Proverbs 7:21

Pro 7:21 With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.

Ver. 21. With much fair speech.] Fair words make fools fain. This Circe so enchanted the younker {a} with her fine language, that now she may do what she will with him, for he is wholly at her devotion.

{a} A young nobleman or gentleman, a youth of high rank.

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_7:21

With her much fair speech she caused him to yield.

Good and bad speech

There is a force in words which it is often almost impossible to resist. Good words have a wonderful virtue in them to work upon the mind, and a great part of the good which we are called to do in the world is to be accomplished by means of that little member, the tongue. But corrupt minds are often found to have greater intelligence in persuading men to sin because human nature is depraved, and needs only a temptation to draw men to the practice of the worst of evils. No words have greater force in them to persuade men to sin than the flatteries of the strange woman, and therefore the apostle Paul, who directs us to strive against sin, calls loudly to us to flee youthful lusts. Such lusts can scarcely be conquered but by flight, because the temptations to them, when they meet with a simple mind and an impure heart, are like sparks of fire lighting upon stubble fully dry. The force that is in the tongue of the strange woman will not excuse the deluded youth; for his yielding to her is to be attributed to the depravity of his own heart, which inclines him to prefer the advice of a bad woman to the counsels of the Supreme and Eternal Wisdom. (G. Lawson.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Pro 7:21-23. With her much fair speech — Which implies that her alluring words were more effectual with him than her impudent kisses, which possibly had a little alienated his mind from her; she caused him to yield — By this expression Solomon signifies that no provocation to sin is a sufficient excuse for it. With the flattering of her lips she forced him —

She prevailed over him; which argues that there was some reluctance in his judgment, or conscience, against yielding to her. He goeth after her straightway — Without delay or consideration; as an ox goeth to the slaughter — Going to it securely, as if it were going to a good pasture; or as a fool to the correction of the stocks — Or, which is more agreeable to the order of the words in the Hebrew text, as one in fetters, that is, bound with fetters, to the correction of a fool, namely, to receive such correction, or punishment, as belongs to fools. Which may imply, either, 1st, That he hath no more sense of the shame and mischief which he is bringing upon himself than a fool; or, 2d, That he can no more resist the temptation, or avoid the danger, than a man fast tied with chains and fetters can free himself, although his impotency be merely of a moral nature, and therefore voluntary. Till a dart strike through his liver — That is, his vital parts, whereof the liver is one. Till his life be lost, as it is explained in the next clause; as a bird hasteth to the snare — Like a silly bird, which, being greedy of the food laid to entice it, never minds the snare that is laid together with it; so he, eagerly longing to partake of her feast, and the following delights, had not so much as a thought that this was a design upon his life, and would not end but in miseries in finitely greater than all his joys. Dr. Grey, making a slight alteration in the text, renders these verses thus: “He goeth straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, as a dog to the chain, and as a deer, till a dart strike through his liver: as a bird hasteth,” &c. “He considers the passage as including four similes, the ox, the dog, the deer, the bird; each of them filly resembling the case of a youth, reduced by an adulterous woman, and hastening to ruin without fear or thought. The circumstance of the dart, as applied to the deer, is beautiful and proper, which otherwise we are at a loss to dispose of. The LXX. and Syriac read, as a dog to the chains, or as a stag pierced through his liver with a dart.”

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

7:21-23 The naive young man’s foolish actions might cost him his life (see 5:11; 6:32-35).

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

caused . . . yield--or, "inclines."

flattering--(Compare Pro 5:3).

forced him--by persuasion overcoming his scruples.

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 21. With her much fair speech] With her blandishments and lascivious talk, she overcame all his scruples, and constrained him to yield.

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

He goeth after her straightway,.... Or "suddenly" (g); and inconsiderately, giving himself no time to think of what would be the sad consequences of it;

as an ox goeth to the slaughter; as senseless and stupid as that; and as ignorant of the issue as that is, led by the butcher, as if it was going to a pasture, when it is going to the slaughter house. So such persons as are ensnared by harlots; they follow them in a view of pleasure, but it ends in ruin; if not in the loss of bodily life, by the revengeful husband or civil magistrate; yet in the destruction of their immortal souls;

or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; a drunken besotted fool, who, while he is leading to the stocks, is insensible whither he is going; but when he has been there awhile, and is come out of his drunken fit, then he is sensible of his punishment and his shame. Or, "as the stocks are for the correction of a fool" (h): or, as a man goes to "the stocks, to the correction of a fool" (i); so the young man went after the harlot: or, as "one fettered" (k), goes thither, bound hand and foot; he cannot help himself, nor avoid the shame. It denotes both the power of sin, there is no withstanding its allurements and blandishments, when once given way to, and the shame that attends or follows it. The Targum is,

"as a dog to a chain;''

and so the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions.

(g) "subito", Baynus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Gejerus, Michaelis. (h) "sicut compes ad castigationem stulti", Pagninus, Montanus, Baynus. (i) "Abiens post cam, quasi veniens ad compedes ad castigationem stultorum", Gejerus. (k) "Velut compeditus", Junius & Tremellius; "velut in compede ibat", Michaelis; "tanquam constricto ad pedes capite", Schultens.

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

Fair speech - The Hebrew word is usually translated “doctrine,” or “learning” Pro 1:5; Pro 4:2; Pro 9:9; possibly it is used here in keen irony.

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

With her much fair speech; which implies that her alluring words were more effectual with him than her impudent kisses, which possibly had a little alienated his mind from her.

She caused him to yield; whereby he signifies that no provocation to sin is a sufficient excuse for sin.

She forced him; she prevailed over him; which argues that there was some reluctancy in his judgment or conscience against it.

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

21. Much fair speech — Literally, her much taking; a word sometimes rendered learning, as in Pro_1:5; Pro_4:2; Pro_9:9. Miller quaintly says, “Her taking ways.”

Caused him to yield — The idea is, that she played the orator with him, effectually arousing his passions and leading him captive.

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

Thus far we have had the adulteress introduced speaking; now the narrative proceeds. With her much fair speech she caused him to yield. First, she influenced his mind, and bent his will to her purpose by her evil eloquence. The Hebrew word means "doctrine, or learning devil"s pleading. (Pro_1:5 Pro_9:9) St. Jerome has irretivit, "she netted him;" Septuagint, "She caused him to go astray (apeplanhse ) by much converse." She talked him over, though indeed he had put himself in the way of temptation, and had now no power to resist her seductions. Then with the flattering of her lips she forced him; drew him away. His body followed the lead of his blinded mind; he acceded to her solicitations. Septuagint, "With the snares of her lips she ran him aground (exwkeile ), drove him headlong to ruin."

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

The result: -

21 She beguiled him by the fulness of her talking,

By the smoothness of her lips she drew him away.

Here is a climax. First she brought him to yield, overcoming the resistance of his mind to the last point (cf. Kg1 11:3); then drove him, or, as we say, hurried him wholly away, viz., from the right path or conduct (cf. Deu 13:6, Deu 13:11). With הטּתּוּ (= הטּתהוּ) as the chief factum, the past imperf. is interchanged, 21b. Regarding לקח, see above, p. 56. Here is the rhetoric of sin (Zckler); and perhaps the לקח of 20a has suggested this antiphrastic לקח to the author (Hitzig), as חלק (the inverted לקח, formed like שׁפל, which is the abstr. of שׁפל as that is of חלק) and תּדּיחנּוּ are reciprocally conditioned, for the idea of the slippery (Psa 73:18) connects itself with חלק.

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 swayed him the one devoid of sense, to her.

with all her talk with which she is accustomed to familiarize men.

she entices him from the road.

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.