Bible Commentaries

Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars:

Wisdom. — Heb., Wisdoms, in the plural; and this, either honoris causa, for honour’s sake, or else by an ellipsis, as if the whole of it were "wisdom of wisdoms," as "the song of songs," for a most excellent song. Song of Solomon 1:1 Junius renders it, Summa sapientia. Highest wisdom. See Trapp on " Proverbs 1:20 "

Hath builded her house. — That is, The Church. 1 Timothy 3:15 See Trapp on " Proverbs 1:20 "

She hath hewn out her seven pillars — Pillars, and polished pillars. Anything is good enough to make up a mud wall; but the Church’s pillars are of marble, and those not rough, but hewn; her safety is accompanied with beauty.

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She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table.

She hath killed her beasts. — Christ provideth for his the best of the best, "fat things full of marrow, wines on the lees," Isaiah 25:6 his own "flesh, which is meat indeed, his own blood, which is drink indeed," John 6:55 besides that continual feast of a good conscience, whereat the holy angels, saith Luther, are as cooks and butlers, and the blessed Trinity joyful guests.

She hath mingled her wine. — That it may not inflame or distemper. Christ spake "as the people were able to hear," lisping to them in their own low language. So must all his ministers, accommodating themselves to the meanest capacities. Mercer’s note here is, Cam sobrietate tractandae Scriptnrae, The Scriptures are to be handled with sobriety.

She hath also furnished her table. — So that it even sweats with variety of precious provisions wherewith her guests are daily and daintily fed. Mr Latimer says, that the assurance of salvation is the desert of this stately feast. But what a dolt was Cardinal Bobba, who, speaking in commendation of the library of Bonony - which being in an upper room, hath under it a victualling house, and under that a wine cellar - had thought he had hit it in applying thereunto this text, Wisdom hath built her a house, hath mingled her wine, and furnished her table! Angel. Roccha in Vatican, p. 395.

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She hath sent forth her maidens: she crieth upon the highest places of the city,

She hath sent forth her maidens. — So ministers are called - in prosecution of the allegory, for it is fit that this great lady should have suitable attendants - to teach them innocence, purity, and sedulity as maidens, keeping the word in sincerity, and not adulterating and corrupting it, as vintners oft do their wines, or hucksters their wares. Hence Isaiah also putteth the prophets and evangelists in the feminine gender, Mebashereth Isaiah 52:7

She crieth upon, … — She, together with her maids, crieth; she puts not off all the business to them, but hath a hand in it herself. We are workers together with God, saith Paul.

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Whoso [is] simple, let him turn in hither: [as for] him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,

Whoso is simple. — And with it persuadable; that have not yet contracted that callum obductum, corneas fibras, brawny breasts, horny heart strings.

She saith to him. — It is Christ, then, that speaketh in his ministers: "He that heareth you heareth me." "Ye received it not as the word of man, but as it is indeed, the word of the ever living God."

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Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine [which] I have mingled.

Come, eat of my bread. — Stand not off in a sinful modesty; say not, I am not worthy, …, but "Come," for "the Master calls you," as they said to the blind man, who therefore came. And those recusant guests, by not coming when invited, might "not taste" of Christ’s supper; for they were unworthy. Matthew 22:1-7

And drink of the wine which I have mingled. — Lo, here a full feast, not a dry feast! Lyrannus noteth on this chapter, that the Eucharist was anciently delivered in both kinds: but because of the danger of spilling the blood, the Church ordained that laymen should have the bread only. The Council of Constance comes in with a non obstante against Christ’s institution, withholding the cup from the sacrament. Caranza.

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Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.

Forsake the foolish. — No coming to this feast in the tattered rags of the old Adam; you must relinquish your former evil courses and companies. There are those who read the words thus, "Forsake, O foolish ones - viz., your own ways - and live."

And go in the way of understanding. — Renounce your vices, and practise the contrary graces. True repentance stands in an entire change of the whole man, from all that is evil to all that is good.

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He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked [man getteth] himself a blot.

He that reproveth a scorner. — This, with the three next verses, may seem to come in by way of parenthesis; and they do not obscurely intimate what manner of hearers ministers mostly meet with - viz., such as our Saviour did, - "But the Pharisees that were covetous, derided," Luke 16:14 or blew their noses at him, εξεμυκτηριζον , as one renders it, - and such as long before him the prophet Isaiah did, Isaiah 28:10 "Precept upon precept, line upon line." One observeth that that was a scoff put upon the prophet; and is as if they should say, Here is nothing but line upon line, precept upon precept. The very sound of the words in the original - Zau le zau, kau lakau - carries a taunt, as scornful people by the tone of their voice, and rhyming words, scorn at such as they despise.

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Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.

Reprove not a scorner. — See my "Commonplace of Admonition." Look how dogs prefer loathsome carrion before the sweetest odours, and would fly in the faces of such as would drive them from it: so is it here.

And he will love thee. — When he hath well considered he will, though, for present, he may seem to do otherwise; as Ass swaggered with the prophet, and put him in prison. We read in the ecclesiastical history that Agapetus, bishop of Rome, being sent by Theodatus, king of Goths, to Constantinople on an embassy to Justinian, and having obtained a peace, he was earnestly entreated by the emperor to subscribe and confirm the heresy of Eutyches. This when he utterly refused to do, the emperor threatened him in case he did not. Agapetus thereto boldly replied - I had a desire to wait upon Justinian, whom I took to be a most pious prince; but now I perceive him to be a most violent persecutor, a second Dioclesian. With this free reproof, and God’s blessing with it, Justinian was so wrought upon, that he presently embraced the true faith, and banishing bishop Anthemius, a great propagator of the Eutychian heresy, he set up Menna, an orthodox divine, in his room, whom Agapetus consecrated, if Platina may be believed. Funcius. David loved Nathan the better while he lived for dealing so plainly with him, and named him a commissioner for the declaring of his successor. 1 Kings 1:32-35 So Alipius loved Augustine for reproving him.

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