Verses 10-12 describe the mannerisms of the prostitute.

“And lo, a woman meets him”: “Lo” translates a Hebrew word that draws attention to what is about to be said as a new action or point of drama in the narrative. “Woman” is the general word and does not have any other sense than an adult female human. Translators should make it clear that this is the woman already mentioned in verse 8; Good News Translation does this by the pronoun “she.” The New Living Translation says “the woman.” “Meets him” means that she and the youth come together at the same place, either by chance or by arrangement, and probably the latter according to verse 8.

“Dressed as a harlot, wily of heart”: The Old Testament nowhere describes how prostitutes dressed. We know, for example, that Tamar wore a veil to catch Judah in Gen 38.14-19, but her veil was partly to prevent Judah from recognizing her. Contemporary English Version says “She was dressed fancy like a woman of the street.” New Living Translation says “dressed seductively.” Some others have “Her clothes showed that she was a prostitute.” Most modern versions, including Good News Translation, do not assume to know more than Revised Standard Version states.

“Wily of heart” is literally “guarded in heart,” an expression that may mean that she acts secretly in regard to her husband. Certainly she makes no secret of her intentions to the young man. New International Version says “with crafty intent.” Other translations say, “She followed her plan.” Some languages express such deceit as having “a double heart” or “a black liver.”

Some translations restructure this verse so that the actions of the woman are described in their proper sequence in time; for example, “This woman was dressed up like a prostitute and thinking of seducing the young man. So she went out to meet him.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .