Proverbs 5:3 BSB — MannaFest

Proverbs 5:3

Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil,

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

For the lips of a strange woman drop honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil:

KJV

For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:

⋯

Commentary

3 voices

Athanasius of Alexandria

296–373

LETTER 7:5 (373)

Even when the sinner looks for gratification, he doesn't find the fruit of his sin pleasant. As the wisdom of God says in another place, "Bread of deceit is pleasant to a man, but after he eats it, his mouth will be filled with gravel." And, "Honey drips from the lips of an adulteress, and for a time it tastes sweet, but in the end you will find it more bitter than gall and sharper than a two-edged sword." So he eats and is quite pleased for a little while.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

John Gill

1697–1771

Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763)

For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb,.... "Mulsa dicta", "honey words", as is Plautus's (e) expression.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible (1832)

The lips of a strange woman - One that is not thy own, whether Jewess or heathen. Drop as a honey-comb - She uses the most deceitful, flattering, and alluring speeches: as the droppings of the honey out of the comb are the sweetest of all.

Voices on this verse

loading…

Original language & word study

8 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
כִּ֤י	ki	for	H3588 →
נֹ֣פֶת	No.fet	honey	H5317 →
תִּ֭טֹּפְנָה	Ti.to.fe.nah	they drip	H5197 →
שִׂפְתֵ֣י	sif.Tei	[the] lips of	H8193 →
זָרָ֑ה	za.Rah	a strange [woman]	H2114 →
וְחָלָ֖ק	ve.cha.Lak	and [is] smooth	H2509 →
מִשֶּׁ֣מֶן	mi.She.men	more than oil	H8081 →
חִכָּֽהּ׃	chi.Kah	mouth her	H2441 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Proverbs 7:5
that they may keep you from the adulteress, from the stranger with seductive words.
leads to
- Proverbs 2:16
  It will rescue you from the forbidden woman, from the stranger with seductive words
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
Through
Proverbs 2:16
It will rescue you from the forbidden woman, from the stranger with seductive words
leads to
- Ecclesiastes 7:26
  And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a net, and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is…
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- Proverbs 6:24
  to keep you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
Through
Proverbs 6:24
to keep you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.
leads to
- Proverbs 7:5
  that they may keep you from the adulteress, from the stranger with seductive words.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
Through
Psalms 55:21
His speech is smooth as butter, but war is in his heart. His words are softer than oil, yet they are swords unsheathed.
leads to
- Psalms 57:4
  My soul is among the lions; I lie down with ravenous beasts— with men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.
- Proverbs 5:3–4
  Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil,
- Proverbs 26:28
  A lying tongue hates those it crushes, and a flattering mouth causes ruin.
- Psalms 28:3
  Do not drag me away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, who speak peace to their neighbors while malice is in their hearts.

About Proverbs

King Solomon in Old Age — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain

Proverbs: the study guide →Read chapter 5 →The featured study →

Continue: Proverbs 5 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

06About Proverbs

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

About Proverbs