Proverbs 6:25 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;

NIV: Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.

NASB: Do not desire her beauty in your heart, Nor let her capture you with her eyelids.

CSB: Don’t lust in your heart for her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyelashes.

NLT: Don’t lust for her beauty. Don’t let her coy glances seduce you.

KJV: Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.

NKJV: Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, Nor let her allure you with her eyelids.

Solomon recognized the role of the heart in making moral decisions. If we love God with all our heart, we can lead a moral life, but if we yield to lust in our heart, we will commit sin. Therefore, Solomon tells his son not to desire the evil woman's beauty in his heart. Proverbs 31:30 says "beauty is vain." It is worth nothing if it lacks godliness. First Peter 3:4 tells women: "Let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious." A truly beautiful woman, therefore, is beautiful on the inside. A man who falls for the beauty of a temptress—or a woman for a handsome man—may discover quickly and too late that attractiveness is a façade that hides an ugly and painful trap.

Solomon also advises his son to avoid becoming captured by the evil woman's eyelashes. The reference here is to some attractive feature or lure—as is often portrayed when a woman "bats her eyes" or flutters her eyelashes. That may attract a man, but if her come-hither glances catch him, he may feel like an unwary insect captured by a Venus flytrap.

Proverbs 6:20–35 returns to the topic of adultery, something Solomon also discussed in chapter 5. He warns his son to abide by the teaching he received from his parents, because they will guide him and keep him from the adulteress. Further, he cites the harmful and irreversible consequences of adultery.

This chapter provides teaching on two aspects of wealth management. The first is avoiding putting one's property in debt for the sake of some other person's risky investment. The other warns against laziness, indicating that it puts a person at risk for sudden ruin. Solomon then poetically explains attitudes and actions which God finds especially repulsive. Next, Solomon returns to the subject of adultery. He reiterates the inherent risks of sexual immorality, including the catastrophic consequences which it brings. That lesson continues into the following chapter.

This chapter of Proverbs continues the wise sayings Solomon addresses to his son. In chapter 5 he addresses adultery and marriage. In this chapter he addresses financial matters, work ethics, characteristics and conduct the Lord despises, and sexual immorality. A common theme of these lessons is to avoid the natural consequences of foolish choices. The next chapter describes the adulteress's ways and the pitfalls involved in committing adultery with her.

Proverbs is best understood in context with the books of Ecclesiastes and Job. In Proverbs, “wisdom” is given in short, simple, general terms. Ecclesiastes represents wisdom based on observation and experience. This often shows how the general principles of the book of Proverbs don’t apply in absolutely every circumstance. Job represents wisdom based on the experience of suffering and injustice. All three come to the conclusion that God does indeed know best, and the most sensible course of action is to follow His will.