lest you give your honor to others, and your years to the cruel one;
Parallel Translations
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lest you give your honor to others, and your years to the cruel one;
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Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:
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Lest thou give thy vigour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel;
Cross-references (4)
Passages linked to Proverbs 5:9 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Nehemiah 13:26 Didn’t Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? Yet among many nations there was no king like him, and he was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless foreign women caused even him to sin.
- Hosea 4:13-14 They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains, and burn incense on the hills, under oaks and poplars and terebinths, because its shade is good. Therefore your daughters play the prostitute, and your brides commit adultery. I will not punish your daughters when they play the prostitute, nor your brides when they commit adultery; because the men consort with prostitutes, and they sacrifice with the shrine prostitutes; so the people without understanding will come to ruin.
- Genesis 38:23-26 Judah said, “Let her keep it, lest we be shamed. Behold, I sent this young goat, and you haven’t found her.” About three months later, Judah was told, “Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has played the prostitute. Moreover, behold, she is with child by prostitution.” Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.” When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “I am with child by the man who owns these.” She also said, “Please discern whose these are—the signet, and the cords, and the staff.” Judah acknowledged them, and said, “She is more righteous than I, because I didn’t give her to Shelah, my son.” He knew her again no more.
- Judges 16:19-21 She made him sleep on her knees; and she called for a man and shaved off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. She said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” He awoke out of his sleep, and said, “I will go out as at other times, and shake myself free.” But he didn’t know that Yahweh had departed from him. The Philistines laid hold on him and put out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza and bound him with fetters of bronze; and he ground at the mill in the prison.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (16 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain That is, thy strength and goods to her that…
That is, thy strength and goods to her that will have no pity upon thee: as is read of Samson, and the prodigal son.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Pro 5:9 Lest thou give thine honour unto others,…
Pro 5:9 Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:
Ver. 9. Lest thou give thine honour,] i.e., Whatsoever within thee, or without thee, may make thee honourable or esteemed, as the flower of thine age, the comeliness of thy body, the excellency of thy wit, thy possibility of preferment, that good opinion that the better sort had of thee, &c. How was David slighted by his own children and servants after he had thus sinned! Compare 1Sa 2:30 with 2Sa 12:10. Chastity is a man’s honour. {a} {1Th 4:4}
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And their years,] i.e., According to some, Thy wealth that thou hast been many years in gathering; πλουτος quasi πολυετος.
To the cruel.] That is, To the harlot and her bastardly brood, whom thou must maintain. The Hebrews expound it of the devil. To the cruel - i.e., principi gehennae, saith Solomon; angelo morris, saith another; to the Prince of Hell, to this Angel of Death. Aczar, the Hebrew word, properly signifies, saith one, "the poison of the asp," {Deu 32:33} which paineth not at first, but is deadly.
{a} Castus; quasi καστος, ornatus, αγνος, ab αγος, venerabills.
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.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Thine honour; thy dignity and reputation, the strength and…
Thine honour; thy dignity and reputation, the strength and rigour of thy body and mind, which is an honour to a man, and which are commonly wasted by adulterous practices.
Unto others; unto whores, and their husbands, and children, and friends.
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Thy years; the flower of thine age, thy youthful years.
Unto the cruel; to the harlot, who though she pretends ardent love and kindness to thee, yet in truth is one of the most cruel creatures in the world, wasting thy estate and, body without the least pity, and then casting thee off with scorn. and contempt; and when her interest requires it, taking away thy very life, of which there are innumerable examples, and damning thy soul for ever.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain Lest thou give thine honour unto others,.... To strumpets,…
Lest thou give thine honour unto others,.... To strumpets, their children, attendants, servants, and friends; that is, either wealth or riches, which make men honourable; or their three, credit, and reputation, which are lost by keeping company with such persons; or the outward comeliness of the body, and inward rigour of the mind, which are impaired by adulterous practices. The Targum renders it, "thy strength"; and so the Syriac version, "thy strength of body", which is enervated by such impurities; see Pro 31:3; compare with this the kings of the earth that commit fornication with the whore of Rome, giving their power and strength to the beast, Rev 17:2. Jarchi's note is,
"lest thine heart has respect to other gods, to give them the glory of thine honour and praise;''
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and so understands it not of corporeal but of spiritual adultery or idolatry: the Septuagint and Arabic versions are, "thy life"; which agrees with what follows;
and thy years unto the cruel; youthful years, the flower of age, consumed by the cruel lust of uncleanness, which preys upon and wastes both body and substance, and cuts them off in the prime of days; and deprives of years which otherwise, according to the course of nature, and in all probability, might be arrived unto: so harlots, in Plautus (o), are said to sup the blood of men, and to deprive of goods, light, honour, and friends (p). And the harlot herself may be here meant; who, when she has got what she can, has no pity on the man she has ruined, and even will not stick to take away his life upon occasion; as well as is the cause and means of the damnation of his soul: or the jealous husband of the adulterous woman, who will not spare the adulterer when taken by him; or her brethren, her relations and friends; or her other gallants and co-rivals, who, when they have opportunity, will avenge themselves; or the civil magistrate, who executes judgment without mercy on such delinquents, this being a sin punished with death. Jarchi interprets the "cruel" of the prince of hell, the devil; and so the Midrash of the angel of death. The character well agrees with the antichristian beast, the whore of Rome; who, by her sorceries and fornications, has destroyed millions of souls.
