Proverbs 5:17

5:17 Let them be for yourself alone,

and not for strangers with you.

Proverbs 7:1

Admonition to Avoid the Wiles of the Adulteress

7:1 My child, keep my words

and treasure up my commands in your own keeping.

Proverbs 8:18

8:18 Riches and honor are with me,

long-lasting wealth and righteousness.


tn The ל (lamed) preposition denotes possession: “for you” = “yours.” The term לְבַדֶּךָ (lÿvadekha) is appositional, underscoring the possession as exclusive.

sn The point is that what is private is not to be shared with strangers; it belongs in the home and in the marriage. The water from that cistern is not to be channeled to strangers or to the public.

sn The chapter begins with the important teaching of the father (1-5), then it focuses on the seduction: first of the victim (6-9), then the temptress (10-12), then the seduction (13-20), and the capitulation (21-23); the chapter concludes with the deadly results of consorting (24-27).

tn Heb “my son.”

tn Heb “within you” (so NASB, NIV); KJV, ASV, NRSV “with you.” BDB 860 s.v. צָפַן Qal.1 suggests that “within you” means “in your own keeping.”