Proverbs 7:23 kjv
Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.
Proverbs 7:23 nkjv
Till an arrow struck his liver. As a bird hastens to the snare, He did not know it would cost his life.
Proverbs 7:23 niv
till an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare, little knowing it will cost him his life.
Proverbs 7:23 esv
till an arrow pierces its liver; as a bird rushes into a snare; he does not know that it will cost him his life.
Proverbs 7:23 nlt
awaiting the arrow that would pierce its heart.
He was like a bird flying into a snare,
little knowing it would cost him his life.
Proverbs 7 23 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Prov 1:32 | For the backsliding of the simple shall slay them... | Folly leads to destruction. |
| Prov 5:5 | Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell. | Path of the immoral leads to death. |
| Prov 5:22-23 | His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself... He shall die without instruction. | Caught by one's own sin; perish from folly. |
| Prov 6:27-28 | Can a man take fire in his bosom... and his clothes not be burned? | Inevitable destructive consequences of sin. |
| Prov 6:32 | But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding... ruineth his own soul. | Adultery is self-destructive. |
| Prov 7:7 | And discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding. | Victim's lack of wisdom. |
| Prov 7:22 | He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter... | Preceding verse, showing the folly. |
| Prov 7:26-27 | For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her... Her house is the way to hell. | Summarizes the destructive path. |
| Prov 8:36 | But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death. | Sin is self-inflicted harm and pursuit of death. |
| Prov 9:18 | But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell. | Ignorance of death's path (similar context). |
| Prov 14:12 | There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. | Deceptive nature of sinful paths. |
| Prov 16:25 | There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. | Deceptive nature of sinful paths. |
| Ps 91:3 | Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler... | God delivers from traps. |
| Ps 124:7 | Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers... | Deliverance from the snare of the enemy. |
| Eccl 9:12 | For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare... | Sudden, unforeseen doom like a trapped creature. |
| Jer 5:26 | For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares... | Setting traps for the unwary. |
| Hos 4:6 | My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge... | Destruction due to ignorance/lack of understanding. |
| Lk 12:20 | But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee... | Sudden, fatal consequences of folly. |
| Rom 1:21-22 | Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools... | Folly results from suppressing truth and light. |
| 1 Thess 5:3 | For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them... | Sudden and unexpected destruction. |
| 2 Tim 2:26 | And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil... | Ensnarement by the enemy (spiritual dimension). |
| Heb 13:4 | Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. | God's judgment on sexual sin. |
Proverbs 7 verses
Proverbs 7 23 Meaning
This verse serves as a stark warning, vividly portraying the dire, often irreversible consequences awaiting the naive and foolish individual who falls prey to the allure of sin, specifically sexual immorality as detailed in Proverbs chapter 7. It likens the swift and unsuspecting path to ruin to a bird unknowingly rushing into a fatal trap, leading to the immediate and vital destruction of their very being.
Proverbs 7 23 Context
Proverbs chapter 7 serves as a specific and extended warning from a father to his son against the seductive allure and destructive power of the adulteress or immoral woman. This chapter is a vivid dramatic narrative illustrating the principles set forth in earlier chapters of Proverbs regarding the paths of wisdom and folly. The previous verses (7:6-21) detail the scene: the young man's lack of understanding, the woman's cunning and persistent invitation, her elaborate deception, and his willing progression towards her house. Verse 23 culminates this sequence, explicitly stating the tragic end of his heedless pursuit, serving as a powerful concluding image to the preceding seduction. The warning emphasizes the immediate and final nature of the doom awaiting those who abandon the wisdom that protects their life.
Proverbs 7 23 Word analysis
- Till (עַד, ‘ad): Indicates a point of definite completion or extreme outcome. It implies a duration leading up to an ultimate, often fatal, event. The action will continue without interruption until this severe end is reached.
- a dart (חֵץ, chetz): Refers to an arrow or a swift, piercing weapon. It signifies something delivered suddenly, precisely, and with lethal force. It is not a gradual decline but a sharp, unexpected, and decisive blow.
- strike through (פָּלַח, palach): Implies a powerful act of cleaving, piercing, or splitting completely through an object. It denotes penetration that causes profound and decisive damage, suggesting an effect that cannot be undone or survived.
- his liver (כְּבֵדָהּ, kavedah): The liver was understood in ancient cultures not merely as an organ but as a vital center, sometimes associated with life, emotions, or inner being. A wound to the liver would have been considered definitively fatal, signifying absolute destruction of physical life. It points to a direct, critical, and unrecoverable injury to the very core of his existence.
- as a bird (כְּצִפּוֹר, k’tsippor): A common biblical simile for vulnerability, lack of foresight, and being easily ensnared. Birds are often depicted as fragile, swift, but ultimately susceptible to hidden traps. This comparison emphasizes the unsuspecting and unthinking nature of the victim.
- hasteth (מַהֵר, maher): Denotes speed, eagerness, or hurrying. It suggests the young man's active, perhaps even enthusiastic, movement towards his doom, not coerced but driven by desire and folly, lacking consideration of consequences.
- to the snare (אֶל־מוֹקֵשׁ, ’el moqesh): A trap, often hidden or disguised, set to catch prey. It implies a situation that seems harmless or even inviting on the surface but conceals fatal danger. It is a symbol of deception leading to entrapment and eventual capture.
- and knoweth not (וְלֹא־יָדַע, w’lo’ yada‘): Crucially highlights the victim's ignorance, a profound lack of understanding or perception. It's not just unknowing, but an active absence of discernment regarding the true nature and consequence of his actions, illustrating a willful blindness characteristic of folly.
- that it is for his life (כִּי־בְנַפְשׁוֹ הִיא, ki-venafsho hi’): Emphasizes that the consequence affects his nephesh – his very being, soul, or vital breath. It implies not merely physical death but a complete ruin that impacts his entire existence, identity, and future, often extending to his spiritual and eternal welfare.
Proverbs 7 23 Bonus section
The juxtaposition of the sharp, violent "dart through his liver" and the unsuspecting "bird hasting to the snare" creates a powerful, almost cinematic, warning. This contrast effectively conveys both the suddenness and the complete unawareness of the victim's impending doom. The image of the liver being pierced suggests a finality and deep internal destruction, extending beyond mere superficial harm, echoing the complete moral and spiritual degradation often accompanying such folly. The use of a "snare" reinforces the theme of temptation as a calculated trap set by an enemy, highlighting that the young man's seemingly independent choice is, in fact, an orchestrated ensnarement. This also serves as a polemic against ancient views that might diminish the seriousness of such acts; the Bible portrays them as fundamentally life-destroying, a complete abandonment of one's divinely appointed path for immediate, fatal gratification.
Proverbs 7 23 Commentary
Proverbs 7:23 paints a chilling portrait of folly's fatal conclusion. The imagery transitions from a physical wound (the dart striking the liver, a swift, certain death) to an animalistic metaphor (the bird rushing into a trap). This combination underscores the unsuspecting and self-destructive nature of the young man's actions. His lack of understanding, explicitly stated ("knoweth not"), is the pivot point. He is not forced but "hasteth"—drawn by appetite and ignorance to a beautiful façade that conceals ruin. The swiftness and inevitability of the consequences, impacting his very "life" or "soul," serve as a dire warning against the immediate appeal and deceptive snare of sin, especially sexual impurity, highlighting its complete and utterly destructive power. It calls for immediate heed to wisdom to avoid such catastrophic, self-inflicted demise.