Proverbs 23:27

Old Testament Wisdom/Poetry ASV (1901)

What does Proverbs 23:27 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “For a harlot is a deep ditch; And a foreign woman is a narrow pit.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

For a harlot is a deep ditch; And a foreign woman is a narrow pit.
Proverbs 23:27 — American Standard Version

Context — Proverbs 23

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
27For a harlot is a deep ditch; And a foreign woman is a narrow pit.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“For a whore [is] a deep ditch, etc.] Or, “as a deep ditch”, so Aben Ezra; to which she may be compared for the filthiness of her whoredoms, and for her insatiable lust, as well as for her being never satisfied with what she receives from her lovers. Plautus comparesf633 her to the sea, which devours whatever you give, and yet nothing appears; and anotherf634 calls a whore Charybdis, from her swallowing up and devouring all a man has. She is as a ditch that has no bottom, into which those that fall are ever sinking deeper and deeper, till they get into the bottomless pit; for there is seldom any recovery from this dreadful evil; and a strange woman [is] a narrow pit; or “well”f635; into which…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“deep ditch--a narrow pit, out of which it is hard to climb. lieth in wait--to ensnare men into the pit, as hunters entrap game (compare Pro 22:14).”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Another continuous exhortation rather than a collection of maxims. Proverbs 23:16 The teacher rejoices when the disciple’s heart Proverbs 23:15 receives wisdom, and yet more when his lips can utter it. Reins - See Job 19:27 note. Proverbs 23:17 Envy sinners - Compare in Psalms 37:1; Psalms 73:3; the feeling which looks half-longingly at the prosperity of evil doers. Some connect the verb “envy” with the second clause, “envy not sinners, but envy, emulate, the fear of the Lord.” Proverbs 23:18 Or, For if there is an end (hereafter), thine expectations shall not be cut off. There is an implied confidence in immortality. Proverbs 23:20 Riotous eaters of flesh - The word is the same as “glutton”…”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Pro 22:14 Proverbs 23:28”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification