Proverbs 22:14 (DBY)

Passage

The mouth of strange women is a deep ditch: he with whom Jehovah is displeased shall fall therein.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 22:12 The eyes of Jehovah preserve knowledge; but he overthroweth the words of the unfaithful.

Proverbs 22:13 The sluggard saith, There is a lion without, I shall be killed in the streets!

Proverbs 22:14 The mouth of strange women is a deep ditch: he with whom Jehovah is displeased shall fall therein.

Proverbs 22:15 Folly is bound in the heart of a child; the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.

Proverbs 22:16 He that oppresseth the poor, it is to enrich him; he that giveth to the rich, [bringeth] only to want.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "mouth", "strange", "women", "deep", "ditch", "jehovah", "displeased", and "shall". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "mouth" and "strange", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "The sluggard saith There is a lion..." into verse 15's "Folly is bound in the heart of...", so "mouth" and "strange" belong inside that flow. In Proverbs context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "mouth" and "strange" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.