Pro 7:1-5 | NETfull | STEP | My child, keep my words and treasure up my commands in your own keeping.

Proverbs 7:1-5

1 My child, ^{▼▼ Heb “my son.”} keep my words
and treasure up my commands in your own keeping. ^{▼▼ Heb “within you” (so NASB, NIV); KJV, ASV, NRSV “with you.” BDB 860 s.v. צָפַן Qal.1 suggests that “within you” means “in your own keeping.”}
2 Keep my commands ^{▼▼ Before v. 2 the LXX inserts: “My son, fear the Lord and you will be strong, and besides him, fear no other.” Although this addition has the precedent of 3:7 and 9 and harmonizes with 14:26, it does not fit here; the advice is to listen to the teacher.} so that you may live, ^{▼▼ The construction of an imperative with the vav (ו) of sequence after another imperative denotes a logical sequence of purpose or result: “that you may live,” or “and you will live.”}
and obey ^{▼▼ The term “obey” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the parallelism; it is supplied for the sake of clarity and smoothness. Some English versions, in light of the second line of v. 1, supply “guard” (e.g., NIV, NCV, NLT).} my instruction as your most prized possession. ^{▼▼ Heb “the little man in your eye.” Traditionally this Hebrew idiom is translated into English as “the apple of your eye” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); a more contemporary rendering would be “as your most prized possession.” The word for “man” has the diminutive ending on it. It refers to the pupil, where the object focused on – a man – is reflected in miniature. The point is that the teaching must be the central focus of the disciple’s vision and attention.}
3 Bind them on your forearm; ^{▼▼ Heb “fingers” (so KJV and many other English versions). In light of Deut 6:8, “fingers” appears to be a metonymy for the lower part of the arm.}
write them on the tablet of your heart. ^{▼▼ This is an allusion to Deut 6:8. Binding the teachings on the fingers and writing them on the tablets here are implied comparisons for preserving the teaching in memory so that it can be recalled and used with ease.}
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” ^{▼▼ The metaphor is meant to signify that the disciple will be closely related to and familiar with wisdom and understanding, as close as to a sibling. Wisdom will be personified in the next two chapters, and so referring to it as a sister in this chapter certainly prepares for that personification.}
and call understanding a close relative,
5 so that they may keep you ^{▼▼ The infinitive construct with the preposition shows the purpose of associating closely with wisdom: Wisdom will obviate temptations, the greatest being the sexual urge.} from the adulterous ^{▼▼ Heb “strange” (so KJV, ASV).} woman,
from the loose woman ^{▼▼ Heb “strange woman.” This can be interpreted as a “wayward wife” (so NIV) or an “unfaithful wife” (so NCV). As discussed earlier, the designations “strange woman” and “foreign woman” could refer to Israelites who stood outside the community in their lawlessness and loose morals – an adulteress or wayward woman. H. Ringgren and W. Zimmerli, however, suggest that she is also a promoter of a pagan cult, but that is not entirely convincing (Spruche/Prediger [ATD], 19).} who flatters you ^{▼▼ The term “you” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness.} with her words. ^{▼▼ Heb “she makes smooth her words.” This expression means “she flatters with her words.”}