“Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?” (Prov 6:27, NIV).
The context of this verse is to be found earlier: “My son, keep your father’s command and do not forsake your mother’s teaching… For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life, keeping you from your neighbor’s wife, from the smooth talk of a wayward woman” (Prov 26: 20-24). It shows the way to avoid the temptations of immoral women, the attractions of a wayward wife, and/or the prostitute is to follow the teaching of your parents. To follow their instructions is the way to observe true Godly morality, and the passage warns against the temptations with playing with the fire of passion.
The “lap” (“bosom”: KJV) of verse 27 (Hebrew “cheq”) is the place in which one holds or cradles a loved one, the center of affection. The ESV puts it “next to his chest.”
There is an elaborate three-part pun in this verse, one part being implied. This is very common in the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament: it has been estimated there are at least 300 deliberate “puns”, or more properly word plays, in the Hebrew of Isaiah alone.
The Hebrew for man here is “iysh”, and for “fire” it is “esh”. In fact the two Hebrew
words for man (XיVj ) and fire (XV) are adjacent in the text, and differ only in the vowel pointing. Then there is the implied part, since this word does not occur in this verse: the Hebrew for woman is “ishah”. This pun provides the opportunity for an interesting example of rabbinical teaching by clever word-play. According to the NET Notes, “A passage like this probably inspired Rabbi Gamaliel’s little explanation that what binds a man and a woman together in a holy marriage is Y (yod) and H (he), the two main letters of the holy name Yah. But if the Lord is removed from the relationship, that is, if these two letters are removed, all that is left is the ‘esh’ — the fire of passion. Since Gamaliel was the teacher of Paul, this may have influenced Paul’s advice that it was better to marry than to burn [1Cor 7:9].”
A bit more clarification may be helpful here, for the most of you who are not altogether familiar with the Hebrew. If the “yod” were removed, the “man” (Hebrew “iysh”) would become the Hebrew word “esh”, or “fire”. And if the Hebrew letter “he” were removed, the “woman” (Hebrew “ishah”) would become the same Hebrew word “esh”, or “fire”.
The marital sexual relationship finds its true meaning and purpose in being centered upon the love of the Lord, Yahweh. But if this is not the case, then, the rabbis would say, there is nothing left but “fire”. Perhaps even fire twice over:
- for the man and woman now, only the “fire” of a consuming lust or passion, and
- for them later, only the “fire” of eternal destruction.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One