(o) Bacchides, Act. 3. Sc. 1. v. 5. & Sc. 3. v. 67. (p) Truculentus, Act. 2. Sc. 7. v. 20.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain honour - Thy dignity and reputation, the strength of…
honour - Thy dignity and reputation, the strength of thy body and mind. Years - The flower of thine age. The cruel - To the harlot, who though she pretends love, yet in truth is one of the most cruel creatures in the world, wasting thy estate and body without pity, and damming thy soul forever. 10. Strangers - Not only the strange women themselves, but others who are in league with them. labours - Wealth gotten by thy labours.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 9. Lest thou give thine honour] The character…
Verse 9. Lest thou give thine honour] The character of a debauchee is universally detested: by this, even those of noble blood lose their honour and respect.
Thy years unto the cruel] Though all the blandishments of love dwell on the tongue, and the excess of fondness appear in the whole demeanour of the harlot and the prostitute; yet cruelty has its throne in their hearts; and they will rob and murder (when it appears to answer their ends) those who give their strength, their wealth, and their years to them. The unfaithful wife has often murdered her own husband for the sake of her paramour, and has given him over to justice in order to save herself. Murders have often taken place in brothels, as well as robberies; for the vice of prostitution is one of the parents of cruelty.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Thine honor - i. e., “The grace and freshness…
Thine honor - i. e., “The grace and freshness of thy youth” (compare Hos 14:6; Dan 10:8). The thought of this is to guard the young man against the sins that stain and mar it. The slave of lust sacrifices “years” that might have been peaceful and happy to one who is merciless.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Strangers. The world, the flesh, and the devil are…
Strangers. The world, the flesh, and the devil are such; cruelly devising our ruin. (Worthington)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain thine honour--in whatever consisting, strength (Pro 3:13) or wealth.
thine honour--in whatever consisting, strength (Pro 3:13) or wealth.
thy years--by cutting them off in dissipation.
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unto the cruel--for such the sensual are apt to become.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 9. Thine honour — הודךְ, thy vigour, bloom, strength;…
9. Thine honour — הודךְ, thy vigour, bloom, strength; the glory of thy manhood. “Lest thou sacrifice the flower of thine age and thy precious time to one that doth not love thee a jot, but could see thee perish without pity.” — Patrick. Though all the blandishments of love dwell on the tongue, and excessive fondness appear in the whole demeanour of harlots, they will rob and murder those who give their strength and wealth to them.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 9. others] instead of to thine own, Pro_5:15; Pro_5:17.…
9. others] instead of to thine own, Pro_5:15; Pro_5:17. Comp. Pro_5:10.
the cruel] The Heb. noun is masc. sing. and is intended perhaps vividly to describe the sin with its cruel consequences (Pro_6:26; Pro_6:31-35; Pro_7:22-23; Pro_7:26) as a merciless personal Avenger. LXX. ἀνελεήμοσιν, taking the Heb. word apparently as a collective noun.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (9) Thine honour.—Rather, freshness, vigour.
(9) Thine honour.—Rather, freshness, vigour.
Thy years.—The best years of thy life.
