CHAPTER 5
Warning Against Adultery*
to understanding incline your ear,
and your lips guard what you know.
and her mouth is smoother than oil;a
as sharp as a two-edged sword.
her steps reach Sheol;b
lest you see before you the road to life.
do not stray from the words of my mouth.
do not go near the door of her house,
and your years to a merciless one;
and your hard-won earnings go to another’s house;
when your flesh and your body are consumed;
and my heart spurn reproof!
incline my ear to my instructors!
in the midst of the public assembly!”
running water from your own well.
streams of water in the streets?
not shared with outsiders;
Of whose love you will ever have your fill,
and by her ardor always be intoxicated.
and embrace another woman?
all their paths he surveys;e
in the meshes of their own sin they will be held fast;
lost because of their great folly.
* [5:1–23] This is the first of three poems on the forbidden woman, the “stranger” outside the social boundaries (cf. 2:16–19); the other two are 6:20–35 and chap. 7. Understanding and discretion are necessary to avoid adultery, which leads astray and begets bitterness, bloodshed, and death (vv. 1–6). It destroys honor, wastes the years of life, despoils hard-earned wealth, and brings remorse in the end (vv. 7–14). Conjugal fidelity and love bring happiness and security (vv. 15–20). Cf. 6:20–7:27. The structure of the poem consists of a two-line introduction; part one consists of three stanzas of four lines each warning of the forbidden woman’s effect on her lovers (vv. 3–14); part two consists of a stanza of twelve lines exhorting the disciple to marital fidelity (vv. 15–20); and a final stanza of six lines on the perils of the woman (vv. 21–23).
* [5:3] A metaphorical level is established in the opening description of the forbidden woman: her lips drip honey and her feet lead to death. By her lies, she leads people away from the wisdom that gives life.
* [5:9] Honor: the words “life” and “wealth” have also been read in this place. A merciless one: the offended husband; cf. 6:34–35.
* [5:15–16] Water: water may have an erotic meaning as in Sg 4:15, “[You are] a garden fountain, a well of living water.” Eating and drinking can be metaphors expressing the mutuality of love. The wife is the opposite of the adulterous woman; she is not an outsider, not unfeeling, not a destroyer of her husband’s self and goods. The best defense against adultery is appreciating and loving one’s spouse. The best defense against folly is to appreciate and love wisdom.
* [5:19] Lovely hind…graceful doe: ancient Near Eastern symbols of feminine beauty and charm; cf. Sg 2:7, 9, 17.
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