Proverbs 2:18
New International Version
Surely her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead.

New Living Translation
Entering her house leads to death; it is the road to the grave.

English Standard Version
for her house sinks down to death, and her paths to the departed;

Berean Standard Bible
For her house sinks down to death, and her tracks to the departed spirits.

King James Bible
For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.

New King James Version
For her house leads down to death, And her paths to the dead;

New American Standard Bible
For her house sinks down to death, And her tracks lead to the dead;

NASB 1995
For her house sinks down to death And her tracks lead to the dead;

NASB 1977
For her house sinks down to death, And her tracks lead to the dead;

Legacy Standard Bible
For her house sinks down to death And her tracks descend to the dead;

Amplified Bible
For her house leads down to death And her paths lead to the dead;

Christian Standard Bible
for her house sinks down to death and her ways to the land of the departed spirits.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
for her house sinks down to death and her ways to the land of the departed spirits.

American Standard Version
For her house inclineth unto death, And her paths unto the dead;

Contemporary English Version
The road to her house leads down to the dark world of the dead.

English Revised Version
For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Her house sinks down to death. Her ways lead to the souls of the dead.

Good News Translation
If you go to her house, you are traveling the road to death. To go there is to approach the world of the dead.

International Standard Version
For her house leads down to death, and her paths down to the realm of the dead.

Majority Standard Bible
For her house sinks down to death, and her tracks to the departed spirits.

NET Bible
For her house sinks down to death, and her paths lead to the place of the departed spirits.

New Heart English Bible
for her house leads down to death, her paths to the dead.

Webster's Bible Translation
For her house inclineth to death, and her paths to the dead.

World English Bible
for her house leads down to death, her paths to the departed spirits.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
For her house has inclined to death, "" And her paths to Rephaim.

Young's Literal Translation
For her house hath inclined unto death, And unto Rephaim her paths.

Smith's Literal Translation
For her house sunk down to death, and her tracks to the shades.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And hath forgotten the covenant of her God: for her house inclineth unto death, and her paths to hell.

Catholic Public Domain Version
and who has forgotten the covenant of her God. For her household inclines toward death, and her paths toward Hell.

New American Bible
For her path sinks down to death, and her footsteps lead to the shades.

New Revised Standard Version
for her way leads down to death, and her paths to the shades;
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For she has forgotten the threshold of her house and the way of her paths.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
She has forgotten the doorposts of her house and the steps of her paths.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
For her house sinketh down unto death, And her paths unto the shades;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For she has fixed her house near death, and guided her wheels near Hades with the giants.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Benefits of Wisdom
17who abandons the partner of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God. 18For her house sinks down to death, and her tracks to the departed spirits. 19None who go to her return or negotiate the paths of life.…

Cross References
Proverbs 5:5
Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to Sheol.

Proverbs 7:27
Her house is the road to Sheol, descending to the chambers of death.

Revelation 2:20-23
But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols. / Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling. / Behold, I will cast her onto a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer great tribulation unless they repent of her deeds. ...

Matthew 7:13-14
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. / But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Proverbs 9:18
But they do not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

Proverbs 7:25-26
Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths. / For she has brought many down to death; her slain are many in number.

Revelation 17:1-6
Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. / The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and those who dwell on the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her immorality.” / And the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, where I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. ...

1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts, / nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

Proverbs 6:26
For the levy of the prostitute is poverty, and the adulteress preys upon your very life.

Proverbs 23:27-28
For a prostitute is a deep pit, and an adulteress is a narrow well. / Like a robber she lies in wait and multiplies the faithless among men.

2 Peter 2:1-3
Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. / Many will follow in their depravity, and because of them the way of truth will be defamed. / In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction does not sleep.

Isaiah 57:9
You went to Molech with oil and multiplied your perfumes. You have sent your envoys a great distance; you have descended even to Sheol itself.

Jeremiah 51:6-8
Flee from Babylon! Escape with your lives! Do not be destroyed in her punishment. For this is the time of the LORD’s vengeance; He will pay her what she deserves. / Babylon was a gold cup in the hand of the LORD, making the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore the nations have gone mad. / Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been shattered. Wail for her; get her balm for her pain; perhaps she can be healed.

Ezekiel 23:17
Then the Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love, and in their lust they defiled her. But after she had been defiled by them, she turned away in disgust.

Romans 6:21-23
What fruit did you reap at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The outcome of those things is death. / But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the fruit you reap leads to holiness, and the outcome is eternal life. / For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.


Treasury of Scripture

For her house inclines to death, and her paths to the dead.

