Wisdom has built her house with seven pillars and spread her banquet: 'Turn in here, eat of my bread.' Opposite her the foolish woman calls to the same passers-by — and the fear of Hashem is the beginning of wisdom.
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Wisdom has builded her house, she has hewn out her seven pillars;
verse value 1965
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "has·built" (בָּנְתָ֣ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "her·pillars" (עַמּוּדֶ֣יהָ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "has·hewn" (חָצְבָ֖ה), "her·pillars" (עַמּוּדֶ֣יהָ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Wisdom" (root חכם, 93x in Proverbs); "her·house" (root בית, 38x in Proverbs); "seven" (root שבע, 28x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root בנה ("has·built") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'her·house', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: חׇ֭כְמוֹת [Wisdom] (474) + בָּנְתָ֣ה [has·built] (457) + בֵיתָ֑הּ [her·house] (417) + חָצְבָ֖ה [has·hewn] (105) + עַמּוּדֶ֣יהָ [her·pillars] (135) + שִׁבְעָֽה [seven] (377) = 1965.
Rashi
Wisdom has built her house With wisdom has the Holy One, blessed be He, built the world. she has hewn her seven pillars The seven days of Creation. Another explanation: This refers to the seven books of the Torah, since (Num. 10:35f.) “And it came about when the ark traveled...” is an individual book, as is stated in tractate Shabbath (116a).
Ibn Ezra
"Wisdom has builded her house" — like [the phrase] "her branches ran" (Genesis 49:22) — [banot tza'adah, a plural-form noun governing a singular verb, the same construction]. "She has hewn out her pillars" — an expression borrowed from stonecutters. And the sense concerns the evenness of the pillars, both in the hewing and in the rest of their finishing. It is also possible to explain that he said "chochmot" ["wisdoms," plural] to indicate that Wisdom builded her house out of seven wisdoms, and this is the sense of "she has hewn her pillars, seven" — they are the pillars of the house, and this is the explanation of the statement "Wisdom has builded her house." And "her house" [beitah] is expressed in the feminine [i.e., inflected to agree with Wisdom, who is grammatically feminine — the noun "bayit" itself is masculine]. Or: her pillars, seven, are the pillars of wisdom, and the pillars are the seven wisdoms upon which the house of wisdom is firmly established. And there are commentators [who explain] that these seven refer to other matters, and each one chooses for himself, and the truth will show its own way.
Ralbag
"Wisdom has built her house" — behold, understanding built its house by means of the wisdoms, for the attainment of the wisdoms precedes the attainment of understanding. "And there she hewed out her seven pillars" — meaning many wisdoms, for the number seven indicates abundance, as it says, "For a righteous man falls seven times and rises" (Proverbs 24:16). So the wisdoms are there, the pillars of understanding.
Metzudat David
"Wisdoms" — each one of the wisdoms built a house for herself. "She has hewn out" — built upon many pillars, and they are hewn one like the other in perfect uniformity, and it is a pleasing thing to the eye of the one who sees it.
Metzudat Zion
"She has hewn out" (chatzvah) — a term for cutting and carving, used of stones.
Malbim
"Wisdom has built her house" — This returns to the matter stated above, that the building of the world was built by means of wisdom, as it says, "Hashem made me as the beginning of His way." And he likens the building of the world to a house, as it says, "Through wisdom a house is built" — which speaks of the building of the world, as stated there, for indeed it says, "Hashem founded the earth by wisdom." And he depicts that immediately, on the first day of the work of creation, she "built her house" — in this the building of the general house was built, and it emerged from nothingness into existence, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: the parable of one who sows six seeds. And afterward, "she hewed out her pillars" — meaning that the particulars of the world came forth, each on its own day, and these are the pillars of the house; for the house that was built by the first utterance stood in the air, hanging loosely upon the primal matter (the hyle), and was in potential and not in actuality. And the pillars of the house were seven, corresponding to the seven days of creation, for each day brought forth its products in its own time, and then the house of the world was perfected upon strong pillars. For even on the Sabbath the essential pillar was created, upon which the great house rests — namely, the wondrous governance by which Hashem guides [the world] when necessary and overturns the laws of nature, as stated in its place; and this too is among the pillars of wisdom upon which He set the world. Now he indicates, concerning wisdom (in contrast to the picture he draws afterward of "the woman of folly"), three things: (1) that she built herself a house and she established its pillars. This is the second, for...
She has prepared her meat, she has mingled her wine; she has also furnished her table.
verse value 1017
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "also" (אַ֝֗ף, 2 letters) and the longest is "her·table" (שֻׁלְחָנָֽהּ, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 24: has·slaughtered, her·meat. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "has·mingled" (מָסְכָ֣ה), "her·wine" (יֵינָ֑הּ), "has·arranged" (עָרְכָ֥ה). The root טבח appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root אף ("also") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'her·wine', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: טָבְחָ֣ה [has·slaughtered] (24) + טִ֭בְחָהּ [her·meat] (24) + מָסְכָ֣ה [has·mingled] (125) + יֵינָ֑הּ [her·wine] (75) + אַ֝֗ף [also] (81) + עָרְכָ֥ה [has·arranged] (295) + שֻׁלְחָנָֽהּ [her·table] (393) = 1017.
Rashi
She has prepared her meat, she has mingled her wine She has mixed it with water, like strong wine, that is unfit to drink unmixed. she has even set her table All creations of liquid and solid.
Ibn Ezra
"Tivchah" [she has prepared her meat] — this is an expression of slaughter, [as in] "we are reckoned as sheep for the slaughter" (Psalm 44:23); and also an expression of cooking, [as in] "to be perfumers, and cooks, and bakers" (1 Samuel 8:13). Both senses converge from a term with a double meaning: with the vocalization of the tet it means slaughter, and with the vocalization of the chet it means cooking. "Mascha" [she has mingled] — like "mazgah" [she has mixed]. So too: "wine mixed," "wine blended" — this refers to the mingling of water into it, and this is its preparation for drinking, just as cooking is [its preparation] for food.
Ralbag
"She has prepared her meat" — and after this she prepared food and drink for people, from the wisdoms and understanding.
Metzudat David
"She has prepared her meat" — she slaughtered sacrifices and mixed her wine, and also set her table, to feed those who were invited.
