Proverbs 7:14

Therefore came I forth to meet thee,.... Having so much good cheer at home, and none to eat of it with her; and having so fond and affectionate a regard to this young man, as she pretended; he being the only person in her thoughts, whom she hoped to meet with, and whose company she desired, and his only; though, had she met any other, she would have said the same things to them. Aben Ezra, upon Pro 7:14, says, she told him lies; probably that might be true; but this was no doubt a lie; and it is no unusual thing for the whore of Rome to speak lies in hypocrisy, Ti1 4:2;

diligently to seek thy face; which of all faces she desired to see, being most lovely to her; with the comeliness of which she was exceedingly taken and ravished, and got up betimes in the morning, as the word (n) signifies, even before day, to seek for him;

and I have found thee; which she speaks with a rapture and ecstasy of joy; blessing herself on this happy occasion, that she should come out so opportunely, and find him so quickly; intimating, that it was a kind providence, and that the thing was of God: so conversions to the antichristian church, which are the artifice of hell, are ascribed to the divine Being.

(n) "ad quaerendum mane", Montanus.

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

Pro 7:14 [I have] peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.

Ver. 14. I have peace offerings.] Sacris abutitur, ut sceleratis mos est; { a} she pretends religion to her filthy practices. So did those wicked women that lay with Eli’s sons at the door of the tabernacle. {1Sa 2:22} So did King Edward IV’s holy whore, as he used to call her, {b} that came to him out of a nunnery when he used to call for her. And such were those kedesheth, or common whores, so called in Hebrew, because such abomination was committed under a pretext of religion. {Gen 38:21 Deu 23:17} But what an odd thing was that of David, that would not lie with Bathsheba till purified! Doth he make conscience of ceremonial, and none of moral purity?

This day have I paid my vows.] A votary then she was, by all means, and so more than ordinarily religious. So was Doeg; why else was he detained "before the Lord?" {1Sa 21:7} A Doeg may set his foot as far into God’s sanctuary as a David. That many Popish votaries are no better than this housewife in the text, see the "Lisbon Nunnery," &c., besides those thousands of infants’ skulls found in the fish pools by Gregory the Great.

{a} Mercer.

{b} Speed.

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 7:14. I have peace-offerings with me — “I am a woman happy in many blessings, which God hath bestowed upon me, and for which I have given him solemn thanks this very day; and, as religion and custom bind me, I have provided as good a feast as those sacrifices, which I formerly vowed, and have now paid, would afford, having no want of any thing, but of some good company at home to rejoice with me.” This woman’s conduct was the more abominable, as she covered her lewdness with the mask of piety and devotion. There were three sorts of peace-offerings, as appears by Lev 7:11-16; and Bishop Patrick is of opinion that those here mentioned were offerings of thanksgiving for blessings already obtained, and not of prayer for blessings not yet received, because the woman was so solicitous to have company at her feast upon this very day. It is well known that such sacrifices were to be of the best, either of bullocks, or sheep, or goats, (Lev 3:1; Lev 3:6; Lev 3:12,) and that the greatest part of them fell to the share of the person who offered them that he might feast with God. “It will not appear wonderful,” says Mr. Scott, “that these sacred ordinances should give occasion to carnal feasts attended with every vice, when we reflect how all kinds of sensuality are indulged in,” among professing Christians in our day, “under pretence of commemorating the nativity of Christ, who was manifested to destroy the works of the devil.”

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

7:14 The immoral woman’s observance of religious ritual makes her look good on the surface, but her immoral behavior reveals a corrupt heart.

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

Because that in peace offerings a portion returned to them that offered, she showeth him that she hath meat at home to make good cheer with: or else she would use some cloak of holiness till she had gotten him in her snares.

Which declareth that harlots outwardly will seem holy and religious: both because they may the better deceive others, and also thinking by observing of ceremonies and offerings to make satisfaction for their sins.

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

Verse 14. I have peace-offerings with me] More literally, "the sacrifices of the peace-offerings are with me." Peace-offerings, shelamim, were offerings the spiritual design of which was to make peace between God and man, to make up the breach between them which sin had occasioned; See Clarke on Le 7:38, where every kind of sacrifice offered under the law is explained. When the blood of these was poured out at the altar, and the fat burnt there, the breast and right shoulder were the priest's portion; but the rest of the carcass belonged to the sacrificer, who might carry it home, and make a feast to his friends. See Le 3:1-11. Much light is cast on this place by the fact that the gods in many parts of the East are actually worshipped in brothels, and fragments of the offerings are divided among the wretches who fall into the snare of the prostitutes.-WARD'S Customs.

