Lest you give your honor to others, and your years to the cruel:
Proverbs 6:29-35 So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent…
Genesis 38:23-26 And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her…
Judges 16:19-21 And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him…
and your years to one who is cruel
The phrase "one who is cruel" can be interpreted as a metaphor for the destructive consequences of sin, particularly in the context of relationships that are not ordained by God. Historically, the ancient Near Eastern cultures often depicted foreign or pagan influences as cruel, leading the Israelites away from their covenant with God. This aligns with the broader biblical narrative where Israel is warned against forming alliances with nations that do not follow Yahweh (Deuteronomy 7:1-4). The loss of "years" implies a significant portion of one's life being wasted or consumed by regret and suffering due to poor choices. This serves as a cautionary tale, urging believers to remain faithful and avoid entanglements that lead to spiritual and physical ruin. The concept of time being given to a cruel master can also be seen as a type of spiritual bondage, contrasting with the freedom found in Christ (Galatians 5:1).
Proverbs 5:9 opens with the warning, “lest you concede your vigor to others.” Scripture paints vigor as the God-given blend of energy, health, and influence entrusted to us for faithful stewardship.
• Physical and financial drain
– “Otherwise, strangers will feast on your wealth, and your labor will enrich the house of a foreigner” (Proverbs 5:10).
– Sexual sin is costly; it siphons resources that could bless family, church, and the needy.
• Emotional and spiritual erosion
– “Do not give your strength to women, or your ways to those who destroy kings” (Proverbs 31:3).
– 1 Corinthians 6:18 urges believers to “flee from sexual immorality,” highlighting that unchecked desire empties the soul of resolve and joy.
• Loss of testimony and purpose
– Samson’s decline in Judges 16 shows how misplaced desire neutralizes God-given strength and influence.
– When purity is surrendered, credibility suffers, and opportunities for kingdom impact shrink.
The verse continues, “and your years to one who is cruel,” describing the long-term consequences of entanglement with an unprincipled partner.
• A life consumed by exploitation
– “For the prostitute reduces you to a loaf of bread, and the adulteress preys upon your precious life” (Proverbs 6:26).
– Relationships outside God’s design often end with one party using the other’s time, resources, and health without mercy.
• Shortened longevity and lingering regret
– Proverbs 2:19 warns that none who go to the seductress “regain the paths of life.”
– Stress, disease, and guilt can literally cut life short, turning years that could have been fruitful into seasons of anguish.
• Divine discipline and earthly fallout
– “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, he will reap in return” (Galatians 6:7).
– The cruelty ultimately links back to sin’s own harsh master, as choices outside God’s will invite both temporal and eternal consequences.
Proverbs 5:9 is a gracious, loving warning: guard your strength and the prime years of your life by walking in purity. Sexual sin appears thrilling but ends up robbing vigor, squandering years, and placing one under cruel bondage. God’s design protects vitality and ensures that our days and strength remain instruments for His glory and for the blessing of those we love.
(9) Thine honour.--Rather, freshness, vigour.Thy years.--The best years of thy life.
Unto the cruel.--That is the temptress herself, or her hangers-on and associates, whose sole idea is plunder.
Verse 9. - The reasons why the harlot is to be avoided follow in rapid succession. Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel. The word rendered "honour" (Hebrew, hod) is not so much reputation, as the English implies, as "the grace and freshness of youth." It is so used in Hosea 14:6; Daniel 10:8. The Vulgate renders "honour," and the LXX., ζώη, "life." Hod is derived from the Arabic word signifying "to lift one's self up," and then "to be eminent, beautiful." Thy years; i.e. the best and most vigorous, and hence the most useful and valuable, years of life. Unto the cruel (Hebrew, l'ak'zari); literally, to the cruel one; but the adjective akzari is only found in the singular, and may be here used in a collective sense as designating the entourage of the harlot, her associates who prey pitilessly on the youth whom they bring within the range of her fascinations. So Delitzsch. It seems to be so understood by the LXX., which reads ἀνελεήμοσιν, immitentibus; but not so by the Vulgate, which adheres to the singular, crudeli. If we adhere to the gender of the adjective akzari, which is masculine, and to its number, it may designate the husband of the adulteress, who will deal mercilessly towards the paramour of his wife. So Zockler. Again, it may refer, notwithstanding the gender, to the harlot herself (so Vatablus and Holden). who is cruel, who has no love for the youth, and would see him perish without pity. The explanation of Stuart and others, including Ewald, that the "cruel one" is the purchaser of the punished adulterer, is without foundation or warrant, since there is no historical instance on record where the adulterer was reduced to slavery, and the punishment inflicted by the Mosaic code was not slavery, but death (Numbers 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22), and, as it appears from Ezekiel 16:40 and John 8:5, death from stoning. The adjective akzari, like its equivalent akzar, is derived from the verb kazar, "to break," and occurs again in Proverbs 11:17; Proverbs 12:10; Proverbs 17:11. The moral of the warning is a wasted life.