Proverbs 23:27

Pro 23:27 For a whore [is] a deep ditch; and a strange woman [is] a narrow pit.

Ver. 27. For an whore is a deep ditch.] Fitly so called, quod nullus neque modus neque finis sit in amore meritricio, because lust is boundless, bottomless. He is a perfect slave that serves a whore. {See Trapp on "Pro 22:14"}

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 23:27-28. For a whore is a deep ditch — In which a man is in evident danger of perdition, and out of which it is exceeding difficult to escape. See the note on Pro 22:14. She lieth in wait, &c. — Watching all opportunities of insnaring young men to their destruction; and increaseth the transgressors among men — She is the cause of innumerable sins against God, and against the souls and bodies of those whom she insnares, and by her arts and wicked example involves many persons in the guilt of her sins. She is of no other use in the world, which already is too bad, but to make it worse, by increasing the number of lewd, faithless, and incorrigible sinners.

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

27, 28. A strange woman — A lewd woman. Pro_23:27 very forcibly represents the helpless and all but inextricable condition of him who falls a prey to the wiles of a bad woman.

As for a prey — Like a robber. Compare Pro_22:14.

Increaseth the transgressors — Literally, the treacherous; those who act covertly, as under a cloak, or in the dark. Men of licentious habits are compelled to resort to falsehood, deception, and hypocrisy, in order both to cover up and support their vices. Compare Pro_7:12; Pro_22:14. “More iniquity springs from this source of evil than from any other in the whole system of sin, [strong drink excepted.] Women and strong drink cause millions to transgress.” — Adam Clarke.

Pro_23:29-35 are a vivid description of the effects of indulgence in intoxicating drink.

Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? — Or want, poverty, indigence. Lange says: “Literally, who hath ah? who hath alas?

The interjection אבוי is found only here.”

Babbling — Or complaining, an anxious, restless state of mind.

Redness of eyes — Blood-shot, blurred, or bleared eyes. (Gen_49:12.) Literally, darkness or obscurity of eyes. It may, perhaps, refer to the obscurity of vision produced by intoxication.

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

deep ditch--a narrow pit, out of which it is hard to climb.

lieth in wait--to ensnare men into the pit, as hunters entrap game (compare Pro 22:14).

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 27. For a whore is a deep ditch] See on Pr 22:14.

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

(27) Strange woman (nokhriyyah).—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.

27. Comp. Pro_22:14.

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.

For a whore is a deep ditch,.... Or, "as a deep ditch", so Aben Ezra; to which she may be compared for the filthiness of her whoredoms, and for her insatiable lust, as well as for her being never satisfied with what she receives from her lovers. Plautus compares (g) her to the sea, which devours whatever you give, and yet nothing appears; and another (h) calls a whore Charybdis, from her swallowing up and devouring all a man has. She is as a ditch that has no bottom, into which those that fall are ever sinking deeper and deeper, till they get into the bottomless pit; for there is seldom any recovery from this dreadful evil;

and a strange woman is a narrow pit; or "well" (i); into which when men fall, they bruise themselves in a terrible manner, by beating from side to side; and out of which they cannot extricate themselves; at least not easily, but with great difficulty, if ever. This may very well be applied to the whore of Rome, and the filthiness of her fornications; and the dreadful state of those who are drawn in to commit fornication with her.

(g) Truculaetus, Act. 2. Sc. 7. v. 16, 17. "Lucuculetum coenum", Bacchides, Act. 3. Sc. 1. v. 11. "Lutea meretrix", Trucul. Act. 4. Sc. 4. v. 1l. (h) Sydonius Apollinar. l. 9. Ep. 6. (i) "putens", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Michaelis, Schultens.

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

Pit. It is difficult to overcome this passion, when once it has got possession of the heart. We must therefore watch over it, and consecrate it in variably to wisdom, ver. 26.

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).

A deep ditch; in which a man is in evident danger of perdition, and out of which it is exceeding difficult to escape.

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

The need of the emphatic injunction in ver. 26 is exemplified by the dangers of impurity. A deep ditch; as Pro_22:14. A strange woman is a narrow pit. (For "strange woman," equivalent to "harlot," see on Pro_2:16) A narrow pit is one with a narrow month, from which, if one falls into it, it is difficult to extricate one"s self. The verse indicates the seductive nature of the vice of unchastity: how easy it is to be led into it! how difficult to rise from it! Thus St. Chrysostom ("Hom. 11, in 1 Corinthians"), "When by unclean desire the soul is made captive, even as a cloud and mist darken the eyes of the body, so that desire intercepts the foresight of the mind, and suffers no one to see any distance before him, either precipice, or hell, or fear; but thenceforth, having that deceit as a tyrant over him, he comes to be easily vanquished by sin; and there is raised up before his eyes as it were a partition wall, and no windows in it, which suffers not the ray of righteousness to shine in upon the mind, the absurd conceits of lust enclosing it as with a rampart on all sides. And then, and from that time forward, the unchaste woman is everywhere meeting him before his eyes, before his mind, before his thoughts, in station and presence. And as the blind, although they stand at high noon beneath the very central point of the heaven, receive not the light, their eyes being fast closed up; just so these also, though ten thousand doctrines of salvation sound in their ears from all quarters, having their soul preoccupied with this passion, stop their ears against all discourses of that kind. And they know it well who have made the trial. But God forbid that you should know it from actual experience!" The LXX has changed the allusion: "For a strange house is a pierced wine jar (piyov tetrhmenov ), and a strange well is narrow," where the idea seems to be that the private well, which is dug for the convenience of one family only, is not to be relied upon, and will yield not enough to supply others" wants. Hence would arise a warning against coveting a neighbour"s wife. There is a Greek proverb about drawing wine into pierced jars (Xen., "OEcon.," 7:40).

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

v. 27. For a whore, as opposed to the person of wisdom, is a deep ditch, and a strange woman, the outsider, the harlot, is a narrow pit, one yielding to her seductions will find it hard to escape from her power.

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

a narrow well (etroitte in French, in German, eng, schmal.)

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.