7:8

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

8a
crossing the street near her corner,

8b
strolling down the road to her house

7:8a–b

This verse focuses on what the unthinking youth did. There is no mention in this or the following verses of his companions. It is implied that he left them and is now walking along by himself.

crossing…strolling down: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as crossing is a general word that means “passing along” (New Revised Standard Version) or “going along” (New Jerusalem Bible). The parallel term, strolling down, is more specific in Hebrew. It means “striding” or “marching.” Together, these two terms indicate that the young man was walking along the street, heading toward the woman’s house.

the street near her corner…the road to her house: These two phrases describe the young man’s location. They indicate that he was near the corner or intersection where the woman’s house was located.

her: The pronoun her must refer to the woman described in 7:10, since the last reference to a woman (7:5) described adulteress women in general, not a particular woman. In many languages, a pronoun cannot be used until the noun to which it refers has been introduced. If this is true in your language, you may want to introduce the woman here in 7:8. For example:

He was walking along the street near the corner where a certain woman lived. (Good News Translation)

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