Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife? Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman? New Living Translation Why be captivated, my son, by an immoral woman, or fondle the breasts of a promiscuous woman? English Standard Version Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman and embrace the bosom of an adulteress? Berean Standard Bible Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress, or embrace the bosom of a stranger? King James Bible And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger? New King James Version For why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman, And be embraced in the arms of a seductress? New American Standard Bible For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an adulteress, And embrace the breasts of a foreigner? NASB 1995 For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an adulteress And embrace the bosom of a foreigner? NASB 1977 For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an adulteress, And embrace the bosom of a foreigner? Legacy Standard Bible So why should you, my son, be intoxicated with a strange woman And embrace the bosom of a foreign woman? Amplified Bible Why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an immoral woman And embrace the bosom of an outsider (pagan)? Christian Standard Bible Why, my son, would you lose yourself with a forbidden woman or embrace a wayward woman? Holman Christian Standard Bible Why, my son, would you be infatuated with a forbidden woman or embrace the breast of a stranger? American Standard Version For why shouldest thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, And embrace the bosom of a foreigner? Contemporary English Version Don't go crazy over a woman who is unfaithful to her own husband! English Revised Version For why shouldest thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger? GOD'S WORD® Translation Why should you, my son, be intoxicated with an adulterous woman and fondle a loose woman's breast? Good News Translation Son, why should you give your love to another woman? Why should you prefer the charms of another man's wife? International Standard Version Why should you be intoxicated by an adulteress, my son, and embrace the bosom of a foreign woman? Majority Standard Bible Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress, or embrace the bosom of a stranger? NET Bible But why should you be captivated, my son, by an adulteress, and embrace the bosom of a different woman? New Heart English Bible For why should you, my son, be captivated with an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another? Webster's Bible Translation And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger? World English Bible For why should you, my son, be captivated with an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another? Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionAnd why do you magnify yourself, "" My son, with a stranger? And embrace the bosom of a strange woman? Young's Literal Translation And why dost thou magnify thyself, My son, with a stranger? And embrace the bosom of a strange woman? Smith's Literal Translation And wherefore, my son, wilt thou wander with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger? Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleWhy art thou seduced, my son, by a strange woman, and art cherished in the bosom of another ? Catholic Public Domain Version Why are you seduced, my son, by a strange woman, and why are you kept warm by the bosom of another? New American Bible Why then, my son, should you be intoxicated with a stranger, and embrace another woman? New Revised Standard Version Why should you be intoxicated, my son, by another woman and embrace the bosom of an adulteress? Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleMy son, be not misled by a strange woman, neither embrace the bosom of a strange woman. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated Do not go astray, my son, with an estranged woman, neither embrace the bosom of an estranged woman. OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917Why then wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, And embrace the bosom of an alien? Brenton Septuagint Translation Be not intimate with a strange woman, neither fold thyself in the arms of a woman not thine own. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Avoiding Immorality…19A loving doe, a graceful fawn—may her breasts satisfy you always; may you be captivated by her love forever. 20Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress, or embrace the bosom of a stranger? 21For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and the LORD examines all his paths.… Cross References Proverbs 6:24-29 to keep you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress. / Do not lust in your heart for her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes. / For the levy of the prostitute is poverty, and the adulteress preys upon your very life. ... Proverbs 7:5-27 that they may keep you from the adulteress, from the stranger with seductive words. / For at the window of my house I looked through the lattice. / I saw among the simple, I noticed among the youths, a young man lacking judgment, ... 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a man can commit is outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. / Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; / you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body. Hebrews 13:4 Marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers. Matthew 5:27-28 You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ / But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 For it is God’s will that you should be holy: You must abstain from sexual immorality; / each of you must know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, / not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God; 1 Corinthians 7:2-5 But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. / The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. / The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife. ... Ephesians 5:3-5 But among you, as is proper among the saints, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed. / Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or crude joking, which are out of character, but rather thanksgiving. / For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person (that is, an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Galatians 5:19-21 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; / idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, / and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Colossians 3:5-6 Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry. / Because of these, the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience. Exodus 20:14 You shall not commit adultery. Leviticus 18:20 You must not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife and thus defile yourself with her. Deuteronomy 5:18 You shall not commit adultery. Job 31:1 “I have made a covenant with my eyes. How then could I gaze with desire at a virgin? Malachi 2:14-16 Yet you ask, “Why?” It is because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have broken faith, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. / Has not the LORD made them one, having a portion of the Spirit? And why one? Because He seeks godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. / “For I hate divorce,” says the LORD, the God of Israel. “He who divorces his wife covers his garment with violence,” says the LORD of Hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit and do not break faith. Treasury of Scripture And why will you, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger? with Proverbs 2:16-19 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; … Proverbs 6:24 To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. Proverbs 7:5 That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words. Jump to Previous Adulteress Adventuress Alien Arms Bosom Captivated Embrace Exhilarated Foreigner Infatuated Loose Magnify Ravished Shouldest Strange Stranger Thyself Way Wife WiltJump to Next Adulteress Adventuress Alien Arms Bosom Captivated Embrace Exhilarated Foreigner Infatuated Loose Magnify Ravished Shouldest Strange Stranger Thyself Way Wife WiltProverbs 5 1. Solomon exhorts to wisdom3. He shows the mischief of unfaithfulness and riot 15. He exhorts to contentedness, generosity, and chastity 22. The wicked are overtaken with their own sins Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress This phrase addresses the allure and danger of being seduced by an adulteress. In biblical times, adultery was a serious offense, often punishable by death (Leviticus 20:10). The term "captivated" suggests being ensnared or entrapped, indicating the powerful and destructive nature of such temptation. The use of "my son" reflects the fatherly advice given throughout Proverbs, emphasizing wisdom and moral integrity. This warning is consistent with the broader biblical theme of fidelity, as seen in the commandment against adultery (Exodus 20:14) and the call to purity in relationships (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5). or embrace the bosom of a stranger? Persons / Places / Events 1. SolomonTraditionally considered the author of Proverbs, Solomon was the son of King David and known for his wisdom. He wrote Proverbs to impart wisdom and understanding. 2. Adulteress Represents a woman who engages in sexual relations outside of marriage. In the context of Proverbs, she symbolizes temptation and moral danger. 3. Son The recipient of Solomon's wisdom, often seen as a young man or a disciple seeking guidance. 4. Stranger In this context, a stranger refers to someone outside the covenant community, often used metaphorically for someone who leads others away from God's path. 5. Ancient Israel The cultural and historical backdrop of Proverbs, where adherence to God's law was central to community life. Teaching Points Guard Your HeartProverbs 5:20 calls believers to be vigilant about what captivates their hearts. The allure of sin can be strong, but wisdom calls for discernment and self-control. Value of Faithfulness The verse underscores the importance of faithfulness in relationships, particularly marriage. It serves as a reminder of the covenantal nature of marriage and the need to honor it. Consequences of Sin Engaging with an adulteress or a stranger leads to spiritual and often physical consequences. Understanding these consequences can motivate believers to pursue righteousness. Seek Wisdom The call to avoid the embrace of a stranger is a call to seek wisdom and understanding, which are found in God's Word and through a relationship with Him. Community Accountability Being part of a faith community can provide support and accountability, helping individuals resist temptation and remain faithful.Verses 20, 21. - The adulterer to be restrained by the fact of God's omniscience and the Divine punishment. Vers. 20 and 21 should apparently be taken together. The teaching assumes a higher tone, and rises from the lower law which regulates fidelity to the wife, based upon personal attractions, to the higher law, which brings the husband's conduct into relation with the duty he owes to Jehovah. Not merely is his conduct to be regulated by love and affection alone, but it is to be fashioned by the reflection or consciousness that the Supreme Being presides over all, and takes cognizance of human action. Without losing sight that the marriage contract has its own peculiar obligations, the fact is insisted upon that all a man's ways are open to the eyes of the Lord. Verse 20. - And why; i.e. what inducement is there, what reason can be given, for conjugal infidelity, except the lewd and immoral promptings of the lower nature, except sensuality in its lowest form? Ravished. The verb shagah recurs, but in a lower sense, as indicating "the foolish delirium of the libertine hastening after the harlot" (Zockler). With a strange woman (Hebrew, b'zarah); i.e. with a harlot. On zarah, see Proverbs 2:16 and Proverbs 7:5. The b' (בְּ) localizes the sources of the intoxication. Embrace (Hebrew, t'khab-bek). On this verb, see Proverbs 4:8. The bosom of a stranger (Hebrew, kheh nok'riyyah). A parallel expression having the same force as its counterpart. The more usual form of khek is kheyk, and means "the bosom" of a person. In Proverbs 16:33 it is used of the lap, and in Proverbs 17:23 and Proverbs 21:14 for the bosom or folds of a garment. Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew Whyוְלָ֤מָּה (wə·lām·māh) Conjunctive waw | Interrogative Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what be captivated, תִשְׁגֶּ֣ה (ṯiš·geh) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular Strong's 7686: To stray, to mistake, to transgress, to reel, be enraptured my son, בְנִ֣י (ḇə·nî) Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular Strong's 1121: A son by an adulteress, בְזָרָ֑ה (ḇə·zā·rāh) Preposition-b | Adjective - feminine singular Strong's 2114: To turn aside, to be a, foreigner, strange, profane, to commit adultery or embrace וּ֝תְחַבֵּ֗ק (ū·ṯə·ḥab·bêq) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive imperfect - second person masculine singular Strong's 2263: To clasp, embrace the bosom חֵ֣ק (ḥêq) Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 2436: The bosom of a stranger? נָכְרִיָּֽה׃ (nā·ḵə·rî·yāh) Adjective - feminine singular Strong's 5237: Foreign, alien Links Proverbs 5:20 NIVProverbs 5:20 NLT Proverbs 5:20 ESV Proverbs 5:20 NASB Proverbs 5:20 KJV Proverbs 5:20 BibleApps.com Proverbs 5:20 Biblia Paralela Proverbs 5:20 Chinese Bible Proverbs 5:20 French Bible Proverbs 5:20 Catholic Bible OT Poetry: Proverbs 5:20 For why should you my son be (Prov. 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