Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 7:10

And, behold, there met him a woman [with] the attire of a harlot, and subtle of heart.

10. attire of a harlot ] Comp. Gen 38:14; Eze 16:16; Eze 16:25; Bar 6:43 .

subtil ] Lit. hidden, or kept close, and so, subtil, or wily, because she keeps such strict watch over her heart as not to allow its true motives and feelings to appear.

The LXX. and Vulg. understand it to refer to her action on the hearts or passions of her victims, , prparata ad capiendas animas.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Verse 10. A woman with the attire of a harlot] It appears that sitting in some open place, and covering the face, or having a veil of a peculiar kind on, was the evidence of a harlot, Ge 38:14; Ge 38:15-19. No doubt, in Solomon’s time, they had other distinctions. In all other countries, and in all times, the show of their countenance did testify against them; they declared their sin as Sodom; they hid it not. However, this does not seem to have been a mere prostitute; for she was, according to her own declaration, a married woman, and kept house, Pr 7:19, if her assertions relative to this were not falsehoods, and calculated the better to render him secure, and prevent the suspicion of endangering himself by cohabiting with a common woman; which I am rather inclined to think was the case, for she was subtle of heart.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

With the attire of an harlot; with a habit and carriage agreeable to her quality and design.

Subtle, or wary, or reserved, as she showed in her following discourse; wherein she proposeth all things which might invite him, and conceals whatsoever might discourage him.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

10. attirethat of harlots wassometimes peculiar.

subtileor, “wary,””cunning.”

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

And, behold, there met him a woman,…. A married woman, and an adulteress, as the following account of her shows; as soon as ever she discerned the young man before described, who she knew, by his air, walk, and dress, was a fit person for her turn, she at once set out from her house, or the corner where she stood, and met him; she did not wait till he came up and made his suit to her, but she went out, and first attacked him; wherefore the word “behold” is prefixed as a note of admiration at the impudence of the woman, and as a note of attention to observe the consequence of this affair. This woman represents the woman on a scarlet-coloured beast, the mother of harlots, who, though she pretends to be the spouse of Christ, is an arrant whore,

Re 17:3;

[with] the attire of a harlot; not with her face veiled, as Tamar was,

Ge 38:14; for though that might be the sign of a harlot in the daytime, yet not in the night, as this was; rather with showy gaudy garments, such as the Athenian whores wore, or short ones, as the Romans; the word signifies one fitted to her body, neat and well shaped, to recommend her: so the woman, the whore of Rome, is said to be arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls; signifying the outward pomp and splendour of the Romish religion, designed to captivate weak and unwary minds,

[See comments on Re 17:4];

and subtle of heart; mistress of all artful and intriguing methods to seduce and ensnare g; or, “reserved of heart” h, cautious and wary what she said, told everything that was encouraging, but kept back what was discouraging; or she kept her own heart to herself, while she stole the hearts of others; so the Targum renders it,

“which takes away the hearts of young men;”

and to the same purpose are the versions of the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic: the subtlety of the popes, priests, jesuits, and other emissaries of Rome, to deceive the hearts of the simple, is well known; the coming of antichrist was after the working of Satan, with all deceivableness of unrighteousness, 2Th 2:9.

g “Fallendique vias mille ministret amor”, Tibullus ad Junonem, 6. v. 12. h “cauta corde”, Tigurine version, Mercerus: Gejerus; “retento corde”, Cocceius.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

Finally, the young man devoid of understanding sees his waiting rewarded: like meets like.

10 And, lo, a woman coming to meet him,

In the attire of an harlot and of subtle heart.

11 Boisterous is she, and ungovernable;

Her feet have no rest in her own house.

12 At one time before her door, at another in the street,

And again at every corner she places herself on the watch.