Proverbs 5:4-14
But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword…

Proverbs 6:26-35
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…

Proverbs 7:22-27
He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; …

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Dead Death Footsteps House Inclined Inclineth Leads Paths Rephaim Shades Sinketh Sinks Spirits Tracks Way
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Proverbs 2
1. wisdom promises godliness to her children
10. and safety from evil company
20. and direction in good ways














For her house sinks down to death
This phrase refers to the consequences of following the path of the adulterous woman, a recurring theme in Proverbs. The "house" symbolizes her domain or influence, which leads to spiritual and moral decay. In biblical context, the house is often a metaphor for one's life or family (Joshua 24:15). The imagery of sinking suggests a gradual decline, emphasizing the deceptive nature of sin. The concept of death here is not just physical but spiritual, aligning with Romans 6:23, which states that the wages of sin is death. This reflects the ultimate separation from God, a theme consistent throughout Scripture.

and her tracks to the departed spirits
The "tracks" or paths indicate the direction and outcome of following her ways. In ancient Near Eastern culture, paths were often used metaphorically to describe one's life choices and moral direction (Psalm 1:1). The term "departed spirits" refers to Sheol, the abode of the dead in Hebrew thought, a place of darkness and separation from the living (Isaiah 14:9). This highlights the seriousness of the consequences, as it leads to a state of spiritual death and separation from God. The warning is clear: choosing the path of folly and immorality leads to destruction, a theme echoed in the teachings of Jesus, who spoke of the broad road leading to destruction (Matthew 7:13).

Persons / Places / Events
1. The Adulterous Woman
In the context of Proverbs, she symbolizes temptation and the allure of sin, leading individuals away from wisdom and righteousness.

2. House
Represents the dwelling or domain of the adulterous woman, metaphorically indicating a place of spiritual and moral decay.

3. Death
Not just physical death, but spiritual death, separation from God, and the ultimate consequence of living a life contrary to His wisdom.

4. Departed Spirits (Sheol)
In Hebrew, "Sheol" refers to the realm of the dead, a place of darkness and separation from the living and from God.
Teaching Points
The Danger of Temptation
Recognize that temptation often appears attractive but leads to spiritual death and separation from God.

The Importance of Wisdom
Pursue wisdom and discernment to avoid the paths that lead to destruction.

Guarding the Heart
Be vigilant in guarding your heart against influences that draw you away from God's truth and righteousness.

Consequences of Sin
Understand that sin has real and severe consequences, not just in this life but in the life to come.

Seeking God's Path
Commit to seeking God's path, which leads to life, rather than the deceptive paths that lead to death.(18) For her house inclineth . . .--Rather, she sinks down with her house: house and all, like Dathan and Abiram.

Unto the dead.--In Hebrew the Reph?im. The word may signify those "at rest" (comp. Job 3:17 : "There the weary are at rest"); or the "weak." (Comp. Isaiah 14:10 : "Art thou also become weak as we?")

Verse 18. - For her house inclineth unto death; rather, she sinks down to death together with her house (Bottcher, Delitzsch). The objection to the Authorized Version is that it does not tbllow the construction of the original, the verb "sinks down" (שָׁחָה, shakhah) being feminine, while "house" (בָיִת, bayith) is invariably masculine. Aben Ezra translates, "She sinks down to death, (which is to be) her house;" but it seems better to regard "her house" as an adjunct of the strange woman. Her house includes all who belong to her. She and they are involved in the same fate. The Authorized Version is evidently influenced by the Vulgate, Inclinata est enim ad mortem domus ejus, "For her house is inclined to death." The LXX. gives a different rendering, Ἕθετο γὰρ παρὰ τῷ θανάτῳ τὸν οϊκον αὐτῆς, "For she hath placed her house beside death." So the Arabic. The "for" (כִּי, ki) refers back to ver. 16, and indicates how great is the deliverance effected by wisdom. The meaning of the passage is aptly illustrated by Proverbs 7:27, "Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death." And her paths unto the dead. The dead (רְפָאִים, r'phaim) are properly the quiet, or the feeble. They are the shadowy inhabitants or shades of Hades, the inferi of the Vulgate, and are here put for Sheol itself. Compare the ἔδωλα καμνόντων of Homer, and the umbrae, "shades," of Virgil. The word occurs again in Proverbs 9:18; Proverbs 21:16; and in Psalm 88:11; Isaiah 26:14, 19; Job 26:5.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
For
כִּ֤י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

her house
בֵּיתָ֑הּ (bê·ṯāh)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 1004: A house

sinks down
שָׁ֣חָה (šā·ḥāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 7743: To sink down

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

death,
מָ֣וֶת (mā·weṯ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4194: Death, the dead, their place, state, pestilence, ruin

and her tracks
מַעְגְּלֹתֶֽיהָ׃ (ma‘·gə·lō·ṯe·hā)
Noun - feminine plural construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 4570: An entrenchment, track

to
וְאֶל־ (wə·’el-)
Conjunctive waw | Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

the departed spirits.
רְ֝פָאִ֗ים (rə·p̄ā·’îm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 7496: Shades, ghosts


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 2:18 For her house leads down to death (Prov. Pro Pr)
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