Have I payed my vows] She seems to insinuate that she had made a vow for the health and safety of this young man; and having done so, and prepared the sacrificial banquet, came actually out to seek him, that he might partake of it with her, Pr 7:15. But, as she intended to proceed farther than mere friendship, she was obliged to avail herself of the night season, and the absence of her husband.

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

(14) I have peace offerings with me.—Rather, upon me, i.e., I had vowed them, and to-day I have accomplished my vow. The peace-, or thank-offering as it is also rendered, was purely voluntary, in token of thanksgiving for some mercy. The breast and right shoulder of the victim were given to the priest, and the rest belonged to the offerer, who was thus admitted, as it were, to feast with God (Leviticus 3, 7), profanation of this privilege being punished with death. Peace-offerings were accordingly offered on occasions of national rejoicing, as at the inauguration of the covenant (Exo_24:5), at the accession of Saul (1Sa_11:15), and at the bringing up of the ark to Zion (2Sa_6:17), &c. This turning of what should have been a religious festival for the family into an occasion for license, is paralleled by the desecration of the Agapæ at Corinth (1Co_11:20 sqq.) and the history of Church-feasts among ourselves. (For the spiritual interpretation of this passage as symbolising false doctrine, see Bishop Wordsworth; and also Notes on Pro_2:16-19 above.)

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

14. with me] Lit. upon me, as A.V. marg., which may either and more probably mean, I am, as it were, loaded with them, you have come just when I wanted you, because there is abundance of good cheer in my house; or, they were incumbent upon me, due from me (R.V. marg.).

The flesh of “peace-offerings for thanksgiving” was to be eaten on the day on which it was offered; but if it were “a vow, or a freewill offering,” what remained might be eaten on the morrow (Lev_7:15-16). She would represent him therefore as having happily lighted on her feast-day, when she was looking out and longing for his company.

It is most unnatural to suppose that a foreign woman would thus accommodate herself to Jewish religious customs and seasons, especially when it is remembered that the example of accommodation set by the Court was quite the other way (1Ki_11:1-8). On the other hand, the desecration of sacred Seasons and religious Festivals to secular or even sinful purposes, which was only too common in Israel (Isa_1:11-15; Amo_5:21-22), might only too easily find a parallel in Christian times and countries.

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.

This pretence of a religious feast gives us an insight into some strange features of popular religion under the monarchy of Judah. The harlot uses the technical word Lev 3:1 for the “peace-offerings,” and makes them the starting-point for her sin. They have to be eaten on the same day that they are offered Lev 7:15-16, and she invites her victim to the feast. She who speaks is a “foreigner” who, under a show of conformity to the religion of Israel, still retains her old notions (see Pro 2:16 note), and a feast-day to her is nothing but a time of self-indulgence, which she may invite another to share with her. If we assume, as probable, that these harlots of Jerusalem were mainly of Phoenician origin, the connection of their worship with their sin would be but the continuation of their original “cultus.”

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

Prosperity. Or thy welfare, (Cornelius a Lapide; Tirinus) so great is my love for thee. (Menochius) --- Vows. And therefore I have a feast prepared. People might carry home the greatest part of the victim to eat, if they were clean, Leviticus vii. 29. (Calmet)

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).

I have paid my peace-offerings which I had vowed; whereby she signifies, either,

1. That she was no common harlot, but one of good repute for religion. Or rather,

2. That she had plentiful and excellent provisions at her house for his entertainment. For the peace-offerings were to be of the best flesh, Lev 22:21, and a considerable part of these offerings fell to the offerers’ share, wherewith they used to feast themselves and their friends; see Lev 2:3, &c.; Lev 7:31, &c.; Lev 19:6, &c.; Lev 22:30, &c.; whereas the burnt-offerings where wholly consumed, and the flesh of the sin-offerings and trespass-offerings belonged to the priest.