Metzudat Zion
"She has mingled" (mascha) — a term for mixing wine with water, as in "to mix (limsokh) strong drink" (Isaiah 5). "She has furnished" (arkhah) — a term for arranging.
Malbim
"She has slaughtered her meat" — the feast that she prepared for her guests is full of every good thing, and it is done openly, before the eyes of all: "she has slaughtered her meat and prepared it, and mingled her wine." And according to the figurative sense, wisdom is the nourishment of the soul, and he pictures her as one who prepares every kind of food to sustain the heart, for the words of wisdom sustain the heart so that it not be shaken by winds and storms — which are the images of the inclination that terrify it. And the mingling of the wine alludes to the words of understanding (binah), for wine gladdens the heart and lifts it up, and likewise understanding leads a person to understand one thing from another and to broaden the spirit of his understanding. And she has also "set her table" with kinds of delicacies and other matters of the feast — this alludes to knowledge (da'at), which encompasses every kind of knowledge in the world.
She has sent forth her maidens, she calls, upon the highest places of the city:
verse value 2962
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "city" (קָֽרֶת, 3 letters) and the longest is "her·maidens" (נַעֲרֹתֶ֣יהָ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "her·maidens" (נַעֲרֹתֶ֣יהָ), "upon·tops·of" (עַל־גַּ֝פֵּ֗י). 6 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root נערה ("her·maidens") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'calls', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: שָׁלְחָ֣ה [has·sent] (343) + נַעֲרֹתֶ֣יהָ [her·maidens] (735) + תִקְרָ֑א [calls] (701) + עַל־גַּ֝פֵּ֗י [upon·tops·of] (193) + מְרֹ֣מֵי [heights·of] (290) + קָֽרֶת [city] (700) = 2962.
Rashi
She has sent her maidens Adam and Eve.
Ibn Ezra
"She has sent forth her maidens; she calls upon the highest places [gapei] of the city" — [gapei is] like gabei ["the heights/back of"], for the letters bet, vav, mem, and peh interchange [with one another]. "Keret" — the Aramaic rendering of "city." And the sense is: she sent forth her maidens on every side, and she herself, together with them, calls out in the high places of the city, so that all will hear.
Ralbag
"She has sent forth her maidens" — to every man, and she calls out from the heights of the high places of the city, so that all would hear her words.
Metzudat David
"She calls" — each one calls out through her maidens, upon the high places of the city, to make her voice heard from afar.
Metzudat Zion
"Highest places" (gapei) — a term for "wing" (kanaf); and in the language of our Sages, "until between the wings (agapayim)" (Chullin 46) — meaning a high place, where a bird soars aloft on its wings. "City" (karat) — from the language of "kiryah" (town) and city.
Malbim
"She has sent forth" — this is the third [point]: that wisdom does not call the guests herself, but only through her maidens; for wisdom does not come to a person of itself, but must be received from the mouth of the sages, the prophets, and the teachers, and these are the "maidens" whom she sends forth in every generation. And through them she calls "upon the heights of the city," to invite [people] to the feast.
’Whoever is thoughtless, let him turn in here’; as for the one who lacks understanding, she says to him:
verse value 1452
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 22 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (לּֽוֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (לּֽוֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "who·is·simple" (מִֽי־פֶ֭תִי, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "says" (אָ֣מְרָה). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says" (root אמר, 45x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'here', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: מִֽי־פֶ֭תִי [who·is·simple] (540) + יָסֻ֣ר [let·him·turn] (270) + הֵ֑נָּה [here] (60) + חֲסַר־לֵ֝֗ב [lacking·heart] (300) + אָ֣מְרָה [says] (246) + לּֽוֹ [to·him] (36) = 1452.
Rashi
“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here” and learn it and become wise.
Ibn Ezra
"Whoever is thoughtless [peti]" — the peti is one in whom base traits have not yet become completely fixed, and there is [still] hope for his correction. He says, "let him turn in here" — that is, let him turn from his place and come here; "as for the one who lacks understanding, she says to him" — that is, so too did she call out and speak to the one who lacks understanding.
Ralbag
"Whoever is thoughtless, let him turn in here" — to acquire discipline and wisdom; and whoever lacks understanding, let him come so that it may be perfected in him.
Metzudat David
"Whoever is thoughtless" — and she says: whoever is thoughtless, who has no sense to prepare food, let him turn aside from his place and come here; and likewise she calls to the one utterly lacking in understanding, and says to him:
Malbim
"Whoever is thoughtless" — and they [the maidens] invite also the thoughtless one (peti) and the one who lacks a heart. The peti is one who is enticed on account of a lack of knowledge, since he has not grasped the laws of wisdom, and he is like a "simple dove." And the one who lacks a heart is also one who knows the laws of wisdom, but lacks the ruling power to conquer his inclination and overcome his desires and evil imaginings, which are opposed to the laws of wisdom. And she said to him — that is, to the thoughtless one she says:
'Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.
verse value 1544
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "come" (לְ֭כוּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·my·bread" (בְֽלַחֲמִ֑י, 5 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "come" (לְ֭כוּ), "in·my·bread" (בְֽלַחֲמִ֑י), "and·drink" (וּ֝שְׁת֗וּ). The root לחם appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "come" (root הלך, 35x in Proverbs); "eat" (root לחם, 21x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·my·bread', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: לְ֭כוּ [come] (56) + לַחֲמ֣וּ [eat] (84) + בְֽלַחֲמִ֑י [in·my·bread] (90) + וּ֝שְׁת֗וּ [and·drink] (712) + בְּיַ֣יִן [in·wine] (72) + מָסָֽכְתִּי [I·have·mixed] (530) = 1544.
Rashi
of the wine I have mingled Heb. מסכתי.
Ibn Ezra
"Come, eat of my bread [lachamu belachmi]" — the bet in "belachmi" stands in place of a mem [i.e., "from"], and likewise the bet in "of the wine which I have mingled." Similar to: "and what remains of the flesh and of the bread" (Leviticus 8:32). And their sense is like: "Ho, every one who thirsts, come for water" (Isaiah 55:1) — for everything is prepared for the feast.
Ralbag
"Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled" — which I have prepared for you.
