How does Proverbs 7:27 connect with warnings in Proverbs 5 about adultery?

Context: Two Close-Up Warnings in Proverbs

Proverbs 5 and 7 are paired lessons, both delivered as a father’s plea to his son. Chapter 5 offers the general principle; chapter 7 supplies a vivid story that ends with the same conclusion.

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Proverbs 7:27—The Grim Destination

“Her house is the road to Sheol, descending to the chambers of death.”

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Echoes in Proverbs 5

The identical end-point is described several ways in chapter 5:

• Proverbs 5:5-6 — “Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to Sheol.”

• Proverbs 5:9-11 — “You will give your honor to others … strangers will feast on your wealth, and in the end you will groan when your flesh and your body are spent.”

• Proverbs 5:22-23 — “The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him; … he will die for lack of discipline.”

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Direct Parallels

1. Same road, same destination

• 5:5 and 7:27 both use the parallel phrases “down to death” and “to Sheol,” underscoring that adultery always heads one way—away from life.

2. Loss along the journey

• 5:9-11 lists honor, years, wealth, health; 7:22-23 pictures an ox led to slaughter. Different imagery, identical cost.

3. Voluntary steps

• 5:23 speaks of self-inflicted ruin; 7:22 notes the youthful victim “lacks sense.” Personal choice, therefore personal accountability.

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Why the Repetition Matters

• Scripture seals truth by repetition (Genesis 41:32). Saying the same thing twice—first generally, then dramatically—cements the warning.

• The two chapters expose both the seduction (chapter 5: smooth words; chapter 7: sensual traps) and the verdict (death/Sheol). The literary move from instruction to illustration makes the danger unforgettable.

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Sin’s Invariable Trajectory

• James 1:14-15 confirms the pattern: desire → sin → death.

• Romans 6:23 states the same doctrine: “the wages of sin is death.” Proverbs 5 and 7 supply the case study.

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Guardrails for Staying Off the Road to Sheol

• Delight in covenant love (Proverbs 5:18-19).

• Keep far from the door of temptation (Proverbs 5:8; echoed by 1 Corinthians 6:18).

• Treasure God’s commands “as the apple of your eye” (Proverbs 7:2).

• Walk in the light of constant accountability—“the ways of a man are before the eyes of the LORD” (Proverbs 5:21).

The connection is clear: Proverbs 7:27 simply stamps a narrative exclamation mark on the earlier principle of Proverbs 5—adultery is a downhill path ending in death and Sheol, and Scripture will not let us mistake the destination.