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Unto the cruel.—That is the temptress herself, or her hangers-on and associates, whose sole idea is plunder.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain The reasons why the harlot is to be avoided…
The reasons why the harlot is to be avoided follow in rapid succession. Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel. The word rendered "honour" (Hebrew, hod) is not so much reputation, as the English implies, as "the grace and freshness of youth." It is so used in Hos_14:6 Dan_10:8. The Vulgate renders "honour," and the LXX, zwh , "life." Hod is derived from the Arabic word signifying "to lift one"s self up," and then "to be eminent, beautiful." Thy years; i.e. the best and most vigorous, and hence the most useful and valuable, years of life. Unto the cruel (Hebrew, l"ak"zari); literally, to the cruel one ; but the adjective akzari is only found in the singular, and may be here used in a collective sense as designating the entourage of the harlot, her associates who prey pitilessly on the youth whom they bring within the range of her fascinations. So Delitzsch. It seems to be so understood by the LXX, which reads anelehmosin , immitentibus; but not so by the Vulgate, which adheres to the singular, crudeli. If we adhere to the gender of the adjective akzari, which is masculine, and to its number, it may designate the husband of the adulteress, who will deal mercilessly towards the paramour of his wife. So Zockler. Again, it may refer, notwithstanding the gender, to the harlot herself (so Vatablus and Holden). who is cruel, who has no love for the youth, and would see him perish without pity. The explanation of Stuart and others, including Ewald, that the "cruel one" is the purchaser of the punished adulterer, is without foundation or warrant, since there is no historical instance on record where the adulterer was reduced to slavery, and the punishment inflicted by the Mosaic code was not slavery, but death, (Num_20:10 Deu_22:22) and, as it appears from Eze_16:40 and Joh_8:5, death from stoning. The adjective akzari, like its equivalent akzar, is derived from the verb kazar, "to break," and occurs again in Pro_11:17 Pro_12:10 Pro_17:11. The moral of the warning is a wasted life.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain Lest thou give thine honour unto others.
Pro_5:9
Lest thou give thine honour unto others.
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A mans honour sunk in sensuality
A good name is better than precious ointment, but of a good name this abominable sin is the ruin. The credit of David and of Solomon was greatly sunk by it. By it has the honour of thousands been irretrievably lost. Life is a great blessing, and may be regarded as the foundation of every earthly blessing. But unclean persons part with everything that renders life worthy of the name, and in a literal sense, they often give their years unto the cruel. Their lives are lost in the pursuit of this sin by the just judgment of God, by its native consequences, or by the accidents to which it exposes those who practise it. And for what are these years given away? Did men generously part with their lives in the defence of their country, or for the sake of a generous friend, the loss would be amply compensated by honour, and by the pleasure of a good conscience. But how infatuated are they who give their years unto the cruel, who conceal a selfish and malignant heart under the mask of love! All unlawful love is hatred, and all tempters to it are cruel enemies to our happiness. Shall we then gratify inhuman enemies, at the expense of honour and life and everything dear to us? These false friends and malicious enemies rob you of your honour and life, with as much eagerness as if they could enjoy these precious blessings of which you are deprived. (G. Lawson, D.D.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 In that way
In that way
"If you do this." This phrase refers to what he has just said in previous verses.
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you will not give away your honor to others
Possible meanings for the word "honor" are 1) it refers to one's reputation. AT: "You will not lose your good reputation among other people" or 2) it refers to one's wealth and possessions. AT: "You will not give away your wealth to other people" or 3) it refers to strength and represents the prime years of one's life. AT: "You will not give away the best times of your life to other people"
or years of your life to a cruel person
The writer speaks of a person dying prematurely, possibly by murder, as if the years of his life were items that he gives away to another person. The verb may be supplied from the previous phrase. AT: "or give years of your life to a cruel person" or "or cause a cruel person to kill you while you are still young" (See: Ellipsis and Metaphor)
a cruel person
This may refer to the husband of the adulteress, who will deal cruelly with the person who sleeps with her.
strangers will not feast on your wealth
The writer speaks of people taking and enjoying another person's wealth as if they were feasting on the wealth. AT: "strangers will not take all of your wealth" (See: Metaphor)
what you have worked for will not go into the house of strangers
Here the word "house" represents the person's family. AT: "the things that you have obtained will not end up belonging to the families of strangers" (See: Metonymy)
translationWords
honor
life
feast
house
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 5:9-10 An illicit relationship can be tempting, but it…
5:9-10 An illicit relationship can be tempting, but it eventually brings shame. If the woman is a prostitute, the young man will have to pay her and thus lose income. If the woman is another man’s wife, he might have to pay her husband (see Lev 20:10).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.