Proverbs 7:5
that they may keep you from the adulteress, from the stranger with seductive words.
that they may keep you from the adulteress,

Wisdom and discretion guard a young man from the real and deadly snare of sexual sin. Adultery violated God’s covenant for marriage and carried severe civil penalties in Israel (Leviticus 20:10). Proverbs portrays forbidden sexual relationships as a path that destroys honor, households, and life itself. Israel’s prophets also used adultery to depict idolatry, because turning from the Lord to false gods broke the covenant bond between God and His people (Jeremiah 3:6–10).

Pro 6:24-25 to keep you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue…
Pro 5:20-23 Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress…
Exo 20:14 You shall not commit adultery.

from the stranger with seductive words.

The stranger is a woman outside the rightful covenant of marriage, whose invitations lead away from obedience to God. Her flattering speech conceals ruin, as Proverbs repeatedly warns (Proverbs 5:3–4). Solomon’s later compromise with foreign wives illustrates how disordered desire can draw a person toward idolatry and rebellion against the Lord (1 Kings 11:1–4). God’s wisdom enables believers to discern persuasive words, reject temptation, and remain faithful in conduct and worship.

Pro 2:16-19 It will rescue you from the forbidden woman…
Pro 5:3-4 Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey…
Ecc 7:26 And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare…

Persons / Places / Events
1. The Adulteress
Represents temptation and sin, often personified as a woman who leads others astray with her seductive words. In the context of Proverbs, she symbolizes the dangers of infidelity and moral compromise.

2. The Stranger
This term can refer to someone outside the covenant community, often associated with foreign influences that lead one away from God's commandments. In Hebrew, the word "z?r" can mean foreign or strange, emphasizing the danger of unfamiliar and ungodly influences.

3. Solomon
Traditionally considered the author of Proverbs, Solomon is known for his wisdom. He uses these teachings to instruct his son and others in the ways of wisdom and righteousness.

4. Wisdom and Understanding
Though not directly mentioned in this verse, they are the implied protectors against the adulteress. They are personified in Proverbs as guides and guardians against folly and sin.

5. The Path of Righteousness
An underlying theme in Proverbs, representing the way of life that aligns with God's will, in contrast to the path of the adulteress, which leads to destruction.
Teaching Points
Guard Your Heart with Wisdom
Emphasize the importance of internalizing God's wisdom to protect against external temptations. Wisdom acts as a shield against the seductive words of the adulteress.

Recognize and Avoid Temptation
Be aware of the subtle and enticing nature of sin. Like the stranger with seductive words, temptation often appears attractive but leads to spiritual harm.

Stay Within the Covenant Community
The reference to the "stranger" highlights the importance of remaining within the community of faith, where godly influences prevail.

Value Righteous Relationships
Encourage building relationships that honor God and align with His teachings, avoiding those that lead to moral compromise.

Seek Accountability and Guidance
Engage with fellow believers and mentors who can provide wisdom and support in resisting temptation.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the portrayal of the adulteress in Proverbs 7:5 help us understand the nature of temptation in our own lives?

2. In what ways can wisdom and understanding serve as protectors against modern-day "strangers" or influences that lead us away from God?

3. How can we apply the warnings of Proverbs 7:5 to our relationships and interactions with others?

4. What practical steps can we take to ensure we are surrounded by godly influences rather than "strangers" with seductive words?

5. How do the teachings in Proverbs 7:5 connect with New Testament teachings on purity and holiness, and how can we apply these principles today?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Proverbs 2:16-19
This passage also warns against the adulteress, emphasizing the importance of wisdom in avoiding her snares. It highlights the destructive consequences of following her path.

1 Corinthians 6:18-20
Paul warns against sexual immorality, urging believers to honor God with their bodies. This New Testament teaching aligns with the warnings in Proverbs about the dangers of adultery.

James 1:14-15
James describes how temptation leads to sin and ultimately death, paralleling the progression seen in Proverbs 7 where the seductive words of the adulteress lead to ruin.
Heavenly Wisdom ProtectiveFrancis Taylor, B. D.Proverbs 7:5
A Tragedy of TemptationE. Johnson Proverbs 7:1-27
The Two WaysW. Clarkson Proverbs 7:1-27
People
Solomon
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Adulteress, Adventuress, Alien, Flattereth, Flatters, Foreigner, Loose, Maketh, Preserve, Sayings, Seductive, Smooth, Strange, Stranger, Wayward, Wife
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Proverbs 7:5

     6237   sexual sin, nature of
     7751   persuasion

Proverbs 7:1-5

     5345   influence

Proverbs 7:1-22

     6241   seduction

Proverbs 7:4-5

     6242   adultery

Library
Twelfth Sunday after Trinity Gospel Transcends Law.
Text: 2 Corinthians 3, 4-11. 4 And such confidence have we through Christ to God-ward: 5 not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God; 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. 7 But if the ministration of death, written, and engraven on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look stedfastly upon
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. III

Appendix 2 Extracts from the Babylon Talmud
Massecheth Berachoth, or Tractate on Benedictions [76] Mishnah--From what time is the "Shema" said in the evening? From the hour that the priests entered to eat of their therumah [77] until the end of the first night watch. [78] These are the words of Rabbi Eliezer. But the sages say: Till midnight. Rabban Gamaliel says: Until the column of the morning (the dawn) rises. It happened, that his sons came back from a banquet. They said to him: "We have not said the Shema.'" He said to them, "If the column
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Blessed are the Poor in Spirit
Having spoken of the general notion of blessedness, I come next to consider the subjects of this blessedness, and these our Saviour has deciphered to be the poor in spirit, the mourners, etc. But before I touch upon these, I shall attempt a little preface or paraphrase upon this sermon of the beatitudes. 1 Observe the divinity in this sermon, which goes beyond all philosophy. The philosophers use to say that one contrary expels another; but here one contrary begets another. Poverty is wont to expel
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

The Desire of the Righteous Granted;
OR, A DISCOURSE OF THE RIGHTEOUS MAN'S DESIRES. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR As the tree is known by its fruit, so is the state of a man's heart known by his desires. The desires of the righteous are the touchstone or standard of Christian sincerity--the evidence of the new birth--the spiritual barometer of faith and grace--and the springs of obedience. Christ and him crucified is the ground of all our hopes--the foundation upon which all our desires after God and holiness are built--and the root
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Dogmatic.
I. (i) Against Eunomius. The work under this title comprises five books, the first three generally accepted as genuine, the last two sometimes regarded as doubtful. Gregory of Nazianzus, [303] Jerome, [304] and Theodoret [305] all testify to Basil's having written against Eunomius, but do not specify the number of books. Books IV. and V. are accepted by Bellarmine, Du Pin, Tillemont, and Ceillier, mainly on the authority of the edict of Justinian against the Three Chapters (Mansi ix., 552),
Basil—Basil: Letters and Select Works

On the Symbols of the Essence' and Coessential. '
We must look at the sense not the wording. The offence excited is at the sense; meaning of the Symbols; the question of their not being in Scripture. Those who hesitate only at coessential,' not to be considered Arians. Reasons why coessential' is better than like-in-essence,' yet the latter may be interpreted in a good sense. Explanation of the rejection of coessential' by the Council which condemned the Samosatene; use of the word by Dionysius of Alexandria; parallel variation in the use of Unoriginate;
Athanasius—Select Works and Letters or Athanasius

A Believer's Privilege at Death
'For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.' Phil 1:1I. Hope is a Christian's anchor, which he casts within the veil. Rejoicing in hope.' Rom 12:12. A Christian's hope is not in this life, but he hash hope in his death.' Prov 14:42. The best of a saint's comfort begins when his life ends; but the wicked have all their heaven here. Woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.' Luke 6:64. You may make your acquittance, and write Received in full payment.' Son, remember that
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Proverbs
Many specimens of the so-called Wisdom Literature are preserved for us in the book of Proverbs, for its contents are by no means confined to what we call proverbs. The first nine chapters constitute a continuous discourse, almost in the manner of a sermon; and of the last two chapters, ch. xxx. is largely made up of enigmas, and xxxi. is in part a description of the good housewife. All, however, are rightly subsumed under the idea of wisdom, which to the Hebrew had always moral relations. The Hebrew
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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