Proverbs 9

Proverbs 9 contrasts two invitations: wisdom and folly, both portrayed as women inviting people to their respective houses. Wisdom offers life and understanding, while folly leads to death and destruction. The chapter emphasizes the importance of choosing wisdom, offering instruction and correction to those who seek it, and warning against the deceptive appeal of foolishness.

Proverbs 9:1-3 (NKJV)
1 Wisdom has built her house,
She has hewn out her seven pillars;
2 She has slaughtered her meat,
She has mixed her wine,
She has also furnished her table.
3 She has sent out her maidens,
She cries out from the highest places of the city.

Wisdom is portrayed as a hostess who prepares a great feast. Her house is well-constructed, symbolized by the seven pillars, which represent completeness and stability. She offers a well-prepared meal, indicating the richness of the wisdom she imparts. By sending out maidens and calling from the high places, wisdom makes her offer public, inviting all who desire to come and partake in what she offers.

Proverbs 9:4-6 (NKJV)
4 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him,
5 “Come, eat of my bread
And drink of the wine I have mixed.
6 Forsake foolishness and live,
And go in the way of understanding.”

Wisdom calls out to the simple, those lacking understanding, offering them a way to become wise. She invites them to partake of her bread and wine, representing the nourishing and life-giving nature of wisdom. To accept wisdom’s invitation, one must leave behind foolishness, which leads to destruction, and instead choose the path of understanding that leads to life.

Proverbs 9:7-9 (NKJV)
7 “He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself,
And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.
8 Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you;
Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.”

These verses contrast the responses of the wicked and the wise to correction. The scoffer resents correction and lashes out, making it futile to rebuke them. On the other hand, a wise person welcomes correction, appreciates it, and grows even wiser. The passage highlights the difference in attitudes between those who are teachable and those who are hardened in their foolishness.

Proverbs 9:10-12 (NKJV)
10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 For by me your days will be multiplied,
And years of life will be added to you.
12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,
And if you scoff, you will bear it alone.”

True wisdom begins with reverence for the Lord, recognizing His authority and submitting to His instruction. Knowing God is the foundation of understanding. Wisdom brings benefits, including long life and personal growth. In contrast, scoffing and rejecting wisdom leads to personal ruin. Each person is responsible for their choice to pursue wisdom or folly.

Proverbs 9:13-15 (NKJV)
13 A foolish woman is clamorous;
She is simple, and knows nothing.
14 For she sits at the door of her house,
On a seat by the highest places of the city,
15 To call to those who pass by,
Who go straight on their way.

Folly is personified as a loud, ignorant woman, making her appeal to those passing by. Unlike wisdom, who prepares a feast and offers true nourishment, folly offers nothing of substance. Her call is meant to distract those who are on the right path, pulling them away from their pursuit of wisdom. Her loudness reflects the empty and deceptive nature of foolishness.

Proverbs 9:16-18 (NKJV)
16 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here”;
And as for him who lacks understanding, she says to him,
17 “Stolen water is sweet,
And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
18 But he does not know that the dead are there,
That her guests are in the depths of hell.

Like wisdom, folly also calls to the simple, but her appeal is based on deception. She entices people with the allure of forbidden pleasures, making sin seem sweet and desirable. However, those who follow her path are unaware that it leads to death and destruction. Her house is not a place of life and wisdom but a trap that leads to spiritual death, symbolized by the "depths of hell."