Proverbs 5 · Verse 9

Proverbs 5:9

Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:
Proverbs 5:9, King James Version

Proverbs 5:9 in other translations

BSBlest you concede your vigor to others, and your years to one who is cruel;
WEBlest you give your honor to others, and your years to the cruel one;
ASVLest thou give thine honor unto others, And thy years unto the cruel;
YLTLest thou give to others thy honour, And thy years to the fierce,
DARBYlest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel;
BBEFor fear that you may give your honour to others, and your wealth to strange men:
WebsterLest thou give thy honor to others, and thy years to the cruel:

What does Proverbs 5:9 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 5:8-9

8-9. Avoid the slightest temptation.

Read the full comment on Proverbs 5:8-9 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 9 Lest thou give thine honor - The character of a debauchee is universally detested: by this, even those of noble blood lose their honor and respect. Thy years unto the cruel - Though all the blandishments of love dwell on the tongue, and the excess of fondness appear in the whole demeanor of the harlot and the prostitute; yet cruelty has its throne in their hearts; and they will rob and murder (when it appears to answer their ends) those who give their strength, their wealth, and their years to them. The unfaithful wife has often murdered her own husband for the sake of her paramour, and has given him over to justice in order to save herself. Murders have often taken place in brothels, as well as robberies; for the vice of prostitution is one of the parents of cruelty.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Proverbs 5:1-14

Solomon cautions all young men, as his children, to abstain from fleshly lusts. Some, by the adulterous woman, here understand idolatry, false doctrine, which tends to lead astray men's minds and manners; but the direct view is to warn against seventh-commandment sins. Often these have been, and still are, Satan's method of drawing men from the worship of God into false religion. Consider how fatal the consequences…

Read the full comment on Proverbs 5:1-14 →

Proverbs 5:9 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

פֶּן\־pen-lestH6435
תִּתֵּ֣ןti.Tenyou should giveH5414
לַאֲחֵרִ֣יםla.'a.che.Rimto othersH312
הוֹדֶ֑ךָho.De.khavigor yourH1935
וּ֝שְׁנֹתֶ֗יךָu.she.no.Tei.khaand years yourH8141
לְאַכְזָרִֽי\׃le.'akh.za.Rito a cruel [person]H394

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Proverbs 5:9

  • Nehemiah 13:26

    Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin.

  • Hosea 4:13-14

    They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and elms, because the shadow thereof is good: therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall commit adultery. I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery: for themselves are separated with whores, and they sacrifice with harlots: therefore the people that doth not understand shall fall.

  • Judges 16:19-21

    And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him. But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.

  • Genesis 38:23-26

    And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her. And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt. When she was brought forth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff. And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
6:29-35; Ge 38:23-26; Jud 16:19-21; Ne 13:26; Ho 4:13,14

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Proverbs 5:8

    Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:

  • Proverbs 5:9

    Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:

  • Proverbs 5:10

    Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;

Read all of Proverbs 5

Proverbs 5:9 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Porque no des á los extraños tu honor, y tus años á cruel;
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		de peur que tu ne donnes ton honneur à d’autres, et tes années à l’homme cruel;
German
Elberfelder 1871		damit du nicht anderen deine Blüte gebest, und deine Jahre dem Grausamen;
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Ne des alienis honorem tuum, et annos tuos crudeli: