hebrew word “keep” ( ) (H8104) means, “to hedge about, i.e. to guard,” thus, “to protect to attend to.” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 468 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “ keep 283, observe 46, heed 35, keeper 28, preserve 21, beware 9, Mark 8, watchman 8, wait 7, watch 7, regard 5, save 2, misc 9.”
Comments – When we are asleep, we are most vulnerable. It is at this time that we need protection. How often the Lord has given to me spiritual dreams while sleeping that give me understanding.
If I do a lot of late night Bible study, I have the Lord speak to me more often in the night. Remember King Nebuchadnezzar who had a dream in the night. Daniel explained to him that it was because the king had been meditating on what would take place in the future. God spoke to him in the night season to show him. Unfortunately, the king was too undisciplined to write down his dream. So he forgot it and needed the ministry of Daniel to recall his dream and to interpret it. But even Daniel had to sleep on it so that God would reveal it to him in a night vision (Dan 2:19).
Pro 6:22 “and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee” – Comments – How often I have been awakened by a word from the Lord early in the morning. This is a time when the Word of God that has been planted in your heart and mind seems to speak back to you, although, we know that this is the Spirit of God quickening His word to our hearts in the quietness of early morning.
Pro 6:22 Comments – Many of us as believers have experienced Pro 6:22 where a verse from God’s Word’s has spoken to us. God has quickened a verse to our hearts to lead us as we go throughout day. His Word has spoken to us to in the night by a dream or vision in order to guard us. The Spirit of God has spoken to us directly or by a vision as we were waking up in the morning. But we must first learn to pray in the morning, and before bedtime in order to prepare our hearts to hear the voice of the Lord. This is the way we have been created to hear the voice of God.
Pro 6:23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
Pro 6:23
Pro 6:23 Comments – If we will hide God’s Word within our hearts, then we will experience this Word being quickened to us during the day when we need direction. The Word of God becomes our light to give us instructions. It has been hidden in our hearts and now becomes an inner light that leads us. Our mind of reason may tell us to do it one way, but our hearts tell us something else. Our flesh and bodies tell our mind to satisfy its cravings, but the Word of God planted in our hearts says no. We must learn to listen to the voice of wisdom, which speaks to our hearts. We must understand how wisdom speaks before venturing out into the world. Because the adulteress will try to gain access to our minds through all five sense-gates. We have to be able to block her entrance.
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
The Characteristics of the Adulteress – Note that we have just finished a passage on the characteristics of the wicked man (Pro 6:12-19). Now we have a lengthy passage of Scripture that deals with the characteristics of the adulteress (Pro 6:20 to Pro 7:27). We have been given a brief glimpse of her characteristics in Pro 2:16-19; Pro 5:3-6. Now the Preacher is going to give his students a full revelation through this lengthy discourse on a personality that invades every leader’s life.
Outline Here is a proposed outline:
1. The Effects of the Word of God upon our Spirit Man Pro 6:20-23
2. The Cunning Devises of the Adulteress Pro 6:24 to Pro 7:27
The Graphic Description of the Adulteress – The description of the dark street and the seduction of the simple-minded youth by the adulteress sounds as if the Preacher is recalling something that actually happened. Perhaps King David taught Solomon about the severe consequences of adultery (Pro 6:20-35), which he himself had experienced, by taking his son out into the streets to show him how the adulteress works (Pro 7:1-27). This event would have forever been imprinted into the mind of young Solomon so that he never forgot what he saw. David did not want his son to fall in the same way that he had fallen. He knew how Satan would tempt his son the way he was tempted. Unfortunately, this is the area in which Solomon also fell. Therefore, Solomon dedicates a lengthy passage to this area because he knows and understands how powerful this strange woman can be in the life of a man of God.
The Steps of Adultery Contrasted with the Steps of Marriage – Once King David taught Solomon about the severe consequences of adultery (Pro 6:20-35), which he himself had experienced, he then takes his son out on the streets to show him how the adulteress works (Pro 7:1-27). We can identify her method of seduction by contrasting it to the holy wedding ceremony of the bride and the groom found in Son 3:6 to Son 5:1. The adulteress woos her victims by presenting herself in seductive clothing (Pro 7:9-12), while the bridegroom presents himself in all of his wealth and glory (Son 3:6-11). The groom displays his strength and wealth, while the adulteress displays her appearance. While the bridegroom sings a love song to his bride (Son 4:1-15), the adulteress romances her victim with words of seduction (Pro 7:13-20). Finally, the wedding is consummated in the marriage bed (Son 4:16 to Son 5:1), while the adulteress lures her victim into the bed of adultery (Pro 7:21-23). The outcome of the marriage bed is rest and fulfillment of God’s divine plan for two individuals, while the outcome of adultery is destruction.
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Warning Depicting the Consequences of Unchastity
v. 20. My son, keep thy father’s commandment v. 21. Bind them continually upon thine heart v. 22. When thou goest, it shall lead thee v. 23. For the commandment is a lamp, and the Law is light v. 24. to keep thee from the evil woman v. 25. Lust not after her beauty in thine heart v. 26. For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread v. 27. Can a man take fire in his bosom v. 28. Can one go upon hot coals, v. 29. So he that goeth in to his neighbor’s wife v. 30. Men do not despise a thief v. 31. but if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house v. 32. But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding v. 33. A wound and dishonor shall he get v. 34. For jealousy is the rage of a man v. 35. He will not regard any ransom,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids. 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. Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? So he that goeth in to his neighbour’s wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent. Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house. But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away. For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.
I make no interruption through the whole of this paragraph, because the whole forms but one and the same sermon. The binding those graces upon the heart, and wearing them about the neck, is similar to what Moses commanded the Israelites concerning the law. Deu 6:6-9 . And Reader! doth it not suggest to the recollection Aaron, in his typifying the Lord Jesus, going in before the mercy-seat with the names of the twelve tribes on his breast? And doth not Jesus bind his people to him now in all his priestly office. Exo 28:29 ; Rev 8:3 . What a relief would the recollection of this be to a poor believer in every trying hour, could he but steadily by faith look within the veil, whither our forerunner is for us entered, and behold him thus engaged? And what a blessed work would it be of God the Spirit upon the heart, if the believer could also by faith take to him, and bind to him, everything that concerns the enjoyment of Jesus and his great salvation, to lead him when he went forth; to keep him when he slept, and to talk with him when he was awake.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Pro 6:20 My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
Ver. 20. My son, keep thy father’s commandment.] The commandments of religious parents are the very commandments of God himself, and are therefore to be as carefully kept “as the apple of a man’s eye.” Pro 7:2 See Trapp on “ Pro 1:8 “
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Pro 6:20-35
Respect and honor for parents and word of God
will keep one from Sexual Immorality (Pro 6:20-35):
“My son, keep the commandment of thy father, And forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thy heart; Tie them about thy neck. When thou walkest, it shall lead thee; When thou sleepest, it shall watch over thee; And when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp; And the law is light; And reproofs of instruction are the way of life: To keep thee from the evil woman, From the flattery of the foreigner’s tongue” (Pro 6:20-24). Wisdom, knowledge, and understanding will keep a man from the strange woman. The man or woman who binds the word of God to their heart and around their neck will be fully equipped to escape the seductive words and looks of an immoral woman (or man).
“Lust not after her beauty in thy heart; Neither let her take thee with her eyelids. For on account of a harlot a man is brought to a piece of bread; And the adulteress hunteth for the precious life” (Pro 6:25-26). To deny that there are other beautiful women in the world aside from your wife is to be naive. Those who lustfully contemplate the beauty of a woman within the heart fail to live holy in God’s sight. Solomon advises to not let the lust of a beautiful woman have a beginning in the heart. Neither is a man to allow a beautiful flirtatious woman seduce with her eyes. A married man has no business “making eyes” or receiving sensual eyes. Those who lust and make flirtatious eye contact with a woman outside your marriage are brought as low as a piece of bread (they are ruined). Jesus had said, “What shall a man give in exchange for his soul” (Mat 16:26). Will the godly give up their fellowship with the Lord and family for a moment of pleasure? Know this that the “adulteress hunts for the precious life” of one who is unsuspecting.
“Can a man take fire in his bosom, And his clothes not be burned? Or can one walk upon hot coals, And his feet not be scorched? So he that goeth in to his neighbor’s wife; Whosoever toucheth her shall not be unpunished” (Pro 6:27-29). Solomon calls upon his readers to reason with him. One can in no way take fire into his bosom and not expect to get burned. Again, a man cannot walk upon hot coals and somehow think that it is not going to affect him. You will be burned. Likewise, the man that “goes into his neighbor’s wife” will suffer the awful consequences of such an unlawful and abominable act. He will receive immediate and everlasting punishment!