“ Pro 7:12 (Hitzig) expresses what is wont to be, instead of a single event, Pro 7:11, viz., the custom of a street harlot. But she who is spoken of is not such an one; lurking is not applicable to her (cf. Job 31:9), and, Pro 7:11, it is not meant that she is thus inclined.” But Hitzig’s rendering of Pro 7:11, “she was boisterous … in her house her feet had no rest,” is inaccurate, since neither nor is used. Thus in Pro 7:11 and Pro 7:12 the poet gives a characteristic of the woman, introduced by into the frame of his picture, which goes beyond that which then presented itself to his eyes. We must with Pro 7:12 reject also Pro 7:11; and even that would not be a radical improvement, since that characteristic lying behind the evident, that which was then evident begins with (and subtle in heart). We must thus suppose that the woman was not unknown to the observer here describing her. He describes her first as she then appeared. Hitzig regards as equivalent to , similitude (from ), and why? Because does not mean “to lay against,” but “to place.” But Exo 33:4 shows the contrary, and justifies the meaning attire, which the word also has in Psa 73:6. Meri less suitably compares 2Ki 9:30, but rightly explains (dressing, ornament), and remarks that elliptical is equivalent to . It is not the nominative (Bertheau), but the accusative, as , Psa 144:12, Ewald, 279d. How Hitzig reaches the translation of by “and an arrow in her heart” ( et saucia corde )

(Note: Virgil’s Aeneid, iv. 1.)

one can only understand by reading his commentary. The usage of the language, Pro 4:23, he remarks, among other things, would stamp her as a virtuous person. As if a phrase like could be used both sensu bono and sensu malo ! One can guard his heart when he protects it carefully against moral danger, or also when he purposely conceals that which is in it. The part. signifies, Isa 1:8, besieged (blockaded), Eze 16:12, protected, guarded, and Isa 48:6; Isa 65:4, concealed, hidden. Ewald, 187b, refers these three significations in the two passages in Isaiah and in the passage before us to , Niph. (as ); but (1) one would then more surely take (cf. , ) as the verbal stem; (2) one reaches the idea of the concealed (the hidden) easier from that of the preserved than from that of the confined. As one says in Lat. homo occultus, tectus, abstrusus , in the sense of , so it is said of that woman , not so much in the sense of retenta cor, h.e. quae quod in corde haberet non pandebat , Fr. retenue (Cocc.), as in the sense of custodita cor, quae intentionem cordis mentemque suam callide novit premere (Mich.): she is of a hidden mind, of a concealed nature; for she feigns fidelity to her husband and flatters her paramours as her only beloved, while in truth she loves none, and each of them is to her only a means to an end, viz., to the indulgence of her worldly sensual desire. For, as the author further describes here, she is (fem. of = , as Pro 1:21; Isa 22:2), tumultuosa , externally as internally impetuous, because full of intermingling lust and deceit ( opp. , 1Pe 3:4; 1Ti 2:11), and , self-willed, not minding the law of duty, of discretion, or of modesty (from , Arab. sharr , pervicacem, malum esse ). She is the very opposite of the noiseless activity and the gentle modesty of a true house-wife, rude, stubborn, and also vagrant like a beast in its season (Hos 4:14): in domo ipsius residere nequeunt pedes ejus ; thus not or (Tit 2:5), far removed from the genuine woman – like

(Note: Eurip. Herac.) – a radt , as they call such a one in Arab. (Wnsche on Hos 12:1)

or as she is called in Aram. .

Pro 7:12

This verse shows how she conducts herself when she wanders abroad. It is no common street-walker who is designated (no “ Husterin ,” Arab. kahbt , after which also the female demon-name (Arab.) se’ala is explained), but that licentious married wife, who, no better than such a strumpet when she wanders abroad, hunts after lovers. The alternating (properly a stroke) Fleischer compares with the Arab. synonyms, marrt , a going over, karrt , a going back, una volta, una fiata, une fois (Orelli, Synon. der Zeit und Ewigkeit, p. 51). Regarding , vid., at Pro 5:16: it is the free space without, before the house-door, or also before the gate of the city; the parallelism speaks here and at Pro 1:20 more in favour of the former signification.

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

Advantages of the Strange Woman

(Pro 7:10-12)

Verses 10-12 show the advantages that favor the strange woman. She is dressed to display her physical charms and appeal to his carnal nature. She is subtle of heart, not immediately revealing her purpose, but brazen and insistent as suggestions for an evening of pleasure are made. She is experienced in street contacts.

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

(10) Subtil of heart.Feigning love to her husband and devotion to her lovers, yet caring for none, only to satisfy her own passions.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

10. Attire of a harlot Such persons usually have some means of making their character known. Their dress or manner shows what they are. , ( shith,) rendered attire, means something put on, some particular article, possibly, which indicated her occupation. Comp. Gen 38:15; Gen 38:19.

Subtile of heart The idea may be, rather, guarded or reserved of heart; that is, having no affection, though pretending to much. “Wary of mind.” Stuart. “Hidden in heart.” Miller. Instead of “attire,” the Geneva has, “behaviour.”

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments