Proverbs 7:21–23
Drawn by her lips, he follows her like an ox to the slaughter, not knowing it costs his life
Study it word by word21She turns him aside with the greatness of her teaching; with the smoothness of her lips she drags him along.
22He goes after her suddenly, as an ox to the slaughter goes, and as one in fetters to the correction goes the fool,
23until an arrow pierces his liver; as a bird hurries to the snare, and does not know that his soul is at stake in it.
In its context
19For the man is not in his house; he has gone on a journey far away.
20The bag of money he took in his hand; on the day of the full moon he will come home.”
…
24And now, sons, listen to me, and be attentive to the sayings of my mouth.
25Let not your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths.
Its words in the original
- הִטַּתּhitat· stretch out, turn aside
Stretch out, spread; pitch a tent. Also bend, incline; turn aside, pervert (justice).
- רֹבrov· abundance
Abundance, great number; greatness.
- לִקְחָlikach· teaching, instruction
Teaching: what is received in order to learn; also persuasion.
- חֵלֶקchelek· portion, share
Portion, the share that falls to someone; also smoothness (of speech).
- שְׂפָתֶיsefate· lip, language, edge
Lip. From there, the way of speaking: speech or language. Also the shore or edge of something.
- תַּדִּיחֶtadiche· drive away, push
Push or drive away: move someone from his place or his path; also to be led astray or scattered.
- הוֹלֵךְholech· go, walk
Go, walk, come. Figuratively, the way one lives ("walk with God").
- פִּתְאֹםpitom· suddenly
Suddenly, in an instant.
- שׁוֹרshor· ox, bull
Ox or bull: a head of cattle.
- טָבַחtavach· slaughter; meat
Animal slaughtered for food; also slaughter, butchery.
- יָבוֹאyavo· come, go in, bring
Come, arrive, go in, enter. In the causative form, "bring" or "carry in". "Go in to" a woman is to have marital relations with her.
- עֶכֶסeches· fetter, anklet
A fetter or an anklet; an ornament or bond for the ankle.
- מוּסַרmusar· discipline, correction
Discipline: teaching that straightens, sometimes with punishment; it comes from the verb "discipline."
- אֱוִילevil· fool
A fool: one who will not learn or accept correction. It does not speak of a lack of intelligence but of an attitude toward life and toward God.
- יְפַלַּחyefalach· split open, pierce
To cut in pieces, to split, to pierce.
- חֵץchets· arrow
Arrow.
- כְּבֵדkeved· liver
Liver.
- מַהֵרmaher· hurry
Hurry, do something quickly; "quickly".
- צִפּוֹרtsipor· bird
Bird, small bird.
- פָּחpach· thin sheet; trap
Thin sheet of metal. The same word, in other passages, means "trap" (a net for catching birds).
- יָדַעyada· know
Know. Not only having a fact: it is knowing by experience and closely; also recognize, care for, make known. So Hebrew also uses it for the intimate union of a man and his wife ("he knew his wife").
- נַפְשׁnafsh· soul, living being, life
A breathing being, a living being. It is translated "living being" (people and animals), "life" (when living or dying is at stake), "person" (in counts and laws), "soul" (the person at the innermost: desires, joy, anguish) or "myself". In the Old Testament it names the whole living being, not only a part of it.