Proverbs 5:5
New International Version
Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.

New Living Translation
Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.

English Standard Version
Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol;

Berean Standard Bible
Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to Sheol.

King James Bible
Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.

New King James Version
Her feet go down to death, Her steps lay hold of hell.

New American Standard Bible
Her feet go down to death, Her steps take hold of Sheol.

NASB 1995
Her feet go down to death, Her steps take hold of Sheol.

NASB 1977
Her feet go down to death, Her steps lay hold of Sheol.

Legacy Standard Bible
Her feet go down to death, Her steps take hold of Sheol,

Amplified Bible
Her feet go down to death; Her steps take hold of Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead),

Christian Standard Bible
Her feet go down to death; her steps head straight for Sheol.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Her feet go down to death; her steps head straight for Sheol.

American Standard Version
Her feet go down to death; Her steps take hold on Sheol;

Contemporary English Version
If you follow her, she will lead you down to the world of the dead.

English Revised Version
Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on Sheol;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Her feet descend to death. Her steps lead straight to hell.

Good News Translation
She will take you down to the world of the dead; the road she walks is the road to death.

International Standard Version
Her feet go down to death; her steps lead to Sheol.

Majority Standard Bible
Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to Sheol.

NET Bible
Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.

New Heart English Bible
Her feet go down to death. Her steps lead straight to Sheol.

Webster's Bible Translation
Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.

World English Bible
Her feet go down to death. Her steps lead straight to Sheol.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Her feet are going down to death, "" Her steps take hold of Sheol.

Young's Literal Translation
Her feet are going down to death, Sheol do her steps take hold of.

Smith's Literal Translation
Her feet go down to death; her steps will hold fast to hades.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Her feet go down into death, and her steps go in as far as hell.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Her feet descend into death, and her steps reach even to Hell.

New American Bible
Her feet go down to death, her steps reach Sheol;

New Revised Standard Version
Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Her feet cause men to go down to death; her steps take her to Sheol.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And her legs marry to death; her walk causes men to recline in Sheol.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Her feet go down to death; Her steps take hold on the nether-world;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For the feet of folly lead those who deal with her down to the grave with death; and her steps are not established.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Avoiding Immorality
4in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a double-edged sword. 5Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to Sheol. 6She does not consider the path of life; she does not know that her ways are unstable.…

Cross References
Proverbs 7:27
Her house is the road to Sheol, descending to the chambers of death.

Proverbs 2:18-19
For her house sinks down to death, and her tracks to the departed spirits. / None who go to her return or negotiate the paths of life.

Proverbs 9:18
But they do not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

Ecclesiastes 7:26
And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a net, and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is ensnared.

Revelation 2:20-23
But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols. / Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling. / Behold, I will cast her onto a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer great tribulation unless they repent of her deeds. ...

Revelation 17:1-6
Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. / The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and those who dwell on the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her immorality.” / And the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, where I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. ...

Revelation 18:2-3
And he cried out in a mighty voice: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a lair for demons and a haunt for every unclean spirit, every unclean bird, and every detestable beast. / All the nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her immorality. The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown wealthy from the extravagance of her luxury.”

Matthew 7:13-14
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. / But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts, / nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

James 1:14-15
But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed. / Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

Romans 6:21-23
What fruit did you reap at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The outcome of those things is death. / But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the fruit you reap leads to holiness, and the outcome is eternal life. / For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Galatians 5:19-21
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; / idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, / and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Timothy 5:6
But she who lives for pleasure is dead even while she is still alive.

Isaiah 5:14
Therefore Sheol enlarges its throat and opens wide its enormous jaws, and down go Zion’s nobles and masses, her revelers and carousers!

Isaiah 14:9
Sheol beneath is eager to meet you upon your arrival. It stirs the spirits of the dead to greet you—all the rulers of the earth. It makes all the kings of the nations rise from their thrones.


Treasury of Scripture

Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.

