Question

Proverbs 9:1-18
Put all the verses and answer them and what they mean

Answer 1

Proverbs 9:1-18 presents a contrast between wisdom and folly, presenting two metaphoric women who invite people to their respective banquets. Here’s a breakdown of the verses along with their meanings:

### Verses:

**1. Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn out its seven pillars.**
**Meaning:** This indicates the strength and stability of wisdom. The "seven pillars" suggest completeness and perfection, as the number seven often symbolizes in biblical texts.

**2. She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table.**
**Meaning:** Wisdom provides sustenance and nourishment, indicating that following a wise path leads to fulfillment and bounty.

**3. She has sent out her servants, and she calls from the highest point of the city.**
**Meaning:** Wisdom actively reaches out to invite people to learn and grow. The reference to the "highest point" suggests the importance and urgency of her message.

**4. ‘Let all who are simple come to my house!’ To those who have no sense she says,**
**Meaning:** Wisdom invites those who lack understanding, emphasizing that she is accessible to all who seek her.

**5. ‘Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed.**
**Meaning:** Wisdom offers her teachings and insights, promising that engaging with her will lead to greater life and understanding.

**6. Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of insight.’**
**Meaning:** Embrarking on the path of wisdom leads to a richer, more meaningful life. It encourages a transformation from ignorance to understanding.

**7. Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults; whoever rebukes the wicked incurs abuse.**
**Meaning:** This reflects the reality that those who attempt to correct or confront the foolish or wicked often face resistance and hostility.

**8. Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke the wise and they will love you.**
**Meaning:** Wise individuals appreciate correction and seek growth, while mockers (those who disdain wisdom) will react negatively to rebuke.

**9. Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.**
**Meaning:** This reinforces the idea that wise individuals are eager to learn and improve, valuing instruction as a means to grow further.

**10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.**
**Meaning:** True wisdom starts with a reverential awe for God, and a relationship with Him leads to deeper understanding and insight.

**11. For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life.**
**Meaning:** Pursuing wisdom results in a life that is enriched and prolonged; wisdom fosters a life that aligns with God’s intent for flourishing.

**12. If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.**
**Meaning:** The consequences of one’s choices are highlighted—those who seek wisdom experience benefits, while those who reject it face self-inflicted suffering.

**13. The woman Folly is loud; she is undisciplined and without knowledge.**
**Meaning:** Folly is portrayed as chaotic and disruptive, contrasting sharply with the orderly and grounded nature of wisdom.

**14. She sits at the door of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city,**
**Meaning:** Folly also calls out to people, showing that she, too, has an enticing message, but it lacks genuine understanding and truth.

**15. calling out to those who pass by who go straight on their way.**
**Meaning:** Folly seeks to attract those who are naive or unthinking, diverting them from the path of wisdom.

**16. ‘Let all who are simple come to my house!’ To those who have no sense she says,**
**Meaning:** Like Wisdom, Folly invites the simple, but her offerings lead to destruction rather than life.

**17. ‘Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!’**
**Meaning:** Folly appeals to desires for forbidden or secret pleasures, suggesting that illicit actions are appealing.

**18. But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are deep in the realm of the dead.**
**Meaning:** This verse serves as a stark warning: pursuing folly ultimately leads to negative consequences and death, not life.

### Summary:
Proverbs 9 encourages readers to seek wisdom through a relationship with God, contrasting it with the dangers of folly. It emphasizes the importance of discernment in choosing the paths we follow, illustrating that wisdom leads to life while folly leads to destruction.