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Home › Berean Standard Bible  › Proverbs 2  › Proverbs 2:16

Proverbs 2:16

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Proverbs 2:16 in Multiple Translations

Berean Standard Bible BSB

It will rescue you from the forbidden woman, from the stranger with seductive words

King James Version KJV

To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;

American Standard Version ASV

To deliver thee from the strange woman, Even from the foreigner that flattereth with her words;

Bible in Basic English BBE

To take you out of the power of the strange woman, who says smooth words with her tongue;

Free Bible Version FBV

Doing this will also save you from a woman who acts immorally, from a woman who like a prostitute tries to seduce you with flattering words.

Geneva Bible 1599 GNV

And it shall deliuer thee from the strange woman, euen from the stranger, which flattereth with her wordes.

Young's Literal Translation YLT

To deliver thee from the strange woman, From the stranger who hath made smooth her sayings,

World English Bible WEB

to deliver you from the strange woman, even from the foreigner who flatters with her words,

Noah Webster Bible WBS

To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger who flattereth with her words;

Douay-Rheims 1899 DRV

That thou mayst be delivered from the strange women, and from the stranger, who softeneth her words:

Translation for Translators T4T

If you are wise [PRS], you will also be saved from ◄immoral women/prostitutes►; you will not pay attention when adulterous women try to ◄seduce/entice you by what they say.►

Study Highlights

Key words in the translations above are automatically highlighted. Names of God and Jesus are marked in purple, the Holy Spirit in orange, divine action verbs are underlined, and repeated key words are highlighted in yellow.

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Berean Amplified Bible — Proverbs 2:16

BAB
Word Study

Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.

Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.

Proverbs 2:16 Interlinear (Deep Study)

BIB
HEB לְ֭/הַצִּ֣ילְ/ךָ מֵ/אִשָּׁ֣ה זָרָ֑ה מִ֝/נָּכְרִיָּ֗ה אֲמָרֶ֥י/הָ הֶחֱלִֽיקָה
לְ֭/הַצִּ֣ילְ/ךָ nâtsal H5337 to rescue Prep | V-Hiphil-Inf-a | Suff
מֵ/אִשָּׁ֣ה ʼishshâh H802 woman Prep | N-fs
זָרָ֑ה zûwr H2114 be a stranger Adj
מִ֝/נָּכְרִיָּ֗ה nokrîy H5237 foreign Prep | Adj
אֲמָרֶ֥י/הָ ʼêmer H561 word N-mp | Suff
הֶחֱלִֽיקָה châlaq H2505 to divide V-Hiphil-Perf-3fs
Hebrew Word Study

Select any word above to explore its original meaning, root, and usage across Scripture.

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Hebrew Word Reference — Proverbs 2:16

לְ֭/הַצִּ֣ילְ/ךָ nâtsal H5337 "to rescue" Prep | V-Hiphil-Inf-a | Suff
To rescue means to snatch away or deliver from danger. It can also mean to strip or plunder, depending on the context, and appears in various forms throughout the Bible.
Definition: 1) to snatch away, deliver, rescue, save, strip, plunder 1a)(Niphal) 1a1) to tear oneself away, deliver oneself 1a2) to be torn out or away, be delivered 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to strip off, spoil 1b2) to deliver 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to take away, snatch away 1c2) to rescue, recover 1c3) to deliver (from enemies or troubles or death) 1c4) to deliver from sin and guilt 1d) (Hophal) to be plucked out 1e) (Hithpael) to strip oneself Aramaic equivalent: ne.tsal (נְצַל "to rescue" H5338)
Usage: Occurs in 194 OT verses. KJV: [idiom] at all, defend, deliver (self), escape, [idiom] without fail, part, pluck, preserve, recover, rescue, rid, save, spoil, strip, [idiom] surely, take (out). See also: Genesis 31:9; Psalms 40:14; Psalms 7:2.
מֵ/אִשָּׁ֣ה ʼishshâh H802 "woman" Prep | N-fs
The Hebrew word for woman, used to describe a female person, wife, or animal, appears in many biblical passages, including Genesis and Exodus, and is often translated as woman, wife, or female.
Definition: : woman 1) woman, wife, female 1a) woman (opposite of man) 1b) wife (woman married to a man) 1c) female (of animals) 1d) each, every (pronoun)
Usage: Occurs in 686 OT verses. KJV: (adulter) ess, each, every, female, [idiom] many, [phrase] none, one, [phrase] together, wife, woman. Often unexpressed in English. See also: Genesis 2:22; Genesis 34:4; Numbers 5:12.
זָרָ֑ה zûwr H2114 "be a stranger" Adj
This word has several meanings, including being a stranger or foreigner, like when Abraham lived in Egypt as a foreigner. It can also mean to commit adultery, highlighting the idea of turning aside from what is right and proper, as warned against in Proverbs 5.
Definition: 1) to be strange, be a stranger 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to become estranged 1a2) strange, another, stranger, foreigner, an enemy (participle) 1a3) strange woman, prostitute, harlot (meton) 1b) (Niphal) to be estranged 1c) (Hophal) to be a stranger, be one alienated
Usage: Occurs in 76 OT verses. KJV: (come from) another (man, place), fanner, go away, (e-) strange(-r, thing, woman). See also: Exodus 29:33; Proverbs 11:15; Psalms 44:21.
מִ֝/נָּכְרִיָּ֗ה nokrîy H5237 "foreign" Prep | Adj
This Hebrew word describes something or someone foreign or unfamiliar, including people, women, or things. It can also mean wonderful or outlandish. In the Bible, it is often translated as alien or foreigner.
Definition: 1) foreign, alien 1a) foreign 1b) foreigner (subst) 1c) foreign woman, harlot 1d) unknown, unfamiliar (fig.)
Usage: Occurs in 45 OT verses. KJV: alien, foreigner, outlandish, strange(-r, woman). See also: Genesis 31:15; Ezra 10:17; Psalms 69:9.
אֲמָרֶ֥י/הָ ʼêmer H561 "word" N-mp | Suff
This Hebrew word refers to a word or speech, like a promise or command from God. It is used in books like Genesis and Exodus to describe God's conversations with people.
Definition: utterance, speech, word, saying, promise, command
Usage: Occurs in 47 OT verses. KJV: answer, [idiom] appointed unto him, saying, speech, word. See also: Genesis 49:21; Psalms 141:6; Psalms 5:2.
הֶחֱלִֽיקָה châlaq H2505 "to divide" V-Hiphil-Perf-3fs
To smooth means to make something slippery or deceitful, like in Proverbs where it warns against flattery. It can also mean to divide or separate something, like an inheritance.
Definition: 1) to divide, share, plunder, allot, apportion, assign 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to divide, apportion 1a2) to assign, distribute 1a3) to assign, impart 1a4) to share 1a5) to divide up, plunder 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to divide oneself 1b2) to be divided 1b3) to assign, distribute 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to divide, apportion 1c2) to assign, distribute 1c3) to scatter 1d) (Pual) to be divided 1e) (Hiphil) to receive a portion or part 1f) (Hithpael) to divide among themselves
Usage: Occurs in 64 OT verses. KJV: deal, distribute, divide, flatter, give, (have, im-) part(-ner), take away a portion, receive, separate self, (be) smooth(-er). See also: Genesis 14:15; Job 27:17; Psalms 5:10.

Study Notes — Proverbs 2:16

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Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1 Ecclesiastes 7:26 And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a net, and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is ensnared.
2 Proverbs 22:14 The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; he who is under the wrath of the LORD will fall into it.
3 Proverbs 23:27 For a prostitute is a deep pit, and an adulteress is a narrow well.
4 Proverbs 7:5–23 that they may keep you from the adulteress, from the stranger with seductive words. For at the window of my house I looked through the lattice. I saw among the simple, I noticed among the youths, a young man lacking judgment, crossing the street near her corner, strolling down the road to her house, at twilight, as the day was fading into the dark of the night. Then a woman came out to meet him, with the attire of a harlot and cunning of heart. She is loud and defiant; her feet do not remain at home. Now in the street, now in the squares, she lurks at every corner. She seizes him and kisses him; she brazenly says to him: “I have made my peace offerings; today I have paid my vows. So I came out to meet you; I sought you, and I have found you. I have decked my bed with coverings, with colored linen from Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, with aloes, and with cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love till morning. Let us delight in loving caresses! For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey. He took with him a bag of money and will not return till the moon is full.” With her great persuasion she entices him; with her flattering lips she lures him. He follows her on impulse, like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer bounding into a trap, until an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare— not knowing it will cost him his life.
5 Proverbs 6:24 to keep you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.
6 Nehemiah 13:26–27 Did not King Solomon of Israel sin in matters like this? There was not a king like him among many nations, and he was loved by his God, who made him king over all Israel—yet foreign women drew him into sin. Must we now hear that you too are doing all this terrible evil and acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?”
7 Genesis 39:3–12 When his master saw that the LORD was with him and made him prosper in all he did, Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household and entrusted him with everything he owned. From the time that he put Joseph in charge of his household and all he owned, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s household on account of him. The LORD’s blessing was on everything he owned, both in his house and in his field. So Potiphar left all that he owned in Joseph’s care; he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after some time his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.” But he refused. “Look,” he said to his master’s wife, “with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in his house, and he has entrusted everything he owns to my care. No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do such a great evil and sin against God?” Although Potiphar’s wife spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be near her. One day, however, Joseph went into the house to attend to his work, and not a single household servant was inside. She grabbed Joseph by his cloak and said, “Sleep with me!” But leaving his cloak in her hand, he escaped and ran outside.
8 Proverbs 5:3–20 Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil, in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to Sheol. She does not consider the path of life; she does not know that her ways are unstable. So now, my sons, listen to me, and do not turn aside from the words of my mouth. Keep your path far from her; do not go near the door of her house, lest you concede your vigor to others, and your years to one who is cruel; lest strangers feast on your wealth, and your labors enrich the house of a foreigner. At the end of your life you will groan when your flesh and your body are spent, and you will say, “How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof! I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my mentors. I am on the brink of utter ruin in the midst of the whole assembly.” Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well. Why should your springs flow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares? Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers. May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth: A loving doe, a graceful fawn— may her breasts satisfy you always; may you be captivated by her love forever. Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress, or embrace the bosom of a stranger?
9 Proverbs 29:5 A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet.

Proverbs 2:16 Summary

[Proverbs 2:16 tells us that if we follow God's wisdom, it will rescue us from people who might lead us astray with enticing words, like the forbidden woman. This means that we need to be careful about who we listen to and spend time with, and make sure we're filling our minds with God's truth, as encouraged in Psalm 119:9-11. By doing so, we can avoid the dangers of seductive words and actions, and instead find refuge in God's wisdom, which is described in Proverbs 2:6-11 as a source of protection and guidance.]

Frequently Asked Questions

What is meant by the 'forbidden woman' in Proverbs 2:16?

The 'forbidden woman' refers to someone who is not a suitable or godly partner, often characterized by seductive and deceitful words, as seen in Proverbs 2:16, and is reminiscent of the warnings in Proverbs 5:3-6 and Proverbs 7:5-27.

How can wisdom rescue us from the forbidden woman?

Wisdom, as described in Proverbs 2:6-11, gives us discernment and understanding, allowing us to recognize and resist the temptations of the forbidden woman, much like the wisdom that helped Joseph in Genesis 39:7-12.

What are 'seductive words' and how can we protect ourselves from them?

Seductive words are persuasive and enticing, but often lead to sin, as seen in Proverbs 2:16 and Proverbs 7:21, and we can protect ourselves by filling our minds with God's Word, as encouraged in Psalm 119:9-11 and Colossians 3:16-17.

Is the 'stranger' in Proverbs 2:16 a literal stranger or a metaphor?

The 'stranger' in Proverbs 2:16 can be interpreted as both a literal stranger and a metaphor for someone who is not a part of God's family, as seen in Ephesians 2:12 and 19, and the concept is also related to the 'strange woman' in Proverbs 7:5, who represents those who do not follow God's ways.

Reflection Questions

  1. What are some ways that I can apply the wisdom of Proverbs 2:16 to my own life, particularly in situations where I'm tempted by seductive words or actions?
  2. How can I distinguish between genuine, godly relationships and those that are deceptive or ungodly, as warned against in Proverbs 2:16?
  3. In what ways can I prioritize filling my mind with God's Word, as encouraged in Psalm 119:9-11, to protect myself from seductive words and thoughts?
  4. What are some practical steps I can take to 'rescue' myself from the influence of the forbidden woman, as described in Proverbs 2:16, and to seek refuge in God's wisdom instead?

Gill's Exposition on Proverbs 2:16

To deliver thee from the strange woman,.... As the Gospel of Christ and its doctrines, or the instructions of wisdom, are a means of delivering persons from the evil man, his company, ways, and

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 2:16

To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words - (like

Matthew Poole's Commentary on Proverbs 2:16

From the strange woman; from the adulteress or whore; called strange, partly because such persons were commonly heathens, or are supposed to be such by reason of that severe law against these practices in Israelitish women, , or are justly reputed heathens, as being degenerate Israelites, which are oft called strangers, as hath been noted in the Book of the Psalms; and partly because conversation with such persons is forbidden to men; as those Israelites which were not Levites are called strangers, , in respect of the holy things which they were prohibited to touch; and forbidden fire is called strange fire, . Which flattereth with her words; which useth all arts and ways to allure men to unchaste actions; one kind being put for all the rest.

Trapp's Commentary on Proverbs 2:16

Proverbs 2:16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, [even] from the stranger [which] flattereth with her words;Ver. 16. From the strange woman.] Forbidden thee by God, as strange fire, strange gods, &c. Which flattereth with her words.] Whose lips are nets, whose hands are bands, whose words are cords to draw a man in as a fool to the stocks, or an ox to the slaughter.

Ellicott's Commentary on Proverbs 2:16

(16-19) Besides the literal sense of this passage, as given above, commentators have very generally found in it a spiritual meaning, a warning against idolatry and apostasy. The union of Israel to God is so frequently spoken of in the prophets under the figure of a marriage, and their rejection of Him for idols as adultery, that the passage may well bear this further sense, especially as Jeremiah (Jeremiah 3:4) has borrowed this very phrase, “guide of her youth,” for a passage in which he is reproving the Jews for their faithlessness. The figure is also very common in the New Testament, as descriptive of the union of Christ and the Church.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on Proverbs 2:16

Verse 16. The stranger which flattereth with her words] החליקה hechelikah, she that smooths with her words. The original intimates the glib, oily speeches of a prostitute. The English lick is supposed to be derived from the original word.

Cambridge Bible on Proverbs 2:16

16. strange woman … stranger] i.e. not belonging to thee; a stranger, in right, to any such relationship. Neither of the words, as here used, has any reference to nationality, as though the danger in question arose chiefly from foreign women. They are married women of the true religion (Proverbs 2:17), and wives of fellow-citizens (Proverbs 7:19-20) who are here in view. It is a different Heb. word that is used commonly (e.g. Genesis 15:13; Exodus 20:10) for a “stranger” in the sense of a foreigner, one sojourning in a land not his own. The “strange woman” here is so called in the sense which the same Heb. word bears in such passages as Exodus 29:33; Exodus 30:33 (one who is outside the family of Aaron); Deuteronomy 25:5 (one who is outside the family circle). This word for stranger, though it often means a foreigner (Deuteronomy 17:15; comp. Exodus 2:22; Exodus 21:8), is here a proper synonym with the word in the parallel clause, one who is not a man’s own wife; just as in Ecclesiastes 6:2 it means one who is not a man’s own child. flattereth] Heb. maketh smooth her words, R.V. marg. An example is given in Proverbs 7:13-21.

Barnes' Notes on Proverbs 2:16

The second great evil, the warnings against which are frequent (see the marginal reference). Two words are used to describe the class.

Whedon's Commentary on Proverbs 2:16

16. From the strange woman — Solomon here proceeds to show that this wisdom of which he speaks will also preserve from the snares of the dissolute woman. Such a woman is described.

Sermons on Proverbs 2:16

SermonDescription
Carter Conlon Have You Heard? There Is Bread in Bethlehem by Carter Conlon In this sermon, the speaker discusses a story from the Bible about a woman who had access to her possessions taken away by another man. The Kingsman Redeemer steps in and confronts
Robert Constable The Knowledge of God by Robert Constable In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of not just passively listening to sermons, but actively applying the teachings of God to our lives. The speaker encourages tr
Charles Banna Backslidings of Balaam by Charles Banna This sermon emphasizes the dangers of falling into covetousness and pride, using the example of Balaam who was led astray by these sins. It highlights the importance of fleeing fro
W.J. Erdman The New Quest and Law of Life. 7:1-29 by W.J. Erdman In this sermon by W.J. Erdman, the Preacher embarks on a new quest to discover 'the Good' in a high law for life under the sun, possibly found in the fear of God. He seeks wisdom a
Chuck Smith Fatherly Exhortation Part 1 by Chuck Smith In this sermon, Pastor Chuck Smith gives fatherly exhortations and advice to his son. He emphasizes the importance of not getting caught up in the crowd of drinkers and gluttons, a
Chuck Smith (Through the Bible) Proverbs 21-25 by Chuck Smith In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of listening to wise instruction and applying it to our lives. The main message is to trust in the Lord. The speaker also warn
F.B. Meyer His Wives Turned Away His Heart. by F.B. Meyer F.B. Meyer warns that every individual has a vulnerable point in their character, as exemplified by Solomon, whose heart was turned away from God by his foreign wives. Despite his
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