Proverbs 5

My son, pay attention to my wisdom. Turn your ear to my understanding,

that you may maintain discretion, that your lips may preserve knowledge.

For the lips of an adulteress drip honey. Her mouth is smoother than oil,

but in the end she is as bitter as wormwood, and as sharp as a two-edged sword.

Her feet go down to death. Her steps lead straight to Sheol.

She gives no thought to the way of life. Her ways are crooked, and she doesn’t know it.

Now therefore, my sons, listen to me. Don’t depart from the words of my mouth.

Remove your way far from her. Don’t come near the door of her house,

lest you give your honor to others, and your years to the cruel one;

lest strangers feast on your wealth, and your labors enrich another man’s house.

You will groan at your latter end, when your flesh and your body are consumed,

and say, “How I have hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof.

I haven’t obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor turned my ear to those who instructed me!

I have come to the brink of utter ruin, among the gathered assembly.”

Drink water out of your own cistern, running water out of your own well.

Should your springs overflow in the streets, streams of water in the public squares?

Let them be for yourself alone, not for strangers with you.

Let your spring be blessed. Rejoice in the wife of your youth.

A loving doe and a graceful deer— let her breasts satisfy you at all times. Be captivated always with her love.

For why should you, my son, be captivated with an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another?

For the ways of man are before the LORD’s eyes. He examines all his paths.

The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare him. The cords of his sin hold him firmly.

He will die for lack of instruction. In the greatness of his folly, he will go astray.

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview.
This chapter warns against the dangers of sexual immorality, particularly the enticement of an adulterous woman, while urging faithfulness in marriage and adherence to wisdom. It fits within Proverbs’ larger exhortation to pursue wisdom above all else, portraying moral purity as essential to a life of understanding and divine favor.

Flow.

The father calls his son to heed wisdom so that he may guard his speech and moral conduct.
He describes the seductive but destructive nature of the adulteress, whose initial appeal leads to death and ruin.
The reader is urged to avoid her entirely, with vivid consequences outlined: loss of honor, wealth, health, and standing in the community.
In contrast, the husband is instructed to find deep satisfaction in his own wife, and the chapter closes with the solemn reminder that all human ways are seen by the Lord, and folly brings inevitable judgment.

Connections.
Following chapter 4, which emphasizes guarding the heart and walking in the ways of wisdom, chapter 5 applies that wisdom to a specific area of moral vulnerability—the temptation of adultery. It reinforces the internal formation of character from the previous chapter with a concrete warning about external enticements. The themes of moral vigilance and the consequences of straying prepare for chapter 6, which expands on folly’s traps, including similar warnings about adultery and financial recklessness, grounding both in the moral order upheld by God’s watchful gaze.

What it teaches.
The chapter teaches that God’s design for human sexuality is bound within marital faithfulness, and to depart from it is to abandon wisdom and invite divine and natural judgment. The adulteress is portrayed not merely as a moral failure but as a path leading to death (cf. HC LD 41), while joyful, exclusive marital love reflects the integrity God desires. The Lord sees all human ways (WCF 3.7), and sin brings self-entrapment (WCF 6.3), making instruction and repentance urgent. The call to delight in one’s spouse affirms marriage as a good gift (), consistent with the creational order () and God’s design for human flourishing.

Apply.
Find your deepest satisfaction in the faithful love God has ordained within your covenant relationships.

AI-generated. Not a substitute for Scripture, your pastor, or the confessions.