Proverbs 7:23-27 New English Translation
23 till an arrow pierces his liver[a]—
like a bird hurrying into a trap,
and he does not know that it will cost him his life.[b]
24 So now, sons,[c] listen to me,
and pay attention to the words I speak.[d]
25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways—
do not wander into her pathways;
26 for she has brought down[e] many fatally wounded,
and all those she has slain are many.[f]
27 Her house is the way to the grave,[g]
going down to the chambers of death.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 7:23 sn The figure of an arrow piercing the liver (an implied comparison) may refer to the pangs of a guilty conscience that the guilty must reap along with the spiritual and physical ruin that follows (see on these expressions H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament).
- Proverbs 7:23 tn The expression that it is “for/about/over his life” means that it could cost him his life (e.g., Num 16:38). Alternatively, the line could refer to moral corruption and social disgrace rather than physical death—but this would not rule out physical death too.
- Proverbs 7:24 tn The literal translation “sons” works well here in view of the warning. Cf. KJV, NAB, NRSV “children.”
- Proverbs 7:24 tn Heb “the words of my mouth.”
- Proverbs 7:26 tn Heb “she has caused to fall.”
- Proverbs 7:26 tn Heb “numerous” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT) or “countless.”
- Proverbs 7:27 tn The noun “Sheol” in parallelism to “the chambers of death” probably means the grave. The noun is a genitive of location, indicating the goal of the road(s). Her house is not the grave; it is, however, the sure way to it. Cf. 2:18.sn Her house is the way to the grave. The young 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. The point of the warning is to prevent such a course from starting. Sin can certainly be forgiven, but the more involvement in this matter the greater the alienation from the healthy community.
New English Translation (NET)
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