Wisdom explains the tragedy: 'Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD.' The root cause is revealed: fundamental orientation against knowledge and against covenant reverence. To 'hate knowledge' (sane'u da'at) is not mere ignorance but active rejection, a disposition of will. The parallel 'did not choose the fear of the LORD' indicates that the core issue is theological: refusal to orient one's life toward Yahweh's sovereignty and moral order. 'Fear of the LORD' is not fearfulness but awe-filled reverence, the foundational posture from which all true wisdom flows. To refuse this fear is to refuse the very ground of human flourishing. This verse locates the fool's destruction in his theological rebellion, his refusal to acknowledge God's rightful authority. It indicates that practical foolishness (poor financial decisions, moral lapses) flows from deeper theological refusal.

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