Proverbs 6

Proverbs 1–9 consists of instruction given by a father to his son. Within this section, chapter 6 follows Proverbs 5, which warns against the immoral woman. It first presents a series of short instructions on various topics and then returns to the warning against adultery, which continues into Proverbs 7.

Outline

• Verses 1–5 Anyone who has become surety for a neighbor or a stranger should not sleep but should go at once and humbly plead to be released. The passage compares this to a roe escaping the hunter and a bird escaping the fowler's snare.
• Verses 6–11 The sluggard is told to consider the ant, which, though it has no ruler, gathers its food in summer. The passage warns that whoever says "a little sleep" will find poverty coming upon him like an armed man.
• Verses 12–15 The worthless and wicked person ("a naughty person, a wicked man," KJV) stirs up strife with a froward mouth and with winks of the eye, signals of the feet, and pointing of the fingers, but is suddenly destroyed.
• Verses 16–19 The chapter names the "six things… yea, seven" that the LORD hates: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked imaginations, feet that are swift in running to mischief, a false witness, and one who sows discord among brethren.
• Verses 20–23 The son is to bind his father's commandment and his mother's law upon his heart and tie them about his neck. They will be with him when he goes, when he sleeps, and when he wakes.
• Verses 24–29 The son is warned against the flattering tongue of the strange woman. Just as a man cannot take fire into his bosom without his clothes being burned, so whoever goes in to his neighbor's wife will not escape guilt.
• Verses 30–35 Even a thief who steals because he is hungry must restore sevenfold if he is caught. The adulterer, however, cannot appease the husband's rage with any ransom or gifts.

Key Verses

• Proverbs 6:6 "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise" — a classic verse teaching diligence.
• Proverbs 6:16 "These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him" — a numerical saying in the "six, yea, seven" pattern, which adds one to the count in order to emphasize the final item.
• Proverbs 6:23 "For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light" — presents instruction as the way of life.

People and Places

• The son: the one who hears the instruction, presented as being taught by his father and mother.
• No specific individuals or places appear in the chapter.

Points for Reflection

• The words of verse 21, "Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck," resemble the language of Deuteronomy 6:6–9.
• The false witness in verses 16–19 and the warning against adultery in verses 24–35 correspond to commandments of the Ten Commandments.
• The word "sevenfold" in verse 31 requires interpretation. Because the restitution prescribed in Exodus 22 ranges from double to fivefold, the expression is commonly read as signifying full restitution.
• Interpretations differ regarding the immoral woman of chapters 1–9. Some read these passages as warnings against actual adultery, while others also read her as a symbol of folly set against personified Wisdom.
• The warning about surety (verses 1–5) raises the question of whether it forbids helping others altogether. It is generally read as practical wisdom warning against the dangers of reckless suretyship.

In the Korean Church

The example of the ant in verses 6–11 is widely cited in Sunday schools and sermons to teach diligence and conscientiousness.