Proverbs 7:7

“I saw among the inexperienced, I noticed among the youths, a young man lacking sense.” HCSB

‭‭Solomon first notices the man when he is part of a group.  Again from the GNT:

“I saw many inexperienced young men, but noticed one foolish fellow in particular.”

‭‭Two things stand out here:

1. His ‘buddies’ are young and inexperienced. They are not a source of wisdom. (Proverbs 13:20) “He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will suffer harm.”

‭‭2. His ‘buddies’ may not be wise and are likely foolish, but there can be some safety in numbers.  He leaves that safety and proceeds by himself, all alone, into a setting where he is truly vulnerable. 

Maybe he is a risk taker. Maybe he was provoked. Clearly he lacked sense. 

This same Solomon wrote: 

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.” Ecclesiastes‬ ‭4:9-10‬ ‭

There are multiple reasons that two are better than one and here the man would have avoided a one on one encounter with the woman if he was with someone else.