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asher553PROVERBS 02 - AGAINST BAD COMPANIONS.
Chapter 2 forms a single block of 22 verses in the Masoretic text. It contains warnings against evil companions of both sexes, with about equal space devoted to men and women. In 2:16 we see the first appearance of the "strange woman" [ אִשָּׁ֣ה זָרָ֑ה | ishah zarah ], a recurring figure in Proverbs. There is some debate over who the woman is and what she represents. Is she an Israelite or a foreigner? an unfaithful married woman, or a harlot? We don't know.
And I think this is the real point about the "strange woman": it is precisely that you don't know enough about her. You don't know her background, her relationship status, her values, her agenda. She is unexplored territory; she is strange and unknown. And this strangeness is exactly what makes her exotic and appealing - and it's also what makes her dangerous.
It is human nature to be attracted to the unknown. Even intellectual curiosity can have an almost erotic aspect to it. And, like erotic attraction itself, the pursuit of the unknown can potentially be a positive and creative force, bringing new things to life. But wrongly directed, it can lead us down paths to confusion and death. And that's what Proverbs is talking about here. [213]
Chapter 2 forms a single block of 22 verses in the Masoretic text. It contains warnings against evil companions of both sexes, with about equal space devoted to men and women. In 2:16 we see the first appearance of the "strange woman" [ אִשָּׁ֣ה זָרָ֑ה | ishah zarah ], a recurring figure in Proverbs. There is some debate over who the woman is and what she represents. Is she an Israelite or a foreigner? an unfaithful married woman, or a harlot? We don't know.
And I think this is the real point about the "strange woman": it is precisely that you don't know enough about her. You don't know her background, her relationship status, her values, her agenda. She is unexplored territory; she is strange and unknown. And this strangeness is exactly what makes her exotic and appealing - and it's also what makes her dangerous.
It is human nature to be attracted to the unknown. Even intellectual curiosity can have an almost erotic aspect to it. And, like erotic attraction itself, the pursuit of the unknown can potentially be a positive and creative force, bringing new things to life. But wrongly directed, it can lead us down paths to confusion and death. And that's what Proverbs is talking about here. [213]
