Wesley's Notes on the Bible My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. 7:2 Live - Thou shalt live. Eye - With all possible care and diligence.
Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart. 7:3 Bind them - As a ring which is continually in a man's eye.
Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman: 7:4 And call - Acquaint and delight thyself with her.
That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.
For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,
And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,
Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house, 7:8 Passing - Idle and careless, near the corner of the street in which her house stood.
In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:
And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.
(She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:
Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.) 7:12 Without - Without the door of her house. Corner - Of the streets, where she might either conceal or discover herself, as she saw fit.
So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him,
I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows. 7:14 Offerings - I have paid my peace - offerings which I had vowed. Whereby she signifies, that she had plentiful provisions at her house for his entertainment. For the peace - offerings were to be of the best flesh, Lev 22:21, and a considerable part of these offerings fell to the offerer's share.
Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.
I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.
I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.
For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey:
He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed. 7:20 Hath taken - Which is an evidence that he designs to stay a considerable time. At the day - So that we need not fear any surprise.
With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.
He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; 7:22 As an ox - Going to it securely, as if it were going to a good pasture.
Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life. 7:23 His liver - His vital parts, 'till his life be lost.
Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.
Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.
For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her.
Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death. Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible by John Wesley [1754-65] Bible Hub |
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