Proverbs 7:18 kjv

Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.

Proverbs 7:18 nkjv

Come, let us take our fill of love until morning; Let us delight ourselves with love.

Proverbs 7:18 niv

Come, let's drink deeply of love till morning; let's enjoy ourselves with love!

Proverbs 7:18 esv

Come, let us take our fill of love till morning; let us delight ourselves with love.

Proverbs 7:18 nlt

Come, let's drink our fill of love until morning.
Let's enjoy each other's caresses,

Proverbs 7 verses

Proverbs 7 18 Meaning

Proverbs 7:18 reveals the seductive woman's explicit invitation to the naive young man. It is a brazen call to engage in unbridled sexual pleasure and passionate embraces, suggesting an extended period of indulgence from evening until morning. Her words paint a picture of abundant, unrestrained sensual delight, promising immediate gratification outside the bounds of wisdom and righteousness, specifically targeting the fulfillment of carnal desires.

Proverbs 7 18 Context

Proverbs chapter 7 serves as a vivid illustrative warning from a father (representing Wisdom) to his son about the perils of succumbing to sexual temptation. The "strange woman" or "adulteress" is personified as Folly, a direct contrast to Lady Wisdom (as presented in Prov 8). The preceding verses describe the woman's cunning preparations (Prov 7:10-12), her bold approach, and her enticing words. She uses religious pretenses and manipulative claims (v. 14, 16-17) to lull her victim's conscience, stating her husband is away (v. 19-20), implying no immediate consequence. Verse 18 is a direct, alluring proposal within her deceptive monologue, designed to appeal to the young man's immediate desires and emotions, aiming for complete sexual saturation. This narrative teaches discernment, emphasizing that fleeting illicit pleasure leads to ruin.

Proverbs 7 18 Word analysis

• "Come" (לְכָה֙ - ləḵāh): An imperative verb, strong and direct. It conveys an urgent invitation, almost a command to draw the young man in immediately. It signifies initiation and participation, leaving no room for hesitation.
• "let us take our fill" (נִרְוֶה - nirweh): From the Hebrew root rawah, meaning "to be saturated," "to drink to the full," "to be abundantly watered." It implies an insatiable desire, promising complete fulfillment or even excess. In this context, it speaks of unbridled indulgence in sexual pleasure, to the point of being completely consumed by it.
• "of love" (דֹּדִ֔ים - dōḏîm): The plural form of dod, which refers to "love," "caresses," or "sexual delights." In biblical literature, particularly in poetic and intimate contexts like Proverbs and Song of Solomon, dodim frequently denotes acts of sexual love or love-making. Its use here specifically targets carnal intimacy, stripping it of covenantal purity.
• "until morning" (עַד־בֹּ֣קֶר - ‘aḏ-bōqe r): This phrase indicates the intended duration of their illicit affair – throughout the entire night. It implies sustained pleasure, secrecy, and prolonged engagement in sin. It also suggests that the acts would continue under the cover of darkness, avoiding the light of day which exposes wrongdoing.
• "let us delight ourselves" (נִתְעַלְּסָ֖ה - niṯ‘alləsāh): From the Hebrew root `alas`, meaning "to frisk," "to sport," "to revel," "to frolic with delight." This verb speaks of unrestrained merriment and joyous engagement in physical activity. In this context, it intensifies the idea of pleasurable sexual activity, highlighting the unrestrained, uninhibited nature of the sin.
• "with embraces" (בָּאֲהָבִֽים - bā’ăhāḇîm): The plural form of ahab, which means "love." In plural, similar to dodim, it can signify "acts of love," "fondness," "caresses," or even "lusts." This phrase underscores the physical intimacy and sensual acts involved in the woman's sinful proposition.

• Words-group Analysis:
• "Come, let us take our fill of love": This phrase functions as a direct and tempting invitation. "Come" is immediate, while "take our fill" promises complete gratification, feeding into the idea that forbidden pleasure can fully satisfy. The use of "love" (dodim) here is perverse, distorting genuine affection into a pursuit of physical gratification alone.
• "until morning": This indicates a sustained period of revelry, implying a deep, long-lasting immersion in the sin. It also subtly emphasizes secrecy, as these deeds are meant to unfold under the cover of night, hidden from the public eye.
• "let us delight ourselves with embraces": This further enhances the allure by emphasizing pleasure and sensuality. "Delight ourselves" suggests great enjoyment and carefree abandon, while "embraces" (ahabim*) specifies the physical and intimate nature of the "love." It's an invitation to intense physical closeness, stripped of commitment.

Proverbs 7 18 Bonus section

The alluring language used by the forbidden woman in Prov 7:18, such as "take our fill" and "delight ourselves," closely parallels language used elsewhere in scripture (e.g., Song of Sol 5:1, 1:2) to describe pure, covenantal marital love and its deep satisfactions. This rhetorical device highlights how sin often mimics or perverts genuine good and righteous desires. The temptation is strong because it offers a twisted fulfillment of innate human longings, yet divorced from God's design and leading ultimately to ruin (as later revealed in the chapter, "her house is the way to Sheol," Prov 7:27). This perversion makes the seductress's appeal particularly potent and deceptive.

Proverbs 7 18 Commentary

Proverbs 7:18 vividly captures the alluring and dangerous invitation of the seductress. Her words are not merely suggestive but a bold, unambiguous call to unrestrained sexual activity. The language used, implying a "filling" or "saturating" with "love" (carnal desires) that lasts "until morning," paints a picture of intense, prolonged, and secretive indulgence. This promise of ultimate carnal pleasure, heightened by the notion of "delighting themselves with embraces," serves as a potent trap for the unsuspecting. It appeals to natural human desires for intimacy and pleasure, but twists them into an illicit pursuit that bypasses the boundaries of covenant, commitment, and divine law. This verse powerfully illustrates how sin makes itself appealing by promising gratification, disguising its destructive nature behind a veneer of immediate satisfaction.