Proverbs 7:19
in Proverbs 7For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
For the man is not at home; He is gone a long journey:
KJV
For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey:
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This verse in Proverbs 7
Commentary
9 notes on this verseWith a provocative movement of a prostitute, with a disrupted gait through delights, with wandering eyes, and with playful darting of her eyelids, she captures the precious souls of young men (for the eye of a prostitute is a snare of a sinner), and with doubtful perception, she accosts anyone passing by in the corner of her house, with charming words, causing the hearts of young men to flutter, restless at home, wandering in the streets, prodigal with kisses, cheap in modesty, rich in attire, painted cheeks.
This site's exposition
I have decked my bed with coverings
on Proverbs 7:16-20
Her speech turns to what the senses enjoy, “colored linen from Egypt” and a bed perfumed “with myrrh, with aloes, and with cinnamon”. Her closing argument is logistics, sold as calculated safety: “my husband is not at home,” and he “will not return till the moon is full”.
This site's exposition
my husband is not at home
The Hebrew reads only the man, and Barnes hears scorn in her refusal to call him her husband. He also suspects that the whole story of his travels is a blind. Every detail is meant to calm the young man.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
There is no husband in the house, he has gone, etc. He says, Christ is not bodily in the Church. For having risen from the dead, He ascended to heaven and left us the ministry of governing the Church, namely His house.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
For the good man is not at home,.... Or, "for the man is not in his house" (y). She does not say, "my man", or "my husband"; though the Septuagint.
), and, for aught that appears, lived in reputation among her neighbours, not suspected of any such wickedness, and yet, in the twilight of the evening, when her husband was abroad, abominably impudent. She is here described, 1.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
It is therefore with good reason taken notice of, to Sarah's praise, that she spoke respectfully of her husband, calling him lord. She pleases herself with this that he is not at home, and therefore she is melancholy if she have not some company, and therefore whatever company she has she may be free with them, for she is from under his eye, and he shall never know.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The reference to the husband is probably a blind. The use of the word “goodman” is due to the wish of the English translators to give a colloquial character to this part of their Version. The Hebrew is merely “the man.” A touch of scorn may be noticed in the form of speech: not “my husband,” but simply “the man.”
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
For the good man - Literally, “For the man is not in his house.”
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כִּ֤י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| אֵ֣ין | ʾein | not | H369 → | 789 times |
| הָאִ֣ישׁ | haish | the husband | H376 → | 1663 times |
| בְּבֵית֑וֹ | beveito | [is] in house his | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| הָ֝לַ֗ךְ | halakh | he has gone | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| בְּדֶ֣רֶךְ | bederekh | on a journey | H1870 → | 707 times |
| מֵרָחֽוֹק׃ | merachok | from a distance | H7350 → | 84 times |
כִּ֤יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
אֵ֣יןnot
ʾeinH369 →789 times
הָאִ֣ישׁthe husband
haishH376 →1663 times
בְּבֵית֑וֹ[is] in house his
beveitoH1004 →2046 times
הָ֝לַ֗ךְhe has gone
halakhH1980 →1546 times
בְּדֶ֣רֶךְon a journey
bederekhH1870 →707 times
מֵרָחֽוֹק׃from a distance
merachokH7350 →84 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Matthew 24:43But understand this: If the homeowner had known in which watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.
it leads to
- Luke 12:39
But understand this: If the homeowner had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.
- Matthew 24:44
For this reason, you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.
- Luke 12:39
Through
Matthew 24:48But suppose that servant is wicked and says in his heart, ‘My master will be away a long time.’
it leads to
- Matthew 18:32
Then the master summoned him and declared, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave all your debt because you begged me.
- 2 Peter 3:3–5
Most importantly, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.
- Luke 12:45
But suppose that servant says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and he begins to beat the menservants and maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk.
- Isaiah 32:6
For a fool speaks foolishness; his mind plots iniquity. He practices ungodliness and speaks falsely about the LORD; he leaves the hungry empty and deprives the thirsty of drink.
- Matthew 18:32
Through
Matthew 20:11On receiving their pay, they began to grumble against the landowner.
it leads to
- Luke 19:7
And all who saw this began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinful man!”
- 1 Thessalonians 2:16
hindering us from telling the Gentiles how they may be saved. As a result, they continue to heap up their sins to full capacity; the utmost wrath has come upon them.
- Luke 19:7
About Proverbs
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ambrose of Milan, On Cain and Abel; Bede, Commentary on Proverbs; Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Proverbs of Solomon; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.