Proverbs 5:13 (KJV)

What does Proverbs 5:13 mean?

Proverbs 5:13 gives the words of a person who recognizes too late that he failed to follow the guidance of those who taught him. His words are part of an imagined expression of regret, presented as a warning about the cost of ignoring instruction.

The picture of not inclining, or turning, one’s ear suggests refusing to give someone’s words attention. After the complaint about hating instruction in verse 12, verse 13 makes the regret personal: the speaker recalls the people whose voices he failed to heed.

The Hebrew behind Proverbs 5:13

• “obeyed” — שָׁמַע (shamaʿ): This word can mean “hear” or “listen,” as well as “obey.” Here it joins hearing a teacher’s voice with responding to what that teacher says.
• “inclined” — נָטָה (natah): This word often carries the sense of stretching out or turning. With “ear,” it gives a physical picture of directing one’s attention toward someone.

Why Proverbs 5:13 matters

• The speaker’s regret includes personal responsibility. The words “I have not obeyed” put the failure in his own mouth, rather than making the teachers responsible for his choices.
• The verse connects that failure with the consequences described around it. In Proverbs 5, the father’s warning concerns a seductive woman and the loss and distress that can follow giving in to her invitation.
• “Teachers” and “them that instructed me” suggest that the speaker had more than one source of guidance. His complaint looks back on instruction available to him before his present trouble.