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)
This verse contrasts the cheapness of a prostitute's services with the extreme danger of adultery. While the prostitute may only cost a meager loaf of bread, the adulterous wife is depicted as actively hunting for something far more valuable—a "precious life," which can refer to a person's physical life, their reputation, or even their eternal soul.
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)
This passage is part of a larger warning against adultery, following advice on avoiding lazy neighbors and dishonest practices. The verses immediately preceding discuss the consequences of debt and betrayal, setting a tone of severe judgment. Following this verse, the text elaborates on the devastating and irreversible ruin that adultery brings, both to one's reputation and ultimately to one's very life.
Imagine losing everything – not just your savings, but your ability to even feed yourself. This verse paints a stark picture of the financial ruin that follows illicit encounters.
Proverbs here contrasts the cheapness of a prostitute's services with the ruin she brings. The phrase "a piece of bread" signifies extreme poverty, the inability to provide even the most basic necessity. It’s a downward spiral where every resource is drained, leaving a person destitute. This isn't just about losing money; it's about losing the capacity for self-sufficiency, reduced to begging.
This warning highlights how pursuing fleeting pleasures can lead to utter depletion of one's life resources. The focus is on the tangible, devastating consequences that impact a person's livelihood and stability.
Beyond mere financial loss, this verse speaks of a far more sinister danger – the pursuit and destruction of something infinitely more valuable.
The second part of the verse shifts focus from a prostitute to "a man's wife," implying adultery. The imagery of "hunting" suggests a deliberate, predatory pursuit. What is being hunted? The "precious life." This refers not just to physical life, but to one's entire being – reputation, well-being, spiritual vitality, and eternal destiny. Adultery doesn't just steal time or money; it actively works to ruin and destroy the very essence of a person.
This destruction is often insidious. It corrodes character, breaks trust, and leads to spiritual death. The "precious life" is contrasted with the momentary gratification sought, underscoring the profound and eternal stakes involved in infidelity.
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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 parable beautifully illustrates the 'piece of bread' consequence, showing how reckless living, often associated with chasing fleeting pleasures, leads to utter destitution and ruin.
Romans 6:23This verse clearly states that the wages of sin is death, echoing Proverbs' warning that adultery doesn't just cost possessions but 'hunts for the precious life,' implying a deadly spiritual and eternal consequence.
Matthew 16:26Jesus' question about what good it is to gain the whole world but forfeit one's soul directly amplifies the 'precious life' at stake, highlighting the immense and irreplaceable value of our very being.
Hebrews 13:4This passage exalts marriage as honorable and pure, implicitly contrasting it with the destructive path of adultery described in Proverbs, showing the sacredness of the union that the adulteress violates.
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…
This verse contrasts the cheapness of a prostitute's services with the extreme danger of adultery. While the prostitute may only cost a meager loaf of bread, the adulterous wife is depicted as actively hunting for something far more valuable—a "precious life," which can refer to a person's physical life, their reputation, or even their eternal soul.
This passage is part of a larger warning against adultery, following advice on avoiding lazy neighbors and dishonest practices. The verses immediately preceding discuss the consequences of debt and betrayal, setting a tone of severe judgment. Following this verse, the text elaborates on the devastating and irreversible ruin that adultery brings, both to one's reputation and ultimately to one's very life.
This passage is part of a larger warning against adultery, following advice on avoiding lazy neighbors and dishonest practices. The verses immediately preceding discuss the consequences of debt and betrayal, setting a tone of severe judgment. Following this verse, the text elaborates on the devastating and irreversible ruin that adultery brings, both to one's reputation and ultimately to one's very life.
"for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread, but a married woman hunts down a precious life." — This verse contrasts the cheapness of a prostitute's services with the extreme danger of adultery. While the prostitute may only cost a meager loaf of bread, the adulterous wife is depicted as active…
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Last reviewed October 2026