The harlot adulteress of an Eastern city is contrasted with the true feminine ideal of the Wisdom who is to be the "sister" and "kinswoman" Proverbs 7:4 of the young man as he goes on his way through life. See Proverbs 8 in the introduction.

My son, keep my words - See Proverbs 2:1.

My son, keep my words,.... Doctrines and instructions; which, as a father to a son, or a master to his scholars, he had delivered; these he would have him observe and attend to;

and lay up my commandments with thee: as a treasure in his heart, to be brought out upon occasion; to be kept as valuable, and made use of as an antidote against and a preservative from sinning; see Psalm 119:11. The Septuagint and Arabic versions add, what is not in the Hebrew text,

"son, honour the Lord, and thou shalt be strong;''

the Arabic adds,

"and he shall strengthen thee; and fear none besides him.''

The introduction first counsels in general to a true appreciation of these well-considered life-rules of wisdom.

1 My son, keep my words,

   And treasure up my commandments with thee.

2 Keep my commandments, and thou shalt live;

   And my instruction as the apple of thine eye.

3 Wind them about thy fingers,

   Write them on the tablet of thy heart.

The lxx has after Proverbs 7:1 another distich; but it here disturbs the connection. Regarding צפן, vid., at Proverbs 2:1; אתּך refers, as there, to the sphere of one's own character, and that subjectively. Regarding the imper. וחיה, which must here be translated according to its sense as a conclusion, because it comes in between the objects governed by שׁמר, vid., at Proverbs 4:4. There וחיה is punctuated with Silluk; here, according to Kimchi (Michlol 125a), with Segol-Athnach, וחיה, as in the Cod. Erfurt. 2 and 3, and in the editions of Athias and Clodius, so that the word belongs to the class פתחין באתנח (with short instead of long vowel by the pausal accent): no reason for this is to be perceived, especially as (Proverbs 4:4) the Tsere (ê from aj) which is characteristic of the imper. remains unchanged. Regarding אישׁון העין, Arab. insân el-'ain, the little man of the eye, i.e., the apple of the eye, named from the miniature portrait of him who looks into it being reflected from it, vid., at Psalm 17:8; the ending ôn is here diminutive, like Syr. achuno, little brother, beruno, little son, and the like. On Proverbs 7:3, vid., at Proverbs 6:21; Proverbs 3:3. The תפילין שׁל יד

(Note: תפילין, prayer-fillets, phylacteries.)

were wound seven times round the left arm and seven times round the middle finger. The writing on the table of the heart may be regarded as referring to Deuteronomy 6:9 (the Mezuzoth).

(Note: equals the door-posts, afterwards used by the Jews to denote the passages of Scripture written on the door-posts.)

My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.

CHAPTER 7

Pr 7:1-27. The subject continued, by a delineation of the arts of strange women, as a caution to the unwary.

1-4. Similar calls (Pr 3:1-3; 4:10, &c.).

7:1-5 We must lay up God's commandments safely. Not only, Keep them, and you shall live; but, Keep them as those that cannot live without them. Those that blame strict and careful walking as needless and too precise, consider not that the law is to be kept as the apple of the eye; indeed the law in the heart is the eye of the soul. Let the word of God dwell in us, and so be written where it will be always at hand to be read. Thus we shall be kept from the fatal effects of our own passions, and the snares of Satan. Let God's word confirm our dread of sin, and resolutions against it.