Proverbs 2:18,19
For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead…

Proverbs 7:27
Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.

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Death Feet Follow Grave Hell Hold Lead Nether-World Path Sheol Steps Straight Underworld
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Death Feet Follow Grave Hell Hold Lead Nether-World Path Sheol Steps Straight Underworld
Proverbs 5
1. Solomon exhorts to wisdom
3. He shows the mischief of unfaithfulness and riot
15. He exhorts to contentedness, generosity, and chastity
22. The wicked are overtaken with their own sins














Her feet
The phrase "her feet" symbolizes the direction and path of the adulterous woman, as described in the preceding verses. In Hebrew, "feet" often metaphorically represents one's journey or way of life. The imagery here is vivid, suggesting that her actions and choices are deliberate and lead to a specific destination. In a broader spiritual context, this serves as a warning about the consequences of following a path of sin and temptation.

go down to death
The Hebrew word for "death" is "mavet," which not only refers to physical death but also spiritual separation from God. The phrase "go down" indicates a descent, a movement away from life and righteousness. This is a stark reminder of the ultimate consequence of sin, which is not just physical demise but eternal separation from the Creator. The imagery of descending suggests a loss of elevation, both morally and spiritually.

her steps
"Her steps" refers to the individual actions and decisions that lead to a particular outcome. In the Hebrew context, "steps" can denote the progression of one's life choices. Each step taken by the adulterous woman is a conscious decision that contributes to her ultimate downfall. This serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of each decision we make and how it aligns with God's will.

lead straight
The word "straight" implies a direct and unwavering path. In Hebrew, the concept of a "straight" path often connotes righteousness and alignment with God's law. However, in this context, it is used ironically to describe a path that is directly opposed to God's ways. This highlights the deceptive nature of sin, which can appear straightforward and appealing but ultimately leads to destruction.

to Sheol
"Sheol" is a Hebrew term that refers to the realm of the dead, a place of darkness and separation from God. In ancient Israelite belief, Sheol was seen as a shadowy existence, devoid of the presence and light of God. The use of "Sheol" here underscores the severity of the consequences of sin, emphasizing that the path of the adulterous woman leads not just to physical death but to a spiritual void. This serves as a powerful warning to remain vigilant and faithful to God's commandments, avoiding the seductive allure of sin that leads to such a dire end.

(5) Take hold on hell.--They lead straight to it.

Verse 5. - Vers. 5 and 6 continue the description of the harlot. Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell. She leads her victims to ruin. She hastens to death and the grove, and so do all those who listen to her. In all instances where the teacher speaks of the harlot at length he gives the same description of her (cf. Proverbs 2:18; Proverbs 7:27; Proverbs 9:18). An intensifying of the language is observable in the second hemistich. The descending progress to death becomes the laying hold of the grave, the underworld, as if nothing could turn her steps aside. And it is not only death, as the cessation of life, but death as a punishment, that is implied, just as the grave has in it the idea of corruption. (On "hell," sh'ol, see Proverbs 1:12.)

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Her feet
רַ֭גְלֶיהָ (raḡ·le·hā)
Noun - fdc | third person feminine singular
Strong's 7272: A foot, a step, the pudenda

go down
יֹרְד֣וֹת (yō·rə·ḏō·wṯ)
Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine plural
Strong's 3381: To come or go down, descend

to death;
מָ֑וֶת (mā·weṯ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4194: Death, the dead, their place, state, pestilence, ruin

her steps
צְעָדֶ֥יהָ (ṣə·‘ā·ḏe·hā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 6806: A pace, regular step

lead straight
יִתְמֹֽכוּ׃ (yiṯ·mō·ḵū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 8551: To sustain, to obtain, keep fast, to help, follow close

to Sheol.
שְׁ֝א֗וֹל (’ō·wl)
Noun - common singular
Strong's 7585: Underworld (place to which people descend at death)


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 5:5 Her feet go down to death (Prov. Pro Pr)
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