Proverbs 6:27
New International Version
Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?

New Living Translation
Can a man scoop a flame into his lap and not have his clothes catch on fire?

English Standard Version
Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned?

Berean Standard Bible
Can a man embrace fire and his clothes not be burned?

King James Bible
Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?

New King James Version
Can a man take fire to his bosom, And his clothes not be burned?

New American Standard Bible
Can anyone take fire in his lap And his clothes not be burned?

NASB 1995
Can a man take fire in his bosom And his clothes not be burned?

NASB 1977
Can a man take fire in his bosom, And his clothes not be burned?

Legacy Standard Bible
Can a man take fire in his bosom And his clothes not be burned?

Amplified Bible
Can a man take fire to his chest And his clothes not be burned?

Christian Standard Bible
Can a man embrace fire and his clothes not be burned?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Can a man embrace fire and his clothes not be burned?

American Standard Version
Can a man take fire in his bosom, And his clothes not be burned?

Contemporary English Version
If you carry burning coals, you burn your clothes;

English Revised Version
Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Can a man carry fire in his lap without burning his clothes?

Good News Translation
Can you carry fire against your chest without burning your clothes?

International Standard Version
Can a man scoop fire into his bosom without burning his clothes?

Majority Standard Bible
Can a man embrace fire and his clothes not be burned?

NET Bible
Can a man hold fire against his chest without burning his clothes?

New Heart English Bible
Can a man scoop fire into his lap, and his clothes not be burned?

Webster's Bible Translation
Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?

World English Bible
Can a man scoop fire into his lap, and his clothes not be burned?
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Does a man take fire into his bosom, "" And are his garments not burned?

Young's Literal Translation
Doth a man take fire into his bosom, And are his garments not burnt?

Smith's Literal Translation
A man taking fire in his bosom, shall his garments not be burnt?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Can a man hide fire in his bosom, and his garments not burn?

Catholic Public Domain Version
Would a man be able to conceal fire in his bosom, so that his garments would not burn?

New American Bible
Can a man take embers into his bosom, and his garments not be burned?

New Revised Standard Version
Can fire be carried in the bosom without burning one’s clothes?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Does a man put fire in his bosom and do his garments not burn?
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Can a man take fire in his bosom, And his clothes not be burned?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Shall any one bind fire in his bosom, and not burn his garments?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Warnings Against Adultery
26For the levy of the prostitute is poverty, and the adulteress preys upon your very life. 27Can a man embrace fire and his clothes not be burned? 28Can a man walk on hot coals without scorching his feet?…

Cross References
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.

1 Corinthians 6:18
Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a man can commit is outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.

Matthew 5:28
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

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.

Romans 13:13-14
Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. / Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5
For it is God’s will that you should be holy: You must abstain from sexual immorality; / each of you must know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, / not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God;

1 Peter 2:11
Beloved, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war against your soul.

Ephesians 5:3-5
But among you, as is proper among the saints, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed. / Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or crude joking, which are out of character, but rather thanksgiving. / For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person (that is, an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Colossians 3:5-6
Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry. / Because of these, the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.

Hebrews 13:4
Marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.

Job 31:9-12
If my heart has been enticed by my neighbor’s wife, or I have lurked at his door, / then may my own wife grind grain for another, and may other men sleep with her. / For that would be a heinous crime, an iniquity to be judged. ...

Proverbs 5:3-5
Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil, / in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a double-edged sword. / Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to Sheol.

Proverbs 7:6-27
For at the window of my house I looked through the lattice. / I saw among the simple, I noticed among the youths, a young man lacking judgment, / crossing the street near her corner, strolling down the road to her house, ...

Proverbs 9:13-18
The woman named Folly is loud; she is naive and knows nothing. / She sits at the door of her house, on a seat in the heights of the city, / calling out to those who pass by, who make their paths straight. ...

Genesis 39:7-12
and after some time his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.” / But he refused. “Look,” he said to his master’s wife, “with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in his house, and he has entrusted everything he owns to my care. / No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do such a great evil and sin against God?” ...


Treasury of Scripture

Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?

