She does not consider the path of life;This phrase highlights a lack of wisdom and discernment. In biblical context, the "path of life" often refers to a way of living that aligns with God's commandments and leads to spiritual fulfillment and eternal life. The failure to consider this path suggests a disregard for divine guidance and moral principles. In Proverbs, wisdom is frequently personified as a woman who calls out to people to follow the righteous path (
Proverbs 1:20-33). This contrast between wisdom and folly is a recurring theme, emphasizing the importance of choosing a life that honors God. The cultural context of ancient Israel placed a high value on wisdom as a means to live a prosperous and righteous life, and this verse warns against neglecting such wisdom.
she does not know that her ways are unstable.
The instability of her ways indicates a life built on poor choices and a lack of foundation in truth. This can be connected to the broader biblical theme of the consequences of sin and folly. InMatthew 7:24-27, Jesus speaks of the wise and foolish builders, illustrating the importance of building one's life on the solid foundation of His teachings. The instability here can also be seen as a warning against the seductive nature of sin, which may appear appealing but ultimately leads to destruction. Historically, the wisdom literature of the Bible, including Proverbs, served as a guide for living a life that is stable and secure, rooted in the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 9:10). This verse serves as a cautionary reminder of the dangers of ignoring divine wisdom and the resulting instability that affects all aspects of life.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
The Adulterous WomanThe primary subject of
Proverbs 5 is the adulterous or immoral woman, representing temptation and the dangers of straying from the path of righteousness.
2.
SolomonTraditionally attributed as the author of Proverbs, Solomon imparts wisdom to his son, warning against the seduction of immorality.
3.
The Path of LifeA metaphorical concept representing the way of righteousness and obedience to God's commandments.
Teaching Points
The Danger of IgnoranceIgnorance of the consequences of sin leads to instability. We must seek wisdom and understanding to discern the right path.
The Importance of DiscernmentJust as the adulterous woman does not consider her ways, we must be vigilant in examining our own lives and choices.
Stability in RighteousnessTrue stability comes from walking in the path of life, which is grounded in God's Word and His commandments.
Guarding Against TemptationRecognize the seductive nature of sin and actively guard against it by staying rooted in Scripture and prayer.
The Role of WisdomWisdom is a safeguard against the instability of sin. Pursue wisdom through study, prayer, and fellowship with other believers.
Lists and Questions
Top 10 Lessons from Proverbs 5
How does a lamp guide my path?
Do all paths lead to God?
What does Proverbs 3:6 mean?
What does 'The eye is the lamp' mean?(6)
Lest thou shouldest ponder. . .--The meaning of the English version appears to be, "To prevent thy choosing the path of life, she leads thee by devious paths that thou knowest not where thou art." It may also be rendered, "Far from smoothing for herself the path of life, her steps wander without her observing it." By these words is described the reckless career of a vicious woman, who at last dares not think whither her steps are leading her, but as it were with eyes shut, totters on till she falls to rise no more.
Verse 6. -
Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are movable, that thou canst not know them. This verse should be rather rendered,
she walks not in the path of life, her ways fiuctuate, she knows not. It consists of a series of independent proposiyions or statements, all of which are descriptive of the singularly fatuous conduct of "the strange woman." In the previous verse the teacher has said that her conduct leads to ruin; he here further emphasizes the idea by putting forward the same truth from the opposite, or, as we may say, from the negative point of view, and so completes the picture. "The words," as Plumptre remarks, "describe with terrible vividness the state of heart and soul which prostitution brings on its victims." Her course is one o(persistent, wilful, headstrong, blind folly and wickedness.
Lest;
pen; here "not," equivalent to
לא (
lo). So the LXX., Vulgate, Targum, Syriac. The use of
pen, in this sense is, however, unique (Gesenius). Delitzsch and Zockler, following Luther, Geier, Holden, etc., assign to it an emphatic negative force, as, "She is
far removed from entering," or, "she
never treadeth." Others take
pen as a dependent prohibitive particle, equivalent to the Latin
neforte, "lest," as in the Authorized Version, and employed to connect the sentence which it introduces either with the preceding verse (as Schultens) or with the second hemistich, on which it is made dependent (Holden, Wordsworth, Aben Ezra,
loc., Michaelis, etc.).
Thou shouldest ponder;
t'phalles, connected by makkeph with
pen, as usual (Lee), is either second person masculine or third person feminine. The latter is required here, the subject of the sentence being "the strange woman," as appears clearly from the second hemistich, "
her ways," etc. The verb
patas (cf.
Proverbs 14:26) here means "to prepare,"
i.e. to walk in, or to travel over. Thus Gesenius renders, "She (the adulteress) prepareth not (for herself) the way of life:"
i.e. she does not walk in the way of life; cf. the LXX.
εἰσέρχεται, Vulgate
ambulant (sc.
gressus ejus), and other ancient versions, all of which understand the verb in this sense. The meaning of the phrase,
pen t'phalles, is, therefore, "she walks not" in the way of life - the way that has life for its object, and which in itself is full of life and safety. Far from doing this, the teacher goes on to say,
her ways are movable; literally,
go to and fro, or
fluctuate;
i.e. they wilfully stagger hither and thither, like the steps of a drunkard, or like the uncertain steps of the blind, for the verb
nua is so used in the former sense in
Isaiah 24:20;
Isaiah 29:9;
Psalm 107:27; and in the latter in
Lamentations 4:14. Her steps are slippery (LXX.,
σφαλέραι), or wander (Vulgate,
vagi); they are without any definite aim; she is always straying in the vagrancy of sin (Wordsworth); cf.
Proverbs 7:12.
That thou canst not know them (
lo theda); literally,
she knows not. The elliptical form of this sentence in the original leaves it open to various interpretations. It seems to refer to the way of life; she knows not the way of life,
i.e. she does not regard or perceive the way of life. The verb
yada often has this meaning. The meaning may be obtained by supplying
mah, equivalent to
quicquam, "anything," as in
Proverbs 9:13, "She knows not anything,"
i.e. she knows nothing. The objection to this is that it travels unnecessarily out of the sentence to find the object which ought rather to be supplied from the context. The object may possibly be the staggering of her feet: she staggers hither and thither without her perceiving it (Delitzsch); or it may, lastly, be indefinite: she knows not whittler her steps conduct her (Wordsworth and Zockler).
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
She does notפֶּן־(pen-)Conjunction
Strong's 6435:Removal, lestconsiderתְּפַלֵּ֑ס(tə·p̄al·lês)Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 6424:To roll flat, prepare, to revolve, weighthe pathאֹ֣רַח(’ō·raḥ)Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 734:A well-trodden road, a caravanof life;חַ֭יִּים(ḥay·yîm)Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 2416:Alive, raw, fresh, strong, lifeshe does notלֹ֣א(lō)Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808:Not, noknow thatתֵדָֽע׃(ṯê·ḏā‘)Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 3045:To knowher waysמַ֝עְגְּלֹתֶ֗יהָ(ma‘·gə·lō·ṯe·hā)Noun - feminine plural construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 4570:An entrenchment, trackare unstable.נָע֥וּ(nā·‘ū)Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 5128:To quiver, wave, waver, tremble, totter
Links
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OT Poetry: Proverbs 5:6 She gives no thought to the way (Prov. Pro Pr) 
