EGW → Biblical Foundation
Select an Ellen White book from the sidebar to see each passage mapped to the Bible verses it amplifies, cites, or echoes.
Scripture Index
Ellen White & Bible Cross-Reference
Proverbs 5:10
"Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;"
"The Bible tells of men who “professing themselves to be wise” “became fools” ( Romans 1:22 ); and this is the history of the young man of the parable. The wealth which he has selfishly claimed from his father he squanders upon harlots. The treasure of his young manhood is wasted. The precious years of life, the strength of intellect, the bright visions of youth, the spiritual aspirations—all are consumed in the fires of lust. COL 199.3"
Both passages deal with the squandering of resources, although Proverbs 5:10 focuses on wealth and EGW applies it to the squandering of youth and intellect. The connection is thematic but not direct.
Proverbs 5:11
"And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,"
"In ninety-nine cases out of one hundred the cause, searched out and revealed to you, would open your understanding to see that it was not the taxation of study alone that was doing the work of injury to your children, but that their own wrong habits were sapping the brain and the entire body of its vital energy. The nervous system has become shattered by being often excited, and thus has been laid the foundation for premature and certain decay. Solitary vice is killing thousands and tens of thousands. 4T 97.1"
Both passages discuss the consequences of destructive habits on the body, leading to decay and suffering. The Proverbs verse speaks of the eventual mourning when the body is consumed, while EGW specifically mentions 'solitary vice' as a cause.
Proverbs 5:21
"For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings."
"“The ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He pondereth all his goings.” Proverbs 5:21 . MH 433.5"
Ellen White directly references Proverbs 5:21 in this passage.
Proverbs 5:22
"His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins."
"“His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, And he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.” Proverbs 30:5, 6 ; 5:22 . MH 429.2"
The EGW passage directly quotes Proverbs 5:22, making it a clear and undeniable explicit allusion.
"Even one wrong trait of character, one sinful desire, persistently cherished, will eventually neutralize all the power of the gospel. Every sinful indulgence strengthens the soul's aversion to God. The man who manifests an infidel hardihood, or a stolid indifference to divine truth, is but reaping the harvest of that which he has himself sown. In all the Bible there is not a more fearful warning against trifling with evil than the words of the wise man that the sinner “shall be holden with the cords of his sins.” Proverbs 5:22 . SC 34.1"
Ellen White directly references Proverbs 5:22 in this passage.
"It should be made plain that the government of God knows no compromise with evil. Neither in the home nor in the school should disobedience be tolerated. No parent or teacher who has at heart the well-being of those under his care will compromise with the stubborn self-will that defies authority or resorts to subterfuge or evasion in order to escape obedience. It is not love but sentimentalism that palters with wrongdoing, seeks by coaxing or bribes to secure compliance, and finally accepts some substitute in place of the thing required. Ed 290.4 “Fools make a mock at sin.” Proverbs 14:9 . We should beware of treating sin as a light thing. Terrible is its power over the wrongdoer. “His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.” Proverbs 5:22 . The greatest wrong done to a child or youth is to allow him to become fastened in the bondage of evil habit. Ed 291.1"
Ellen White directly references Proverbs 5:22 in this passage.
"who has boasted of his liberty, now finds himself a slave. He is in the worst of bondage—“holden with the cords of his sins.” ( Proverbs 5:22 .) The glitter and tinsel that enticed him have disappeared, and he feels the burden of his chain. Sitting upon the ground in that desolate and famine-stricken land, with no companions but the swine, he is fain to fill himself with the husks on which the beasts are fed. Of the gay companions who flocked about him in his prosperous days and ate and drank at his expense, there is not one left to befriend him. Where now is his riotous joy? Stilling his conscience, benumbing his sensibilities, he thought himself happy; but now, with money spent, with hunger unsatisfied, with pride humbled, with his moral nature dwarfed, with his will weak and untrustworthy, with his finer feelings seemingly dead, he is the most wretched of mortals. COL 200.1"
Ellen White directly references Proverbs 5:22 in this passage.
"Remorse came too late. When he would have sacrificed wealth and pleasure to regain his lost manhood, he had become helpless in the grasp of the evil one. He had placed himself on the enemy's ground, and Satan had taken possession of all his faculties. The tempter had allured him with many charming presentations; but when once the wretched man was in his power, the fiend became relentless in his cruelty, and terrible in his angry visitations. So it will be with all who yield to evil; the fascinating pleasure of their early career ends in the darkness of despair or the madness of a ruined soul. DA 256.4"
Both passages describe how sin/evil can ensnare a person, leading to negative consequences. The EGW passage elaborates on the process and the ultimate despair, while Proverbs 5:22 provides a concise statement of the principle. The connection is strong and meaningful.
"Of all the families I am acquainted with, none need the benefit of the health reform more than yours. You groan under pains and prostrations which you cannot account for, and you try to submit with as good a grace as you can, thinking affliction is your lot and Providence has thus ordained it. If you could have your eyes opened and could see the steps taken in your lifetime to walk right into your present condition of poor health you would be astonished at your blindness in not seeing the real state of the case before. You have created unnatural appetites, and do not derive half that enjoyment from your food which you would if you had not used your appetites wrongfully. You have perverted nature, and have been suffering the consequences, and painful has it been. 2T 69.1"
The idea of being trapped by one's own sins and suffering the consequences of poor choices is a clear parallel between the EGW passage and Proverbs 5:22.