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Read the Bible

Christian Standard Bible ®

Proverbs 30:20

This is the way of an adulteress:she eats and wipes her mouthand says, “I’ve done nothing wrong.”

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Adultery;   Conscience;   Lasciviousness;   Riddle;   Sin;   The Topic Concordance - Adultery;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Proverb, the Book of;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Pardon;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Joseph;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Mouth;   Proverbs, Book of;   Song of Solomon;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Agur;   Jakeh;   Massa;   Proverb;   Proverbs, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Propitiation;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Wickedness;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Euphemism;   Sheol;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
So is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, And says, 'I have done nothing wrong.'
King James Version
Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.
English Standard Version
This is the way of an adulteress: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, "I have done no wrong."
New American Standard Bible
This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, And says, "I have done no wrong."
New Century Version
"This is the way of a woman who takes part in adultery: She acts as if she had eaten and washed her face; she says, ‘I haven't done anything wrong.'
Amplified Bible
This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth And says, "I have done no wrong."
World English Bible
So is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, And says, 'I have done nothing wrong.'
Geneva Bible (1587)
Such is ye way also of an adulterous woman: she eateth and wipeth her mouth, and sayth, I haue not committed iniquitie.
Legacy Standard Bible
This is the way of an adulterous woman:She eats and wipes her mouth,And says, "I have done no wrong."
Berean Standard Bible
This is the way of an adulteress: She eats and wipes her mouth and says, "I have done no wrong."
Contemporary English Version
An unfaithful wife says, "Sleeping with another man is as natural as eating."
Complete Jewish Bible
This is how an unfaithful wife behaves: she eats, wipes her mouth, and says, "I did nothing wrong."
Darby Translation
Such is the way of an adulterous woman: she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.
Easy-to-Read Version
A woman who is not faithful to her husband acts innocent. She eats, wipes her mouth, and says she has done nothing wrong.
George Lamsa Translation
Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eats, and wipes her mouth, and says, I have done no evil.
Good News Translation
This is how an unfaithful wife acts: she commits adultery, takes a bath, and says, "But I haven't done anything wrong!"
Lexham English Bible
This is the way of a woman committing adultery: she eats and wipes her mouth, and says "I have not done wrong."
Literal Translation
So is the way of an adulterous woman: she eats, and wipes her mouth, and says, I have done no evil.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Soch is the waye also of a wyfe yt breaketh wedlocke, which wypeth hir mouth like as wha she hath eate, & sayeth: As for me, I haue done no harme.
American Standard Version
So is the way of an adulterous woman; She eateth, and wipeth her mouth, And saith, I have done no wickedness.
Bible in Basic English
This is the way of a false wife; she takes food, and, cleaning her mouth, says, I have done no wrong.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
So is the way of an adulterous woman; {P}
King James Version (1611)
Such is the way of an adulterous woman: she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I haue done no wickednesse.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Such is the way also of a wyfe that breaketh wedlocke, which wypeth her mouth [lyke as] when she hath eaten, and sayth, as for me I haue done no wickednesse.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
A man worthy of credit shall be much blessed: but the wicked shall not be unpunished.
English Revised Version
So is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Siche is the weie of a womman auowtresse, which etith, and wipith hir mouth, and seith, Y wrouyte not yuel.
Update Bible Version
So is the way of an adulterous woman; She eats, and wipes her mouth, And says, I have done no wickedness.
Webster's Bible Translation
Such [is] the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.
New English Translation
This is the way of an adulterous woman: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, "I have not done wrong."
New King James Version
This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, And says, "I have done no wickedness."
New Living Translation
An adulterous woman consumes a man, then wipes her mouth and says, "What's wrong with that?"
New Life Bible
This is the way of a woman who is not faithful in marriage: She eats and washes her mouth, and says, "I have done no wrong."
New Revised Standard
This is the way of an adulteress: she eats, and wipes her mouth, and says, "I have done no wrong."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So, is the way of a woman committing adultery, - she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no iniquity!
Douay-Rheims Bible
Such also is the way of an adulterous woman, who eateth and wipeth her mouth, and saith: I have done no evil.
Revised Standard Version
This is the way of an adulteress: she eats, and wipes her mouth, and says, "I have done no wrong."
Young's Literal Translation
So -- the way of an adulterous woman, She hath eaten and hath wiped her mouth, And hath said, `I have not done iniquity.'
THE MESSAGE
Here's how a prostitute operates: she has sex with her client, Takes a bath, then asks, "Who's next?"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, And says, "I have done no wrong."

