Section 9:1–18
Wisdom and Folly each urge people to follow them
This section summarizes the main themes of chapters 1–8. It contains parallel appeals by Wisdom (9:1–6) and Folly (9:13–18), both personified as women. Both Wisdom and Folly appeal to the same audience, inviting them to come and eat in their homes. Between these two appeals is a summary of two opposite ways to respond to Wisdom (9:7–12). In the center of this paragraph, 9:10 contains a restatement of the first line of 1:7. These key verses mark chapters 1 and 9 as the beginning and end of the first major division of the book.
Some other headings for this section are:
Invitations of Wisdom and of Folly (New International Version)
-or-
Wisdom and Foolishness each give a feast
-or-
Being Wise or Foolish (New Century Version)
Paragraph 9:1–6
This paragraph describes the preparations that Wisdom makes for a banquet (9:1–3) and the invitations that she sends out to the guests (9:4–6).
9:1
Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:
1a
Wisdom has built her house ;
1b
she has carved out her seven pillars.
The second line specifies one thing that Wisdom did to build her house.
9:1a
Wisdom has built her house: This clause is a metaphor that contains personification. In this metaphor, personified Wisdom is compared to a female builder or carpenter who has built a house. Another way to translate this figure of speech is to change the metaphor to a simile. For example:
Wisdom is like a carpenter who has built a house
-or-
Wisdom has built her own house, as a builder does (UBS Handbook)
her house: This verse does not state explicitly what Wisdom’s house symbolizes. It may be a symbol of the earth or of Wisdom’s teaching. Because scholars interpret this symbol in different ways, you should not make one interpretation explicit in your translation. However, if you use footnotes, it may be helpful to your readers to add a footnote. For example:
Some scholars think that Wisdom’s house is a symbol of the earth. Others think that it symbolizes Wisdom’s teaching.
9:1b
she has carved out her seven pillars: There is a textual difference here:
(1) The Hebrew text has “hewn out.” For example:
she has carved its seven columns (New Living Translation (2004))
(2) The LXX has “set up.” For example:
she has set up her seven pillars (Revised Standard Version)
It is recommended that you follow option (1), along with most English versions.
carved out: In this context, the verb carved out means to cut or chisel ⌊pillars⌋ out of rock. A description of cutting pillars out of rock may be awkward or put too much emphasis on the building process itself. If that is true in your language, you may want to translate more generally, as several English versions have done. For example:
she has made its seven columns (New Century Version)
-or-
and made seven columns for it (Good News Translation)
her seven pillars: The number seven was a symbol of perfection, so a house with seven pillars symbolized an ideal or perfect house. If your readers are not aware of the significance of a house with seven pillars, you may want to add a footnote. For example:
Only a rich/important person owned a house with pillars. These pillars or columns probably supported a roofed porch that covered part of the inner courtyard of the house. A house with seven pillars symbolizes a perfect house.
The New Living Translation (1996) may provide a good translation model for some languages, because it makes explicit the good quality of the house. At the same time, it leaves implicit the details of how the pillars were built:
Wisdom has built her spacious house with seven pillars.
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