Proverbs 7
Ecclesiastes 7 is a chapter in which the wisdom of life, the emptiness of it, and the deep reflection on human nature are explored. Overall, it presents a collection of wisdom in the form of proverbial sayings, followed by counsel regarding many different moments of life and one’s attitudes toward them. In the first part (verses 1–14), sorrow and death are highlighted with a paradoxical lesson: that they, rather than only destroying a person, can help them grow and become wiser. Then (verses 15–22), a warning against excessive righteousness and wickedness is discussed, along with the need for wisdom. In the final section (verses 23–29), a human search and its limits, as well as observations about human frailty, continue.
1verseMy son, keep my words. Lay up my commandments within you.
2verseKeep my commandments and live! Guard my teaching as the apple of your eye.
3verseBind them on your fingers. Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4verseTell wisdom, “You are my sister.” Call understanding your relative,
5versethat they may keep you from the strange woman, from the foreigner who flatters with her words.
6verseFor at the window of my house, I looked out through my lattice.
7verseI saw among the simple ones. I discerned among the youths a young man void of understanding,
8versepassing through the street near her corner, he went the way to her house,
9versein the twilight, in the evening of the day, in the middle of the night and in the darkness.
10verseBehold, there a woman met him with the attire of a prostitute, and with crafty intent.
11verseShe is loud and defiant. Her feet don’t stay in her house.
12verseNow she is in the streets, now in the squares, and lurking at every corner.
13verseSo she caught him, and kissed him. With an impudent face she said to him:
14verse“Sacrifices of peace offerings are with me. Today I have paid my vows.
15verseTherefore I came out to meet you, to diligently seek your face, and I have found you.
16verseI have spread my couch with carpets of tapestry, with striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt.
17verseI have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18verseCome, let’s take our fill of loving until the morning. Let’s solace ourselves with loving.
19verseFor my husband isn’t at home. He has gone on a long journey.
20verseHe has taken a bag of money with him. He will come home at the full moon.”
21verseWith persuasive words, she led him astray. With the flattering of her lips, she seduced him.
22verseHe followed her immediately, as an ox goes to the slaughter, as a fool stepping into a noose.
23verseUntil an arrow strikes through his liver, as a bird hurries to the snare, and doesn’t know that it will cost his life.
24verseNow therefore, sons, listen to me. Pay attention to the words of my mouth.
25verseDon’t let your heart turn to her ways. Don’t go astray in her paths,
26versefor she has thrown down many wounded. Yes, all her slain are a mighty army.
27verseHer house is the way to Sheol, going down to the rooms of death.
Explanation of the Main Content
- Lessons from Sorrow and Death (verses 1–4): By emphasizing the importance of a good name and the day one dies, it encourages that when a living person stays in the house of death—namely, the place of sorrow—they can actually come to understand many things.
- Wisdom and Self-Control (verses 5–12): It says that it is better to be rebuked by the wise than to hear praise from fools, and it warns against anger and impatience. It also highlights that wisdom is beneficial like an inheritance.
- Acknowledging God’s Sovereignty (verses 13–14): It advises that one should rejoice on good days, but on difficult days remember that God has allowed both good and bad days, and respond to them with humility.
- A Balanced Attitude Toward Life (verses 15–22): It warns against pride that becomes excessively righteous or overly wise, and against the harmfulness of excessive wickedness, encouraging the maintenance of a temperate and balanced attitude.
- Human Limits (verses 23–29): It ends with a confession that, though people strive to understand everything, they ultimately fail to reach it, and that they discover how much a person has fallen and become more wicked to some extent.
Points to Ponder
- Was it not that I only tried to avoid life’s sorrows or hardships—and am I prepared to accept the wisdom given in the midst of them?
- Can I trust God’s will and providence in both joy and hardship?
- Is there not a need to look again at whether I have not tried to display my own righteousness or wisdom, and to recheck a balanced attitude and humility?
Try Applying It to Yourself
- Let’s reflect on whether there is something for me to learn even in today’s life—amid hardship and difficulties.
- Let’s check whether the things I rely on and boast about truly connect with true wisdom and humility.
- With an attitude of accepting every moment God has allowed, let’s make up our minds to live through the day.
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