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

14. Peace offerings with me — Most critics prefer, are upon me, or, have been upon me; that is, are due, or have been due, in the fulfillment of vows. Comp. Lev_3:1; Lev_3:3; Lev_3:6; Lev_3:9. Conant prefers peace offerings are by me; the feast is already prepared. Of these peace sacrifices the worshipper partook. The breast and the right shoulder belonged to the priest; the rest of the carcass the worshipper might carry home to enjoy with his friends. It had to be eaten the same day. (See Lev_7:15-16.) This vile woman, whether Hebrew, or, as others suppose, Phoenician, pretends to piety and religious vows; that she had that day offered sacrifices, with a portion of which she had made a rich feast in token of her joy and gratitude for the blessings of providence, and only waited some good company to participate in her pleasant cheer.

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

I have peace offerings with me. Shelamim, "peace or thank offerings," were divided between Jehovah, the priests, and the offerer. Part of the appointed victim was consumed by fire; the breast and right shoulder were allotted to the priests; and the rest of the animal belonged to the person who made the offering, who was to eat it with his household on the same day as a solemn ceremonial feast. (Le 3 Le 7) The adulteress says that certain offerings were due from her, and she had duly made them. This day have I payed my vows. And now (the day being reckoned from one night to the next) the feast was ready, and she invites her paramour to share it. The religious nature of the feast is utterly ignored or forgotten. The shameless woman uses the opportunity simply as a convenience for her sin. If, as is probable, the "strange woman" is a foreigner, she is one who only outwardly conforms to the Mosaic Law, but in her heart cleaves to the impure worship of her heathen hems And doubtless, in lax times, these religious festivals, even in the case of worshippers who were not influenced by idolatrous proclivities, degenerated into self-indulgence and excess. The early Christian agapae were thus misused; (1Co_11:20, etc.) and in modern times religious anniversaries have too often become occasions of licence and debauchery, their solemn origin and pious uses being entirely thrust aside.

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

Offerings - I have paid my peace-offerings which I had vowed. Whereby she signifies, that she had plentiful provisions at her house for his entertainment. For the peace-offerings were to be of the best flesh, Lev. xxii, 21, and a considerable part of these offerings fell to the offerer's share.

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

She laid hold on him and kissed him, both of which actions were shameless, and then, assuming the passivity and modesty befitting the woman, and disregarding morality and the law, she said to the youth:

14 "To bring peace-offerings was binding upon me,

To-day have I redeemed my vows.

15 Therefore am I come out to meet thee,

To seek thy face, and have found thee."

We have translated זבחי שׁלמים "peace-offerings," proceeding on the principle that שׁלם (sing. only Amo 5:22, and on the Phoenician altar at Marseilles) denotes contracting friendship with one (from שׁלם, to hold friendly relationship), and then the gifts having this in view; for the idea of this kind of offering is the attestation and confirmation of communion with God. But in view of the derivatives שׁלמנים and שׁלּוּם, it is perhaps more appropriate to combine שׁלם with שׁלּם, to discharge perfectly, and to translate it thank-payment-offering, or with v. Hofmann, a due-offering, where not directly thank-offering; for the proper eucharistic offering, which is the expression of thanks on a particular occasion, is removed from the species of the Shelamim by the addition of the words על־תּודה (Lev 7:12-25). The characteristic of the Shelamim is the division of the flesh of the sacrifice between Jahve and His priests on the one side, and the person (or persons) bringing it on the other side: only one part of the flesh of the sacrifice was Jahve's, consumed by fire (Lev 3:16); the priests received one part; those who brought the offering received back another part as it were from the altar of God, that they might eat it with holy joy along with their household. So here the adulteress says that there was binding upon her, in consequence of a vow she had taken, the duty of presenting peace-offerings, or offerings that were due; to-day (she reckons the day in the sense of the dies civilis from night to night) she has performed her duties, and the שׁלמי נדר have yielded much to her that she might therewith regale him, her true lover; for with על־כּן she means to say that even the prospect of the gay festival which she can prepare for him moved her thus to meet him. This address of the woman affords us a glimpse into the history of the customs of those times. The Shelamim meals degenerated in the same manner as our Kirmsen.

(Note: Kirmse = anniversary of the dedication of a church, village fte.)

Secularization lies doubly near to merrymaking when the law sanctions this, and it can conceal itself behind the mask of piety. Regarding שׁחר, a more exact word for בּקּשׁ, vid., at Pro 1:28. To seek the countenance of one is equivalent to to seek his person, himself, but yet not without reference to the wished-for look [aspectus] of the person.

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.)

I had to bring peace offerings I prepared a great feast, for today I sacrificed my vows and my peace offering.

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.