Worthy.Bible » Parallel » Proverbs » Chapter 5 » Verse 18-21

Proverbs 5:18-21 King James Version (KJV)

18 Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.

19 Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.

20 And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?

21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings.


Proverbs 5:18-21 King James Version with Strong's Concordance (STRONG)

18 Let thy fountain H4726 be blessed: H1288 and rejoice H8055 with the wife H802 of thy youth. H5271

19 Let her be as the loving H158 hind H365 and pleasant H2580 roe; H3280 let her breasts H1717 satisfy H7301 thee at all times; H6256 and be thou ravished H7686 always H8548 with her love. H160

20 And why wilt thou, my son, H1121 be ravished H7686 with a strange woman, H2114 and embrace H2263 the bosom H2436 of a stranger? H5237

21 For the ways H1870 of man H376 are before H5227 the eyes H5869 of the LORD, H3068 and he pondereth H6424 all his goings. H4570


Proverbs 5:18-21 American Standard (ASV)

18 Let thy fountain be blessed; And rejoice in the wife of thy youth.

19 `As' a loving hind and a pleasant doe, Let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; And be thou ravished always with her love.

20 For why shouldest thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, And embrace the bosom of a foreigner?

21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of Jehovah; And he maketh level all his paths.


Proverbs 5:18-21 Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

18 Let thy fountain be blessed, And rejoice because of the wife of thy youth,

19 A hind of loves, and a roe of grace! Let her loves satisfy thee at all times, In her love magnify thyself continually.

20 And why dost thou magnify thyself, My son, with a stranger? And embrace the bosom of a strange woman?

21 For over-against the eyes of Jehovah are the ways of each, And all his paths He is pondering.


Proverbs 5:18-21 Darby English Bible (DARBY)

18 Let thy fountain be blessed; and have joy of the wife of thy youth.

19 As a lovely hind and a graceful roe, let her breasts satisfy thee at all times: be thou ravished continually with her love.

20 And why shouldest thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?

21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of Jehovah, and he pondereth all his paths.


Proverbs 5:18-21 World English Bible (WEB)

18 Let your spring be blessed. Rejoice in the wife of your youth.

19 A loving doe and a graceful deer-- Let her breasts satisfy you at all times. Be captivated always with her love.

20 For why should you, my son, be captivated with an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another?

21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of Yahweh. He examines all his paths.


Proverbs 5:18-21 Bible in Basic English (BBE)

18 Let blessing be on your fountain; have joy in the wife of your early years.

19 As a loving hind and a gentle doe, let her breasts ever give you rapture; let your passion at all times be moved by her love.

20 Why let yourself, my son, go out of the way with a strange woman, and take another woman in your arms?

21 For a man's ways are before the eyes of the Lord, and he puts all his goings in the scales.

Commentary on Proverbs 5 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible


CHAPTER 5

Pr 5:1-23. A warning against the seductive arts of wicked women, enforced by considering the advantages of chastity, and the miserable end of the wicked.

1. This connection of wisdom and understanding is frequent (Pr 2:2; 3:7); the first denotes the use of wise means for wise ends; the other, the exercise of a proper discrimination in their discovery.

2. regard—or, "observe."

keep—preserve constantly.

3. (Compare Pr 2:16). Her enticing promises are deceitful.

4. her end—literally, "her future," in sense of reward, what follows (compare Ps 37:37; 73:17). Its nature is evinced by the use of figures, opposite those of Pr 5:3. The physical and moral suffering of the deluded profligate are notoriously terrible.

5. feet … , steps—that is, course of life ends in death.

6. her ways … know—Some prefer, "that she may not ponder the path of life," &c.; but perhaps a better sense is, "her ways are varied, so as to prevent your knowledge of her true character, and so of true happiness."

8, 9. Avoid the slightest temptation.

9. thine honour—in whatever consisting, strength (Pr 3:13) or wealth.

thy years—by cutting them off in dissipation.

unto the cruel—for such the sensual are apt to become.

10. wealth—literally, "strength," or the result of it.

labours—the fruit of thy painful exertions (Ps 127:2). There may be a reference to slavery, a commuted punishment for death due the adulterer (De 22:22).

11. at the last—the end, or reward (compare Pr 5:4).

mourn—roar in pain.

flesh and … body—the whole person under incurable disease.

12-14. The ruined sinner vainly laments his neglect of warning and his sad fate in being brought to public disgrace.

14. evil—for affliction, as in Ge 19:20; 49:15.

15-20. By figures, in which well, cistern, and fountain [Pr 5:15, 18] represent the wife, and rivers of waters [Pr 5:16] the children, men are exhorted to constancy and satisfaction in lawful conjugal enjoyments. In Pr 5:16, fountains (in the plural) rather denote the produce or waters of a spring, literally, "what is from a spring," and corresponds with "rivers of waters."

17. only thine own—harlots' children have no known father.

18. wife … youth—married in youth.

19. loving … roe—other figures for a wife from the well-known beauty of these animals.

breasts—(Compare So 1:13; Eze 23:3, 8).

ravished—literally, "intoxicated," that is, fully satisfied.

21. The reason, God's eye is on you,

22, 23. and He will cause sin to bring its punishment.

23. without instruction—literally, "in want of instruction," having refused it (compare Job 13:18; Heb 11:24).

go astray—literally, "be drunken." The word "ravished" (Pr 5:19) here denotes fulness of punishment.