“Men do not despise a thief, if he steal To satisfy himself when he is hungry: But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; He shall give all the substance of his house. He that committeth adultery with a woman is void of understanding: He doeth it who would destroy his own soul” (Pro 6:30-32). Solomon continues to reason with his reader who may contemplate an adulterous affair. Solomon compares the abominable sin of adultery with a sin that is on the lowest end of the “sin spectrum.” A man who steals food to satisfy his starvation will nonetheless pay a penalty for his error. If Adultery is on the other end of the “sin spectrum” will it not be even more punishable. The point is that no one will escape the punishment that is due the adulterer. When a man or woman commits adultery against their spouse they demonstrate a spirit that lacks understanding regarding the consequences of said action. They are numb to the fact that they are destroying their own soul for all eternity.
“Wounds and dishonor shall he get; And his reproach shall not be wiped away. For jealousy is the rage of a man; And he will not spare in the day of vengeance. He will not regard any ransom; Neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts” (Pro 6:33-35). Two immediate consequences to an adulterous affair are personal chastisement and loss of reputation. The adulterer’s “reproach shall not be wiped away” (i.e., every time someone mentions the adulterers name they will think not about his good deeds but about his adultery). The adulterer is also subject to the “jealousy and rage” of the man that the woman you committed adultery with is married to. Does the adulterer actually think that the man whose wife you cheated with will say, “Hey, no problem… I understand you made a mistake…” NO! That man will be filled with rage and will be tempted to take your head off. You have violated that man’s wife. You have thrown the trust that your wife had in you to the wind. You have acted corruptly and shall now reap what you have sown. Adultery is a grave error! One may recall Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book, “The Scarlet Letter.” The book told of a woman who had traveled to America in the 1700’s to establish herself and family. Her husband was to join her after a short stay in Europe. While she waited on her husband to come she found herself in an adulterous affair. The result was a baby daughter. When the towns people heard of her adultery they made her wear a scarlet red letter “A” upon her clothing and walk about the city streets in shame. When her husband finally came to America he found what she did and would not reveal himself to her. He was so angry that he spent years formulating a plan of revenge. There is nothing good that comes of adultery!
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Pro 1:8, Pro 1:9, Pro 7:1-4, Pro 23:22, Pro 30:11, Deu 21:18, Deu 27:16, Eph 6:1
Reciprocal: Gen 18:19 – command Gen 39:8 – refused Gen 49:2 – hearken Exo 13:9 – a sign Lev 19:3 – fear Deu 11:18 – ye lay up Psa 119:9 – shall Psa 119:24 – my counsellors Pro 4:1 – ye Pro 4:20 – General Pro 31:1 – his Jer 35:8 – General 1Co 15:2 – keep in memory Col 3:20 – obey
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Pro 6:20-23. Keep thy fathers commandment So far as it is not contrary to Gods command. And forsake not the law of thy mother Which children are too apt to despise. Bind them continually upon thy heart Constantly remember and duly consider them; tie them about thy neck See on Pro 1:9; Pro 3:3. When thou goest, it shall lead thee Namely, the law of God, which thy parents have taught thee, and pressed upon thee, shall direct thee how to order all thy steps and actions. It shall talk with thee It shall give thee counsel and comfort. For the commandment is a lamp It enlightens the dark mind, and clearly discovers to a man the plain and right way. And reproofs of instruction Wise and instructive reproofs or admonitions; are the way to life Both to preserve and prolong this life, and to ensure eternal life to those that obey them.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
11. The guilt of adultery 6:20-35
This extended warning against one of life’s most destructive practices is classic. We can profit from reading it frequently. Pro 6:20-23 indicate the start of a new section and stress again the importance of the precepts that follow. Solomon regarded the instruction he was giving as an expression of God’s law (cf. Pro 6:23; Psa 119:105). Commenting on Pro 6:20-23, Paul Larsen wrote the following.
"Get hung up in your relationships with your parents and you’ll never get in a right relationship with yourself." [Note: Larsen, p. 67.]
The immoral act begins with the lustful look (Pro 6:25; cf. 2Sa 11:2). That is the place to weed out the temptation, when it is still small.
"Playing with temptation is only the heart reaching out after sin." [Note: Ross, p. 937.]
". . . the ordinary harlot is after subsistence, will deprive a man of his money, but not ruin him; the unchaste married woman brings on him destructive social (and possibly legal) punishment." [Note: Toy, p. 137.]
