“Come in with me,” she urges the simple. To those who lack good judgment, she says,
Parallel translations
- WEB “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here.” as for him who is void of understanding, she says to him,
- KJV Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,
- BSB “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” she says to him who lacks judgment.
- NKJV “Whoeveris simple, let him turn in here”; And as for him who lacks understanding, she says to him,
- NASB “Whoever is naive, let him turn in here,” And to him who lacks understanding she says,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Folly repeats wisdom's very words, inviting the simple and those lacking understanding. Her counterfeit call mimics wisdom but leads to death.
Overview
Folly's invitation echoes Wisdom's almost exactly (cf. 9:4), showing how closely temptation can imitate truth. The same words spoken by two voices lead to utterly different ends. This sober parallel teaches that discernment, rooted in the fear of the Lord, is needed to tell life-giving wisdom from deadly folly.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- Prov 9:4“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” As for him who is void of understanding, she says to him,
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Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 9:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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