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Proverbs 9

1

Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars:

2

She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table.

3

She hath sent forth her maidens: she crieth upon the highest places of the city,

4

Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,

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Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.

6

Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.

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7

He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot.

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Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.

9

Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.

10

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

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For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.

12

If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it.

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13

A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knoweth nothing.

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14

For she sitteth at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city,

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To call passengers who go right on their ways:

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Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,

1
17

Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.

18

But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell.

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Proverbs 9

Chapter 9 concludes the discourse section (chapters 1-9) by presenting two grand figures—Wisdom and Folly—each issuing invitations to a great feast, and making clear that the choice between them is not a subtle preference but a fundamental orientation toward life and death. Wisdom has built her house, set her table, prepared her feast, and sent out her servants to call the simple and foolish to come and eat her bread and drink her wine, learning to walk in the way of insight, an image suggesting that wisdom is not merely intellectual attainment but a communal practice and shared nourishment. Folly, on the other hand, sits at her door calling to passersby with stolen water and secret bread tasting sweet, creating an ironic parallel that reveals folly's essence: she offers excitement and transgression, not genuine nourishment, her way leads to Sheol, and those who accept her invitation become enslaved to death. The chapter reiterates core Proverbian themes: the fear of the LORD increases days while arrogance invites death; the righteous grow in wisdom while scorners and fools remain closed to instruction; correction and rebuke are marks of love and wisdom, not cruelty. As the transition between the discourse section and the aphoristic collections to follow, chapter 9 provides a final exhortation to choose Wisdom's way, to listen to instruction, and to recognize that every choice matters because it moves toward either life and blessing or foolishness and destruction.

Proverbs 9:1

Wisdoms banquet: The woman named Wisdom has built her house; she has set up its seven pillars. Wisdom actively constructs a household, complete and substantial. The seven pillars suggest completeness and strength. She has prepared a dwelling, a place of welcome. This contrasts with the adulteress who has no stable house. Wisdoms house is public, founded on permanence and order. The young person is invited not to a fleeting encounter but to a household established for the sake of community and shelter.

Proverbs 9:2

Preparation: She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table. Wisdom makes preparations with abundance: meat, wine, table. The feast is real and substantial. The abundance reflects divine generous care. She 'sets her table' in the public sphere, inviting all to come. This is genuine hospitality, not seduction. The meal indicates nourishment and genuine satisfaction, not the false pleasure the adulteress offers.

Proverbs 9:3

The invitation: She has sent out her maids, and she calls from the highest point of the city: The maids sent out indicate that Wisdom employs messengers to spread her invitation. She calls from the highest point of the city, the most public and visible place. Everyone can hear her call. This openness and visibility stand in sharp contrast to the hidden seduction of the adulteress. Wisdom wants everyone to know of her invitation.

Proverbs 9:4

Her call: Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of insight. Wisdom addresses the simple directly, calling them to abandon their simplicity and gain understanding. Leave your simple ways indicates a transformation: stop being naive, develop discernment. You will live promises that this transformation leads to life. Walk in the way of insight indicates the path that Wisdom offers. Her call is not to escape to some hidden realm but to join a transformed community characterized by understanding.

Proverbs 9:5

The alternative call: Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults; whoever rebukes the wicked incurs abuse. The text shifts to observe those who refuse Wisdoms call. To 'correct a mocker' (yakiach la letzi) is to meet scorn. The mocker rejects all correction, treating it with contempt. 'Incurs abuse' (yisa alav levon) indicates that the rebuker himself becomes the target. This verse indicates that the hardened fool cannot be reached through reason or correction. Those who attempt it waste breath.

Proverbs 9:6

Do not rebuke: Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you; rebuke the wise and they will love you. The wise person, by contrast, receives rebuke gratefully. To 'rebuke the wise' (yakiach chacham) results in love and gratitude. This contrast reveals the character difference: the fool hates those who correct him, while the wise person loves those who help him toward greater understanding. The wise person understands that correction is care. The fool sees it as attack.

Proverbs 9:7

Instruct the wise: Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning. Instruction offered to the already-wise yields multiplication. The wise person who receives teaching becomes still wiser. The righteous who are taught add to their learning. This reflects the principle that true understanding is inexhaustible; those who have it hunger for more. Investment in the wise yields dividends.

