Proverbs 2:16
IntermediateProverbs 2:16 · World English Bible (WEB)
“To deliver you from the strange woman, even from the foreigner who flatters with her words;”
Tip: highlight any word or phrase above to go deeper on exactly that.
Overview
Wisdom delivers God’s people from seductive, covenant-breaking temptation.
Proverbs 2:16 says that godly wisdom does not merely make a person smarter; it rescues the heart from destructive enticement. The danger here is not only sexual sin, but persuasive words that make sin feel desirable, safe, or harmless.
What Makes This Verse Confusing?
“Strange” does not mainly mean odd or unusual. In Proverbs, the phrase points to a woman who is “outside” the proper covenant boundaries of faithful life—especially the adulteress or seductress who draws a man away from wisdom, purity, and faithfulness before God.
The English word “strange” has shifted in meaning; the verse does not explain whether the woman is strange in behavior, ethnicity, religion, or covenant relationship.
This keeps the verse from being read as a warning against mere unfamiliarity. The issue is moral and covenantal danger: wisdom guards the soul from a person whose invitation leads away from God.
Original Language
be a stranger — 1) to be strange, be a stranger 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to become estranged 1a2) strange, another, stranger, foreigner, an enemy (participle) 1a3) strange woman, prostitute, harlot (meton) 1b) (Niphal) to be estranged 1c) (Hophal) to be a stranger, be one alienated
This word behind “strange” carries the sense of being alien or outside. In this verse, the danger is not mere unfamiliarity but separation from the way of covenant wisdom.
foreign — 1) foreign, alien 1a) foreign 1b) foreigner (subst) 1c) foreign woman, harlot 1d) unknown, unfamiliar (fig.)
The word translated “foreigner” reinforces the idea of one who does not belong to the faithful path being commended in Proverbs. It deepens the warning: this is a voice from outside wisdom’s household.
to smooth — 1) to be smooth, slippery, deceitful 1a) (Qal) to be smooth, slippery 1b) (Hiphil) 1b1) to be smooth 1b2) to flatter
The verb behind “flatters” literally suggests smoothing. The verse is warning against words made attractive enough to reduce resistance and dull spiritual discernment.
Lexicon & word tagging: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0)
Related Passages
Ecclesiastes 7:26
BackgroundProverbs 7:5-23
parallelProverbs 7 expands this same warning in vivid detail: the young man is drawn by the adulteress’s persuasive speech and led toward destruction.
Proverbs 6:24
parallelThis verse also says wisdom keeps a person “from the evil woman” and “from the flattery of the tongue.”
Proverbs 22:14
BackgroundProverbs 23:27
BackgroundGenesis 39:3-12
contrastJoseph faced direct sexual temptation from Potiphar’s wife, but he refused because he feared sinning against God.
Nehemiah 13:26-27
backgroundNehemiah recalls Solomon’s fall through foreign women who led him into sin.
Proverbs 29:5
BackgroundCross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · openbible.info (CC-BY)
How This Applies Today
Proverbs 2:16 calls believers to value wisdom as a real protection from voices that make disobedience sound attractive. Temptation often arrives not as open rebellion, but as persuasive language that softens the seriousness of sin.
- →Pay attention to words that make sin seem harmless, secret, deserved, or inevitable.
- →Seek wisdom before temptation intensifies; Proverbs presents deliverance as something formed in the heart before the moment of danger.
- Whose words have the power to weaken my obedience to the Lord?
- Am I letting God’s wisdom train my desires, not merely inform my mind?
Analysis generated on October 2, 2026 · version 2.0
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