Proverbs 7:10
New International Version
Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.

New Living Translation
The woman approached him, seductively dressed and sly of heart.

English Standard Version
And behold, the woman meets him, dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.

Berean Standard Bible
Then a woman came out to meet him, with the attire of a harlot and cunning of heart.

King James Bible
And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.

New King James Version
And there a woman met him, With the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart.

New American Standard Bible
And behold, a woman comes to meet him, Dressed as a prostitute and cunning of heart.

NASB 1995
And behold, a woman comes to meet him, Dressed as a harlot and cunning of heart.

NASB 1977
And behold, a woman comes to meet him, Dressed as a harlot and cunning of heart.

Legacy Standard Bible
And behold, a woman comes to meet him, Dressed as a harlot and cunning of heart.

Amplified Bible
And there a woman met him, Dressed as a prostitute and sly and cunning of heart.

Christian Standard Bible
A woman came to meet him dressed like a prostitute, having a hidden agenda.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
A woman came to meet him dressed like a prostitute, having a hidden agenda.

American Standard Version
And, behold, there met him a woman With the attire of a harlot, and wily of heart.

Contemporary English Version
She was dressed fancy like a woman of the street with only one thing in mind.

English Revised Version
And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and wily of heart.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
A woman with an ulterior motive meets him. She is dressed as a prostitute.

Good News Translation
And then she met him; she was dressed like a prostitute and was making plans.

International Standard Version
Look! A woman makes her way to meet him, dressed as a prostitute and intending to entrap him.

Majority Standard Bible
Then a woman came out to meet him, with the attire of a harlot and cunning of heart.

NET Bible
Suddenly a woman came out to meet him! She was dressed like a prostitute and with secret intent.

New Heart English Bible
Look, there a woman met him with the attire of a prostitute, and with crafty intent.

Webster's Bible Translation
And behold, there met him a woman with the attire of a harlot, and subtil of heart.

World English Bible
Behold, there a woman met him with the attire of a prostitute, and with crafty intent.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And behold, a woman to meet him—(A harlot’s dress, and watchful of heart,

Young's Literal Translation
And, lo, a woman to meet him -- (A harlot's dress, and watchful of heart,

Smith's Literal Translation
And behold, a woman to his meeting, the attire of a harlot, and hidden of heart.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And behold a woman meeteth him in harlot's attire prepared to deceive souls; talkative and wandering,

Catholic Public Domain Version
And behold, a woman meets him, dressed like a harlot, prepared to captivate souls: chattering and rambling,

New American Bible
Then the woman comes to meet him, dressed like a harlot, with secret designs.

New Revised Standard Version
Then a woman comes toward him, decked out like a prostitute, wily of heart.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And, behold, there came out a woman with the attire of a harlot to meet one of them, a woman who fluttered the hearts of young men.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
A woman went forth to meet him in the attire of a harlot to make the young men's hearts flutter.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And, behold, there met him a woman With the attire of a harlot, and wily of heart.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
and the woman meets him having the appearance of a harlot, that causes the hearts of young men to flutter.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Warnings about the Adulteress
9at twilight, as the day was fading into the dark of the night. 10Then a woman came out to meet him, with the attire of a harlot and cunning of heart. 11She is loud and defiant; her feet do not remain at home.…

Cross References
Genesis 39:7-12
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?” ...

Judges 16:1-22
One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and went in to spend the night with her. / When the Gazites heard that Samson was there, they surrounded that place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They were quiet throughout the night, saying, “Let us wait until dawn; then we will kill him.” / But Samson lay there only until midnight, when he got up, took hold of the doors of the city gate and both gateposts, and pulled them out, bar and all. Then he put them on his shoulders and took them to the top of the mountain overlooking Hebron. ...

2 Samuel 11:2-5
One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman. / So David sent and inquired about the woman, and he was told, “This is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” / Then David sent messengers to get her, and when she came to him, he slept with her. (Now she had just purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned home. ...

Ezekiel 16:30-34
How weak-willed is your heart, declares the Lord GOD, while you do all these things, the acts of a shameless prostitute! / But when you built your mounds at the head of every street and made your lofty shrines in every public square, you were not even like a prostitute, because you scorned payment. / You adulterous wife! You receive strangers instead of your own husband! ...

Hosea 4:14
I will not punish your daughters when they prostitute themselves, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery. For the men themselves go off with prostitutes and offer sacrifices with shrine prostitutes. So a people without understanding will come to ruin.

Isaiah 3:16-17
The LORD also says: “Because the daughters of Zion are haughty—walking with heads held high and wanton eyes, prancing and skipping as they go, jingling the bracelets on their ankles— / the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will make their foreheads bare.”

Jeremiah 3:3
Therefore the showers have been withheld, and no spring rains have fallen. Yet you have the brazen look of a prostitute; you refuse to be ashamed.

Jeremiah 4:30
And you, O devastated one, what will you do, though you dress yourself in scarlet, though you adorn yourself with gold jewelry, though you enlarge your eyes with paint? You adorn yourself in vain; your lovers despise you; they want to take your life.