Proverbs 9:8

Fear of the LORD: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. This foundational verse appears again, affirming what was established in chapter 1. Fear of the LORD is the beginning, the first principle, the entry point into all true wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One (yada'at Qedoshim) indicates intimate acquaintance with Gods holiness and character. This knowledge is inseparable from fear, reverence, and awe before transcendent majesty. Without this fear, understanding remains shallow.

Proverbs 9:9

Length of days: For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life. The promise returns: through wisdom, longevity is achieved. Years will be added indicates that wisdoms pursuit yields the fundamental good of extended life. This is not mere years but years lived with understanding, purpose, and flourishing. The promise appeals to the human desire to live fully and long.

Proverbs 9:10

Lady Folly appears: The woman named Folly is loud; she is undisciplined and without knowledge. Having introduced Wisdoms banquet, the text now presents Folly as a counter-figure. Folly is loud (qalet), undisciplined (lo yada'at), and without knowledge. She is the inverse of Wisdom. Where Wisdom is ordered and thoughtful, Folly is chaotic and unreflective. The young person now faces two women, two invitations, two paths.

Proverbs 9:11

Follys call: She sits at the door of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city, calling out to passersby, who go straight on their way. Folly positions herself at the city's public places, parallel to Wisdom's position. She 'calls out to passersby' (l'oberim derekh), attempting to intercept those walking their paths. The description 'go straight on their way' suggests that those with genuine purpose can pass by, but the vulnerable, the undecided, the undisciplined are likely to turn aside.

Proverbs 9:12

Her enticement: Come, eat my stolen food; drink the water I have stolen. But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are deep in the realm of the dead. Follys invitation is to stolen food and stolen water, immediately revealing that her pleasures are ill-gotten. The consequence is hidden from initial view: her guests end up among the dead, in the realm of the dead. This suggests that those who follow Folly think they are alive but are actually moving toward death, into Sheol. The deception is profound: Folly masks death as life.

Proverbs 9:13

A final return: All the proverbs of Solomon. There follows a shift in style and subject matter. Where chapters 1-9 consist of extended discourses on two competing paths, chapters 10-29 (with some variations) present shorter, pithy proverbs. The transition indicates a new section of the wisdom tradition. Individual aphorisms now offer practical wisdom on diverse subjects.

Proverbs 9:14

She is sitting at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the town—the foolish woman's public positioning for seduction, paralleling the wise woman's invitation of chapter 1 but perverted toward destruction. The

Proverbs 9:15

She calls to those passing by, who are going straight on their way—the foolish woman's active recruitment of travelers, specifically those on the right path, whom she seeks to seduce into deviation. The emphasis on calling those who are already on the straight path suggests that Folly's primary prey is those with some commitment to right living, whom she tempts away through seduction and deception. Her public calling in the high places parallels Wisdom's invitation but is directed toward disruption of the righteous path. This verse illustrates that the battle between Wisdom and Folly is not merely abstract but involves constant recruitment and competition for allegiance.

Proverbs 9:16

Whoever is simple, let him turn in here; and to those without sense she says—the foolish woman's explicit appeal to the naive and undiscerning, offering them a way of life. The identification of her prey as the

Proverbs 9:17

Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant—the foolish woman's promise that transgression produces a particular pleasure unavailable through legitimate means. This verse captures the essential lie of Folly: that rule-breaking produces superior pleasure to obedience, that secrecy adds savor to transgression. The imagery of stolen water and secret bread appeals to a fantasy of enhanced enjoyment through violation of boundaries, promising that what is forbidden is superior to what is lawful. This verse reveals the psychological mechanism of Folly's seduction: she promises not merely freedom but superior satisfaction, making transgression seem wiser and more satisfying than obedience.

Proverbs 9:18

But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol—the revelation that the foolish woman's dwelling is actually inhabited by the dead and leads to the underworld. This final image inverts the promise of verses 16-17, revealing that Folly's guests are dead rather than happily living, and that her invitation leads downward rather than forward. The stark juxtaposition between Folly's seductive promises and the actual fate of her followers exemplifies Wisdom's function to unveil reality concealed by false promises. This verse closes the invitations of chapter 9 by revealing that apparent choice between equals (Wisdom and Folly) is actually choice between life and death.