Proverbs 22:14

Pro 22:14 The mouth of strange women [is] a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the LORD shall fall therein.

Ver. 14. The month of a strange woman.] Diabolus capite blanditur, ventre oblectat, cauda ligat, saith Rupertus. These she sinners, as their gallants call them, are most dangerous. {See Trapp on "Pro 2:16"} {See Trapp on "Pro 5:3"} Solomon had the woeful experience of it; {Ecc 7:26} and Samson, {Jdg 16:18-21} who

“Lenam non potuit, potuit superare lesenam,

Quem fera non potuit vincere, vicit hera.”

How did David muddy himself in this deep pit, and there might have stuck in the mire, had not God drawn him out by a merciful violence, and purged him with hyssop from that abhorred filth? {Psa 51:7}

He that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein.] As the Jesuits, those odious Connubisanctifugae Commeretricitegae, too often do; though they boast that they can talk and dally with the fairest women without danger, and the people must believe no otherwise, but that when they are kissing a woman, they are giving her good counsel. David George, that execrable heretic, was so far from accounting adulteries, fornications, incests, &c., for being any sins, that he did recommend them to his most perfect scholars as acts of grace and mortification; and was confident that the whole world would submit to his doctrine. {a} Peccatum peccatum trahit, as the Hebrew proverb hath it. One sin draws on another, and the latter is oft a punishment of the former; God, by a peculiar kind of revenge, delivering up such to a reprobate sense, or a mind disallowed or abhorred of God, as the apostle’s word {b} {Rom 1:28} signifies.

{a} Hist. David. Georgii.

{b} εις νουν αδοκιμον.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Pro 22:14. The mouth of strange women — Their fair and flattering speeches, wherewith they entice men into sin, as is observed Pro 7:21, into which it is easy to fall, but out of which it is hard, if not impossible, to be rescued. For it is a rare thing for any person, who has once entered into a course of lewdness: to recover himself from it, Pro 2:19. He that is abhorred of the Lord — Namely, in a high and singular manner; who by his former impieties, and contempt of God and his grace, hath provoked God to leave him to his own heart’s lusts, and to punish one sin with another; shall fall therein — And, without a miracle of grace, shall perish everlastingly.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

MAIN HOMILETICS OF Pro_22:14

A DEEP PIT

This verse treats of two classes of character, both of which have been depicted before. (See on chaps. Pro_2:16-19, page 24, Pro_6:24, page 89, Pro_6:6-27, page 15).

I. The tempter. The strange woman—the woman who has been so deaf to the voice of all that is womanly as no longer to be worthy of the name, who instead of being man’s helpmeet and endeavouring to win him to tread the path to heaven, is his curse and makes it her aim to drag him down to hell. Notice the main instrument of her destructive power—the mouth. It is by her words of flattery and deception and persuasion that she ensnares her victim and compasses his ruin. History and experience confirm Solomon’s words, for, although external beauty is often a powerful ingredient in the temptation, it is not always so, and counts for very little if it is unaccompanied by that fascination of manner and of speech which have been used by so many bad women with such fatal effect. If we look at the portraits of some of those women who have exerted so mighty a power for evil in the world, we can seldom see sufficient beauty to account for the spell which they seemed to cast around their victims, and we must conclude therefore that it was rather to he found where Solomon puts it,—who may be here speaking from bitter personal experience—viz., in the tongue. This proverb adds one more testimony to the many that have gone before of the immense power for evil or for good that is exerted by that “little member” of our bodily organism.

II. The tempted. He is here depicted as an unwary traveller along life’s highway easily deceived by the appearance of things, and, too careless or too unsuspecting to look beneath the surface, following the bent of his inclination and yielding to the voice of the charmer until he finds the ground giving way beneath his feet, and darkness and hopelessness all around him. Notice the fearful name here given to such an one—to one who is led away by such a tempter. He is abhorred of the Lord. Here is full evidence that God does not look upon human creatures with indifference as to their moral character—that merciful Father though He is, He does not extend to men that indiscriminating and therefore worthless tenderness which some would have us believe is His main attribute—that if men look upon sin as mere obedience to the dictates of nature, and therefore blameless, He does not so regard it. And if men will not attach any weight to the words of Scripture—not believing them to be infallible—they can read the same truth in their every-day experience. The terrible retribution which comes upon those who listen to the words of the “strange woman” is a sufficient testimony to the abhorrence in which the Creator of men holds the sin to which she allures the unwary and the licentious man.

OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS

To what do the fearful words amount? To this: that in His righteous displeasure, there is not a heavier curse which an offended God can allow to fall upon the object of His wrath, than leaving him to be a prey to the seductive blandishments of an unprincipled woman:—that if God held any one in abhorrence, this would be the severest vengeance He could take on him.—Wardlaw.

The mouth of a strange woman is but the mouth of a far deeper pit, the pit of hell into which it openeth. The one is digged by the wickedness of men, the other by the justice of God.—Jermin.

The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.

14 A deep pit is the mouth of a strange woman;

He that is cursed of God falleth therein.

The first line appears in a different form as a synonymous distich, Pro 23:27. The lxx translate στόμα παρανόμου without certainly indicating which word they here read, whether רע (Pro 4:14), or רשׁע (Pro 29:12), or נלוז (Pro 3:32). Pro 23:27 is adduced in support of זרות (vid., Pro 2:16); זנות (harlots) are meant, and it is not necessary thus to read with Ewald. The mouth of this strange woman or depraved Israelitess is a deep ditch (שׁוּחה עמקּה, otherwise עמקה, as Pro 23:27, where also occurs עמוּקה

(Note: The text to Immanuel's Comment. (Naples 1487) has in both instances עמוּקה.)

namely, a snare-pit into which he is enticed by her wanton words; the man who stands in fellowship with God is armed against this syren voice; but the 'זעוּם ה, i.e., he who is an object of the divine זעם (Venet. κεχολωμένος τῷ ὀντωτῇ), indignation, punishing evil with evil, falls into the pit, yielding to the seduction and the ruin. Schultens explains 'זעום ה by, is in quem despumat indignabundus; but the meaning despumat is not substantiated; זעם, cf. Arab. zaghm, is probably a word which by its sound denoted anger as a hollow roaring, and like pealing thunder. The lxx has, after Pro 22:14, three tedious moralizing lines.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

22:14 An immoral woman, using flattery and seduction, tries to trap a young man to commit sin.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

So God punisheth one sin by another, when he suffereth the wicked to fall into the acquaintance of an harlot.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

This is designed to warn all young men against the lusts of uncleanness. As they regard the welfare of their souls, let them take heed of strange women, lewd women, whom they ought to be strange to, of the mouth of strange women, of the kisses of their lips (Pro 7:13), of the words of their lips, their charms and enticements. Dread them; have nothing to do with them; for, 1. Those who abandon themselves to that sin give proof that they are abandoned of God: it is a deep pit, which those fall into that are abhorred of the Lord, who leaves them to themselves to enter into that temptation, and takes off the bridle of his restraining grace, to punish them for other sins. Value not thyself upon thy being in favour with such women, when it proclaims thee under the wrath of God. 2. It is seldom that they recover themselves, for it is a deep pit; it will be hard getting out of it, it so besots the mind and debauches the conscience, by pleasing the flesh.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The mouth--or flattering speeches (Pro 5:3; Pro 7:5) ensnare man, as pits, beasts. God makes their own sin their punishment.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 14. The mouth of strange women is a deep pit] In Pr 23:27, he says, A whore is a DEEP DITCH:, and a strange woman is a NARROW PIT. The allusions in these three places are too plain to be misunderstood. Virgil's hell has been adduced in illustration: -

----------------Sate sanguine Divum,

Tros Anchisiade, facilis decensus Averni;

Noctes atque dies patet atri janua Ditis:

Sed revocare gradum, superasque evadere ad auras,

HOC OPUS, hic LABOR est. Pauci quos aequus amavit

Jupiter, aut ardens evexit ad aethera virtus,

Dis geniti potuere.

VIRG. AEn. lib. vi., ver. 125.

"O glorious prince of brave Anchises' line!

Great godlike hero! sprung from seed divine,

Smooth lies the road to Pluto's gloomy shade;

And hell's black gates for ever stand display'd:

But 'tis a long unconquerable pain,

To climb to these ethereal realms again.

The choice-selected few, whom favouring Jove,

Or their own virtue, rais'd to heaven above,

From these dark realms emerged again to day;

The mighty sons of gods, and only they.

PITT.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(14) Strange women.—See above on Pro_2:16.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

14. a deep pit] such as is dug by a hunter for his prey. Comp. Pro_23:27.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The mouth of strange women is a deep pit,.... The mouth of harlots; the kisses of their mouth, their fair speech and flattering words, their amorous talk, and lascivious and wanton language, ensnare and draw unwary persons to commit lewdness with them, which bring them into a pit of ruin and destruction; a filthy one, and very deep, out of which it is not easy nor usual to be extricated: the allusion is to beasts taken in a pit dug for them; and these are as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed;

he that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein; who has been guilty of other sins, and such as have caused the Lord to abhor him, and therefore leaves him to fall into this: one sin not only leads on to another, but is the punishment of another; men are seldom guilty of this sin of whoredom, but who have been first abandoned to other vices very provoking to. God; see Ecc 7:26. Jarchi interprets all this of idolatry; and it may be very well applied to the whore of Rome, and the harlots she is mother of; who, by her fair words and false doctrines, by her mouth speaking blasphemies and lies in hypocrisy, by her golden cup in her hand full of abomination and filthiness of fornication, and by her sorceries, have deceived many, and brought them into the pit of perdition and ruin: and these are such whose names are not written in the Lamb's book of life; but are rejected of God, and given up to believe a lie, that they might be damned, Rev 17:4.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The fall of the man into the snare of the harlot seems to be the consequence of the abhorrence or wrath of Yahweh. That abhorrence is, however, the result of previous evil. The man is left to himself, and sin becomes the penalty of sin.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

It. Debauchery resembles hell, chap. xxiii. 23. (Calmet) --- Facilis descensus Averni, &c. (Virgil, Æneid vi.)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

The mouth; her fair and flattering speeches, wherewith she enticeth him to gross filthiness, as it is noted, Pro 7:21.

A deep pit; into which it is easy to fall, but hard, if not impossible, to get out of it. It is a rare thing for any person, once entered into the course of whoredom, sincerely to repent of it, and turn from it. See Pro 2:19.

That is abhorred of the Lord, to wit, in a high and singular manner; who by his former impieties, and contempt of God and of his grace, hath provoked God to leave and loathe him, and to punish one sin with another; for otherwise all sinners, as such, are abhorred by God.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

14. Mouth of strange women is a deep pit — What their mouth utters is as dangerous and destructive to the unwary youth as a deep pit into which he is liable to fall. The difficulty, perhaps impossibility, of escaping from a deep pit, suggests also what is taught elsewhere in the book — the hopelessness of those who form licentious habits. The fall of a man into the snare of a harlot is conceived of as a curse from Jehovah. He is given over to destruction. Compare Pro_2:16; Pro_5:3; Pro_6:24; Pro_7:5, et seq.; Pro_23:27.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The mouth of strange women is a deep pit. The hemistich reappears in a slightly altered form at Pro_23:27. (For "strange woman" as equivalent to "a harlot" or "adulteress," see note on Pro_2:16) By her "mouth" is meant her wanton, seductive words, which entice a man to destruction of body and soul. It may be that theology rather than morals is signified here rather false doctrines than evil practice. In this ease the mention of the strange or foreign woman is very appropriate, seeing that perversions of belief and worship were always introduced into Israel from external sources. He that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein. He who has incurred the width of God by previous unfaithfulness and sin is left to himself to fall a prey to the allurements of the wicked woman. (comp. Ecc_7:26) Septuagint, "The mouth of a transgressor (paranomou ) is a deep ditch; and he that is hated of the Lord shall fall therein." Then are added three lines not in the Hebrew, which, however, seem to be reminiscences of other passages: "There are evil ways before a man, and be loveth not to turn away from them; but it is needful to turn away item a perverse and evil way."

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The mouth - Her fair and flattering speeches.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

This fearful temptation has been already frequently opened.†1 But in a book specially for the young, who that knows the power of "youthful lusts" (2Ti 2:22 ), and the seductive witcheries of sin, will deem a fresh warning needless? Is it not the voice of mercy? For what but unbounded compassion could stand as it were at the edge of the pit, and unfold to the unwary its awful peril? A deep pit indeed it is,†2 easy to fall into; hard, next to impossible, to get out of.†3 So besotting is this sin to the flesh, to the mind, and to the conscience!†4 It is the mouth of a pit far deeper. "For her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell."†5 What more humbling proof can there be of the total depravity of the nature, than the fact, that those affections, originally given as the purest enjoyments of life, should become the corrupt spring of such a defilement. The sin and snare would seem to be a judicial infliction for those, whose willful rejection of God has made them abhorred of him.†6 They have turned away from instruction, hated reproof, resisted conviction, been given up to their abomination; they give therefore too plain proof that they are abandoned by God, (Rom 1:28 ) — abhorred of the LORD! Is the embrace of the strange woman a compensation for such a judgment? Every curse, eternal frown and banishment, the weight of infinite unmingled wrath, is involved in this awful name. Not that he willeth the death of the vilest sinner. (Eze 18:32 .) But must not his justice and his holiness be in array against those, who of their own will choose evil, and reject alike the warnings of his wrath, and the invitations of his love?

Footnotes:

†1 Pro 2:16-19; Pro 5:3 ; Pro 6:24-29 ; Pro 7:5, &c. Pro 9:16-18 .

†2 Pro 23:27.

†3 Pro 2:19. Ecc 7:26 .

†4 Jdg 16:19-20. Neh 13:26 . Hos 4:11 .

†5 Pro 5:5; 2Pe 2:10-12 . Rev 21:8 .

†6 Rom 1:28. Psa 81:11-12.

Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs (1846) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

v. 14. The mouth of strange women, for so the harlots were commonly designated in the midst of God’s people, is a deep pit, on account of the alluring and seductive language which they use in pursuing their intended victims; he that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein, in just punishment of his wickedness, the curse of Jehovah thereby going into effect.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The mouth of strange women is [like] a deep pit An idolatress.

the one abhorred by the Lord Heb. זעום. He whom the Holy One, blessed be He, hates, falls and stumbles upon her.

the one abhorred rebuked from before Him.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.