How does Proverbs 5:5 warn against the consequences of following sinful paths?

The Verse in Focus

“Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to Sheol.” (Proverbs 5:5)

---

What the Imagery Communicates

• Feet and steps – intentional movement, not an accident

• Down – a descent, never neutral or upward

• Death and Sheol – total loss: physical, moral, spiritual

---

Consequences Highlighted

• Physical ruin – unchecked lust often destroys health and reputation (cf. Proverbs 6:32)

• Emotional devastation – guilt, secrecy, broken trust

• Spiritual separation – fellowship with God is fractured (Isaiah 59:2)

• Ultimate judgment – “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27)

---

Sin’s Downward Progression

1. Attraction (Proverbs 5:3–4)

2. Choice – the first “step”

3. Habit – repeated steps form a “path”

4. Destination – death and Sheol, exactly where Proverbs 5:5 points

---

Echoes Elsewhere in Scripture

• Proverbs 7:27 – “Her house is the way to Sheol, descending to the chambers of death.”

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

• James 1:14-15 – desire → sin → death

• Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

---

Practical Guardrails

• Check the direction, not just the momentary pleasure

• Flee situations that entice (2 Timothy 2:22)

• Fill the mind with God’s Word; let wisdom “watch over you” (Proverbs 6:22-23)

• Seek accountability before one step becomes a path

• Cling to Christ, whose forgiveness and power break the downward pull (1 John 1:9; Romans 8:2)