Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword. New Living Translation But in the end she is as bitter as poison, as dangerous as a double-edged sword. English Standard Version but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Berean Standard Bible in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a double-edged sword. King James Bible But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword. New King James Version But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. New American Standard Bible But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. NASB 1995 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. NASB 1977 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. Legacy Standard Bible But her end is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. Amplified Bible But in the end she is bitter like [the extract of] wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. Christian Standard Bible in the end she’s as bitter as wormwood and as sharp as a double-edged sword. Holman Christian Standard Bible in the end she’s as bitter as wormwood and as sharp as a double-edged sword. American Standard Version But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. Contemporary English Version But all that you really get from being with her is bitter poison and pain. English Revised Version But her latter end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. GOD'S WORD® Translation but in the end she is as bitter as wormwood, as sharp as a two-edged sword. Good News Translation but when it is all over, she leaves you nothing but bitterness and pain. International Standard Version But in the end she is as bitter as wormwood, and as sharp as a double-edged sword. Majority Standard Bible in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a double-edged sword. NET Bible but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. New Heart English Bible But in the end she is as bitter as wormwood, and as sharp as a two-edged sword. Webster's Bible Translation But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. World English Bible but in the end she is as bitter as wormwood, and as sharp as a two-edged sword. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionAnd her latter end [is] bitter as wormwood, "" Sharp as a sword [with] mouths. Young's Literal Translation And her latter end is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a sword with mouths. Smith's Literal Translation And her latter state being bitter as wormwood; sharp as a two-mouthed sword. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleBut her end is bitter as wormwood, and sharp as a two-edged sword. Catholic Public Domain Version But in the end, she is as bitter as wormwood, and as sharp as a two-edged sword. New American Bible But in the end she is as bitter as wormwood, as sharp as a two-edged sword. New Revised Standard Version but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleBut the end of her life is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated But their end is of bitter wormwood, for they are sharper than a doubleedged sword OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917But her end is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. Brenton Septuagint Translation but afterwards thou wilt find her more bitter than gall, and sharper than a two-edged sword. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Avoiding Immorality…3Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil, 4in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a double-edged sword. 5Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to Sheol.… Cross References James 3:11-12 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? / My brothers, can a fig tree grow olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. Ecclesiastes 7:26 And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a net, and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is ensnared. Revelation 8:11 The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter like wormwood oil, and many people died from the bitter waters. Psalm 55:21 His speech is smooth as butter, but war is in his heart. His words are softer than oil, yet they are swords unsheathed. Jeremiah 9:15 Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Behold, I will feed this people wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink. Lamentations 3:15 He has filled me with bitterness; He has intoxicated me with wormwood. Hebrews 12:15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness springs up to cause trouble and defile many. Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter. Matthew 23:27-28 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity. / In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. Romans 3:13 “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The venom of vipers is on their lips.” Psalm 140:3 They sharpen their tongues like snakes; the venom of vipers is on their lips. Selah Jeremiah 23:15 Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts says concerning the prophets: “I will feed them wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink, for from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has spread throughout the land.” Ezekiel 3:14 So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the LORD upon me. 2 Peter 2:14 Their eyes are full of adultery; their desire for sin is never satisfied; they seduce the unstable. They are accursed children with hearts trained in greed. Job 20:14 yet in his stomach his food sours into the venom of cobras within him. Treasury of Scripture But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. her Proverbs 6:24-35 To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman… Proverbs 7:22,23 He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; … Proverbs 9:18 But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell. sharp Judges 16:4-6,15-21 And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah… Psalm 55:21 The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords. Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Jump to Previous Bitter Double-Edged End Gall Latter Mouths Sharp Sword Two-Edged WormwoodJump to Next Bitter Double-Edged End Gall Latter Mouths Sharp Sword Two-Edged WormwoodProverbs 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 in the end she is bitter as wormwood The phrase "in the end" suggests a future consequence or outcome, emphasizing the eventual result of following the path of temptation and sin. The imagery of "bitter as wormwood" draws from the ancient understanding of wormwood as a plant known for its intensely bitter taste, often associated with sorrow and calamity. In biblical times, wormwood was a symbol of judgment and suffering (Lamentations 3:15, Revelation 8:11). This bitterness contrasts with the initial allure of sin, highlighting the deceptive nature of temptation. The cultural context of the time would have understood this bitterness as a warning against the seductive but ultimately destructive nature of immoral relationships. sharp as a double-edged sword 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 instruction. 2. The Adulterous Woman In the context of Proverbs 5, she symbolizes temptation and the dangers of infidelity. Her allure is initially sweet but ultimately destructive. 3. Wormwood A bitter herb often used in the Bible to symbolize bitterness and sorrow. It represents the ultimate outcome of succumbing to temptation. 4. Double-Edged Sword A metaphor for something that is dangerous and can cause harm. It signifies the sharp and painful consequences of sin. Teaching Points The Deceptive Nature of SinSin often appears attractive and harmless at first, but its end is bitter and destructive. Believers must be vigilant and discerning. The Consequences of Infidelity Adultery and infidelity lead to personal and relational destruction. Faithfulness in marriage is a reflection of our faithfulness to God. Guarding the Heart Protecting one's heart from temptation requires intentionality and reliance on God's wisdom. Regular engagement with Scripture is essential. The Power of God's Word Just as a double-edged sword can cut, God's Word can penetrate our hearts, revealing sin and guiding us toward righteousness. Seeking Wisdom Pursuing godly wisdom helps us navigate life's temptations and avoid the pitfalls of sin. Prayer and community support are vital in this pursuit.(4) Bitter as wormwood.--The absinthium of Revelation 8:11, where, apparently, it is considered as a poison. So God's message to St. John (Revelation 10:10) was in his mouth sweet as honey (comp. Psalm 19:10), but made his belly bitter: that is, he met with much sorrow and trouble in making it known to men, but through this "much tribulation" (Acts 14:22) he "entered into the kingdom of heaven."Verse 4. - The contrast is drawn with great vividness between the professions of the "strange woman" and the disastrous consequences which overtake those who listen to her enticements. She promises enjoyment, pleasure, freedom from danger, but her end is bitter as wormwood. "Her end," not merely with reference to herself, which may be and is undoubtedly true, but the last of her as experienced by those who have intercourse with her - her character as it stands revealed at the last. So it is said of wine, "At the last," i.e. its final effects, if indulged in to excess, "it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder" (Proverbs 23:22). Bitter as wormwood. The Hebrew, laanah, "wormwood," Gesenius derives from the unused root laan, "to curse." It is the equivalent to the absinthium of the Vulgate. So Aquila, who has ἀψίνθιον. The LXX. improperly renders χολή, "gall." In other places the word laanah is used as the emblem of bitterness, with the superadded idea of its being poisonous, also according to the Hebrew notion, shared in also by the Greeks, that the plant combined these two qualities. Thus in Deuteronomy 29:18 it is associated with rosh, "a poisonful herb" (margin), and the Targum terms it, agreeably with this notion, "deadly wormwood." The same belief is reproduced in Revelation 8:11, "And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and many men died of the waters because they were made bitter" (cf. Jeremiah 9:15; Amos 5:7: 6:12). The apostle, no doubt, has it in mind when he speaks of any "root of bitterness," in Hebrews 12:15. The herb is thus described by Umbreit: "It is a plant toward two feet high, belonging to the genus Artemisia (species Artemisia absinthium), which produces a very firm stalk with many branches, grayish leaves, and small, almost round, pendent blossoms. It has a bitter and saline taste, and seems to have been regarded in the East as also a poison, of which the frequent combination with rosh gives an intimation." Terence has a strikingly similar passage to the one before us - In melle sunt linguae sitae vestrae atque orations Hebrew her endוְֽ֭אַחֲרִיתָהּ (wə·’a·ḥă·rî·ṯāh) Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person feminine singular Strong's 319: The last, end, the future, posterity is bitter מָרָ֣ה (mā·rāh) Adjective - feminine singular Strong's 4751: Bitter, bitterness, bitterly as wormwood, כַֽלַּעֲנָ֑ה (ḵal·la·‘ă·nāh) Preposition-k, Article | Noun - feminine singular Strong's 3939: Wormwood sharp חַ֝דָּ֗ה (ḥad·dāh) Adjective - feminine singular Strong's 2299: Sharp as a double-edged פִּיּֽוֹת׃ (pî·yō·wṯ) Noun - masculine plural Strong's 6310: The mouth, edge, portion, side, according to sword. כְּחֶ֣רֶב (kə·ḥe·reḇ) Preposition-k | Noun - feminine singular construct Strong's 2719: Drought, a cutting instrument, as a, knife, sword Links Proverbs 5:4 NIVProverbs 5:4 NLT Proverbs 5:4 ESV Proverbs 5:4 NASB Proverbs 5:4 KJV Proverbs 5:4 BibleApps.com Proverbs 5:4 Biblia Paralela Proverbs 5:4 Chinese Bible Proverbs 5:4 French Bible Proverbs 5:4 Catholic Bible OT Poetry: Proverbs 5:4 But in the end she is as (Prov. 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