Proverbs 7:8-9 (ESV)
8 passing along the street near her corner,
taking the road to her house
9 in the twilight, in the evening,
at the time of night and darkness.
The wise father continues describing what he observed. Looking out from the window of his house, he watched what was happening in the street below. He invites his son, and us as readers, to see what he saw and learn from it. He gives more detail about the young and naive man who lacked sense, noting that the young man was strolling through the streets.
The father noticed that the young man was moving in the wrong direction. He passed along the street near the adulteress’s corner and, whether he realized it or not, wandered near a place of temptation. It may not have been entirely intentional, but he certainly was not steering clear of her either. His actions revealed an unwise lack of awareness about the moral danger around him.
The father then saw him taking the road to the adulteress’s house. The Hebrew verb translated “taking” is tsaad, which means to stride or march. It describes walking with long, steady steps. The young man moved forward without caution, as if he sensed no danger at all. Rather than turning away, he continued down the path that had led many into sin and could easily lead him into trouble as well.
Not only was he in the wrong place, he was there at the wrong time. The father carefully notes the setting. It was twilight, the time just after sunset when the day is fading. Evening was giving way to night, and darkness was settling in. The Hebrew word translated “time” is ishon, which literally means “pupil,” the dark center of the eye. It is the same term we saw earlier in Proverbs 7:2 when the father told his son to keep wisdom as the “apple,” or pupil, of his eye. The scene shifts from clouded sight to moral darkness.
Like this simple young man, we act foolishly when we drift through life without thinking carefully about where we are going. A carefree attitude toward temptation is never wise. The wise woman considers her steps. She thinks about the direction of her life and the consequences of her choices. Instead of wandering toward danger, she intentionally walks in the path that leads to life. Where are your steps leading today? Turn away from people, places, and patterns that invite temptation, and deliberately choose the path of wisdom that God’s word clearly sets before you.