Proverbs - 7:8



8 passing through the street near her corner, he went the way to her house,

Verse In-Depth

Explanation and meaning of Proverbs 7:8.

Differing Translations

Compare verses for better understanding.
Who passeth through the street by the corner, and goeth nigh the way of her house.
Passing on in the street, near her corner, And the way to her house he doth step,
Walking in the street near the turn of her road, going on the way to her house,
who crosses the street at the corner and close to the way of that house.

*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.


Historical Commentaries

Scholarly Analysis and Interpretation.

He went the way to her house - She appears to have had a corner house sufficiently remarkable; and a way from the main street to it.

Passing through the street near her corner,.... The house of the harlot that stood in a corner to take in persons that came both ways; to come near which is dangerous; this was putting himself in the way of temptation; or the corner of the street where she stood to pick up young men; it could be with no good design to walk the streets in the night, and to go where harlots haunt, and where they dwell or stand; or, however, it was exposing himself to danger, and, had he took the wise man's advice, would not have done it, Proverbs 5:8; we should abstain from all appearance of evil, and from everything that leads to sin; and as to immorality and uncleanness, so to false doctrine and false worship; the synagogues of Satan and Popish chapels should be avoided;
and he went the way to her house; that led directly to her house, which shows a bad intention; and if his design was not to commit fornication, yet to gratify his lusts by looks, dalliances, and impure discourse with her; and hither he went in a set, stately manner, as the word (f) signifies; with an air pleasing to the harlot, as a beau and fop of the town; and by which air and gait he was known by her to be a proper person to attack.
(f) "intelligitur incessus, compositus et pomposus", Piscator; "magnis et patheticis possibus", Michaelis; "est aliquid grande et audax in verbo", Schultens.

her corner--where she was usually found.
went . . . house--implying, perhaps, confidence in himself by his manner, as denoted in the word
went--literally, "tread pompously."

Now follows, whither he saw the young fop [Laffen] then go in the darkness.
8 Going up and down the street near her corner,
And he walked along the way to her house,
9 In the twilight, when the day declined,
In the midst of the night and deep darkness.
We may interpret עבר as appos.: juvenem amentem, ambulantem, or as the predicate accus.: vidi juvenem ambulantem; for that one may so express himself in Hebrew (cf. e.g., Isaiah 6:1; Daniel 8:7), Hitzig unwarrantably denies. The passing over of the part. into the finite, 8b, is like Proverbs 2:14, Proverbs 2:17, and that of the inf. Proverbs 1:27; Proverbs 2:8. שׁוּק, Arab. suk (dimin. suweiḳa, to separate, from sikkat, street, alley), still means, as in former times, a broad street, a principal street, as well as an open place, a market-place where business is transacted, or according to its etymon: where cattle are driven for sale. On the street he went backwards and forwards, yet so that he kept near to her corner (i.e., of the woman whom he waited for), i.e., he never withdrew himself far from the corner of her house, and always again returned to it. The corner is named, because from that place he could always cast a look over the front of the house to see whether she whom he waited for showed herself. Regarding פּנּהּ for פּנּתהּ, vid., at Psalm 27:5 : a primary form פּן has never been in use; פּנּים, Zac 14:10, is plur. of פּנּהּ. אצל (from אצל, Arab. wasl, to bind) is, as a substantive, the side (as the place where one thing connects itself with another), and thus as a preposition it means (like juxta from jungere) beside, Ital. allato. דּרכו is the object. accus., for thus are construed verbs eundi (e.g., Habakkuk 3:12, Numbers. 30:17, cf. Proverbs 21:22).

Passing - Idle and careless, near the corner of the street in which her house stood.

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