PROVERBS 5:1-23

The Peril of Adultery
Proverbs 5:3
For the lips of an immoral woman
drip honey,
And her mouth is smoother than oil;

Bible commentary:
Strange woman. See on ch 2:1
As an honeycomb. The words of temptation are smooth and sweet to the ears because they are carefully calculated to appeal to the inherited and cultivated weakness of mankind. An example of such words is given in ch. 6:14-20.

Proverbs 5:18
Let your fountain be blessed,
And rejoice with the wife of your
youth.

Bible commentary:
Rejoice. If marriage remains a sharing, if there is always a mutual desire to please, the passing years will but deepen and strengthen the joys of companionship. It is only when the attentions of courting days are lost in the humdrum toil of daily life and the partner is taken for granted, that either is likely to turn and seek unlawful satisfactions. Especially should a husband remember to express his pride in his wife and his enduring love for her in the years when age is taking its toll. Such expression will deepen his own affection and will support his companion during the period when it is necessary to make adjustment to advancing years (se Prov. 2:17; Mal. 2:15,16).

Proverbs 5:19
As a loving deer and graceful doe,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all
times;
And always be enraptured with her love.

Bible commentary:
With her love. A man's love for his wife should be a strong affection that enters into every facet of life. It should be in a good sense--- an obsession, so that is thought or done without being affected by the thought of the one who shares the life. In this sense love is an inebriation. The word for "ravished" may literally mean "intoxicated."

Proverbs 5:21
For ways of man are before the
eyes of the Lord,
And He ponders all his paths.

Bible commentary:
Eyes of the Lord. Fidelity to the marriage vow is good sense and infidelity is folly, even if there were no judgment and no afterlife. But there is an afterlife, and entrance to it is dependent upon a willingness to be cleansed from all defilement. The adulterer meets a double condemnation. He loses the true joys of this life and is barred from the greater and more enduring joys of the life to come (Prov. 15:3; Mal. 3:5; Heb 13:4).