Proverbs 9:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine; she has also set her table.

NIV: She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table.

NASB: She has prepared her food, she has mixed her wine; She has also set her table;

CSB: She has prepared her meat; she has mixed her wine; she has also set her table.

NLT: She has prepared a great banquet, mixed the wines, and set the table.

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

NKJV: She has slaughtered her meat, She has mixed her wine, She has also furnished her table.

The symbolic version of Wisdom (Proverbs 8:1–4), is a woman with a grand home (Proverbs 9:1). This verse indicates that she is indeed wealthy and prepared for visitors. The process of butchering and preparing animals was not something done without planning. Likewise, the imagery of mixing wine and setting a table imply hospitality. Wisdom intends to invite others and treat those guests well (Proverbs 9:3–5).

The mixing of wine, customarily, meant diluting it with water to make it more palatable. The Jews considered undiluted wine distasteful. Scholars believe the wine Jesus and His disciples drank at the Passover Feast was three parts water and one part wine. Another view of the mixing believes spices were added to the wine to make it more flavorful. Perhaps the mixing of the wine included both the addition of water and spices.

God has set a plentiful table for all who will accept His invitation to dine.

Proverbs 9:1–6 continues from chapter 8 by depicting wisdom as a woman. Here, she is a refined lady who has built a grand house and prepared a lavish feast. She calls out everywhere for those who are simple and lack judgment to participate as guests at her feast. This passage begins the chapter on a positive note, but a negative tone quickly follows. Foolishness, also depicted as a woman, will make similar invitations to those who lack sense.

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.

Accessed 11/21/2024 7:56:20 PM