Proverbs 9

Wisdom is personified as a hostess who builds her house, prepares a feast, and invites the simple to partake of her provisions, urging them to forsake foolishness and live. In contrast, Folly, a clamorous woman, entices passersby with promises of stolen pleasures, leading them unknowingly to death and the depths of hell. The chapter also contrasts the reception of reproof by a scorner versus a wise man, emphasizing that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.

Proverbs 9 opens with Wisdom personified, having built her house upon seven pillars and prepared a lavish feast of meat and mingled wine. She dispatches her maidens to invite the simple and those lacking understanding to come, eat of her bread, and drink of her wine, urging them to abandon foolishness and embrace the way of understanding for life. The text then distinguishes between reproving a scorner, which results in shame and hatred, and instructing a wise man, who will respond with love and grow in learning. It declares that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the holy is understanding, promising multiplied days for those who choose wisdom. Finally, Folly is introduced as a loud, ignorant woman who sits in high places, enticing passersby with the allure of "stolen waters" and "secret bread." However, those who accept her invitation are unaware that her guests are already in the depths of hell.

The ninth chapter of Proverbs vividly personifies Wisdom as a diligent hostess who has meticulously built her house, supported by seven pillars. She has prepared a bountiful feast, slaughtering her beasts and mingling her wine, setting her table for guests. Wisdom then sends forth her maidens to publicly call out from the city's highest places, inviting the simple and those who lack understanding to turn in and partake of her provisions. She urges them to "eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled," and to "forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding." This invitation promises life and true comprehension. The chapter then shifts to the reception of instruction, differentiating between a scorner and a wise man. It warns that reproving a scorner brings shame and hatred upon oneself, while rebuking a wise man elicits love and further wisdom. Giving instruction to a wise man only makes him wiser, and teaching a just man increases his learning. A foundational principle is then declared: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding." This wisdom is presented as the source of a long and prosperous life, stating, "For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased." The text concludes this section by emphasizing personal responsibility: "If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it." In stark contrast, the chapter introduces Folly, also personified as a clamorous, simple woman who knows nothing. She sits at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city, much like Wisdom, but with a deceptive purpose. Folly calls out to those who are going about their ways, specifically targeting the simple and those who lack understanding, using an enticing but false promise: "Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant." However, the dire consequence of yielding to Folly's invitation is revealed: her guests are unknowingly in the company of the dead, in the very depths of hell.