So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words,
English Standard Version (ESV)
The phrasing "smooth words" isn't just about being nice; it points to words that are literally made smooth, like oil or silk, designed to bypass a person's caution and directly appeal to their desires. This deceptive softness is the very tool used to unravel sound judgment and lead someone away from wisdom.
So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words,
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage is part of wisdom's instruction to guard against immoral influences. It follows warnings against the wicked and reassures the listener that choosing wisdom will protect them from temptations, specifically highlighting the danger of seductive women who use deceptive words to lead men astray. The verses immediately following will further detail the devastating consequences of falling prey to such enticements.
The verse warns against a 'strange woman' and a 'stranger.' But what makes her 'strange'? It's not just about nationality.
The Hebrew words used here – 'ishshah zarah' and 'nokriyah' – point to someone outside the proper relationship, not necessarily from another country.
Beyond Borders
While sometimes these terms can refer to foreigners, in the context of Proverbs, the emphasis is on someone who is a 'stranger' to the covenant of marriage, a stranger to fidelity, and a stranger to God's design for relationships. She belongs to 'another family' in a relational and moral sense, even if she shares the same nationality or religion.
A Moral Alien
She is 'strange' because she operates outside the boundaries of God's law and the sanctity of marriage. Her allure is dangerous precisely because she appears within or close to one's life, not as an obvious outsider, but as someone who has abandoned the 'guide of her youth' – her original commitment.
Her words are described as 'smooth' and 'flattering.' How does this 'smoothing' work to ensnare the unwary?
The original language gives us a powerful image: the woman 'smooths' or 'makes smooth' her words. Think of it like polishing a surface to make it slick and easy to slide on, or like oil that makes something slip through your fingers.
The Slippery Slope
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Her speech isn't necessarily loud or aggressive. Instead, it's designed to bypass your reasoning and appeal directly to your desires. It’s a calculated technique to make sin seem harmless, attractive, and even desirable. These aren't just casual compliments; they are carefully crafted statements meant to:
A Study in Subtlety
This isn't about brute force; it's about subtle manipulation. The 'smoothing' implies an artful, deliberate process aimed at making the path of sin incredibly easy to step onto and difficult to step off of. It’s the seductive whisper that promises pleasure but delivers destruction.
Understand the original words
natsal · Hebrew Verb
A term referring to the act of being rescued, rescued from danger, or saved from a specific trap, moral snare, or judgment. It implies an external intervention that brings one to a place of safety.
zarah · Hebrew Noun/Adjective
Refers to a woman who is not one's wife; in Proverbs, she often represents the personification of folly, moral seduction, or infidelity that leads away from wisdom and God’s law.
nokriyyah · Hebrew Noun/Adjective
A woman who violates the sacred vows of marriage; she represents covenant-breaking and sexual immorality, which are condemned as sins against God and one's spouse.
This passage uses the phrase 'guide of her youth,' similar to Proverbs 2:17, to describe unfaithfulness, highlighting the broken covenant and relational betrayal inherent in adultery.
Matthew 5:27-28Jesus broadens the concept of adultery from the act itself to the lustful thought, emphasizing that the inner disposition, which 'smooth words' seek to corrupt, is the root of the transgression.
Romans 13:13-14This passage directly contrasts 'sensual passions' and 'sexual immorality' with 'putting on the Lord Jesus Christ,' aligning with Proverbs' warning against the allurements of the 'strange woman' as a path away from righteous living.
1 Corinthians 6:18-20It forcefully states that sexual immorality defiles the body, which is a temple of the Holy Spirit, underscoring the profound spiritual danger and impurity associated with the temptations described in Proverbs 2:16.
Ephesians 5:3This verse warns against sexual immorality and impurity, or any impurity, stating that they should not even be named among believers, reinforcing the severe condemnation of the 'strange woman's' ways.
bensonProverbs 2:16: "To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;"
Proverbs 2:16-17 . To deliver thee from the strange woman — From the adulteress, or whore; called strange, partly because such persons were commonly heathen, or are supposed to be such by reason of that severe law against these practices in Israelitish women, Deuteronomy 23:17 ; or are justly reputed heathen, as being degenerate Israelites, who are often called strangers in the Scrip…
clarkeProverbs 2:16: "To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;"
The stranger which flattereth with her words - החליקה hechelikah, she that smooths with her words. The original intimates the glib, oily speeches of a prostitute. The English lick is supposed to be derived from the original word.
The phrasing "smooth words" isn't just about being nice; it points to words that are literally made smooth, like oil or silk, designed to bypass a person's caution and directly appeal to their desires. This deceptive softness is the very tool used to unravel sound judgment and lead someone away from wisdom.
This passage is part of wisdom's instruction to guard against immoral influences. It follows warnings against the wicked and reassures the listener that choosing wisdom will protect them from temptations, specifically highlighting the danger of seductive women who use deceptive words to lead men astray. The verses immediately following will further detail the devastating consequences of falling prey to such enticements.
This passage is part of wisdom's instruction to guard against immoral influences. It follows warnings against the wicked and reassures the listener that choosing wisdom will protect them from temptations, specifically highlighting the danger of seductive women who use deceptive words to lead men astray. The verses immediately following will further detail the devastating consequences of falling prey to such enticements.
"So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words," — The phrasing "smooth words" isn't just about being nice; it points to words that are literally made smooth, like oil or silk, designed to bypass a person's caution and directly appeal to their desi…
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Last reviewed October 2026