Proverbs: Who are the “strange” women men are warned about?
When King David passed the rulership of Israel to his Son, Solomon, he gave him some excellent advice that resulted in him becoming a very wise man.
1 Kings 4:29-32
29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.
30 And Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt.
31 For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about.
32 And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five. [Emphasis added]
For a time, Solomon lived by this wisdom God gave him.
2 Chronicles 1:1
1 And Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and the Lord his God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly. [Emphasis added]
In many ways Solomon expressed the fact that his priorities were right.
2 Chronicles 1:6-12
6 And Solomon went up thither to the brasen altar before the Lord, which was at the tabernacle of the congregation, and offered a thousand burnt offerings upon it.
7 In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee.
8 And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead.
9 Now, O Lord God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude.
10 Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?
11 And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king:
12 Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like. [Emphasis added]
What a loving and generous God we have! Note what then followed.
1 Kings 4:34
34 And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom. [Emphasis added]
We find that his wisdom extended into every area of life. But now let’s look at what he ultimately did with that wisdom. Did he continue to apply it in his own life? Here we have an example of a way he failed greatly—
1 Kings 11:1a
1a But king Solomon loved many strange [NAKRI = foreign] women,…
What is the point being made here? Who are these “strange” women? That translation into 21st century English leaves a lot to be desired. It doesn’t really tell us anything about what Solomon did. These “strange” women were foreign women, but more importantly, they were unbelievers. They knew nothing of the God of Israel and had no desire to know anything about Him, let alone observe His commands. These women were void in their understanding of any of that. But just as God wanted His people then to only marry other believers, the exact same thing is true today. Here we have a command of God provided through the apostle Paul that is addressed to His people today.
2 Corinthians 6:14-15
14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial [a form of idolatry]? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel [APISTOS = faithless, an unbeliever]? [Emphasis added]
I’ve known many people who wrestled with this passage. It means exactly what it says! Believers are not to ever marry unbelievers. There’s nothing to pray about concerning God’s will on this. He’s made it plain that His people are to be sure, absolutely certain, about the salvation of anyone they marry. This takes priority over all other matters in selecting a mate. It certainly isn’t the only important matter, but it surely is the MOST important one.
So, how did all this turn out for Solomon? Answer: The way it usually does! These women pulled Solomon away from a life of obedience to His Lord. Note what the Scripture record tells us about all this—
1 Kings 11:1-6
1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites:
2 Of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.
5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father. [Emphasis added]
In many ways even David was not the perfect model of a man of God, but he was far better than his son, Solomon. Nearly all of Solomon’s life was wasted on foolishness. He came to possess everything imaginable in material wealth, but all this simply added to his misery. Here are some of his remarks about how he had come to feel about it all.
Ecclesiastes 1:1-3
1 The words of the Preacher [Solomon speaking of himself], the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
3 What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? [Emphasis added]
Like so many people, Solomon’s attention was given to the things of the creation, rather than the Creator. In the latter days of his life, Solomon finally came to his senses on a lot of things. But the price he paid in misery before that time made none of it worth it. We have the record of how God had him to write about it in the book of Ecclesiastes. I devoted a whole chapter to Solomon in my book called—Discovering God’s Rich Blessings in Times of Suffering. If you’d like to read a copy, the book can be ordered through our website—
As the famous historian Hegel said many years ago, “We learn from history that man learns nothing from history.”
This is true not only of unbelievers but even believers who aren’t willing to follow the divine instructions that have been provided for them through the Bible. In the book of Proverbs, Solomon wrote many warnings about all this.
Proverbs 22:14
14 The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein. [Emphasis added]
Proverbs 23:33
33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. [Emphasis added]
Proverbs 31:3
3 Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings. [Emphasis added]
The command to not commit the sin of adultery applies to us today as much as it did to Israel.
Exodus 20:14
14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
We’re not to even think it.
Matthew 5:27-28
27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. [Emphasis added]
This applies as much to us today as it did to Israel in the time in which it was written. Here’s what our apostle Paul has to say about it.
Romans 13:9
9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. [Emphasis added]
We must always be mindful of the fact that every decision has its consequences—good or bad.
Galatians 6:7
7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. [Emphasis added]
This is one of the main reasons it is so important to be a serious student of the Bible. The wisdom you’ll gain will make a wonderful difference in your life. The applications you make will not only bring forth temporal rewards of blessing but eternal ones as well.
2 Corinthians 5:10
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. [Emphasis added]
Occupation with “strange women” has been the downfall to many men in every generation. If you’ll work to live your life in the light of eternity, such can be avoided, whether we’re talking about “strange women” or “strange men.” Always work at building your future in association with people who love God’s Word and you’ll be extremely glad that you did.
