Proverbs 9:3

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Proverbs 9:1-12

Wisdom is here introduced as a magnificent and munificent queen, very great and very generous; that Word of God is this Wisdom in which God makes known his goodwill towards men; God the Word is this Wisdom, to whom the Father has committed all judgment. He who, in the chapter before, showed his grandeur and glory as the Creator of the world, here shows his grace and goodness as the Redeemer of it. The word is plural, Wisdoms; for in Christ are hid treasures of wisdom, and in his undertaking... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Proverbs 9:3

She hath sent forth her maidens ,.... Not moral virtues, or good works, which subserve the interest of Christ and religion, adorn the Gospel and its professors; nor the liberal arts and sciences, said to be handmaids to divinity; nor angels, ministering spirits to Christ; but the ministers of the Gospel, who being so called does not suppose or encourage women's preaching; but have the name to keep up the decency of the parable, and the propriety of the allegory: for since Wisdom is... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Proverbs 9:3

She hath sent forth her maidens - The wisdom of God has made use of the most proper means to communicate Divine knowledge to the inhabitants of the earth; as a good and gracious Creator wills to teach them whence they came, how they are supported, whither they are going, and for what end they were formed. It is a custom to the present day, in Asiatic countries, to send their invitations to guests by a company of females, preceded by eunuchs: they go to the doors of the invited, and deliver... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 9:1-5

The banquet of wisdom I. THE BANQUET HOUSE . 1 . It is substantial. A house, not a mere tent. The feast of wisdom is no brief repast, rarely enjoyed, It is a lasting delight, a frequent refreshment always ready. 2 . It is magnificent. Seven pillars are hewn out for the house. It is fitting that the house of God should be more beautiful than a man's dwelling. He who enters into the habitation of God's thoughts will find it beautiful and glorious. There is nothing mean... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 9:1-6

Wisdom's banquet; or, the call to salvation I. THE FIGURATIVE REPRESENTATION . Wisdom was termed, in Proverbs 8:30 , a "workmistress," in reference to the structure of the physical world. Here she whose delight is in men and human life is represented as the builder, i.e. the founder of moral and social order. The seven pillars denote grandeur, and, at the same time, sacredness. Her home is a temple. Religion is "the oldest and most sacred tradition of the race" (Herder); and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 9:1-6

The Divine invitation Wisdom invites the sons of men to a feast. Christ, "the Wisdom of God," is inviting us all to partake of eternal life. A feast may well be regarded as the picture and type of life at its fullest. It combines so many of the best features of human life—bounty generously offered and graciously accepted, nourishment, enjoyment, social intercourse, intellectual and spiritual as well as bodily gratification. In the gospel of Christ there is offered to us life at its very... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 9:1-18

15. Fifteenth admonitory discourse, containing in a parabolic form an invitation of Wisdom ( Proverbs 9:1-12 ), and that of her rival Folly ( Proverbs 9:13-18 ). The chapter sums up in brief the warnings of the preceding part. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 9:3

She hath sent forth her maidens, as in Matthew 22:3 , to call them that were bidden to the feast. The Septuagint has τοὺς ἑαυτῆς δούλους , "her servants," but the Authorized Version is correct, and feminine attendants are in strict harmony with the rest of the apologue. By them are represented the apostles and preachers and ministers, who go forth to win souls for Christ. St. Gregory sees in their being called "maidens" an intimation that they are in themselves weak and abject, and... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Proverbs 9:3

Proverbs 9:3. She hath sent forth her maidens Her servants, to invite the guests, namely, the ministers of the word of God, whom he calls maidens, for the decency of the parable; for Wisdom being compared to a great princess, it was fit she should be attended on by maidens. She crieth upon the highest places Upon the tops of the houses, (which were flat,) conformably to what our Lord says, Matthew 10:7, What ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. Or, from such high... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Proverbs 9:1-18

Invitations from ‘Wisdom’ and ‘Folly’ (9:1-18)Wisdom is again personified in a gracious lady. This time she invites the silly and the ignorant to a great feast that she has prepared in her magnificent house. She wants them to come and enjoy the life-giving gifts of wisdom and discernment that she freely offers (9:1-6).Whether people desire wisdom depends largely upon the character they have developed in themselves over the years. When people grow conceited in their opinions and blind to their... read more

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