Posted by Jeff Short on December 8, 2016 · Leave a Comment
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
– Proverbs 8:13
Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but also the middle and end of it. Such proper fear is never outgrown nor gotten past. True wisdom does not only avoid a bad way, but hates it as twice stated here.
Pride and
arrogancy speak of the puffing up of man that thinks himself wise. The
evil way is the road or path that is put for the way of life of the evil man. A
froward mouth is a speaking of perverse things and not wise things. This perverse speech displays the inner void of wisdom and inner corruption of the fool (Luke 6:45). In the previous verse, wisdom expressed her true companions and here her true antagonists.
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Posted by Jeff Short on December 7, 2016 · Leave a Comment
I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.
– Proverbs 8:12
Wisdom dwells with, or resides with, prudence, indicating their compatibility.
Prudence is shrewdness or discretion. It can be positive or negative depending on the context and refers to cunning or craftiness.
Witty inventions are plans or plots. We might even refer to schemes. The word here also relies on context to supply the gloss. They are here paired together indicating that wisdom gives shrewdness and the skill of planning. Wisdom is street-wise and knows how to navigate life, as demonstrated in the prudent man who foresees and avoids evil (Proverbs 22:3). Such a description disabuses us of any notion of a wise person as lofty, detached, and void of common sense or any practical knowledge.
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Posted by Jeff Short on December 6, 2016 · Leave a Comment
For wisdom is better than rubies; and all things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.
– Proverbs 8:11
Silver, gold, and precious stones have a sort of intrinsic value and rarity. They are the pinnacle of objective value, though all men esteem them not equally.
All things that may be desired is more subjective but expands the range of prized things to include anything a man may prize. These are things men give their life for to obtain. On all accounts, wisdom is more surpassingly valuable than anything highly prized among men. It follows that men should search more diligently and attend more immediately to wisdom than all earthly riches.
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Posted by Jeff Short on December 3, 2016 · Leave a Comment
All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them.
– Proverbs 8:8
The word for froward means twisted and the word for perverse means crooked. They both describe speech that is deceitful and crafty. The word for righteousness means just and right. The words of wisdom are open, truthful, and reliable. There is no deceit or trickery to them.
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Posted by Jeff Short on December 2, 2016 · Leave a Comment
For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
– Proverbs 8:7
Wisdom continues explaining why she has called for attention to her words. The word for truth here is stable and reliable. The word for speaking is different from the previous verse. Here it means pondered or meditated speech. It isn’t rash or flippant speech. Wickedness is abhorrent to wisdom. The full picture suggests that wickedness is considered and found thoroughly disgusting and so put away from the lips.
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Posted by Jeff Short on December 1, 2016 · Leave a Comment
Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things.
– Proverbs 8:6
Hear is the command to hear intelligently, which is common to the opening of the Proverbs. It was used often by the father in his addresses to his son and here in the mouth of lady wisdom. There is continuity because the words are the words of divine wisdom. Wisdom commands attention because of what she has to say. Excellent things are noble things or princely things. The word is used almost exclusively of persons, i.e. captain, commander, prince, etc. Right things refers to straight and level. Here it points to moral straightness, or uprightness. The words of wisdom are noble words of straight righteousness.
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Posted by Jeff Short on November 29, 2016 · 1 Comment
Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man.
– Proverbs 8:4
Some see a distinction between men and sons of man. The first is a plural, general term for males. The second is sons of Adam, or mankind. Some see a reference to the higher and lower of the race being referred to. At least we know the call of wisdom goes out to all indiscriminately. This has been emphasized variously in the opening of this chapter.
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Posted by Jeff Short on November 28, 2016 · 1 Comment
She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.
– Proverbs 8:3
The accessibility and open cry of wisdom is further emphasized by the gates, entry, and doors of the city. Wisdom is after the man on the street. Though wisdom is among the places of concourse, business, and conversation, wisdom does not arise from the collective. Wisdom strikes her own figure and is separate, calling to men and women to pay attention. To cry is to cry out or even shout. The voice of wisdom is raised above the general din of every day. Wisdom is accessible to those who seek.
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Posted by Jeff Short on November 27, 2016 · 1 Comment
She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths.
– Proverbs 8:2
Wisdom is personified as a woman. Even a casual reading of Proverbs reveals a feminine motif, which culminates in the virtuous woman in chapter 31. This theme has been the subject of scholarly thought, study, and debate for a long time. I personally look to the simple, sensible explanation and confess that I don’t have the wisdom to see more at this time. Wisdom is a feminine noun in the Hebrew and naturally would be feminine if personified. This fact provides a likely explanation for the structure and the selection of the strange woman to be the antagonist to lady wisdom. More could be said, but that must be another setting.
The high places refer to elevated vantage points in the city. These are places where wisdom would be visible and have access to many. The places of paths refers to intersections of travel routes. The point is that wisdom is in open, public places where people are. She doesn’t lurk in dark, secret places to catch a few, but reaches out to the broadest audience. The places where she is also reveal how she mixes through different strata of society. It is perhaps a subtle point, but these show the relevancy of wisdom to all walks of life.
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Proverbs 8:13
Posted by Jeff Short on December 8, 2016 · Leave a Comment
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but also the middle and end of it. Such proper fear is never outgrown nor gotten past. True wisdom does not only avoid a bad way, but hates it as twice stated here. Pride and arrogancy speak of the puffing up of man that thinks himself wise. The evil way is the road or path that is put for the way of life of the evil man. A froward mouth is a speaking of perverse things and not wise things. This perverse speech displays the inner void of wisdom and inner corruption of the fool (Luke 6:45). In the previous verse, wisdom expressed her true companions and here her true antagonists.– Proverbs 8:13
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