Proverbs 6ASV
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Proverbs6

American Standard Version · Public Domain

1My son, if thou art become surety for thy neighbor, If thou hast stricken thy hands for a stranger;

2Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, Thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.

3Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, Seeing thou art come into the hand of thy neighbor: Go, humble thyself, and importune thy neighbor;

4Give not sleep to thine eyes, Nor slumber to thine eyelids;

5Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, And as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

6Go to the ant, thou sluggard; Consider her ways, and be wise:

7Which having no chief, Overseer, or ruler,

8Provideth her bread in the summer, And gathereth her food in the harvest.

9How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

10Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep:

11So shall thy poverty come as a robber, And thy want as an armed man.

12A worthless person, a man of iniquity, Is he that walketh with a perverse mouth;

13That winketh with his eyes, that speaketh with his feet, That maketh signs with his fingers;

14In whose heart is perverseness, Who deviseth evil continually, Who soweth discord.

15Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; On a sudden shall he be broken, and that without remedy.

16There are six things which Jehovah hateth; Yea, seven which are an abomination unto him:

17Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood;

18A heart that deviseth wicked purposes, Feet that are swift in running to mischief,

19A false witness that uttereth lies, And he that soweth discord among brethren.

20My son, keep the commandment of thy father, And forsake not the law of thy mother:

21Bind them continually upon thy heart; Tie them about thy neck.

22When thou walkest, it shall lead thee; When thou sleepest, it shall watch over thee; And when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.

23For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; And reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

24To keep thee from the evil woman, From the flattery of the foreigner’s tongue.

25Lust not after her beauty in thy heart; Neither let her take thee with her eyelids.

26For on account of a harlot a man is brought to a piece of bread; And the adulteress hunteth for the precious life.

27Can a man take fire in his bosom, And his clothes not be burned?

28Or can one walk upon hot coals, And his feet not be scorched?

29So he that goeth in to his neighbor’s wife; Whosoever toucheth her shall not be unpunished.

30Men do not despise a thief, if he steal To satisfy himself when he is hungry:

31But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; He shall give all the substance of his house.

32He that committeth adultery with a woman is void of understanding: He doeth it who would destroy his own soul.

33Wounds and dishonor shall he get; And his reproach shall not be wiped away.

34For jealousy is the rage of a man; And he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

35He will not regard any ransom; Neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.

Study Guide

Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Proverbs 6.

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Chapter Summary

In this chapter: Cautions against rash suretiship. (1–5). A rebuke to slothfulness. (6–11). Seven things hateful to God. (12–19). Exhortations to walk according to God's commandments. (20–35).

vv1-5

If we live as directed by the word of God, we shall find it profitable even in this present world. We are stewards of our worldly substance, and have to answer to the Lord for our disposal of it; to waste it in rash schemes, or such plans as may entangle us in difficulties and temptations, is wrong. A man ought never to be surety for more than he is able and willing to pay, and can afford to pay, without wronging his family; he ought to look upon every sum he is engaged for, as his own debt. If we must take all this care to get our debts to men forgiven, much more to obtain forgiveness with God. Humble thyself to him, make sure of Christ as thy Friend, to plead for thee; pray earnestly that thy sins may be pardoned, and that thou mayest be kept from going down to the pit.

vv6-11

Diligence in business is every man's wisdom and duty; not so much that he may attain worldly wealth, as that he may not be a burden to others, or a scandal to the church. The ants are more diligent than slothful men. We may learn wisdom from the meanest insects, and be shamed by them. Habits of indolence and indulgence grow upon people. Thus life runs to waste; and poverty, though at first at a distance, gradually draws near, like a traveller; and when it arrives, is like an armed man, too strong to be resisted. All this may be applied to the concerns of our souls. How many love their sleep of sin, and their dreams of worldly happiness! Shall we not seek to awaken such? Shall we not give diligence to secure our own salvation?

vv12-19

If the slothful are to be condemned, who do nothing, much more those that do all the ill they can. Observe how such a man is described. He says and does every thing artfully, and with design. His ruin shall come without warning, and without relief. Here is a list of things hateful to God. Those sins are in a special manner provoking to God, which are hurtful to the comfort of human life. These things which God hates, we must hate in ourselves; it is nothing to hate them in others. Let us shun all such practices, and watch and pray against them; and avoid, with marked disapproval, all who are guilty of them, whatever may be their rank.

Cross References

Proverbs 6
v1Proverbs 17:18thematic

Direct parallel condemning rash hand-striking and suretyship for another.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v1Job 17:3allusion

Ancient custom of striking or shaking hands to secure a pledge.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v1Proverbs 11:15thematic

Parallel proverb warning of the severe consequences of suretyship for a stranger.

Supported by JFB

v10Proverbs 24:33thematic

Verbatim verbal parallel describing the sluggard folding his hands to sleep.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v8Proverbs 30:25thematic

Direct parallel describing the ant preparing food in summer.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v21Proverbs 3:3thematic

Commandment to bind wisdom and law upon the heart and neck.

Supported by JFB

v23Psalms 119:105thematic

Classic parallel of the commandment as a lamp and law as a light.

Supported by JFB

v31Exodus 22:1thematic

Mosaic law requirements for restitution, contrasted with the adulterer's irreparable loss.

Supported by JFB

v15Proverbs 29:1thematic

Parallel warning on sudden, unpreventable destruction for the stubborn.

Supported by JFB

v17Psalms 131:1thematic

Defines the 'proud look' in terms of lofty eyes.

Supported by JFB

v20Proverbs 1:8thematic

Exhortation to keep the father's commandment and mother's law.

Supported by JFB

v24Proverbs 2:16thematic

Wisdom delivering the young man from the strange, flattering woman.

Supported by JFB

v32Proverbs 7:7thematic

An adulterer depicted as a young man void of understanding.

Supported by JFB

v1Philemon 1:19thematic

Paul's voluntary suretyship for Onesimus, showing its proper, loving application.

Supported by Matthew Poole

Touching another man's wife used as a metaphor for sexual trespass.

Supported by Matthew Poole