Proverbs

[John Reece]

Proverbs 5:3a

Text (BHS):

כִּי נֹפֶת תִּטֹּפְנָה שִׂפְתֵי זָרָה

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (Waltke):

For the lips of the unchaste wife drip honey

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

כִּי נֹפֶת (kı̂ nōp̱eṯ) : conj. כִּי (kı̂) + noun נֹפֶת (nōp̱eṯ) : for honey
שִׂפְתֵי זָרָה () : plural construct of שָׂפָה (śāp̱āh) + זָרָה (zārāh) : the lips of the unchaste wife.
תִּטֹּפְנָה (tiṭṭōp̱ᵉnāh) : Qal imperfect 3 m.p. of נָטַף (nāṭap̱) : drip.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 5:3b

Text (BHS):

וְחָלָק מִשֶּׁמֶן חִכָּהּ

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (Waltke):

and her palate is smoother than oil.

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

וְחָלָק (wᵉḥālāq) : conj. וְ (wᵉ) + adjective חָלָק (ḥālāq) : and [more] smooth.
מִשֶּׁמֶן () : prep. מִן (min) + noun שֶׁמֶן () : than oil.
חִכָּהּ (ḥikkāh) : noun חֵךְ (ḥēḵ) + pronominal 3 f.s. suffix : [is] her palate.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 5:4a

Text (BHS):

וְאַחֲרִיתָהּ מָרָה כַלַּעֲנָה

Transliteration (Accordance):

wᵉʾaḥᵃrı̂ṯāh mārāh ḵallaʿᵃnāh

Translation (Waltke):

But in the end she* is bitter, like wormwood

*Literally "end of her," a genitive of agency (i.e., the end she effects; IBHS

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

וְאַחֲרִיתָהּ (wᵉʾaḥᵃrı̂ṯāh) : conj. וְ (wᵉ) + noun אַחֲרִית (ʾaḥᵃrı̂ṯ) + pronominal 3 f.s. suffix : but at her end, i.e., the end she effects.*
מָרָה (mārāh) : adjective f.s. of מַר (mar) : bitterness
כַלַּעֲנָה (ḵallaʿᵃnāh) : conj. כְּ (kᵉ) + לַעֲנָה (laʿᵃnāh) : like wormwood (simile of bitter result of intercourse with strange woman -BDB).

[John Reece]

Proverbs 5:4b

Text (BHS):

חַדָּה כְּחֶרֶב פִּיּוֹת

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (Waltke):

sharp, like a double-edged sword.

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

חַדָּה (ḥaddā) : adjective feminine of חַד (ḥaḏ) : sharp.
כְּחֶרֶב (kᵉḥereḇ) : prep. כְּ (kᵉ) + construct חֶרֶב (ḥereḇ) : like a sword of.
פִּיּוֹת () : plural of פֶּה (peh) : mouths/edges.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 5:5a

Text (BHS):

רַגְלֶיהָ יֹרְדוֹת מָוֶת

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (Waltke):

Her feet* are going down to death

*[A] synecdoche for the unchaste wife, shifts the focus from the top to the bottom and functions as a metonymy for path (2:18). It may also play on its euphemistic use for the pubic region [Male: Exod. 4:25; Judg. 3:34; 1 Sam. 24:3(4); Isa. 7:20; cf. Gen. 49:10; female: Deut. 28:56; Ezek. 16:25, HALOT s.v. regel.].

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

רַגְלֶיהָ () : plural of רֶגֶל (reg̱el) + pronominal 3 f.s. suffix : her feet.
יֹרְדוֹת () : Qal fem. participle of יָרַד (yāraḏ) : are going down.
מָוֶת (māweṯ) : [to] death.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 5:5b

Text (BHS):

שְׁאוֹל צְעָדֶיהָ יִתְמֹכוּ

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (Waltke):

her steps lay hold of the grave.

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

שְׁאוֹל () : the grave.
צְעָדֶיהָ () : plural of צַעַד (ṣaʿaḏ) + pronominal 3 f.s. suffix : her steps.
צְעָדֶיהָ () : Qal imperfect 3 m.p. pausal of תָּמַךְ (tāmaḵ) : attain.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 5:6a

Text (BHS):

אֹרַח חַיִּים פֶּן־תְּפַלֵּס

Transliteration (Accordance):

ʾōraḥ ḥayyı̂m pen-tᵉp̱allēs

Translation (NRSV):

She does not keep straight to the path of life

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

אֹרַח חַיִּים (ʾōraḥ ḥayyı̂m) : construct אֹרַח (ʾōraḥ) + חַיִּים (ḥayyı̂m) : the path of life.
פֶּן־תְּפַלֵּס (pen-tᵉp̱allēs) : ('here, pen has the sense of the emphatic adverb "not"' -Waltke) : פֶּן (pen) + Piel imperfect e f.s. of פָּלַס (pālas) : she does not keep straight.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 5:6b

Text (BHS):

נָעוּ מַעְגְּלֹתֶיהָ לֹא תֵדָע

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (NRSV):

her ways wander, and she does not know it.

