Proverbs 7:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: “I had to offer sacrifices, and today I have paid my vows;

NIV: Today I fulfilled my vows, and I have food from my fellowship offering at home.

NASB: 'I was due to offer peace offerings; Today I have paid my vows.

CSB: "I've made fellowship offerings; today I've fulfilled my vows.

NLT: 'I’ve just made my peace offerings and fulfilled my vows.

KJV: I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.

NKJV: “ I have peace offerings with me; Today I have paid my vows.

Solomon quotes the words of a woman aggressively seeking to seduce a young man (Proverbs 7:10–13). Her reference to sacrifices and vows probably refers to temple offerings, where some of the meat would be taken home. The prospect of a fine meal is part of the experience she uses to tempt this reckless youth. The other lure is a brazen invitation to sexual sin (Proverbs 7:16–19).

Perhaps, the adultery-minded woman felt her offerings and vows had settled the score with God and now she could embark on a new round of sins. Or she was offering these sacrifices to some pagan deity. Regardless, she was ready to lure the foolish young man into adultery.

Even if the sacrifices offered were part of Israel's temple worship, her display of piety was hypocritical. She simply wanted to appear religious. In Isaiah's time, hypocrisy was rampant. People were going through the motions of religion, but God saw through their hypocrisy. He saw that their hearts were far from Him, describing the people as having forsaken Him (Isaiah 1:4). He asked: "What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?…I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats" (Isaiah 1:11).

Proverbs 7:10–23 describes an adulteress as aggressive and seductive. Though speaking to his son, Solomon's lessons here are meant for all people. This passage is part of Solomon's teaching about the dangers of sin and temptation. The prior passage spoke of a reckless youth (Proverbs 7:6–9), who now suffers the consequences of his own choices. The woman in this story takes advantage of the young man's lust and carelessness. Solomon compares the trap she springs to those used to capture ox, a deer, and a bird.

Repeating a theme common to the early chapters of Proverbs, Solomon once again presents a dire warning about the dangers of adultery. This comes in the form of a story about a foolish young man being seduced by a predatory woman. Solomon says this is something he has seen—meaning this is likely a summary of many such examples he has witnessed in his life. The result of these reckless sins is misery and death, for both men and women alike.

In Proverbs 5 and 6 Solomon warns his son against adultery. He describes the evil woman, the adulteress, as deceptive and dangerous. While this is valid in a literal sense, it also serves as a general warning about the seductive nature of sin. In this chapter he continues his counsel about adultery, stressing the tactics used in temptation and how falling to them leads to death. The following chapter will return to the personification of wisdom as a woman, begging to be honored.

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.