Metzudat David
"Come, eat" — if you have nothing of your own, come here and eat of my bread, and drink the wine which I have mixed; and this is a matter of rhetorical figure, to say: is not the wisdom of the Torah delightful, enlightening the eyes, and granting knowledge to those who meditate on it? And it is as if she proclaims and says: whoever wishes to learn, let him come and learn; and if his heart is devoid of understanding, I will grant him understanding.
Metzudat Zion
"Eat" (lechemu) — eat bread; and for further clarification it says "with my bread" (belachmi); likewise, "lops off the branch (pu'rah)" (Isaiah 10).
Malbim
"Come, eat of my bread" — that he should accept the laws of wisdom, whereby he will abandon the way of thoughtlessness, for wisdom will instill shrewdness into his heart, as it is written, "to give shrewdness to the thoughtless," as stated there. And to the one who lacks a heart she says, "drink of the wine that I have mingled," for he needs to understand the depth of the words of wisdom by the power of understanding (binah), which is likened to wine. And he explains that to the thoughtless one she says, "Come, eat of my bread," and through this...
Forsake all thoughtlessness, and live; and walk in the way of understanding.
verse value 1452
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "forsake" (עִזְב֣וּ, 4 letters) and the longest is "simple·ones" (פְתָאיִ֣ם, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "forsake" (עִזְב֣וּ), "and·live" (וִֽחְי֑וּ), "and·walk·straight" (וְ֝אִשְׁר֗וּ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·way·of" (root דרך, 74x in Proverbs); "understanding" (root בין, 46x in Proverbs); "and·walk·straight" (root אשר, 23x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·live', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: עִזְב֣וּ [forsake] (85) + פְתָאיִ֣ם [simple·ones] (531) + וִֽחְי֑וּ [and·live] (30) + וְ֝אִשְׁר֗וּ [and·walk·straight] (513) + בְּדֶ֣רֶךְ [in·way·of] (226) + בִּינָֽה [understanding] (67) = 1452.
Rashi
Leave, you simpletons the way of simplicity and live. and step Heb. מסכתי, an expression of stepping, as in (Job 23:11): “To his steps (באשרו) my foot was held fast.”
Ibn Ezra
"Forsake, thoughtless ones [petha'im]" — a descriptive term for those who possess thoughtlessness, and its sense is: "forsake, you thoughtless ones, and turn aside to me." Another interpretation: it is a collective noun for thoughtlessness, like "you will love simplicity" (Proverbs 1:22), which comes in the manner of "do not be rebellious like the rebellious house" (Ezekiel 2:8). It is also possible to explain that these are the words of Wisdom addressed directly to the thoughtless, saying to them: "forsake your ways, thoughtless ones, and live," in the manner of "let be, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:11). "And walk [va-ishru]" — a verb from the same root as "He established my steps" (Psalm 40:3). "In the way of understanding" — the way of understanding is the wisdoms, and her house is the one built upon the seven pillars.
Ralbag
"Forsake" — the way of the thoughtless, and live; and walk in the way of understanding, to arrive at this level by level. Here the sage explains the reason why he addressed these words only to the thoughtless one and the fool, not to the scoffer or the wicked; and he said that whoever disciplines the scoffer brings disgrace upon himself, for he will mock the wise man who disciplines him, and whoever reproves the wicked takes on his blemish, for the wicked one will say of him that he has the very blemishes that he himself has.
Metzudat David
"Forsake" — therefore, you thoughtless ones, forsake your ways and live, and walk from now on in the way of understanding.
Metzudat Zion
"And walk" (ve'ishru) — and step, as in "and let your heart walk straight (va'asher) in the way" (below, ch. 23).
Malbim
"Forsake all thoughtlessness, and live" — that through the bread of wisdom he will forsake thoughtlessness. And to the one who lacks a heart she says, "drink of the wine that I have mingled" — that is, "walk (ashru) in the way of understanding," for the wine is understanding: that you contemplate the depth of the words of wisdom, and then you will find the happiness (oshser) of the soul by this way of understanding, and through this you will turn away from the inclination of desire toward happiness and good.
He who corrects a scorner gets to himself shame, and he who reproves a wicked man, it becomes to him a blot.
verse value 1532
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 28 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֣וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "a·scorner" (לֵ֗ץ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·he·who·reproves" (וּמוֹכִ֖יחַ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "and·he·who·reproves" (וּמוֹכִ֖יחַ), "his·blemish" (מוּמֽוֹ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·a·wicked·man" (root רשע, 81x in Proverbs); "takes" (root לקח, 24x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root יסר ("he·who·corrects") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'shame', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: יֹ֤סֵ֨ר [he·who·corrects] (270) + לֵ֗ץ [a·scorner] (120) + לֹקֵ֣חַֽ [takes] (138) + ל֣וֹ [to·him] (36) + קָל֑וֹן [shame] (186) + וּמוֹכִ֖יחַ [and·he·who·reproves] (90) + לְרָשָׁ֣ע [to·a·wicked·man] (600) + מוּמֽוֹ [his·blemish] (92) = 1532.
Rashi
and he who reproves a wicked man, that is his blemish It is a blemish to the one who reproves [him], for this one berates him and does not heed him. This is a warning that it is forbidden to talk with those who entice to worship idols, even to reprove them and to draw them near.
Ibn Ezra
"He who corrects a scorner gets to himself shame" — meaning, for himself; for the scorner is among those who are perverse, for whom there is no hope of correction. "And he who reproves a wicked man, it becomes to him a blot" — this refers back to the one who disciplines, and it is a repetition of the same idea as "gets to himself shame." And the sense is: the scorner hates the one who disciplines him, and the wicked man hates the one who reproves him, and they expose his disgrace and speak things that are ugly and contemptible. Another interpretation: "his blot" refers back to the wicked man himself, as if it said: "he who corrects a scorner, and reproves a wicked man about his own blot, gets to himself shame." And its sense is: because the wicked man regards all his own deeds as upright in his own eyes; or, he himself is aware of his own blot and does not want anyone to reprove him. It is also possible to explain: "he who corrects a scorner" — when the one disciplining mocks and displays laughter and scorn while disciplining, he gets to himself shame, because the one disciplined [feels that] the one who disciplines and reproves him does so to insult and shame him, and so he will insult him back. And likewise, "he who reproves a wicked man" and exposes his blot to him gets to himself a blot, because the wicked man will insult him — whereas had he been righteous, he would not have insulted him, since he would be speaking to him in a manner of instruction and not in a manner of mockery.
