Proverbs 6
Summary for Prov 6:1-5: 6:1-5 a To secure the debt of another person is to guarantee it with one’s own possessions. Whether to earn a friend’s goodwill or to turn a profit from a stranger (cp. Exod 22:25 b; Lev 25:36-37 c; Deut 23:19-20 d), the risk is too great to take; it could lead to financial ruin. This message is repeated in Prov 11:15 e; 17:18 f; 20:16 g; 22:26 h; 27:13 i.Summary for Prov 6:3-5: 6:3-5 j save yourself: The danger of ruin is so great that escaping the situation is almost a matter of life and death, as highlighted by the images of animals caught in a trap.
Summary for Prov 6:6-11: 6:6-11 k Lazy people sleep rather than make necessary provisions (see also 24:33-34 l). They are the opposite of self-motivated and industrious ants.
• Extra sleep ... more slumber sarcastically expresses a lazy person’s ambition.
Summary for Prov 6:10-11: 6:10-11 m // 24:33-34 n The result of laziness is poverty. It will come suddenly and ruthlessly, like a bandit or an armed robber.
Summary for Prov 6:12-15: 6:12-15 o eye ... foot ... fingers ... hearts: The different parts of a worthless person’s body describe overall character, not just an occasional foolish act.
6:13 p wink ... nudge ... wiggle: These behaviors were signals used while trying to deceive the innocent.
6:15 q Even if wicked people seem to prosper, they will suddenly be punished.
Summary for Prov 6:16-19: 6:16-19 r The first line gives a number followed by a second line that increases that number by one. This device (called number parallelism) introduces a list of items and often, as here, draws attention to the climactic final item (see also 30:15-23 s).
6:19 t A false witness perverts the truth in court or in everyday conversation.
Summary for Prov 6:20-35: 6:20-35 u This passage emphasizes the life-threatening risk of sleeping with another man’s wife (see also 1:8 v, 23 w; 2:16-22 x; 5:1-23 y; 7:1-27 z).
Summary for Prov 6:24-25: 6:24-25 aa The immoral woman uses smooth talk and physical beauty to appeal to the vanity of young men.
6:26 ab Sleeping with a prostitute has consequences, and sleeping with another man’s wife can cost you your life. Her husband will seek revenge (6:34-35 ac), and God is watching in judgment.
Summary for Prov 6:27-29: 6:27-29 ad walk on hot coals: Of course his feet will blister. The consequences are horrible.
Summary for Prov 6:30-31: 6:30-31 ae Seven times is probably a way of saying a great amount since the law never stipulated such high repayment (see Exod 22:1 af, 4 ag, 9 ah).
Summary for Prov 6:32-35: 6:32-35 ai A thief might be punished severely even if he had a reason for his actions, but his punishment is nothing compared to an adulterer’s, who has no excuse for his crime. A jealous husband will seek the full punishment provided by law, which is death (Deut 22:22 aj).
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