Can he walk on hot coals and not blister his feet?
Parallel translations
- WEB Or can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be scorched?
- KJV Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?
- BSB Can a man walk on hot coals without scorching his feet?
- NKJV Can one walk on hot coals, And his feet not be seared?
- NASB Or can a person walk on hot coals And his feet not be scorched?
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
You cannot walk on hot coals without scorching your feet. Sin's consequences are unavoidable.
Overview
A second vivid image reinforces the first: contact with burning coals inevitably burns. The repetition drives home that adultery cannot be indulged without injury. Such proverbs strip away the illusion that sexual sin can be enjoyed without cost.
Cross-references & the web
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Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 6:28 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.