Proverbs 7:13

Pro 7:13 So she caught him, and kissed him, [and] with an impudent face said unto him,

Ver. 13. So she caught him, and kissed him.] Strange impudence in this "strange woman," who hath not her name for nought. Potiphar’s wife was such a beast; so was Messalina the empress, wife to Claudius, Joan, queen of Naples, and other prodigious strumpets, of the kind of those whom they call Borboritae. We have heard, saith a grave divine, {a} of virgins, which at first seemed modest, blushing at the motions of an honest love; who being once corrupted and debauched, have grown flexible to easy entreaties to unchastity; and from thence boldly lascivious so as to solicit others, so as to prostitute themselves to all comers; yea, as our casuists {b} complain of some Spanish stews, to an unnatural filthiness.

{a} Dr Hall.

{b} Martin. Vivald., in Candelabro. cap. de Confes.

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.

Hebrew, she strengthened her face.

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

The preparations for a feast do not necessarily imply peculiar religious professions. The offerer retained part of the victim for a feast (Lev 3:9, &c.). This feast she professes was prepared for him whom she boldly addresses as one sought specially to partake of it.

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 13. So she caught him] Laid fast hold on him, and kissed him, to show that she was affectionately attached to him.

And with an impudent face] העזה פניה heezzah paneyha, "she strengthened her countenance," assumed the most confident look she could; endeavoured to appear friendly and sincere.

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

13. with an impudent face] An excellent translation (Lit. she strengthened, or hardened her face, and said, A.V. and R.V. marg.), following the LXX. ἀναιδεῖ προσώπῳ, and the Vulg. procaci vultu.

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.

I have peace offerings with me,.... Meaning at her house. These peace offerings were of the eucharistic kind; they were offered by way of thanksgiving for favours received; the greatest part of which, all excepting the fat on the kidneys, the rump of the sheep, the breast and right shoulder, which were the priest's, were returned to the offerers to feast upon with their friends, and were to be eaten the same day, Lev 7:11. This she said to show that she was no common strumpet, or that prostituted herself for gain; that she was a sufficient housewife, had a considerable affluence of life, her substance greatly increased, for which she had made her thank offering that day; that she wanted nothing of him but his company, and the enjoyment of him; and that she had good cheer to regale him with. She was properly "a holy" religious harlot, as the word sometimes signifies; and such is the church of Rome, which makes great pretensions to devotion and religion, yet is the mother of harlots, and abominations of the earth, Rev 17:5;

this day have I paid my vows; not on account of the young man, and for his health, and for meeting with him; for those vows were not now made to be paid, but were made and paid already: but her vows of peace offerings and thanksgivings, which, as she had promised, she had performed. Under this point may be reckoned the vows of virginity and celibacy, through a show of which the most shocking iniquities are committed by the members of the church of Rome.

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

13. Impudent face — Literally, made strong her face; put on a bold, familiar air.

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

So she caught him and kissed him; being utterly lost to shame, like Potiphar"s wife. (Gen_39:12) With an impudent face said; literally, strengthened her face and said; put on a bold and brazen look to suit, the licentious words which she spoke. Wordsworth quotes the delineation of the "strange woman" drawn by St. Ambrose ("De Cain. et Abel.," 1:4): "Domi inquieta, in plateis vaga, osculis prodiga, pudore villis, amictu dives, genas picta; meretricio procax motu, infracto per delicias incessu, nutantibus oculis, et ludentibus jaculans palpebris retia, quibus pretiosas animus juveuum capit."

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

After this digression the poet returns to the subject, and further describes the event as observed by himself.

And she laid hold on him and kissed him;

Put on a bold brow and said to him.

The verb נשׁק is here, after its primary signification, connected with the dat.: osculum fixit ei. Thus also Gen 27:26 is construed, and the Dagesh in לּו is, as there, Dag. forte conj., after the law for which the national grammarians have coined the technical name אתי מרחיק (veniens e longinquo, "coming out of the distance," i.e., the attraction of a word following by one accented on the penult.). The penult.-accenting of נשׁקה is the consequence of the retrogression of the accent (נסוג אחור), which, here where the word from the first had the penult, only with Metheg, and thus with a half a tone, brings with it the dageshing of the לו following, as the original penultima-accenting of והחזיקה does of the בו which follows it, for the reading בּו by Lwenstein is contrary to the laws of punctuation of the Textus receptus under consideration here.

(Note: Vid., Baer's Torath Emeth, p. 29f., and Psalmen-Commentar under Psa 52:5.)

As בו and לו have received the doubling Dagesh, so on the other hand, according to Ewald, 193b, it has disappeared from העזה (written with Raphe according to Kimchi, Michlol 145a). And as נשׁקה has the tone thrown back, so the proper pausal ותּאמר is accented on the ult., but without attracting the לו following by dageshing, which is the case only when the first of the two words terminates in the sound of ā (āh). העז פניו is said of one who shows firmness of hardness of countenance (Arab. slabt alwajh), i.e., one who shows shamelessness, or, as we say, an iron forehead (Fl.).

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.)

she

the woman who was introduced in Proverbs 7:10

grabbed him

"took hold of him firmly"

with a strong face

Here "strong" represents "stubborn." A "strong face" means a stubborn expression on a person's face. This implies that the woman is acting in a stubborn way, that she is deliberately doing what she knows is wrong. AT: "with a shameless expression on her face" (See: Idiom and Metonymy)

I paid my vows

Here "vows" represents what the person promised to sacrifice to God. AT: "I made the sacrifices I promised to God" (See: Metonymy)

seek your face

Here "face" represents the person and especially the person's presence. AT: "look for you" or "find out where you are" (See: Synecdoche)

translationWords

kiss

peace offering

vow

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.