Proverbs 5

Proverbs 5:14

14. I was almost in all evil &c.] Better, perhaps, “I was in almost all evil.” I have plunged myself into all sort of evil, in the midst of my people, being too well known for my vices, and obtaining no compassion. Calmet.

Proverbs 5:15

15. Drink waters &c.] The wise man, having thus represented the dangers and wasting miseries of incontinence, gives the seasonable and necessary advice, that every man should strictly abstain from wandering lusts, and remain in the society of his own wife. Dr. Hammond.

Proverbs 5:16

16. Let thy fountains be dispersed &c.] Besides many other blessings, thou wilt hence derive the comforts of a numerous flourishing offspring, which, as streams or rivers from a fountain, will flow from a chaste conjugal bed. Dr. Hammond.

Proverbs 5:17

17. Let them be only thine own.] Thou wilt thus have the assurance, that the children thou ownest are truly thine. Dr. Hammond.

Proverbs 5:19

19. — as the loving hind and pleasant roe;] Rather, “as the beloved hind and the favourite roe.” The comparison is here very appropriate, for it is well known that all the males of the deer-kind are remarkably fond of the females which they have selected for their partners; and, although timid animals in general, will, on their account, encounter any danger to the hazard of their lives. Dr. Durell.

Proverbs 5:22

22. — he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.] The wicked man engages in these shameful and illicit pursuits, without foreseeing their mournful consequences; he thinks he will be able to disengage himself from them whenever he pleases, but he is forging chains for himself which he will not be able to break; the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his † sins.

Proverbs 5:23

23. He shall die without instruction;] He shall die for want of instruction. Dr. Waterland. Chap. VI. ver. 1. — if thou be surety for thy friend.] My son, be advised by me not to pass thy word rashly for the money which thy neighbour or friend borroweth of another, much less stand bound to a stranger, of whose honesty or ability thou art not assured; for if thou hast been so incautious as to be drawn into such engagements, “thou art snared with the words of thy mouth,” look upon thyself no longer as a free man, but hampered and enslaved by dangerous obligations. Bp. Patrick. — if thou hast stricken thy hand &c.] To strike hands with another person was a general emblem of agreement, bargaining, or suretiship. Thus the ancient poets often represent it. Burder. Solomon frequently exhorts to the avoiding of suretiship, as a most dangerous indiscretion; by which he seems to mean, that we should never be bound in behalf of another for more than we can afford to lose, without any considerable detriment to our fortunes or families. Dr. Jortin.