In Pro 6:27-29 we have a series of physical analogies designed to illustrate spiritual cause and effect. Adultery brings inescapable punishment. One may contain the fire (Pro 6:27) at first, but others will discover it if it continues to burn. "His clothes" (Pro 6:27) may imply outward reputation, namely, what others see, as often in Scripture. "Touches her" is probably a euphemism for sexual intimacy (cf. Gen 20:6; 1Co 7:1).
"’But sex is a normal desire, given to us by God,’ some people argue. ’Therefore, we have every right to use it, even if we’re not married. It’s like eating: If you’re hungry, God gave you food to eat; if you’re lonely, God gave you sex to enjoy.’ Some of the people in the Corinthian church used this argument to defend their sinful ways: ’Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods’ (1Co 6:13, NKJV). But Paul made it clear that the believer’s body belonged to God and that the presence of a desire wasn’t the same as the privilege to satisfy that desire (Pro 6:12-20)." [Note: Wiersbe, p. 54.]
Pro 6:30-35 draw another kind of comparison. Adultery is a practice good people look down on because it is never necessary. It is always the product of lack of self-control. It is this lack of self-restraint that seems to be the reason an unfaithful husband should not be a church elder (1Ti 5:6).
"The picture of the adulterer as social outcast may seem greatly overdrawn. If so, the adjustment that must be made is to say that in any healthy society such an act is social suicide." [Note: Kidner, pp. 74-75.]
Also, Hebrew poetry sometimes employs hyperbole.
12. The lure of adultery ch. 7
This chapter dramatizes the arguments Solomon advanced in the previous section (Pro 6:20-35). He told a story that illustrates his point.
The prologue (Pro 6:1-5) again urges the adoption of this advice, not just the reception of it. The apple (pupil) of the eye (Pro 6:2) is its most sensitive part (cf. Deu 32:10).
Pro 6:6-9 describe the victim of temptation as one who has not adopted Solomon’s counsel. In Israelite culture, the person viewing what was going on in the street would often have done so from a second story window, since the lower story would typically have lacked windows as a precaution against theft. [Note: Waltke, The Book . . ., p. 371.] The youth is "naive" (Pro 6:7), foolish innocently or deliberately.
Pro 6:10-12 picture the huntress on the prowl for sensual gratification, preying on anyone foolish enough to encourage her.
"The first step in coming to maturity is to develop a concept of deferred satisfaction." [Note: Larsen, p. 50.]
"Woe to the marriage whose partners cannot find values in their home and must constantly seek outside stimulation!" [Note: Plaut, p. 102.]
Pro 6:13-21 show her tactics: sensual assault (Pro 6:13), justification of her intent (Pro 6:14), flattery (Pro 6:15), visualization of delight (Pro 6:16-17), proposition (Pro 6:18), and reassurance of safety (Pro 6:19-20). We should probably favor the marginal reading of Pro 6:14: "Sacrifices of peace offerings are with me." The idea is that she had made a peace offering and had some of the food that was her portion of the offering at her house where she needed to eat it.
"Her refrigerator is full, as we would say." [Note: R. Laird Harris, "Proverbs," in The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 563.]
Some peace offerings followed the end of a vow (votive offerings). This seems to have been the case here. This woman appears to be indulging herself after a period of self-sacrifice, as some people who fast during Lent do at the end of that season. It is quite clear that this woman knew exactly what she wanted.
Pro 6:22-23 portray the "kill." Evidently the youth hesitated, but then "suddenly" (Pro 6:22) yielded. Sin leads to death (cf. Rom 6:23; Jas 1:15)-along the same line, Solomon looked at the end result of the youth’s action, not its immediate effect.
"Stupid animals see no connection between traps and death, and morally stupid people see no connection between their sin and death (cf. Pro 1:17-18; Hos 7:11)." [Note: Waltke, The Book . . ., p. 384.]
In the epilogue to this story (Pro 6:24-27), Solomon advised a three-fold defense against this temptation. First, guard your heart (Pro 6:25 a). We are in danger when we begin to desire and long for an adulterous affair. Fantasizing such an affair is one symptom that we are in this danger zone. Second, guard your body (Pro 6:25 b). Do not go near or stay near someone who may want an adulterous affair. Third, guard your future (Pro 6:26-27). Think seriously about the consequences of having an adulterous affair before you get involved.
"A man’s life is not destroyed in one instant; it is taken from him gradually as he enters into a course of life that will leave him as another victim of the wages of sin." [Note: Ross, p. 942.]