Proverbs 6:26
for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread, but a married woman hunts down a precious life.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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It’s easy to read this as two separate descriptions of two different women, but the text is likely highlighting the same woman: a married woman who acts like a prostitute. She doesn't just cost you your money and possessions (reduced to a "piece of bread"), but she dangerously targets what's truly valuable—your very life and soul.
This verse appears in a section where the father is urgently warning his son against the seductive allure of adultery and promiscuity. The preceding verses describe the immediate, devastating financial ruin and degradation that can result from succumbing to a prostitute's advances. This verse then contrasts that with the even more dangerous consequences of entanglement with an adulteress, highlighting the profound spiritual and even literal peril she poses.
Why does the Bible warn that chasing a prostitute can leave you begging for bread? It’s not just about losing money, but about a complete downfall.
The verse highlights a devastating financial consequence of illicit sexual encounters. A prostitute's price is so low, often barely enough for sustenance, that pursuing her quickly depletes a man's resources. This isn't just about losing wealth; it’s about being reduced to extreme poverty, to the point of begging for the most basic necessity – food.
Beyond mere poverty, there's a far greater danger lurking when a married woman is involved. It's a hunt for something far more precious than money.
The second part of the verse shifts focus to the devastating consequences of adultery, personified by 'a man's wife' who has strayed. This isn't just about financial loss; it's about the destruction of something infinitely more valuable: life itself.
Understand the original words
zonah · Hebrew Noun
A person who engages in sexual activity for payment. Biblically, it is associated with immorality, lack of wisdom, and the degradation of the marriage covenant.
nephesh yeqarah · Hebrew Noun phrase
In Hebrew thought, 'life' (nephesh) often denotes the whole person, soul, or living being. 'Precious life' suggests the high value of a person’s integrity, spirit, and existence, which is endangered by adultery.
eshet ish · Hebrew Noun phrase
A woman who is under a covenantal marriage bond. Engaging with her is strictly forbidden by the seventh commandment and is treated as a grave sin against both the neighbor and God.
This passage shows Joseph's refusal of Potiphar's wife, highlighting his commitment to righteousness and the spiritual danger she posed to him, paralleling the 'precious life' at risk in Proverbs.
Matthew 5:27-28Jesus expands the prohibition of adultery to include lustful thoughts, emphasizing that the internal corruption caused by such desires can destroy one's spiritual well-being, mirroring how the adulteress 'hunts' for more than just physical ruin.
1 Corinthians 6:18-20This text directly calls believers to flee sexual immorality, stressing that the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and that sinning against one's body leads to ruin, connecting to the devastating consequences for the 'precious life' mentioned in Proverbs.
Galatians 5:19-21The apostle Paul lists 'sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery' among acts of the flesh that prevent inheriting God's kingdom, underscoring the eternal, life-altering damage that sins like adultery inflict on one's spiritual destiny.
Romans 7:11Paul speaks of sin deceiving and killing through the commandment, illustrating how seemingly small acts of indulgence can lead to utter destruction, much like the adulteress who 'hunts down' a life through deceit.
clarkeProverbs 6:26: "For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life."
By means of a whorish woman - In following lewd women, a man is soon reduced to poverty and disease. The Septuagint gives this a strange turn: timh gar pornhv, osh kai enov artou. "For the price or hire of a whore is about one loaf." So many were they in the land, that they hired themselves out for a bare subsistence. The Vulgate, Syriac, and Arabic, give th…
cambridgeProverbs 6:26: "For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life."
26 . the adulteress ] Lit. a man’s wife. It is the same woman who is contemplated in both clauses of the verse, a married woman, who has become a “whorish woman.” will hunt ] Rather, hunteth , R.V. Not only substance ( Proverbs 6:31 ) but life itself ( Proverbs 6:34-35 ) may be the forfeit, and a more precious substance than bodily life also. “Every sin is t…
It’s easy to read this as two separate descriptions of two different women, but the text is likely highlighting the same woman: a married woman who acts like a prostitute. She doesn't just cost you your money and possessions (reduced to a "piece of bread"), but she dangerously targets what's truly valuable—your very life and soul.
This verse appears in a section where the father is urgently warning his son against the seductive allure of adultery and promiscuity. The preceding verses describe the immediate, devastating financial ruin and degradation that can result from succumbing to a prostitute's advances. This verse then contrasts that with the even more dangerous consequences of entanglement with an adulteress, highlighting the profound spiritual and even literal peril she poses.
This verse appears in a section where the father is urgently warning his son against the seductive allure of adultery and promiscuity. The preceding verses describe the immediate, devastating financial ruin and degradation that can result from succumbing to a prostitute's advances. This verse then contrasts that with the even more dangerous consequences of entanglement with an adulteress, highlighting the profound spiritual and even literal peril she poses.
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"for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread, but a married woman hunts down a precious life." — It’s easy to read this as two separate descriptions of two different women, but the text is likely highlighting the same woman: a married woman who acts like a prostitute. She doesn't just cost you…
