John Gill Commentary Proverbs 5

My son, attend unto my wisdom
Not the wisdom of the world or of the flesh, worldly wisdom and carnal policy; but spiritual and evangelical wisdom; such as one that is greater than Solomon has in him, even Christ; "for in him are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge", (Colossians 2:3) ; and which he teaches and communicates to others, even all proper instructions for conduct in life: the Gospel, and each of the doctrines of it, which are "the wisdom of God in a mystery", (1 Corinthians 2:7) : these every child of God, and disciple of Christ, ought carefully and diligently to attend unto;

[and] bow your ear to my understanding:
listen attentively to those things which I have, and give an understanding of, even things divine and spiritual; the understanding of which is of the utmost moment and importance.

That you may regard discretion
Observe it; retain it in your heart, as Aben Ezra adds, and use it; think, speak, and act discreetly, and so avoid the bad woman afterwards described: the Vulgate Latin version is, "that you may keep the thoughts"; and so Gersom interprets the word; "good thoughts", according to the Septuagint version; the thoughts of the heart are to be observed. A man of spiritual wisdom will take notice of them; evil thoughts, which lead to uncleanness, are to be repressed and kept in; good ones to be cherished and improved; wise and sagacious ones (such the word here used signifies) are to be attended to, as being of great advantage in the various affairs and business of life; and spiritual and evangelical wisdom helps to such thoughts, and directs to the observance and exercise of them.

and [that] your lips may keep knowledge ;
may be able to speak of things worthy to be known, and communicate the knowledge of them to others; by which means useful knowledge will be kept and preserved, and be continued in successive ages; see (Malachi 2:7) ; even the knowledge of God and of Christ, and of the Gospel and its doctrines; and which will be a means of preserving men, as from false doctrine, error, and heresy, so from profaneness and immorality; and particularly from the adulterous woman, next described.

For the lips of a strange woman drop [as] an honeycomb
"Mulsa dicta", "honey words", as is Plautus's ^F5 expression. The Septuagint and Arabic versions premise something here which is not in the Hebrew text, ``do not give heed to a wicked woman;'' and the Vulgate Latin version, ``to the fallacy of a woman:'' but there is no need to connect the words by such a supplement; since, as they lie, they give a reason why it was necessary to attend to wisdom and understanding, in order to act discreetly and speak knowingly; since there is so much danger of being drawn aside by a wicked woman, a lewd and adulterous one; the kisses of whose lips, her confabulations and songs, are as pleasing to the carnal senses of men as honey is sweet to the taste; she promises them a great deal of pleasure in her embraces, and in the enjoyment of her:

so the poet ^F6 describes an agreeable voice to be sweeter than the honeycomb; and her mouth [is] smoother than oil ;
her fair speeches, enticing words, and flattering fawning language, and amorous expressions, easily find their way and slide into the hearts of men, to prevail upon them to listen to her, and yield to her temptations.

Gersom interprets this strange woman of the imaginative faculty; and Jarchi of heresy: it is applicable enough to the whore of Rome; who, by the blandishments of pomp and grandeur, and the allurements of wealth and riches, draws many into her idolatrous practices; which are spiritual adultery, signified by her golden cup, (Revelation 17:4) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F5: Rudens, Act. 2. Sc. 3. v. 84. Poenulus, 1, 2. v. 112.
• F6: (fwna glukerwtera h melikhrw) , Theocrit. Idyll. 21.

But her end is bitter as wormwood
Which is opposed to the honeycomb her lips are said to drop; so that, as Juvenal says ^F7 , "plus aloes quam mellis habet": the end which she brings persons to, or the issue of complying with her, is bitterness; such as loss of credit, substance, and health, remorse of conscience, and fear of death, corporeal and eternal; see (Ecclesiastes 7:26) ; sharp as a twoedged sword ;
which cuts every way; as committing sin with an harlot hurts both soul and body; and the reflection upon it is very cutting and distressing, and destroys all comfort and happiness. This is the reverse of her soothing and softening speech, which is as oil. Such also will be the sad case of the worshippers of the beast, or whore of Rome; who will gnaw their tongues for pain, and be killed with the twoedged sword that proceedeth out of the mouth of Christ, (Revelation 16:10) (Revelation 19:15Revelation 19:21) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F7: Satyr. 6. v. 180. "Lingua dicta dulcia dabis, corde amara facilis", Plauti Truculentus, Act. 1. Sc. 1. v. 77. Cistellaria, Act. 1. Sc. 1. v. 70, 71, 72.

Her feet go down to death
The ways in which she walks, and in which she leads others, issue oftentimes in corporeal death; and always in eternal death, if grace prevent not; and unless men are brought to a sense of sin, to repent of it and leave it. The Septuagint and Arabic versions render it, "the feet of imprudence" or "folly", in opposition to wisdom; that is, the feet of the foolish woman, such an one the harlot is; and such is the whore of Rome, notwithstanding all her boasted knowledge and wisdom. And into perdition, or the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death, she goes herself, and hither she brings all that follow her idolatrous practices, (Revelation 17:8) (19:20) (21:8) ; her steps take hold on hell ;
make sure of it; hell is the certain portion of the harlot, and of all those that follow her lewd courses, unless reclaimed by the grace of God; and this will be the case of the worshippers of antichrist, or who give into the idolatries of the church of Rome, or commit fornication with her, (Revelation 14:9–11) .

Or, "her steps support hell" ^F8 ; keep it up, and fill it with inhabitants; millions are carried into it by her means: or, reach unto hell; she stops not till she comes there, and her followers with her. The word may be rendered "the grave", and may respect such whores who haunted burying places, and prostituted themselves among the graves; and were called from hence "bustuariae moechae" ^F9 .

FOOTNOTES:

• F8: (wkmty) "sustentabunt", Montanus; "sustinant", Vatablus; "sustentent", Mercerus, Gejerus.
• F9: Vid. Turnebi Adversar. l. 13. c. 19. & Sept. vers. in Jer. ii. 23.