Proverbs 2:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: for her house sinks down to death, and her paths to the departed;

NIV: Surely her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead.

NASB: For her house sinks down to death, And her tracks lead to the dead;

CSB: for her house sinks down to death and her ways to the land of the departed spirits.

NLT: Entering her house leads to death; it is the road to the grave.

KJV: For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.

NKJV: For her house leads down to death, And her paths to the dead;

The ultimate consequence of sin is death (Romans 6:23). This passage is using the metaphor of a seductive woman to represent sin. In this verse, her house sinks down, implying a slow, gradual process. Those living in a home do not notice the subtle sinking and settling that comes naturally. Yet if just one small portion of the foundation is wrong or is out of place, the house will slowly sink. Often this sinking goes unnoticed until the home is broken beyond repair. This is why David prays in Psalm 139:23, "Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!" God is the ultimate home inspector; He can search out cracks in the foundation and tell us how to fix them.

Another analogy for this point is that of a train, which can go nowhere except where its tracks lead. Sin's tracks lead to death. While it may be relatively easy to stop a train that has just begun to move forward, once it is speeding down the tracks it becomes almost impossible to stop.

Proverbs 2:16–22 focuses on the virtue philosophers such as Plato refer to as integrity, which is better labelled as temperance. This virtue is more than doing what is right even when no one is looking, which is how we often define integrity. Rather, it is also keeping ourselves from situations where we might be tempted to do wrong. In the modern sense, integrity is marked by what you do, while temperance is marked by using other virtues to avoid negative situations. For instance, Paul warns how being drunk leads to debauchery (Ephesians 5:18). A person exhibiting temperance might restrict or eliminate use of alcohol, thereby avoiding drunkenness and therefore, avoiding debauchery. This can be stated succinctly as a man mastering or controlling himself (James 3). This passage contrasts the outcome of not controlling oneself against the benefit of living with integrity.

In Proverbs chapter 2, Solomon highlights various virtues, as well as provides encouragement to live a virtuous life. As in chapter 1, specific concepts wil reoccur, and are used in certain ways. Here, these are ideas such as courage, integrity, wisdom, and justice. The gist of this passage is the positive effect that virtue—including these various aspects—will have on one's life. In contrast, those who pursue non-virtuous living will suffer dire consequences.

The overarching theme of Proverbs chapter 2 is the relationship between virtue and discernment. As described here, virtuous living is moral living. As a person strives to live a moral life, he or she develops a greater ability to discern right from wrong. Further, beyond simple matters of right and wrong, as virtue grows within a person, he or she becomes more proficient at discerning trickier situations. Real life predicaments often present two or more seemingly valid options. Discernment, then, also includes determining which of many different options is actually best. Likewise, many life situations appear to offer only a variety of bad options. There, discernment is once again required, to determine which option presents the correct choice, or to recognize where a ''good'' option has been hidden.

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.

Accessed 5/5/2024 1:35:00 PM