Proverbs 6:32-34
He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself. He will get wounds and dishonor, and his disgrace will not be wiped away. For jealousy makes a man furious, and he will not spare when he takes revenge.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
What's easy to miss is that the verse isn't just saying adultery is foolish; it's highlighting a specific kind of foolishness: a lack of heart, or as some translations put it, a lack of sense or principle. It’s not just a bad decision, but a deep internal deficiency that leads to self-destruction.
This verse concludes a section where Solomon contrasts the thief who steals out of desperate hunger with the unfaithful husband, highlighting the extreme foolishness and self-destruction inherent in adultery. Unlike the thief who acts out of need, the adulterer acts out of lust and disregard for his vows, leading to ruin.
Adultery seems to have a motive – illicit pleasure. But Solomon argues it’s a foolish act with no real excuse. Why?
Proverbs contrasts the thief, who steals out of desperate need, with the adulterer. The thief lacks bread; the adulterer, however, has no such dire necessity driving him. His actions are not born of a genuine lack but a willful disregard for basic decency and the rights of others. He invades his neighbor's property – not with a tool, but with lust. This isn't just a lapse in judgment; it's a profound deficiency in understanding, a foolishness that sets aside reason for base desire.
Adultery is often seen as a crime against another, but Solomon points to a far more devastating victim: the one who commits it. How is this self-destruction realized?
The verse declares that the adulterer 'destroys himself.' This destruction isn't just about the potential for legal punishment, though ancient laws certainly prescribed death for adultery. It's about a deeper ruin. The act itself corrupts the core of a person – their 'heart' or moral compass. It besots the mind, displaces reason with lust, and ultimately leads to ruin, both in this life and potentially for eternity. It’s a self-inflicted wound that severs one’s connection to wisdom, integrity, and well-being.
Understand the original words
na'aph · Hebrew Verb
Sexual relations between a married person and someone other than their spouse, considered a serious sin against God, the covenant of marriage, and one’s neighbor. It is treated in Proverbs as a betrayal of trust and a violation of divine wisdom.
chasar-leb · Hebrew Noun phrase
A phrase denoting a deficiency of heart or understanding; it implies a failure to grasp divine wisdom or the fatal consequences of one's sinful actions. The "heart" in Hebrew thought is the center of the intellect, will, and moral decision-making.
qalon · Hebrew Noun
A state of shame, public humiliation, or loss of reputation. In a biblical context, it often refers to the natural and divine consequences of sin that mar the image of God in an individual.
This passage outlines the severe penalty for adultery under the Mosaic Law, directly supporting the verse's claim that adultery leads to destruction, often by death.
Jeremiah 7:9This verse condemns theft, adultery, and false swearing, grouping these sins together and highlighting their destructive nature against God's people and covenant.
Matthew 5:27-28Jesus expands the understanding of adultery to include lustful thoughts, revealing that the 'lack of sense' described in Proverbs starts in the heart, not just in outward action.
1 Corinthians 6:18-20This passage strongly warns believers against sexual immorality, emphasizing that the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and that sinning sexually destroys oneself by acting against one's own body and God.
Romans 8:13Paul connects living according to the flesh (which includes sexual sin) with sure destruction, mirroring Proverbs' assertion that such actions lead to self-destruction.
clarkeProverbs 6:32: "But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul."
But whoso committeth adultery - The case understood is that of a married man: he has a wife; and therefore is not in the circumstances of the poor thief, who stole to appease his hunger, having nothing to eat. In this alone the opposition between the two cases is found: the thief had no food, and he stole some; the married man had a wife, and yet went in to the wife of hi…
gillProverbs 6:32: "But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul."
But whoso committeth adultery with a woman,.... Which is a greater degree of theft than the former, it being the stealing of another man's wife; lacketh understanding; or "an heart" (t); the thief lacks bread, and therefore steals, but this man lacks wisdom, and therefore acts so foolish a part; the one does it to satisfy hunger, the other a brutish lust; he that doeth it…
What's easy to miss is that the verse isn't just saying adultery is foolish; it's highlighting a specific kind of foolishness: a lack of heart, or as some translations put it, a lack of sense or principle. It’s not just a bad decision, but a deep internal deficiency that leads to self-destruction.
This verse concludes a section where Solomon contrasts the thief who steals out of desperate hunger with the unfaithful husband, highlighting the extreme foolishness and self-destruction inherent in adultery. Unlike the thief who acts out of need, the adulterer acts out of lust and disregard for his vows, leading to ruin.
This verse concludes a section where Solomon contrasts the thief who steals out of desperate hunger with the unfaithful husband, highlighting the extreme foolishness and self-destruction inherent in adultery. Unlike the thief who acts out of need, the adulterer acts out of lust and disregard for his vows, leading to ruin.
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Proverbs 6:32-34 is available in the Sola app.
qin'ah · Hebrew Noun
An intense, consuming emotion, often used in Scripture to describe God’s protective zeal for His people or His holiness. When applied to humans, it can refer to a burning, righteous, or self-destructive passion, particularly in the context of broken covenant or infidelity.
"He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself. He will get wounds and dishonor, and his disgrace will not be wiped away. For jealousy makes a man furious, and he will not spare when he takes r…" — What's easy to miss is that the verse isn't just saying adultery is foolish; it's highlighting a specific kind of foolishness: a lack of heart, or as some translations put it, a lack of sense or pr…
