Proverbs 7:31 is a reference that appears in search queries with some regularity, but it does not exist in the Bible. Proverbs chapter 7 contains exactly 27 verses. If you arrived here looking for that citation, you may have encountered a misquote, a typo, or a verse reference pulled from an unreliable source. This article explains what Proverbs 7 actually says, where it ends, and how to locate the ideas you may have been searching for.
Proverbs 7 Ends at Verse 27
This is worth stating plainly before going further. The Book of Proverbs chapter 7 runs from verse 1 to verse 27. There is no verse 31. No verse 28, 29, or 30 either. The chapter closes with a somber warning in verse 27: “Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death.”
Anyone citing “Proverbs 7:31” is working from an error. That error may be innocent, a misremembered reference or a citation chain where someone added digits without checking, but the verse simply does not exist in any major translation. [Link: how to verify Bible verse references]
What Proverbs 7 Actually Contains
The chapter belongs to the first major section of Proverbs, a collection of a father’s extended instruction to his son. Chapters 1 through 9 form a sustained argument for wisdom and against folly, using extended poems and vivid narratives rather than the short proverbs the book is better known for.
Chapter 7 in particular is structured as a scene observed from a window. The father describes watching a young man walk through a street at dusk, into the neighborhood of a woman whose husband is away. The description is detailed, almost novelistic for a wisdom text: the woman wears the attire of a prostitute, she is loud and wayward, her feet do not stay at home. She seizes the young man, kisses him, speaks persuasively about the bed she has prepared, the perfumes, the absence of her husband.
The young man follows her, and the text compares him to an ox going to slaughter.
The Closing Verses: 24 Through 27
The chapter ends with the father drawing his moral from the scene. These are the verses most likely to be misremembered as extending further than they do:
- Verse 24: “And now, O sons, listen to me, and be attentive to the words of my mouth.”
- Verse 25: “Let not your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths.”
- Verse 26: “For many a victim has she laid low, and all her slain are a mighty throng.”
- Verse 27: “Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death.”
That is where the chapter ends. The instruction is complete at verse 27. [Link: read Proverbs 7 in full]
Why People Search for Proverbs 7:31
A few patterns explain this search behavior.
Misattributed quotes online. Social media accounts that post inspirational or cautionary Bible content sometimes attach verse references that are wrong. A quote lifted from Proverbs 5, 6, or the broader Proverbs 7 passage gets attributed to “Proverbs 7:31” and then circulates widely before anyone checks.
Confusion with other chapters. Proverbs 31 is one of the most widely cited chapters in the book, describing the capable wife. Someone combining “Proverbs 7” and “Proverbs 31” in memory could easily produce a false reference like “Proverbs 7:31.”
Misread citations in sermons or articles. Verse references in print or online are easy to misread. A citation of Proverbs 7:21 (she persuades him with her smooth talk) could become 7:31 through a simple scanning error.
Verses That May Match What You Were Looking For
If you came to this article with a specific idea in mind, these passages may be what you were actually seeking:
Proverbs 7:21: “With much seductive speech she persuades him; with her smooth talk she compels him.” This verse describes the specific moment of persuasion in the narrative, and it is frequently cited in discussions of manipulation and deception.
Proverbs 7:26: “For many a victim has she laid low, and all her slain are a mighty throng.” This verse emphasizes the scale of the danger, that the pattern being described is not rare or unique. The teacher is not describing one unfortunate young man but a recurring tragedy.
Proverbs 7:27: The final verse. “Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death.” The Hebrew word Sheol refers to the realm of the dead, and the verse functions as a final, unambiguous statement about where this path leads.
Proverbs 5:3-6: A parallel passage in the previous chapter covers similar ground with its own emphasis. “For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.” [Link: Proverbs 5 commentary and context]
Proverbs 6:26-29: Another passage warning about the cost of adultery, using concrete and economic imagery alongside the spiritual consequences.
How to Verify a Bible Verse Reference
When a verse reference seems unusual or you cannot locate it, a few steps help quickly:
- Open a reliable Bible text and navigate directly to the chapter. Count or check the total verse count. Most chapters in Proverbs run between 20 and 35 verses, but the actual number matters.
- Search the suspected quote in a Bible concordance or search tool. If the words exist in scripture, the concordance will surface the correct reference.
- Check whether the content attributed to the verse appears in adjacent chapters. Themes in Proverbs repeat across multiple chapters, and a reference may be slightly off while still pointing to real content.
- Look at the context of where you encountered the citation. Accounts or websites that frequently misattribute verses are worth treating with caution going forward.
[Link: how to use a Bible concordance]
Reading Proverbs 7 in Context
The chapter sits within a larger pedagogical structure. The father’s instruction across chapters 1 through 9 is not simply about sexual behavior, though