Proverbs 5:1-6

The danger of seduction 5:1-6

The lips of the youth (Proverbs 5:2) contrast with those of the seductress (Proverbs 5:3). Knowing what is right and being able to articulate that with one’s lips is really a protection against the power of the seductress’s speech (Proverbs 5:1-6). The temptress comes with words that are sweet (flattering) and smooth (delightful, Proverbs 5:3). [Note: M. Dahood, "Honey That Drips. Notes on Proverbs 5:2-3," Biblica 54 (1973):65-66.] Nevertheless if swallowed, they make the person tempted by them feel bitter (ashamed) and wounded (hurt, Proverbs 5:4). Even flirting produces this effect sometimes.

"There is an old saying, ’Honey is sweet, but the bee stings’; and this lady has a sting in her tail." [Note: Kenneth T. Aitken, Proverbs, p. 63.]

Typically the seductress will lead a person down a path that takes him or her to death and the grave (Proverbs 5:5), though one can experience a living death as a result of following her, too. She has no concern with living a truly worthwhile life but only with gaining some immediate physical and emotional thrill (Proverbs 5:6).

"God created sex not only for reproduction but also for enjoyment, and he didn’t put the ’marriage wall’ around sex to rob us of pleasure but to increase pleasure and protect it." [Note: Wiersbe, p. 48.]