◄ Proverbs 9:2 ►
She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table.
Study Bible
She has prepared her meat
The phrase "prepared her meat" signifies a deliberate and thoughtful act of preparation. In the Hebrew context, the word for "prepared" (עָרַךְ, arak) implies arranging or setting in order, suggesting wisdom's meticulous planning and readiness. The "meat" symbolizes sustenance and nourishment, reflecting the richness and depth of wisdom's offerings. In ancient Israel, meat was a luxury, often reserved for special occasions, indicating that wisdom offers something precious and valuable. This preparation is akin to the spiritual nourishment that wisdom provides, inviting believers to partake in the fullness of God's truth and guidance.

she has mixed her wine
The act of "mixing her wine" refers to the ancient practice of diluting wine with water or adding spices to enhance its flavor. The Hebrew word for "mixed" (מָסַךְ, masak) suggests a careful blending, indicating that wisdom's offerings are not only abundant but also refined and enriching. Wine, in biblical times, was a symbol of joy and celebration, and its mixing implies a preparation for a communal experience. This imagery invites believers to partake in the joy and fellowship that comes from living a life guided by divine wisdom, which is both intoxicating and enlightening.

she has also set her table
The phrase "set her table" conveys a sense of readiness and hospitality. The Hebrew word for "set" (עָרַךְ, arak) is the same as used for "prepared," emphasizing order and intention. The "table" represents a place of gathering, fellowship, and sharing. In the biblical context, setting a table was an act of welcoming and providing for guests, symbolizing the open invitation of wisdom to all who seek understanding. This imagery reflects the inclusive and generous nature of divine wisdom, which is available to all who are willing to come and partake. It encourages believers to approach wisdom's table with humility and eagerness, ready to receive the spiritual nourishment and guidance it offers.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Wisdom (Personified as a Woman)
In Proverbs 9, wisdom is personified as a woman who prepares a feast, inviting people to partake in her banquet. This personification is a literary device used throughout Proverbs to convey the value and accessibility of wisdom.

2. The Banquet (Event)
The banquet represents the rich and fulfilling life that wisdom offers. It is a metaphor for the spiritual nourishment and satisfaction that comes from living according to God's wisdom.

3. The Table (Place)
The table symbolizes a place of fellowship and communion. In the context of Proverbs, it represents the setting where wisdom is shared and experienced.
Teaching Points
The Abundance of Wisdom
Wisdom is not scarce; it is abundantly available to those who seek it. Just as a feast is prepared with care and abundance, so is the wisdom of God ready for us.

Preparation and Intentionality
Just as the woman in Proverbs 9 prepares her feast, we must be intentional in seeking and preparing our hearts to receive wisdom. This involves studying Scripture, prayer, and living in obedience to God's commands.

Invitation to Fellowship
The setting of a table implies an invitation to fellowship. Wisdom invites us into a relationship with God and others, where we can grow and be nourished spiritually.

The Cost of Wisdom
While the feast is prepared and offered freely, accepting the invitation requires a response. We must be willing to leave behind foolishness and embrace the path of wisdom.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the personification of wisdom as a woman preparing a feast help us understand the nature of wisdom in our daily lives?

2. In what ways can we prepare ourselves to receive the wisdom that God offers, as illustrated by the preparation of the feast in Proverbs 9:2?

3. How does the invitation to wisdom's banquet compare to the invitations found in Isaiah 55 and Matthew 22? What do these invitations teach us about God's character?

4. What are some practical steps we can take to ensure that we are regularly partaking in the "feast" of wisdom in our spiritual lives?

5. Reflect on a time when you accepted or rejected an invitation to wisdom. What were the consequences, and how can this passage guide your future decisions?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Proverbs 8
This chapter also personifies wisdom and describes her role in creation and her call to humanity. It sets the stage for the invitation in Proverbs 9.

Isaiah 55
This passage invites everyone who is thirsty to come to the waters and those without money to buy and eat, paralleling the invitation to partake in wisdom's feast.

