The book of Proverbs is written from a father to a son, so naturally, one of the biggest topics that should come up in this father/son conversation is the topic of women. I recently read through the book of Proverbs with a small group of men and was struck with just how often the topic does come up. In chapters 1-9, every chapter mentions women; if we be faithful Bible readers, that should get our attention.
I believe the frequency of the women in Proverbs serves two purposes: 1) to teach the son what to look for and what not to look for in a woman and 2) to given women a pattern and model for their lives, what virtues to cultivate and what vices to avoid. It is very notable that wisdom is always personified as a woman in the book of Proverbs. This book, though written for young men, is just as meaningful for young women.
This is part three in the series I’ve got going on the Proverbs, categorizing them under different topics. Click here for all the Proverbs on riches/wealth and click here for all the Proverbs on speech/the tongue.
Wisdom cries aloud in the street,
in the markets she raises her voice;
at the head of the noisy streets she cries out;
at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
“How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing
and fools hate knowledge? – 1:21-22
So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman,
from the adulteress with her smooth words,
who forsakes the companion of her youth
and forgets the covenant of her God;
for her house sinks down to death,
and her paths to the departed;
none who go to her come back,
nor do they regain the paths of life. – 2:16-19
Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,
and the one who gets understanding,
for the gain from her is better than gain from silver
and her profit better than gold.
She is more precious than jewels,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.
Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
and all her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;
those who hold her fast are called blessed. – 3:13-18
Get wisdom; get insight;
do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;
love her, and she will guard you.
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,
and whatever you get, get insight.
Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;
she will honor you if you embrace her.
She will place on your head a graceful garland;
she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.” – 4:5-9
Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;
guard her, for she is your life. – 4:13
For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil,
but in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
sharp as a two-edged sword.
Her feet go down to death;
her steps follow the path to Sheol;
she does not ponder the path of life;
her ways wander, and she does not know it.
And now, O sons, listen to me,
and do not depart from the words of my mouth.
Keep your way far from her,
and do not go near the door of her house. – 5:3-8
Let your fountain be blessed,
and rejoice in the wife of your youth,
a lovely deer, a graceful doe.
Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight;
be intoxicated always in her love.
Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman
and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?- 5:18-20
For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light,
and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,
to preserve you from the evil woman,
from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.
Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;
for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread,
but a married woman hunts down a precious life. – 6:23-26
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call insight your intimate friend,
to keep you from the forbidden woman,
from the adulteress with her smooth words. – 7:4-5
And behold, the woman meets him,
dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.
She is loud and wayward;
her feet do not stay at home;
now in the street, now in the market,
and at every corner she lies in wait.
She seizes him and kisses him,
and with bold face she says to him, – 7:10-13
With much seductive speech she persuades him;
with her smooth talk she compels him.
All at once he follows her,
as an ox goes to the slaughter,
or as a stag is caught fast
till an arrow pierces its liver;
as a bird rushes into a snare;
he does not know that it will cost him his life.
And now, O sons, listen to me,
and be attentive to the words of my mouth.
Let not your heart turn aside to her ways;
do not stray into her paths,
for many a victim has she laid low,
and all her slain are a mighty throng.
Her house is the way to Sheol,
going down to the chambers of death. – 7:21-27
Does not wisdom call?
Does not understanding raise her voice?
On the heights beside the way,
at the crossroads she takes her stand;
beside the gates in front of the town,
at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud. – 8:1-3
Take my instruction instead of silver,
and knowledge rather than choice gold,
for wisdom is better than jewels,
and all that you may desire cannot compare with her. – 8:10-11
Wisdom has built her house;
she has hewn her seven pillars.
She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine;
she has also set her table.
She has sent out her young women to call
from the highest places in the town, – 9:1-3
The woman Folly is loud;
she is seductive and knows nothing.
She sits at the door of her house;
she takes a seat on the highest places of the town,
calling to those who pass by,
who are going straight on their way,
“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
And to him who lacks sense she says,
“Stolen water is sweet,
and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
But he does not know that the dead are there,
that her guests are in the depths of Sheol. – 9:13-18
A gracious woman gets honor,
and violent men get riches. – 11:16
Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
is a beautiful woman without discretion. – 11:22
An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones. – 12:4
The wisest of women builds her house,
but folly with her own hands tears it down. – 14:1
He who finds a wife finds a good thing
and obtains favor from the Lord. – 18:22
A foolish son is ruin to his father,
and a wife’s quarreling is a continual dripping of rain. – 19:13
House and wealth are inherited from fathers,
but a prudent wife is from the Lord. – 19:14
It is better to live in a corner of the housetop
than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife. – 21:9
It is better to live in a desert land
than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman. – 21:19
The mouth of forbidden women is a deep pit;
he with whom the Lord is angry will fall into it. – 22:14
For a prostitute is a deep pit;
an adulteress is a narrow well.
She lies in wait like a robber
and increases the traitors among mankind. – 23:27-28
It is better to live in a corner of the housetop
than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife. – 25:24
Three things are too wonderful for me;
four I do not understand:
the way of an eagle in the sky,
the way of a serpent on a rock,
the way of a ship on the high seas,
and the way of a man with a virgin. – 30:18-19
This is the way of an adulteress:
she eats and wipes her mouth
and says, “I have done no wrong.” – 30:20
Under three things the earth trembles;
under four it cannot bear up:
a slave when he becomes king,
and a fool when he is filled with food;
an unloved woman when she gets a husband,
and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress. – 30:21-23
A continual dripping on a rainy day
and a quarrelsome wife are alike; – 27:15
Do not give your strength to women,
your ways to those who destroy kings. – 31:3
An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels…. – 31:10-31
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