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Wisdom & Poetry · Old Testament

Proverbs 6

Proverbs 6: suretyship, the sluggard and the ant, seven things the Lord hates, and the neighbour's wife

General context

The chapter is a run of distinct units. First, the speaker tells "My son" that if he has become surety for his friend and struck hands with a stranger, he is snared by the words of his mouth and must go at once, humble himself, give no sleep to his eyes and deliver himself as a roe from the hunter. Second, he sends the sluggard to the ant, which without guide, overseer or ruler provides her meat in summer; he asks how long the sluggard will sleep and warns that poverty will come as one that travels and want as an armed man. Third, he describes a naughty person, a wicked man with a froward mouth who winks, speaks with his feet, devises mischief and sows discord, whose calamity will come suddenly and without remedy. Fourth, a numerical saying lists six things the Lord hates and seven that are an abomination to him, from a proud look to one who sows discord among brethren. Fifth, a new address to "My son" tells him to keep his father's commandment and his mother's law, which will lead, keep and talk with him, because the commandment is a lamp and the law is light, and they will keep him from the evil woman. He warns against lusting after her beauty, says the adulteress hunts for the precious life, asks whether a man can take fire in his bosom and not be burned, and applies this to the man who goes in to his neighbour's wife. He contrasts the thief, who is not despised when hungry but must restore sevenfold, with the adulterer, who destroys his own soul and gets a reproach that will not be wiped away, because the husband's jealousy will accept no ransom.

Cited passages: Proverbs 6:1, Proverbs 6:2, Proverbs 6:3, Proverbs 6:5, Proverbs 6:6, Proverbs 6:7, Proverbs 6:9, Proverbs 6:11, Proverbs 6:12, Proverbs 6:13, Proverbs 6:14, Proverbs 6:15, Proverbs 6:16, Proverbs 6:17, Proverbs 6:18, Proverbs 6:19, Proverbs 6:20, Proverbs 6:22, Proverbs 6:23, Proverbs 6:24, Proverbs 6:25, Proverbs 6:26, Proverbs 6:27, Proverbs 6:29, Proverbs 6:30, Proverbs 6:31, Proverbs 6:32, Proverbs 6:33, Proverbs 6:34, Proverbs 6:35

Proverbs 6 (KJV)

1My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,

2Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.

3Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.

4Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.

5Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

6Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

7Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,

8Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

9How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

10Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

11So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.

12A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.

13He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;

14Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.

15Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.

16These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:

17A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

18An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,

19A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

20My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

21Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.

22When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.

23For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

24To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.

25Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.

26For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life.

27Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?

28Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?

29So he that goeth in to his neighbour’s wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.

30Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;

31But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.

32But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.

33A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.

34For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

35He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.

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Historical context

The first four units of this chapter (suretyship, the sluggard, the wicked man, the seven abominations) are not addressed to the strange woman theme that surrounds them in chapters 5 and 7, and the text gives no explanation for their placement. The suretyship warning assumes a practice of striking hands to pledge for another's debt, but it does not describe the legal terms. The ant is said to have "no guide, overseer, or ruler", a claim the speaker makes as an observation, not a matter the chapter argues. The numerical saying names "six" and then "seven" things; the seventh item, sowing discord among brethren, is also the last trait listed for the wicked man in verse 14, and the reader can see the overlap without the chapter stating it. In the final unit, the woman is called "evil woman", "strange woman", "whorish woman" and "adulteress", and the man is described as going in to "his neighbour’s wife", so here the text itself identifies the danger as adultery with a married woman. The "restore sevenfold" for the thief is stated as what he shall do if found, but no statute is cited. The jealous husband's refusal of ransom in verses 34 and 35 is a statement about human rage, not a legal ruling.

Cited passages: Proverbs 6:1, Proverbs 6:7, Proverbs 6:16, Proverbs 6:14, Proverbs 6:19, Proverbs 6:24, Proverbs 6:26, Proverbs 6:29, Proverbs 6:31, Proverbs 6:34

Literary context

This chapter is the least continuous of the opening discourses; it is a run of short units, each with its own form. The suretyship unit repeats "the words of thy mouth" twice in one verse and piles up urgent imperatives ("go, humble thyself", "Give not sleep", "Deliver thyself"). The ant unit uses direct address to the sluggard and the slow line "a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands", before the sudden arrival of poverty "as an armed man". The wicked man is drawn through his body: mouth, eyes, feet, fingers, heart. The numerical saying uses the pattern "six... yea, seven" and again lists body parts, look, tongue, hands, heart, feet, so that the two units answer each other. The father-and-mother address in verse 20 repeats the wording of 1:8 and the binding imagery of 3:3, and its praise of the commandment as lamp and light sets up the final warning. That warning works by rhetorical question (fire in the bosom, walking on coals) and by a contrast between thief and adulterer: the thief can restore, the adulterer cannot, because no ransom is accepted. The closing verses shift to "thou givest", turning the general case back on the son.

Cited passages: Proverbs 6:2, Proverbs 6:4, Proverbs 6:10, Proverbs 6:11, Proverbs 6:13, Proverbs 6:16, Proverbs 6:20, Proverbs 6:21, Proverbs 6:23, Proverbs 6:28, Proverbs 6:31, Proverbs 6:35

Key moments

  1. Snared by thy own words (Proverbs 6:2). The son who has become surety is told he is trapped by the words of his mouth.
  2. Go to the ant (Proverbs 6:6). The sluggard is sent to the ant, which gathers food without any ruler.
  3. Poverty as an armed man (Proverbs 6:11). A little more sleep is said to bring poverty like a traveller and want like an armed man.
  4. The man who sows discord (Proverbs 6:14). The wicked man devises mischief continually and sows discord.
  5. Six things, yea seven (Proverbs 6:16). A numerical saying lists the things the Lord hates, ending with sowing discord among brethren.
  6. The commandment is a lamp (Proverbs 6:23). The father's commandment and mother's law are called a lamp and a light.
  7. Fire in the bosom (Proverbs 6:27). The speaker asks whether a man can carry fire against his chest without being burned.

For reflection

The chapter says men do not despise a hungry thief, yet he must restore sevenfold, while the adulterer's reproach is never wiped away. What does the comparison suggest about which losses the text thinks can be repaid and which cannot?