Contextual Overview

18Three things are too wondrous for me;four I can’t understand: 19the way of an eagle in the sky,the way of a snake on a rock,the way of a ship at sea,and the way of a man with a young woman. 20This is the way of an adulteress:she eats and wipes her mouthand says, “I’ve done nothing wrong.”21The earth trembles under three things;it cannot bear up under four: 22a servant when he becomes king,a fool when he is stuffed with food, 23an unloved woman when she marries,and a servant girl when she ousts her queen.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Proverbs 7:13-23, Numbers 5:11-30

Reciprocal: Genesis 16:4 - her mistress Genesis 37:25 - they sat Numbers 5:13 - General 2 Samuel 11:4 - she was 2 Kings 5:25 - stood before Psalms 32:5 - have Proverbs 9:17 - eaten in secret Proverbs 14:9 - Fools Jeremiah 2:23 - How canst Hosea 12:8 - they Malachi 2:14 - Wherefore Matthew 26:25 - Judas

Cross-References

Genesis 29:34
She conceived again, gave birth to a son, and said, “At last, my husband will become attached to me because I have borne three sons for him.” Therefore he was named Levi.
Genesis 30:15
But Leah replied to her, “Isn’t it enough that you have taken my husband? Now you also want to take my son’s mandrakes?”
Genesis 35:23
Leah’s sons were Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn),
Genesis 46:14
Zebulun’s sons: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
Genesis 49:13
Zebulun will live by the seashoreand will be a harbor for ships,and his territory will be next to Sidon.
Judges 4:10
Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; ten thousand men followed him, and Deborah also went with him.
Judges 5:14
Those with their roots in Amalek came from Ephraim;Benjamin came with your people after you.The leaders came down from Machir,and those who carry a marshal’s staff came from Zebulun.
Psalms 68:27
There is Benjamin, the youngest, leading them,the rulers of Judah in their assembly,the rulers of Zebulun, the rulers of Naphtali.
Matthew 4:13
He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Such [is] the way of an adulterous woman,.... It is equally unknown as the way of a man with a maid; it is difficult to detect her, she takes so much care and caution, and uses so many artful methods to conceal her wickedness from her husband; though she lives in adultery, it is in a most private manner, and carried on so secretly and artfully that she is not easily discovered;

she eateth, and wipeth her mouth; like one that eats what he should not, wipes his mouth that it might not be known or suspected he had ate anything; so such an adulteress commits the sin of adultery; and when she has done looks as grave and demure, and carries it so to her husband and all her friends, as if she was the chastest person upon earth. The allusion may be to harlots, who after an impure congress used to wash themselves a, and had servants to wait upon them and serve them with water, called from hence "aquarioli" b;

and saith, I have done no wickedness; she says by her behaviour, by her demure looks; and if suspected and challenged with it utterly denies it. This is an emblem of the antichristian whore of Rome, who, though the mother of harlots, and abominations of the earth; though guilty of the foulest adultery, that is, the grossest idolatry, yet pretends to be the pure and chaste spouse of Christ; and, under the guise of purity and holiness, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness, seduces the minds of many; see Revelation 17:1.

a "Dedecus hoc sumpta dissimulavit aqua", Ovid. Amor. l. 3. Eleg. 6. in fine. b Tertull. Apolog. c. 43. Vid. Turnebi Adversar. l. 14. c. 12.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Another enigma. The four things of Proverbs 30:16 agreed in the common point of insatiableness; the four now mentioned agree in this, that they leave no trace behind them.

Proverbs 30:19

The way of a man with a maid - The act of sin leaves no outward mark upon the sinners.


 
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