The Smooth Tongue of the Foreign Woman

For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light;
And reproofs for discipline are the way of life
To keep you from the evil woman,
From the smooth tongue of the adulteress.
- Proverbs 6:23,24 (NAS)

In the Proverbs there are two types of women described in detail. One we warn our sons to stay away from, the other we encourage them to look for as a wife. One we teach our daughters not to be like, the other we encourage them to model their lives after. The latter half of Proverbs 6 is about the one that boys should avoid and girls should not emulate. Verses 20-35 contain a parental warning to a son to stay away, far away, from her because she is an adulteress woman.

Some Bibles translate 'the adulteress' (nok-ree': foreigner or foreign woman - i.e. harlot) as the wayward wife, the promiscuous woman, the strange woman, the estranged woman, the loose woman, the vile woman, and the seductress. Obviously she's not a good person to 'hook-up' with. She's trouble, big trouble and if you get involved with her you will regret it for the rest of your life.

We can surmise by the use of the word 'adulteress' that she is a married woman. She already has a husband so why is she looking for another man? Well, she's evil; she's worldly. Her desire is for self gratification; she lives for the moment. She is a foreigner; a pagan. Her standards are contrary to the standards of Adonai; covenant faithfulness is not something she is concerned about. Stay away from her. She is seductive and will only lead you down the path of destruction.



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