Matthew 5:28
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Matthew 23:27-28
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity. / In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

Mark 6:17-18
For Herod himself had ordered that John be arrested and bound and imprisoned, on account of his brother Philip’s wife Herodias, whom Herod had married. / For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife!”

Luke 7:37-38
When a sinful woman from that town learned that Jesus was dining there, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume. / As she stood behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears and wipe them with her hair. Then she kissed His feet and anointed them with the perfume.

John 8:3-11
The scribes and Pharisees, however, brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before them / and said, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. / In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. So what do You say?” ...

Romans 1:26-27
For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. / Likewise, the men abandoned natural relations with women and burned with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts, / nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.


Treasury of Scripture

And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtle of heart.

the attire

Genesis 38:14,15
And she put her widow's garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife…

2 Kings 9:22,30
And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many? …

Isaiah 3:16-24
Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet: …

subtil

Genesis 3:1
Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

2 Corinthians 11:2,3
For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ…

Jump to Previous
Attire Crafty Cunning Designing Dress Dressed Harlot Harlot's Heart Intent Loose Meet Meets Met Prostitute Subtil Subtle Watchful Wily
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Attire Crafty Cunning Designing Dress Dressed Harlot Harlot's Heart Intent Loose Meet Meets Met Prostitute Subtil Subtle Watchful Wily
Proverbs 7
1. Solomon persuades to a sincere and kind familiarity with wisdom
6. In an example of his own experience he shows
10. the cunning of a harlot
22. and the desperate simplicity of a young wanton
24. He detests such wickedness














Then a woman came out to meet him
This phrase introduces a pivotal moment in the narrative, where the young man encounters a woman who symbolizes temptation and moral danger. The Hebrew word for "woman" here is "ishah," which can refer to a wife, woman, or female. In the context of Proverbs, this woman is often seen as a personification of folly or seduction, contrasting with the personification of wisdom found elsewhere in the book. The act of coming out to meet him suggests intentionality and purpose, indicating that temptation often seeks us out, rather than being a passive occurrence.

with the attire of a harlot
The phrase "attire of a harlot" is significant in understanding the cultural and historical context of ancient Israel. The Hebrew word for "attire" is "simlah," which refers to clothing or garments. In ancient times, clothing was a strong indicator of one's social status or profession. The attire of a harlot would have been distinct and recognizable, designed to attract attention and convey a message of availability. This imagery serves as a warning about the dangers of external appearances and the seductive power of sin, which often disguises itself in appealing forms.

and cunning of heart
The phrase "cunning of heart" delves into the inner motivations and character of the woman. The Hebrew word for "cunning" is "natsar," which can mean to guard, watch, or keep. However, in this context, it implies a sense of craftiness or deceit. The "heart" in Hebrew thought is the center of one's being, encompassing mind, will, and emotions. Thus, "cunning of heart" suggests a deep-seated intention to deceive and manipulate. This highlights the biblical theme that sin often originates from within, from the desires and intentions of the heart, and serves as a caution to guard one's own heart against such deceit.

(10) Subtil of heart.--Feigning love to her husband and devotion to her lovers, yet caring for none, only to satisfy her own passions.

Verse 10. - And, behold, there met him a woman. His long watch is rewarded; the woman comes forth from her house into the street - a proceeding which would at once show what she was, especially in the East, where females are kept secluded, and never appear at night or unattended. With the attire of an harlot. There is no "with" in the original, "woman" and "attire" being in apposition: "There met him a woman, a harlot's dress" (shith, Psalm 73:6); her attire catches the eye at once, and identifies her (comp. Genesis 38:14). In Revelation 17:4 the harlot is "arrayed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls;" and in the present case the female is dressed in some conspicuous garments, very different from the sober clothing of the pure and modest. Subtil of heart (נְצֻרַת לֵב); literally, of concealed heart; i.e. she hides her real feelings, feigning, perhaps, affection for a husband, or love for her paramour, while she seeks only to satisfy her evil passions. The versions have used a different reading. Thus the Septuagint: "Who makes the hearts of young men flutter (ἐζίπτασθαι);" Vulgate, praeparata ad capiendas animas, "ready to catch souls." Vers. 11 and 12 describe the character and habits of this woman, not as she appeared on this occasion, but as she is known to the writer.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then
וְהִנֵּ֣ה (wə·hin·nêh)
Conjunctive waw | Interjection
Strong's 2009: Lo! behold!

a woman
אִ֭שָּׁה (’iš·šāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female

came out to meet him,
לִקְרָאת֑וֹ (liq·rā·ṯōw)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7125: Against he come, help, meet, seek, to, in the way

[with] attire
שִׁ֥ית (šîṯ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7897: A garment

of a prostitute
ז֝וֹנָ֗ה (zō·w·nāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2181: To commit adultery, to commit idolatry

and cunning
וּנְצֻ֥רַת (ū·nə·ṣu·raṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - feminine singular construct
Strong's 5341: To watch, guard, keep

of heart.
לֵֽב׃ (lêḇ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3820: The heart, the feelings, the will, the intellect, centre


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