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

נָעוּ מַעְגְּלֹתֶיהָ () : Qal perfect 3 c.p. of נוּעַ () + plural of מַעְגָּל (maʿg̱āl) : her ways wander.
לֹא תֵדָע (lōʾ ṯēḏāʿ) : negation לֹא (lōʾ) + Qal imperfect 3 f.s. of יָדַע (yāḏaʿ) : she does not know.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 5:7a

Text (BHS):

וְעַתָּה בָנִים שִׁמְעוּ־לִי

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (Waltke):

So now, sons, listen to me

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

וְעַתָּה (wᵉʿattā) : conj. וְ (wᵉ) + adverb of time עַתָּה (ʿattā) : so now
בָנִים (ḇānı̂m) : plural of בֵּן (bēn) : sons.
שִׁמְעוּ־לִי () : Qal imperative 2 m.s. of שָׁמַע () + prep. לְ (lᵉ) + pronominal 1 c.s. suffix : listen to me.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 5:7b

Text (BHS):

וְאַל־תָּסוּרוּ מֵאִמְרֵי־פִי

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (Waltke):

and do not turn aside from the words of my mouth.*

*The LXX reads "my words" (mēʾimrāy), probably reflecting a haplography in its Vorlage.

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

וְאַל־תָּסוּרוּ () : conj. וְ (wᵉ) + negation for prohibition אַל (ʾal) + Qal imperfect 2 m.p. of סוּר () : and do not turn aside.
מֵאִמְרֵי־פִי () : prep. מִן (min) + plural construct of אֵמֶר (ʾēmer) + noun פֶּה (peh) + pronominal 1 c.s. suffix : from the words of my mouth.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 5:8a

Text (BHS):

הַרְחֵק מֵעָלֶיהָ דַרְכֶּךָ

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (NRSV):

Keep your way far from her

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

הַרְחֵק (harḥēq) : Hiphil imperative 2 m.s. of רָחַק (rāḥaq) : keep far.
מֵעָלֶיהָ () : prep. מִן (min) + prep. עַל (ʿal) + pronominal 3 f.s. suffix : from her.
דַרְכֶּךָ (ḏarkeḵā) : noun דֶּרֶךְ (dereḵ) + pronominal 2 m.s. suffix : your way.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 5:8b

Text (BHS):

וְאַל־תִּקְרַב אֶל־פֶּתַח בֵּיתָהּ

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (NRSV):

and do not go near the door of her house

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

וְאַל־תִּקְרַב (wᵉʾal-tiqraḇ) : conj. וְ (wᵉ) + negation for prohibition אַל (ʾal) + Qal imperfect 2 m.s. of קָרַב (qāraḇ) : and do not go near.
אֶל־פֶּתַח בֵּיתָהּ () : prep. אֶל (ʾel) + construct פֶּתַח (peṯaḥ) + noun בַּיִת (ḇayiṯ) + pronominal 3 f.s. suffix : to the entrance/doorway of her house.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 5:9a

Text (BHS):

פֶּן־תִּתֵּן לַאֲחֵרִים הוֹדֶךָ

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (Waltke):

lest you give your splendor to others*

*The LXX reads "your life" because either it read ḥayyı̂m, or misunderstood , or guessed at its meaning (...). The Targum and Syriac either read "your strength" (see 31:3) or paraphrased as a reference to virility.

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

פֶּן־תִּתֵּן (pen-tittēn) : conj. פֶּן (pen) + Qal imperfect 2 m.s. of נָתַן (nāṯan) : lest you give.
לַאֲחֵרִים (laʾᵃḥērı̂m) : prep. לְ (lᵉ) + plural of adj. אַחֵר (ʾaḥēr) : to others.
הוֹדֶךָ () : noun הוֹד () + pronominal 2 m.s. suffix : your weight, power, splendour, majesty (HALOT).

[John Reece]

Proverbs 5:9b

Text (BHS):

וּשְׁנֹתֶיךָ לְאַכְזָרִי

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (Waltke):

and your dignity* to the cruel

*Or "years" [of life]." Nominal form of III (= "to shine brilliantly"," "to be lofty"; HALOT, ...), however, is preferable to I "year" because it offers a better parallel to . ... The LXX reads "your life" either to evade the difficulty which posed or as a free reading (...) (...).

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

וּשְׁנֹתֶיךָ () : conj. וּ () + III שׁנה () + 2 m.s. suffix : and your dignity.*
לְאַכְזָרִי (lᵉʾaḵzārı̂) : prep. לְ (lᵉ) + adjective m.s. אַכְזָרִי (ʾaḵzārı̂) : to the cruel.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 5:10a

Text (BHS):

פֶּן־יִשְׂבְּעוּ זָרִים כֹּחֶךָ

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (Waltke):

lest strangers be filled with your strength

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

פֶּן (pen) : conjunction : lest.
זָרִים (zārı̂m) : plural participle of זוּר () : strangers.
יִשְׂבְּעוּ () : Qal imperfect 3 m.p. of שָׂבֵעַ (śāḇēaʿ) : be filled with.
כֹּחֶךָ (kōḥeḵā) : noun כֹּחַ (kōaḥ) + pronominal 2 m.s. suffix : your strength [metonymy for that which the son's vital powers produce (Waltke)].