Proverbs chapter 9

vs 10

Just as you can't have wisdom without justice, righteousness and moral goodness, you also can't have wisdom without God. God created wisdom, and so a fundamental part of wisdom will be understanding God.

vs 11

I am always puzzled about promises for a long life. The idea of a life cut short - in youth or in battle, for example - seems to be mournful and tragic. But the paradox of Christianity is that a long life leads to longer life here, where we could instead be in heaven (or at least some sort of proto-heaven), which makes this idea that wisdom prolongs your life somewhat of a two-edged sword. The thing is, back in the OT, you were meant to enjoy your life, and life is a blessed thing. But then, depending on where you are in the OT, death is a lot more mysterious.

vs 12

Funny that the lack of wisdom here seems to make only yourself suffer. I think that might be hyperbolic - the fact is, fools often make lots of other people suffer, especially when in positions of power or leadership.

vs 13

Folly is also a woman, apparently. But the opposite of wisdom, which is to be expected.

vs 14

I'm not sure whether these are two seats, or just that her door happens to be in the highest place in the city. But you can see the same picture being painted as wisdom from before.

vs 15

Interestingly, I would have thought that it would be wise people who go straight on their way.

vs 16

Once again we have an overlap of verses unnecessarily, but oh well. She is calling out to the simple, same as Wisdom does.

vs 17

Crazy!

I mean, we all know that an apple you buy tastes the same as one you scrump, and yet we also know that for some, the excitement of wrongness is tasty on its own.

vs 18

Not like the dead as in the great men of the past. Just the dead, like those who fell down wells or have been killed for stealing fruit and such. Not much of a dinner party, really.