Proverbs 9:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: She sits at the door of her house; she takes a seat on the highest places of the town,

NIV: She sits at the door of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city,

NASB: She sits at the doorway of her house, On a seat by the high places of the city,

CSB: She sits by the doorway of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city,

NLT: She sits in her doorway on the heights overlooking the city.

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

NKJV: For she sits at the door of her house, On a seat by the highest places of the city,

The symbol of foolishness, imagined as a woman, Folly, is meant to be a mirror image of godly Wisdom (Proverbs 9:1–6). She sits at the door of her house waiting for some foolish man she can lure into ruin and destruction. While Wisdom's house was depicted as a noble estate, hosting a feast, the home of Folly is more likely to be something like a brothel (Proverbs 7:7–27). This is the kind of place that any man with common sense should know is dangerous.

However, Folly is not content to simply wait for a client. She aggressively searches for one. She goes through the town and sits like a queen on the town's highest places, where she can be easily seen and heard. It is not hard to find evil today; it displays itself prominently on TV, on the Internet, in our streets, in our back alleys and parks, in our schools, and even in our halls of government. Evil lures far too many people into illicit sex, drugs, smoking, crime, and excessive drinking. Scandal overtakes more than a few notable politicians and many celebrities. The embodiment of godless ignorance, Folly, is as active today as she was in the time of Solomon.

Proverbs 9:13–18 closes the chapter by describing Folly's call and the tragedy of succumbing to it. Solomon began this chapter of Proverbs with a call from a proverbial Lady Wisdom, for others to feast at her table. Between the two sections of this chapter, he presented two different responses to the call. A wise person responds positively, but a scoffer rejects the call. The depiction of Folly mirrors that of wisdom: making similar invitations, but with drastically different results. This parallels the evil temptations of the adulterous woman described earlier (Proverbs 7:7–27).

Wisdom is portrayed as a dignified woman who prepares a spacious house and feast. She invites those who are gullible and lacking judgment to improve their wisdom, by accepting her invitation. She urges invitees to abandon their simple ways and walk in the way of insight. Solomon then contrasts the attitudes of those who sincerely seek truth, compared to those who hate being corrected. The chapter ends with a description of Wisdom's mirror image: Folly. She is seductive and ignorant. She invites the gullible to enter her house, promising that immorality is enjoyable and pleasant. Sadly, those who are seduced do not realize her invitation leads to ruin and damnation.

In chapter 7, Solomon portrayed an evil woman (Proverbs 7:7–27). In chapter 8 he portrays wisdom as a refined lady who offers instruction to all who heed her call. Chapter 9 contrasts Lady Wisdom with the evil Woman Folly, who lures the foolish to their ruin. This extended warning about the dangers of rejecting God's wisdom leads into an extended collection of standalone proverbial comments, beginning in chapter 10.

Proverbs is best understood in context with the books of Ecclesiastes and Job. In Proverbs, “wisdom” is given in short, simple, general terms. Ecclesiastes represents wisdom based on observation and experience. This often shows how the general principles of the book of Proverbs don’t apply in absolutely every circumstance. Job represents wisdom based on the experience of suffering and injustice. All three come to the conclusion that God does indeed know best, and the most sensible course of action is to follow His will.