PROV 7:27 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 7:1–27: Tenth lesson: Here is an example of a young man who was seduced by a married woman

This lesson is another warning to avoid adultery. It begins with an appeal that the son pay attention to his father’s advice. This advice will protect him from being seduced by an adulteress (7:1–5). The main part of the lesson has the form of a first person narrative. The narrator tells how he observed a young man being seduced (7:6–23). First the story focuses on the young man (7:6–9), then it describes the adulteress (7:10–12) and her enticing words (7:13–20). Finally it tells how the young man yielded to the temptation (7:21–23). The lesson concludes with an appeal that the son follow his father’s advice rather than be seduced by the adulteress, because involvement with her will lead to death (7:24–27).

Some other headings for this section are:

Warning Against the Adulteress (NIV)

The story about an adulteress who tempted a young man

Paragraph 7:24–27

This paragraph contains an exhortation that is based on the warning given in the previous verses.

7:27

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^27aHer house is the road to Sheol,

^27b descending to the chambers of death.

There is an ellipsis in 7:27b. In some languages, it may be necessary to supply the missing words from 7:27a. For example:

^27b the road descending to the chambers of death.

7:27a

Her house is the road to Sheol,

Her house is the starting place of many roads that lead to the grave.
If a man goes to her house, he begins to follow a way of life that will lead to premature death.

Her house is the road to Sheol: In Hebrew, the phrase road to Sheol is literally “ways of Sheol.” The plural “ways” may indicate that many roads lead from her house to Sheol, the world of the dead. Most English versions, however, do not specify the plural. This figurative language means that if a man enters her house, he begins a pattern of behavior that will lead him in one way or another to death.Fox (page 251) understands “ways” as referring to collective behavior, and this is the normal meaning of the metaphor in Proverbs. Toy (page 158) understands many paths leading from her house to refer to many chances of death that come from associating with the woman. Delitzsch (page 125) also mentions that adultery leads by a diversity of ways to hell. The GNT expresses this well:

If you go to her house, you are on the way to the world of the dead. (GNT)

7:27a–b

(combined/reordered)

A man who goes to her house begins a pattern of behavior that will certainly end in his death.

7:27b

descending to the chambers of death.

They lead down into the place of the dead.
That path will lead straight downward to the world of the dead.

descending: The Hebrew verb translated as descending reflects the OT view of Sheol as a place located down inside the earth. The GNT does not make this explicit.

Sheol, descending to the chambers of death: Both of these phrases refer to Sheol, the world or place of the dead. The phrase translated here as chambers of death seems to describe the world of the dead as a house with many rooms, and the woman’s house is the entrance. However, in poetry, chambers may be a figure of speech (synecdoche) that refers to the whole place.Whybray (page 118) describes the figurative picture of a house with many rooms. Toy (page 159) mentions Job 9:9 and Job 37:9 as examples where “chamber” stands for the whole place. So the GNT has simply “death,” and the CEV combines both phrases as “the world of the dead.”

For more information on how to translate “the grave” or “Sheol,” see the note on 1:12a.

General Comment on 7:27a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder the parallel parts. For example:

Her house is like a road that leads down to the place of the dead.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

בֵּיתָ֑⁠הּ

house_of,her

See how you translated the same use of Her house in [2:18](../02/18.md).

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

דַּרְכֵ֣י שְׁא֣וֹל

way_of shəʼōl

Although ways here is plural, it refers to the singular house at the beginning of this verse. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use the singular form here. Alternate translation: “is the way of Sheol”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

דַּרְכֵ֣י שְׁא֣וֹל

way_of shəʼōl

Here Solomon is using the possessive form to describe ways that result in someone going to Sheol. If your language would not use the possessive form for this, you could use a different expression. Alternate translation: “is the way that leads to Sheol” or “is the way that causes one to go to Sheol”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

דַּרְכֵ֣י שְׁא֣וֹל

way_of shəʼōl

Here Solomon is speaking of the woman's house as if it were located on a path leading to Sheol. He means that going there with this woman will result in death for the man, either physical or spiritual or both. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. See how you translated the same use of ways in [3:6](../03/06.md). Alternate translation: [is a place where you lose your life]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

יֹ֝רְד֗וֹת אֶל־חַדְרֵי־מָֽוֶת

descending to/towards chambers_of death

Here Solomon speaks of a man doing something that would result in his death as if he were going on a path that is descending to the rooms of death. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “resulting in a man dying” or “causing a man to die”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

יֹ֝רְד֗וֹת אֶל־חַדְרֵי־מָֽוֶת

descending to/towards chambers_of death

Here Solomon is speaking of death as if it were a house with rooms. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “going there will cause you to die”

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.

Acknowledgements: The Hebrew text, lemmas, and morphology are all thanks to the OSHB and some of the glosses are from Macula Hebrew.

OET interlinear PROV 7:27

Hebrew word order

Section 7:1–27: Tenth lesson: Here is an example of a young man who was seduced by a married woman

Paragraph 7:24–27

7:27

7:27a

7:27a–b

7:27b

General Comment on 7:27a–b

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)