Proverbs 6:28 Meaning and Explanation
“Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Walking into adultery inevitably causes pain and injury, just as walking on hot coals burns the feet.
The Context of Proverbs 6:28
The inevitability of consequences is driven home through paired rhetorical questions.
What Does Proverbs 6:28 Mean?
This second rhetorical question reinforces the first with another image of inevitable harm. Walking on hot coals will burn the feet—there is no way to walk on fire without injury. Similarly, there is no way to commit adultery without harm coming to you. The consequences are as certain as the physics of fire and flesh.
The two questions together (fire in the bosom, walking on hot coals) create a comprehensive picture: adultery is destructive whether viewed as something held internally or walked into externally. The harm is inescapable and inevitable.
Proverbs 6:28 in the Original Language
gehalim (גְחָלִים), 'hot coals'—burning coals of fire; represents inevitable injury from wickedness.
Frequently Asked Questions About Proverbs 6:28
What does Proverbs 6:28 mean?
Walking into adultery inevitably causes pain and injury, just as walking on hot coals burns the feet.
What is the context of Proverbs 6:28?
The inevitability of consequences is driven home through paired rhetorical questions.