Metzudat David
"He who corrects a scorner" — meaning: but the scorner and the wicked man I will not reprove, for one who reproves the scorner brings shame upon himself, since [the scorner] will mock him and disgrace him; and one who reproves the wicked man brings a blemish upon himself, for [the wicked man] will answer him, "You too are like me," and thus impair his honor; therefore I have no dealings with them.
Malbim
"He who corrects" — he explains that the maidens of wisdom call only to the thoughtless one and the one who lacks a heart, not to the scorners and the wicked, for these will not listen to the call of wisdom, "for he who corrects a scorner gets to himself shame." Now there is a difference between musar (discipline) and tochachah (reproof): musar operates through fear of punishment, while tochachah operates through rational argument (vikuach ha-sekhel) and its proofs. The scorner will not mock rational proofs; he will mock only the laws of wisdom, because there is no rational demonstration for them, and their principal foundation rests upon the fear of Hashem, which is the "discipline of wisdom" — which must be accepted because it is given by Hashem, and one must fear Hashem and His punishment, as it is written, "The fear of Hashem is the beginning of knowledge." This the scorner will not accept, since there is no rational proof for it. And so it says: "he who corrects a scorner" — if he does not clarify the matter to him by way of reproof and rational proofs, "gets to himself shame," for [the scorner] will mock him and disgrace him. "And he who reproves a wicked man" gets "his blemish" — however, the wicked person who does wickedness deliberately will not listen even to rational reproof; and even though [the reprover] reproves him with rational proofs, he ("gets for himself" — the phrase borrowed from the first clause) "his blemish": [the wicked man] will disgrace him with blemishes, for he will call him by the name "wicked," which is itself a blemish.
Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
verse value 1277
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "a·scorner" (לֵ֭ץ, 2 letters) and the longest is "lest·he·hate·you" (פֶּן־יִשְׂנָאֶ֑ךָּ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "do·not·reprove" (אַל־תּ֣וֹכַח), "lest·he·hate·you" (פֶּן־יִשְׂנָאֶ֑ךָּ), "and·he·will·love·you" (וְיֶאֱהָבֶֽךָּ). The root יכח appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·a·wise·man" (root חכם, 93x in Proverbs); "and·he·will·love·you" (root אהב, 31x in Proverbs); "lest·he·hate·you" (root שנא, 28x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'lest·he·hate·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: אַל־תּ֣וֹכַח [do·not·reprove] (465) + לֵ֭ץ [a·scorner] (120) + פֶּן־יִשְׂנָאֶ֑ךָּ [lest·he·hate·you] (511) + הוֹכַ֥ח [reprove] (39) + לְ֝חָכָ֗ם [to·a·wise·man] (98) + וְיֶאֱהָבֶֽךָּ [and·he·will·love·you] (44) = 1277.
Ibn Ezra
"Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate you" — for he is wise in his own eyes. "Reprove a wise man, and he will love you" — for he desires the improvement of his character, and does not consider himself wise; and these are two opposites.
Ralbag
"Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate you" — but reprove a wise man, and he will love you. "Give to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser" — [give him] a word of wisdom, and he will grow yet wiser through it, based on what you give him from it; for owing to your wisdom he will add to it so as to complete the inquiry into it. Or, alternatively — and this is more correct — "give to a wise man" a word of wisdom, so that he might increase his acquisition of noble character traits.
Metzudat David
"Lest he hate you" — for he is wise in his own eyes, and his way is upright in his own view. "And he will love you" — for he desires the improvement of his character traits, and learns from every person.
Malbim
"Reprove not" — and although the scorner disgraces and mocks only the one who disciplines him [with musar], not the one who reproves him through rational proofs and argument, since he cannot mock a matter that is rationally demonstrated — nevertheless he also does not love intellectual reproof, as it is stated further on (Proverbs 15:12), "A scorner does not love one who reproves him; he will not go to the wise." And he keeps himself away from the wise, so that they will not argue with him by rational proofs. Thus the counsel is: do not reprove even a scorner, even with intellectual reproof and argument — for even though he will not disgrace you, lest he hate you: since he does not love reproof, he will hate you on account of it. However, "reprove a wise man" — with him you may argue and reprove him, for he will love you, since he loves reproof. And accordingly he states that the maidens of wisdom, who were sent to invite the thoughtless one and the one who lacks a heart to the feast of wisdom, also call to the wise to be among those invited to the banquet; and although the wise have already accepted the laws of wisdom and know them, nevertheless...
Give to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.
verse value 1331
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "give" (תֵּ֣ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·he·will·be·wise·yet" (וְיֶחְכַּם־ע֑וֹד, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "give" (תֵּ֣ן), "and·he·will·be·wise·yet" (וְיֶחְכַּם־ע֑וֹד), "teach" (הוֹדַ֥ע). The root חכם appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·a·wise·man" (root חכם, 93x in Proverbs); "to·a·righteous·man" (root צדיק, 66x in Proverbs); "teach" (root ידע, 35x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·he·will·be·wise·yet', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: תֵּ֣ן [give] (450) + לְ֭חָכָם [to·a·wise·man] (98) + וְיֶחְכַּם־ע֑וֹד [and·he·will·be·wise·yet] (164) + הוֹדַ֥ע [teach] (85) + לְ֝צַדִּ֗יק [to·a·righteous·man] (234) + וְי֣וֹסֶף [and·he·will·add] (162) + לֶֽקַח [learning] (138) = 1331.
Rashi
Give a wise man, and he will become yet wiser To a worthy pupil, and the Midrash Aggadah (Tanchuma, Vayakhel 6) states: It was said to Noah, “From every clean animal, etc.” (Gen. 7:2), and when he went out, “And he took from all clean animals, etc.” (ibid. 8:20). He said, “What did the Holy One, blessed be He, see to increase the number of these? It is only because He wished that I offer up some of them.” teach a righteous man wisdom, and he will increase in learning from his own knowledge in addition to what he heard.
Ibn Ezra
"Give to a wise man" — he adds this to explain the superiority of the wise man over the fool. And the sense is: the wise man will grow wiser on his own from what is given to him, and likewise the righteous man will increase in learning from what he is taught — and this is a repetition of the same idea.
