What is the meaning of Proverbs 6:33? Wounds “Wounds …” (Proverbs 6:33) • Adultery inflicts real damage—physical, emotional, spiritual. Solomon has just warned that “Can a man walk on hot coals without scorching his feet?” (Proverbs 6:28). • The pain reaches the body (Proverbs 5:11), the mind (Psalm 38:3-4), and the family circle (Proverbs 17:25). • Sin promises pleasure but delivers hurt; “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). • These wounds may include disease, divorce, financial loss, and shattered trust (Proverbs 7:22-23). Dishonor “… and dishonor …” • Public shame follows private sin. “You will give your vigor to others and your years to the cruel one” (Proverbs 5:9). • David’s affair with Bathsheba brought humiliation before Israel (2 Samuel 12:11-12). • Honor is a gift from God (Proverbs 3:35); immorality strips it away, replacing it with disgrace (Jeremiah 13:26-27). • Reputation, once stained, is slow to heal (Ecclesiastes 10:1). Will befall him “… will befall him …” • Consequences are certain. “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, he will reap in return” (Galatians 6:7). • The verb stresses inevitability; judgment is baked into the act itself (Numbers 32:23). • Delay in punishment may tempt the sinner to presume on grace, but “though the sentence against an evil deed is not carried out quickly, the heart of men is fully set to do evil” (Ecclesiastes 8:11). God’s timing is sure. His reproach “… and his reproach …” • Reproach = lingering stigma. Even forgiven believers may carry earthly reminders (2 Samuel 12:13-14). • Dishonor spreads: spouse, children, church, and community feel the shame (Proverbs 11:29). • A tarnished name closes doors of influence (Proverbs 22:1) and emboldens scoffers (Proverbs 18:3). • While Christ removes eternal guilt (1 John 1:9), the social stain can endure. Will never be wiped away “… will never be wiped away.” • Hyperbole underscores permanence: people remember scandal long after the act (Proverbs 10:7). • Scripture records sins of even great saints—Noah’s drunkenness, Moses’ rash strike, Peter’s denial—so future generations learn (Romans 15:4). • God forgives instantly, yet He may let consequences persist to warn others (1 Corinthians 10:11). • The only secure cleansing is a life guarded before temptation strikes (Proverbs 4:23; Jude 24). summary Proverbs 6:33 warns that adultery guarantees pain, strips honor, brings unavoidable fallout, brands the offender with lasting shame, and leaves a stain that time rarely erases. The verse presses us to treasure purity, respect marriage, and trust God’s design, knowing that while His grace forgives, sin’s earthly scars are soberingly real. |
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