Matthew 22
The Parable of the Wedding Banquet, where Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven as a king who prepares a wedding feast, echoes the invitation to partake in divine wisdom.
Sermons
The Divine InvitationW. Clarkson Proverbs 9:1-6
The Rival BanquetsSt. J. A. Frere, M.A.Proverbs 9:1-6
Wisdom's Banquet; Or, the Call to SalvationE. Johnson Proverbs 9:1-6
Wisdom's HouseS. Waller.Proverbs 9:1-6
Wisdom's InvitationGearge Smith, D. DProverbs 9:1-6
People
Solomon
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Arranged, Beasts, Cattle, Death, Fat, Furnished, Killed, Meat, Mingled, Mixed, Prepared, Ready, Slaughter, Slaughtered, Table, Wine, Yea
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Proverbs 9:2

     5573   table

Proverbs 9:1-4

     5340   house

Proverbs 9:1-6

     4478   meat
     5312   feasting
     8365   wisdom, human

Library
The Temple of Wisdom
(Preached at Wellington College, All Saints' Day, 1866.) PROVERBS ix. 1-5. Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars: she hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table. She hath sent forth her maidens; she crieth upon the highest places of the city, Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and to him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled. This allegory has been …
Charles Kingsley—Discipline and Other Sermons

The Dryness of Preachers, and the Various Evils which Arise from their Failing to Teach Heart-Prayer --Exhortation to Pastors to Lead People Towards this Form Of
If all those who are working for the conquest of souls sought to win them by the heart, leading them first of all to prayer and to the inner life, they would see many and lasting conversions. But so long as they only address themselves to the outside, and instead of drawing people to Christ by occupying their hearts with Him, they only give them a thousand precepts for outward observances, they will see but little fruit, and that will not be lasting. When once the heart is won, other defects are …
Jeanne Marie Bouvières—A Short Method Of Prayer And Spiritual Torrents

Letter xxi (Circa A. D. 1128) to the Abbot of S. John at Chartres
To the Abbot of S. John at Chartres Bernard dissuades him from resigning his charge, and undertaking a Pilgrimage to Jerusalem. 1. As regards the matters about which you were so good as to consult so humble a person as myself, I had at first determined not to reply. Not because I had any doubt what to say, but because it seemed to me unnecessary or even presumptuous to give counsel to a man of sense and wisdom. But considering that it usually happens that the greater number of persons of sense--or …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

To Pastors and Teachers
To Pastors and Teachers If all who laboured for the conversion of others were to introduce them immediately into Prayer and the Interior Life, and make it their main design to gain and win over the heart, numberless as well as permanent conversions would certainly ensue. On the contrary, few and transient fruits must attend that labour which is confined to outward matters; such as burdening the disciple with a thousand precepts for external exercises, instead of leaving the soul to Christ by the …
Madame Guyon—A Short and Easy Method of Prayer

From his Entrance on the Ministry in 1815, to his Commission to Reside in Germany in 1820
1815.--After the long season of depression through which John Yeardley passed, as described in the last chapter, the new year of 1815 dawned with brightness upon his mind. He now at length saw his spiritual bonds loosed; and the extracts which follow describe his first offerings in the ministry in a simple and affecting manner. 1 mo. 5.--The subject of the prophet's going down to the potter's house opened so clearly on my mind in meeting this morning that I thought I could almost have publicly …
John Yeardley—Memoir and Diary of John Yeardley, Minister of the Gospel

The Authority and Utility of the Scriptures
2 Tim. iii. 16.--"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." We told you that there was nothing more necessary to know than what our end is, and what the way is that leads to that end. We see the most part of men walking at random,--running an uncertain race,--because they do not propose unto themselves a certain scope to aim at, and whither to direct their whole course. According to men's particular …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

An Analysis of Augustin's Writings against the Donatists.
The object of this chapter is to present a rudimentary outline and summary of all that Augustin penned or spoke against those traditional North African Christians whom he was pleased to regard as schismatics. It will be arranged, so far as may be, in chronological order, following the dates suggested by the Benedictine edition. The necessary brevity precludes anything but a very meagre treatment of so considerable a theme. The writer takes no responsibility for the ecclesiological tenets of the …
St. Augustine—writings in connection with the donatist controversy.

The Gospel Feast
"When Jesus then lifted up His eyes, and saw a great company come unto Him, He saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread that these may eat?"--John vi. 5. After these words the Evangelist adds, "And this He said to prove him, for He Himself knew what He would do." Thus, you see, our Lord had secret meanings when He spoke, and did not bring forth openly all His divine sense at once. He knew what He was about to do from the first, but He wished to lead forward His disciples, and to arrest and …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VII

Proverbs
Many specimens of the so-called Wisdom Literature are preserved for us in the book of Proverbs, for its contents are by no means confined to what we call proverbs. The first nine chapters constitute a continuous discourse, almost in the manner of a sermon; and of the last two chapters, ch. xxx. is largely made up of enigmas, and xxxi. is in part a description of the good housewife. All, however, are rightly subsumed under the idea of wisdom, which to the Hebrew had always moral relations. The Hebrew …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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