The big picture
Proverbs 7 opens in verse 1 with “My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.”, reaches its middle movement near verse 14 with “I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.”, and closes in verse 27 with “Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.” Repeated or prominent terms include house, heart, keep, words, commandments. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Proverbs · King James Version · 27Proverbs 7:1-7
1–7: My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
Proverbs 7:1–7 opens with “My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.” and reaches “And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Proverbs 7 develops its own movement around house, heart, keep, words, commandments, with particular weight carried by keep, commandments, understanding.
Context that brings the passage to life
“My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.” The line’s distinctive content terms include commandments, keep, words. Its relationship to verses 2 shows what work it does in this passage.
Proverbs 7:1-7
King James Version1My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
2Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.
3Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.
4Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:
5That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.
6For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,
7And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,
Proverbs 7:8-14
8–14: Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her…
Proverbs 7:8–14 opens with “Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,” and reaches “I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Proverbs 7 develops its own movement around house, heart, keep, words, commandments, with particular weight carried by corner, house, abide.
Context that brings the passage to life
“Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,” Naming Passing keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Proverbs 7:8-14
King James Version8Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,
9In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:
10And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.
11(She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:
12Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)
13So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him,
14I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.
Proverbs 7:15-21
15–21: Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I…
Proverbs 7:15–21 opens with “Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.” and reaches “With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Proverbs 7 develops its own movement around house, heart, keep, words, commandments, with particular weight carried by home, aloes, appointed.
Context that brings the passage to life
“Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.
Proverbs 7:15-21
King James Version15Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.
16I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.
17I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.
19For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey:
20He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed.
21With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.
Proverbs 7:22-27
22–27: He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a…
Proverbs 7:22–27 opens with “He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction…” and reaches “Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Proverbs 7 develops its own movement around house, heart, keep, words, commandments, with particular weight carried by goeth, astray, attend.
Context that brings the passage to life
“He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;” The line’s distinctive content terms include goeth, correction, fool. Its relationship to verses 23 shows what work it does in this passage.
Proverbs 7:22-27
King James Version22He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;
23Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.
24Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.
25Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.
26For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her.
27Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Proverbs 7:1 begins with “My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.”
Where the chapter turns
Proverbs 7:15 forms a natural hinge: “Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.”
The final note
Proverbs 7:27 leaves the reader with “Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words house, heart, keep, words, commandments, corner help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
What links this event with creation?
Waters overwhelm the inhabited world, reversing the separations that made life possible.
What details show continuity rather than total abandonment?
The named household and preserved kinds of living creatures survive within the ark.
KJV words made clear
- behold
- look, or pay close attention
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.