Job 31:9-12
If mine heart have been deceived by a woman, or if I have laid wait at my neighbour's door; …

Hosea 7:4-7
They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker, who ceaseth from raising after he hath kneaded the dough, until it be leavened…

James 3:5
Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

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Bosom Breast Burned Burning Burnt Carry Clothes Clothing Fire Garments Lap
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Bosom Breast Burned Burning Burnt Carry Clothes Clothing Fire Garments Lap
Proverbs 6
1. against indebtedness
6. idleness
12. and mischievousness
16. seven things detestable to God
20. the blessings of obedience
25. the mischief of unfaithfulness














Can a man
This phrase introduces a rhetorical question, a common teaching method in Hebrew wisdom literature. The Hebrew word for "man" here is "אִישׁ" (ish), which often denotes an individual with a sense of responsibility and moral agency. The question challenges the reader to consider the natural consequences of one's actions, emphasizing personal accountability.

embrace
The Hebrew root for "embrace" is "חָתַן" (chathan), which can mean to take into one's bosom or to engage closely with something. This word choice suggests an intimate and deliberate action, highlighting the foolishness of knowingly engaging with something dangerous or sinful. It serves as a metaphor for engaging in immoral behavior, particularly adultery, which is the broader context of this passage.

fire
Fire, or "אֵשׁ" (esh) in Hebrew, is a powerful symbol throughout the Bible. It represents both God's presence and judgment, as seen in the burning bush (Exodus 3:2) and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24). In this context, fire symbolizes the consuming and destructive nature of sin, particularly sexual immorality. The imagery of fire underscores the inevitable harm that comes from such actions.

and his clothes
Clothes, or "בֶּגֶד" (beged) in Hebrew, often symbolize one's external life and reputation. In ancient times, garments were valuable possessions, representing one's status and identity. The mention of clothes being burned suggests that engaging in sin not only affects one's internal state but also damages one's external relationships and social standing.

not be burned?
The phrase "not be burned" is a rhetorical device emphasizing the certainty of consequences. The Hebrew word for "burned" is "יִשָּׂרֵף" (yissaref), which conveys the idea of being consumed or destroyed. This question implies that just as it is impossible to touch fire without being burned, it is equally impossible to engage in sin without facing its destructive consequences. The verse serves as a stark warning against underestimating the impact of sinful actions.

Verse 27. - In this and the two following verses (28 and 29) the discourse proceeds from statement to illustration, and by examples of cause and effect the teacher shows "the moral necessity of the evil consequences of the sin of adultery" (Delitzsch). The meaning of the verses is plain enough, viz. that as it is in vain to suppose that a person's garment will not be burnt or his feet not be scorched if fire is brought near them, so it is equally inconceivable that a person indulging in adultery can escape its consequences or the retribution that follows. The two questions in vers. 27 and 28 imply a strong negative, and so prepare for the conclusion in ver. 30. Take fire. The Hebrew verb khathah signifies "to take burning or live coals from the hearth" (Placater); and hence is used here in a pregnant sense "to take from the hearth and place in" (cf. Proverbs 25:22, "For thou wilt take coals ['and heap them:' Hebrew, gekhalim khotheh] on his head"). The fuller expression is met with in Isaiah 30:14, "So that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sherd to take fire from the hearth (lakh'toth esh miyyakud).'" The Vulgate renders by abscondere," to hide: Numquid potest homo absconders ignem; and the LXX. by ἀποδεῖν, equivalent to the Latin alligare "to tie or bind fast." Wordsworth explains "to take and heap up, as in a firepan or censer." In his bosom; Hebrew, b'kheyko; LXX., ἐν κόλπῳ; Vulgate, in sinu suo. The word kheyk is properly "an undulation" (Delitzsch). not the lap, but as in the Authorized Version here, "the bosom," and "the bosom of a garment" as in ch. 16:33; 17:23; 21:14. The answer to the question of this and the next verse is of course a decided negative, but we may note that the teacher compares adultery to a burning fire in its consequences.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Can a man
אִ֓ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

embrace
הֲיַחְתֶּ֤ה (hă·yaḥ·teh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2846: To lay hold of, to pick up fire

fire
אֵ֬שׁ (’êš)
Noun - common singular
Strong's 784: A fire

and his clothes
וּ֝בְגָדָ֗יו (ū·ḇə·ḡā·ḏāw)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 899: A covering, clothing, treachery, pillage

not
לֹ֣א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

be burned?
תִשָּׂרַֽפְנָה׃ (ṯiś·śā·rap̄·nāh)
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person feminine plural
Strong's 8313: To be, on fire


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 6:27 Can a man scoop fire into his (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 6:26
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