Metzudat David
"Give to a wise man" — meaning: speak to him words of wisdom, and he will grow wiser still, from his own understanding. "Teach a righteous man" — teach him the safeguarding of righteousness. "And he will increase in learning" — from his own understanding he will add further study, so as to make an additional safeguard for the [Torah's] safeguard.
Malbim
"Give to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser" — since wisdom is exceedingly broad and its precepts have no end, even the wise man will continually go on receiving the laws of wisdom and adding to his wisdom. "Teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning" — there is a difference between the righteous man and the wise man: the wise man has received all the laws of wisdom by tradition/study, whereas the righteous man behaves righteously even though he does not know all the laws of wisdom as the wise man does; rather, he has become accustomed to its laws through much practice and use of them, as they said, "greater is the practical use of Torah than its study." He therefore needs to be taught the laws of wisdom, since he did not learn all the laws through formal study. Therefore it says "teach [lit. make known to] the righteous man" — the making-known concerns something he did not yet know, and he will add to what he takes and receives, seeing that he had already conducted himself by the laws of wisdom through habit and the use of them.
The fear of Hashem is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the All-holy is understanding.
verse value 2549
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 29 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "beginning·of" (תְּחִלַּ֣ת, 4 letters) and the longest is "the·All-holy" (קְדֹשִׁ֣ים, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "beginning·of" (תְּחִלַּ֣ת). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wisdom" (root חכם, 93x in Proverbs); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 86x in Proverbs); "understanding" (root בין, 46x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: תְּחִלַּ֣ת [beginning·of] (838) + חׇ֭כְמָה [wisdom] (73) + יִרְאַ֣ת [the·fear·of] (611) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + וְדַ֖עַת [and·the·knowledge·of] (480) + קְדֹשִׁ֣ים [the·All-holy] (454) + בִּינָֽה [understanding] (67) = 2549.
Rashi
and the knowledge of the holy ones is the root of understanding.
Ibn Ezra
"The beginning of wisdom is the fear of Hashem" — in the sense of the phrase "the beginning (reishit) of wisdom is the fear of Hashem" (Psalms 111:10). "And the knowledge of the Holy is understanding" — its sense is: "and the beginning of understanding is the knowledge of the Holy." "And the knowledge of the Holy" — they have interpreted this as referring to the Blessed Name Himself, as it is said, "for He is a holy God" (Joshua 24:19). And the sense is that the first product born of understanding is the existence of Hashem [i.e., the recognition that He exists]. But it is also possible to interpret "the knowledge of the holy ones" as the apprehension of the existence of the separate intellects and all the spiritual beings, for knowledge of their existence is the essence of understanding, and from it one ascends to the existence of the highest rank. And just as if there is no fear there is no wisdom, so if there is no knowledge there is no understanding.
Ralbag
"The beginning [of wisdom]" — wisdom, and understanding, is the beginning of the knowledge of the holy ones. For through understanding, one is guided toward knowing the world of the angels, and this is its fruit. Understanding says, as it were: "Through me your days will multiply, and years of life will be added to you." And this is for two reasons: the first, that through them one is guided toward the noble character traits that protect a person from many evils; and the second, that because of the attachment of divine providence to a person by virtue of understanding, he is protected from many evils — and this will be a cause for the increase of his days. That is what is meant here.
Metzudat David
"The beginning" — the fear of Hashem is the beginning of wisdom, for fear leads one to wisdom. "And the knowledge of the All-holy" — to sanctify oneself even in what is permitted to him leads one to understanding.
Malbim
"The fear of Hashem is the beginning of wisdom" — now he explains why she sends her maidens to call and invite [people] to wisdom, rather than calling them herself: this is because wisdom cannot be attained on its own through the proofs of the intellect, and also because these [proofs] run counter to the nature of the heart. The beginning and foundation of wisdom is the fear of Hashem — that they receive it by tradition from the mouth of the sages of the generation and the prophets, who make it known in the name of Hashem, and through fearing Hashem they receive the wisdom that is given. "And the knowledge of the Holy Ones is understanding [binah]" — however, for a person to reach the level of the knowledge of the holy ones, so that he has a clear knowledge of matters of wisdom like the holy ones on earth who attained such knowledge, this comes through understanding (binah): after they have received the laws of wisdom through the fear of Hashem, and have believed with full conviction that the laws of wisdom are given by Hashem, and have deepened their contemplation of wisdom — then they attain knowledge in it, as it is said, "to know wisdom and discipline," and as stated there. Now, at the beginning of the book it said, "the beginning (reshit) of wisdom is the fear of Hashem," whereas here it uses the term "techillah" (beginning/starting-point). There is a difference between "reshit" and "techillah": "reshit" applies somewhat to the substance of the thing itself, as in "the first (reshit) of your grain," "the first (reshit) of your dough" — for there is a fear of Hashem that is itself one of the laws of wisdom, namely, fearing Hashem for His own sake, which is required by the ways of wisdom; this too is part of wisdom, only it is the first and choicest law within it. And there is a fear of Hashem that is not one of the laws of wisdom — namely, the fear of punishment, whereby one fears lest Hashem punish him, or lest good be withheld from him, at the time he departs from the laws of wisdom; this fear is a fear for oneself, and is not in accordance with the laws of wisdom, according to which one ought to fear Hashem with the fear of exaltedness. Nevertheless, even though this fear is not the "reshit" (first principle) of wisdom, it is the "techillah" (starting-point) of wisdom, because it helps him to submit and to heed the laws of wisdom out of fear of punishment. Thus the maidens of wisdom called out this [kind of] fear and proclaimed it on the heights of the city, in the book of the Torah and in the words of the prophets, who warned [the people] not to rebel against the commandments of Hashem for fear of punishment and the withholding of good; and so too the maidens, the emissaries of wisdom, say that they should keep her laws, because...
For by me your days shall be multiplied, and the years of your life shall be increased.
verse value 1392
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "to·you" (לְּ֝ךָ֗, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·will·increase" (וְיוֹסִ֥יפוּ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "for·by·me" (כִּי־בִ֭י), "your·days" (יָמֶ֑יךָ), "and·will·increase" (וְיוֹסִ֥יפוּ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "your·days" (root יום, 32x in Proverbs); "life" (root חי, 32x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·days', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: כִּי־בִ֭י [for·by·me] (42) + יִרְבּ֣וּ [will·be·many] (218) + יָמֶ֑יךָ [your·days] (80) + וְיוֹסִ֥יפוּ [and·will·increase] (178) + לְּ֝ךָ֗ [to·you] (50) + שְׁנ֣וֹת [years·of] (756) + חַיִּֽים [life] (68) = 1392.
Rashi
and they will add to you years of life Years of life are those of sustenance and wealth.
Ibn Ezra
"For by me" — these are the words of Wisdom, who is calling out. And the sense of "for by me" is like "because of me and on my account your days shall increase." "And they shall add to you" — they have explained this as referring back to the fear and the knowledge mentioned [earlier]. But it is possible that the sense of "and they shall add to you" has an elided subject, like "and he buried him in the valley" (Deuteronomy 34:6), where the one who acts is left unstated; and the sense would concern the particulars of the wisdoms and the moral teachings, for they add years of life, in the sense of "for that is your life and the length of your days" (Deuteronomy 30:20).
Metzudat David
"For by me" — because of engagement with the Torah, your days will be multiplied, and these days will add to you years of life; for as the days increase, you will increase in good deeds, and thereby years of life in the World to Come will be added to you.
Malbim
"For by me your days shall be multiplied" — this is because of the love of reward: through wisdom, his days of goodness will be multiplied and years of life will be added to him. I have already explained this above, [chapter] 3:2.
If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; And if you scorn, you alone shall bear it.’
verse value 2310
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 23 letters. The shortest word is "for·yourself" (לָּ֑ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "if·you·are·wise" (אִם־חָ֭כַמְתָּ, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "if·you·are·wise" (אִם־חָ֭כַמְתָּ), "and·you·scorn" (וְ֝לַ֗צְתָּ), "you·will·bear" (תִשָּֽׂא). The root חכם appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "if·you·are·wise" (root חכם, 93x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'for·yourself', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: אִם־חָ֭כַמְתָּ [if·you·are·wise] (509) + חָכַ֣מְתָּ [you·are·wise] (468) + לָּ֑ךְ [for·yourself] (50) + וְ֝לַ֗צְתָּ [and·you·scorn] (526) + לְֽבַדְּךָ֥ [by·yourself] (56) + תִשָּֽׂא [you·will·bear] (701) = 2310.
Ibn Ezra
"If you are wise, you are wise for yourself" — in the sense of "if you are righteous, what do you give Him?" (Job 35:7). "And if you scorn" — this is the opposite of "you are wise." "You alone shall bear it" — its sense is: you alone shall bear the iniquity or the punishment, for it relies on the reader's understanding. And [the phrase] "and if you scorn" comes [in this form] like "and when you are thirsty, go to the vessels" (Ruth 2:9), whose sense is "and if you are thirsty" — and so too here.
Ralbag
"If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; and if you scorn, you alone shall bear it" — meaning that the benefit is for you alone; and likewise, if you scorn, you alone will bear the damage.
Metzudat David
"If you are wise, [you are wise] for yourself" — the wisdom will be of benefit to you. "And if you scorn" — and if you mock people, you alone will bear the punishment.
Malbim
"If..." — that is to say, is it not so, that if you are wise, it is for your own benefit — "you are wise for yourself," that you will receive the good through wisdom; and conversely, if you scorn the words of wisdom, "you alone shall bear it" — you alone will bear the punishment. And this is the warning not to depart from the laws of wisdom, out of fear of punishment and the withholding of good.
The woman Folly is riotous; She is thoughtless, and knows nothing.
verse value 2355
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "what" (מָּֽה, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·does·not·know" (וּבַל־יָ֥דְעָה, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "woman·of" (אֵ֣שֶׁת), "Folly" (כְּ֭סִילוּת), "simplicity" (פְּ֝תַיּ֗וּת). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·does·not·know" (root ידע, 35x in Proverbs); "woman·of" (root אשה, 24x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'is·riotous', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: אֵ֣שֶׁת [woman·of] (701) + כְּ֭סִילוּת [Folly] (526) + הֹמִיָּ֑ה [is·riotous] (60) + פְּ֝תַיּ֗וּת [simplicity] (896) + וּבַל־יָ֥דְעָה [and·does·not·know] (127) + מָּֽה [what] (45) = 2355.
Ibn Ezra
"The woman of follies is boisterous" — [meaning] the possessor of follies is boisterous [and] foolish. That is to say, all her clamor, whose substance is foolishness and the baseness of her speech, is nothing but foolishness. And the etnachta (a cantillation pause-mark) on the word "boisterous," and the revia (another cantillation mark) on the word "foolish," support this interpretation. But it is also possible to interpret it as though it said, "and a foolish woman does not know anything," for the word "and a woman of" serves also for what follows [governing the next clause as well], and there are many examples like it. And the sense is that the woman of follies is boisterous and rebellious, but the woman of foolishness is boisterous only, without awareness — and this is [the meaning of] "and she does not know anything," since she has no knowledge of anything. And [the word] "anything" is elliptical, as in the phrase "and it passed over me, what" [an elliptical construction in which the object is left understood]; or its meaning is "something" (me'umah), as in the phrase "a wisdom of something, upon nothing" [where "nothing" (belimah) itself combines "without" and "something" (mah)]. And when she has someone to inform her, or she comes to know on her own, perhaps she will take heed and turn away from the clamor. And it has already been stated that a fool (kesil) is one for whom there is no hope of reform, while a simple one (peti) is one for whom there is hope of reform.
Ralbag
"The woman Folly" — raises her voice; and the woman of simplicity does not know what to say, in order to entice the men who would be drawn to her. Now, he called "the woman of folly" the body of the fool, who seeks ease, and therefore his intellect is prevented from striving in wisdom. And by this he means, by "simplicity," the body of the simple person, for the intellect can only be enticed toward the good. Or, alternatively, he means that "the woman of folly" raises her voice, and "the woman of simplicity" does not know what to say to entice them, for she has no reflection or cunning at all.
Metzudat David
"The woman Folly" — behold, a foolish woman is boisterous with her voice; she is thoughtless, and knows nothing, and she is boisterous without knowledge.
Malbim
"The woman Folly (kesilut)" — after he had told of the words of wisdom and the pleasantness of her teaching, he says that, opposite to this, the woman of folly (kesilut) is also riotous, [seeking] to entice toward folly. There is a difference between kesilut (folly) and petiyut (simple-mindedness): petiyut consists of a lack of knowledge and cunning, and is like a simple dove; but kesilut is a turning away from wisdom because of the clamor of one's desire — the fool (kesil) knows the laws of wisdom, and is sometimes even a great sage, only the impulse of his desire leads him astray. Therefore it says of the woman of folly that she "is riotous" — meaning she knows and understands, only she is riotous through the clamor of desire and the evil impulse. But the woman of simple-mindedness is riotous "and knows nothing," for the simple person (peti) knows nothing at all.
And she sits at the door of her house, On a seat in the high places of the city,
verse value 2429
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "city" (קָֽרֶת, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·she·sits" (וְֽ֭יָשְׁבָה, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "and·she·sits" (וְֽ֭יָשְׁבָה), "at·the·door·of" (לְפֶ֣תַח), "upon·seat" (עַל־כִּ֝סֵּ֗א). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "her·house" (root בית, 38x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'her·house', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְֽ֭יָשְׁבָה [and·she·sits] (323) + לְפֶ֣תַח [at·the·door·of] (518) + בֵּיתָ֑הּ [her·house] (417) + עַל־כִּ֝סֵּ֗א [upon·seat] (181) + מְרֹ֣מֵי [heights·of] (290) + קָֽרֶת [city] (700) = 2429.
Ibn Ezra
"And she sits at the door of her house" — she is prepared for calamity, without building a house or any other preparation — unlike what is said [of Wisdom]: "Wisdom has built her house... she has slaughtered her meat, mixed her wine, and also set her table" (cf. Proverbs 9:1-2). And the sense is that wisdom requires preparation and readiness, but folly is not so, for it is the very absence of preparation and readiness. "On a seat in the high places of the city" — for folly comes by way of pride, and therefore a seat is attributed to her. And the sense is like the phrase "upon the heights of."
Ralbag
"And she sits at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city" — ["kiryah" meaning] the city; for owing to their foolishness, her deficiency is regarded [by them] as perfection.
Metzudat David
"At the door of her house" — to see those who pass by on the road, going past her. "On the high places of the city" — on her seat, standing at the height of the city, to make her voice heard from afar.
Malbim
"And she sits..." — now, folly and simple-mindedness have not built a proper house upon pillars, for their house hangs in the air, and they are the destroyers of the great house, which is the world, established upon the pillars of wisdom. And she has not prepared meat, mixed wine, and a table, for she lacks all good and happiness, and is empty of all the delights of the soul; and she does not send her maidens — rather she herself sits at the door of her house, for folly and its evil imaginings come to a person of their own accord. "On a seat in the high places of the city" — for she is the one who sits on the throne in the kingdom of the body, and all the powers of the body are drawn after her and have become slaves to her. And she does not call to "those who dwell in the city," which is a figure for those who dwell in tranquility, with no evil impulse to keep them from the service of Hashem — rather...
To call to those who pass by, Who go right on their ways:
verse value 2127
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "to·call" (לִקְרֹ֥א, 4 letters) and the longest is "to·those·who·pass·by·the·way" (לְעֹֽבְרֵי־דָ֑רֶךְ, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "to·call" (לִקְרֹ֥א), "to·those·who·pass·by·the·way" (לְעֹֽבְרֵי־דָ֑רֶךְ), "the·ones·who·go·straight" (הַֽ֝מְיַשְּׁרִ֗ים). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·ones·who·go·straight" (root ישר, 35x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·those·who·pass·by·the·way', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 2 words. Full calculation: לִקְרֹ֥א [to·call] (331) + לְעֹֽבְרֵי־דָ֑רֶךְ [to·those·who·pass·by·the·way] (536) + הַֽ֝מְיַשְּׁרִ֗ים [the·ones·who·go·straight] (605) + אֹֽרְחוֹתָֽם [their·ways] (655) = 2127.
Ibn Ezra
"To call to those who pass by" — [meaning] those who straighten their paths and walk in their innocence; and her intent is to lead them astray — the opposite of [Wisdom's] call to those who err, whose intent is to straighten their way.
Ralbag
"To call" — and there, in the city, to those who pass by on the road, who make their paths straight in the ways of inquiry.
Metzudat David
"To call to those who pass by" — to those who pass there on their way, who walk on a straight path in the ways of Hashem; and this is a matter of rhetorical figure, to say that the desiring soul entices toward transgression and displays the sweetness and pleasure of transgression.
Malbim
"To call to those who pass by" — those who have not yet arrived at a city, but are still walking along the road — that is, they have not yet fixed their character traits and have not yet settled in their understanding, and they are passing along the paths of the soul. "Who go right on their ways" — [meaning] they wish to straighten their paths toward rectitude and equity, for every person wishes to straighten his path, and a person's soul is upright by nature, if folly, evil imaginings, and desires do not lead it astray from the way. ("Derekh" [way] is the great road, while "orchot" [paths] are its branches, for error and doubt occur on the individual paths, in which those lying in wait ensnare him and pervert him.)
’Whoever is thoughtless, let him turn in here’; And as for the one who lacks understanding, she says to him:
verse value 1464
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 24 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (לּֽוֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (לּֽוֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·lacking·of·heart" (וַחֲסַר־לֵ֝֗ב, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "and·lacking·of·heart" (וַחֲסַר־לֵ֝֗ב). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·she·says" (root אמר, 45x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'here', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: מִֽי־פֶ֭תִי [who?·thoughtless] (540) + יָסֻ֣ר [let·him·turn] (270) + הֵ֑נָּה [here] (60) + וַחֲסַר־לֵ֝֗ב [and·lacking·of·heart] (306) + וְאָ֣מְרָה [and·she·says] (252) + לּֽוֹ [to·him] (36) = 1464.
Rashi
and whoever is devoid of sense (lit. and one devoid of sense.) and she says to him these words. What does she say to him?
Ibn Ezra
"Whoever is thoughtless" — they were not [originally] called this; rather, they are called so after their end. Or, she calls them by this name in order to emphasize the extent of their lack of awareness — the intensity of the pleasure and enjoyment that comes to them through her — and because she herself had to call out to them, while they did not know her worth.
Ralbag
"Who[ever]" — [equivalent to] "whoever among you": the thoughtless will turn in here, and [also] one who lacks understanding. "And she says to him" — that he should join with her, and not trouble himself with intellectual inquiry, which is the nourishment of the intellect; for it is better and more pleasant for a person to be nourished by the food of others. This is why "stolen waters are sweet" — stolen water is sweeter, and bread that a person steals, since he must eat it in secret, is more pleasant and sweeter to him than bread taken from his own house. So too this woman is saying that it is more pleasant for the intellect to indulge in bodily pleasures and abandon the acquisition of wisdom.
Metzudat David
"Whoever is thoughtless" — Who is the thoughtless one who deprives himself of good? Let him turn from his place and come here, and I will teach him wisdom — for she considers it foolishness to withhold oneself from the pleasantness of the Torah. "And whoever lacks understanding" — Who is the one who lacks understanding? The one who withholds himself from good; and this is a repetition of the same matter in different words. "She says to him" — Thus she will say to him.
Malbim
"Whoever is thoughtless [peti]" — she calls only to the peti (simpleton) and to the one "who lacks understanding [lev, lit. heart]": the woman of simple-mindedness calls to the peti, and the woman of folly calls to the one who lacks "lev" — that is, one who has no ruling power to restrain his desires. "And she says to him..."
’Stolen waters are sweet, And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.’
verse value 1721
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "and·bread·of" (וְלֶ֖חֶם, 4 letters) and the longest is "water·stolen" (מַֽיִם־גְּנוּבִ֥ים, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "water·stolen" (מַֽיִם־גְּנוּבִ֥ים), "are·sweet" (יִמְתָּ֑קוּ), "secrecy" (סְתָרִ֣ים). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·bread·of" (root לחם, 21x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root מתק ("are·sweet") in Proverbs. First appearance of the root סתר ("secrecy") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'are·sweet', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: מַֽיִם־גְּנוּבִ֥ים [water·stolen] (201) + יִמְתָּ֑קוּ [are·sweet] (556) + וְלֶ֖חֶם [and·bread·of] (84) + סְתָרִ֣ים [secrecy] (710) + יִנְעָֽם [is·pleasant] (170) = 1721.
Rashi
Stolen water is sweet The pleasure afforded by intimacy with a single woman does not equal that afforded by intimacy with a married woman. Also, regarding the commandments (other editions: sectarianism), stolen water is sweet, for they were afraid to do it in public, but did it in secret.
Ibn Ezra
"Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant" — this is a figure of speech for transgressions and the illicit relations done in secret; and anything forbidden, the [evil] inclination pursues all the more. And the sense is that by this the heart of the simple one, the one lacking understanding, is enticed.
Metzudat David
"Stolen waters" — Are not stolen waters sweeter than waters that are not stolen, and stolen bread eaten in secret very pleasant? That is to say, the taste of the permitted is not comparable to the taste of the forbidden — so why then do you withhold yourself from them?
Metzudat Zion
'It is pleasant' — an expression of sweetness and pleasantness.
Malbim
"Stolen waters are sweet" — although she does not give him sweet wine and meat that would be pleasant to the palate, but gives him instead water and bread — since these are "stolen waters" that came to him through prohibition and toil, they "are sweet" as wine, for a person finds sweet in his mouth a thing that is not rightfully his and that he has been warned against; and so she makes the transgression sweet for him, which he commits in secrecy, by theft, and in violation of a prohibition.
But he knows not that the shades are there; that her guests are in the depths of the nether-world.
verse value 1697
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "there" (שָׁ֑ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·shades" (כִּֽי־רְפָאִ֣ים, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "that·shades" (כִּֽי־רְפָאִ֣ים), "in·the·depths·of" (בְּעִמְקֵ֖י), "her·guests" (קְרֻאֶֽיהָ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not·knows" (root ידע, 35x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root עמק ("in·the·depths·of") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'there', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְֽלֹא־יָ֭דַע [and·not·knows] (121) + כִּֽי־רְפָאִ֣ים [that·shades] (361) + שָׁ֑ם [there] (340) + בְּעִמְקֵ֖י [in·the·depths·of] (222) + שְׁא֣וֹל [nether-world] (337) + קְרֻאֶֽיהָ [her·guests] (316) = 1697.
Ibn Ezra
"But he does not know" — the simple one who follows her, suddenly, that the dead are there in the depths of Sheol; "there are her guests" — and the word "there" alludes to Sheol. Here the first section is completed — [which told] of the excellence of wisdom, its warnings, and its moral teachings. The second section [begins]:
Ralbag
"But he knows not" — [this refers to] one who is enticed by her words: that the dead are there, meaning in her house, and her guests have gone down into the depths of the grave and of death, for he will not acquire life through her. This is the explanation of the words of this section, which we set out to explain at this point in the book. As for the benefits derived from it, there are five: The first benefit is to make known that it is not enough for a person to know the Torah; rather, he must also do all that the Torah says, as Hashem commanded — and so it says, "Bind them upon your fingers, write them upon the tablet of your heart" (Proverbs 7:3). The second is to make known the evil that will befall one who is drawn after his desires — and so it says, "he goes after her suddenly, as an ox goes to the slaughter... many are the slain she has felled... her house is the way to Sheol" (Proverbs 7:22, 26-27). The third is to make known the nature of wisdom and understanding, and something of how they are attained and their benefit. The fourth is to make known that rebuke does not help the scoffer or the wicked person, for they do not accept correction, but it does help the wise man and the righteous man. The fifth is to make known the evil that befalls on account of foolishness and thoughtlessness.
Metzudat David
"But he knows not" — He who follows after her does not set his mind to know that there is the place of the shades — who are the dead, who have become slack and weakened through death; that is to say, he who pursues desire is destined to die because of it. "In the depths" — Into the depth of Gehinnom descend those invited by her and who come to her.
Malbim
"But he knows not that the shades (rephaim) are there" — for it is a poison of death to the soul, and the place to which she calls those she has invited is to the depths of Sheol, for through the transgression the soul is cut off and goes to destruction.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim