2). Wisdom Calls On The Naive And On Fools To Pay Heed To Her Words Because Her Instruction Is Both True And Valuable (Proverbs 8:5-13).
Wisdom's words come especially to the naive and to ‘fools' (compare Proverbs 1:22), that is to those who are still grappling with life without having any agenda, often at a loose end (compare Proverbs 7:7), and at the behest of any voice that speaks to them, and those who, while believing vaguely in God, live their lives apart from His will and direction (compare Psalms 14:1). Her aim is to rescue them from their naivety and folly. And she does so because what she has to say is truth, and is excellent and precious.
Once again the subsection is presented chiastically:
A O you naive ones, understand shrewdness, and, you fools, be of an understanding heart (Proverbs 8:5).
B Hear, for I will speak excellent things (princely things), and the opening of my lips will be right (straight, equitable) things (Proverbs 8:6)
C For my mouth will utter truth, and wickedness is an abomination to my lips, all the words of my mouth are in righteousness (Proverbs 8:7-8 a).
C There is nothing crooked or perverse in them, they are all plain to him who understands, and right to those who find knowledge (Proverbs 8:8-9).
B Receive my instruction, and not silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it (Proverbs 8:10-11).
A I wisdom have made shrewdness my dwelling, and find out knowledge and discretion (Proverbs 8:12).
Note how in A the call is to understand shrewdness and be of an understanding heart, and in the parallel wisdom has made shrewdness her dwelling, and finds out knowledge and discretion. In B men are called on to ‘hear' princely things and equitable things, and in the parallel to ‘receive instruction, knowledge and wisdom' which are more precious than gold, silver and rubies, and are beyond compare. Centrally in C wisdom emphasises that her words are truth and in righteousness, because wickedness is an abomination to her lips, and in the parallel there is nothing that is crooked or perverse in them, for they are plain to those who understand, and right to those who find knowledge.
“O you naive ones, understand shrewdness,
And, you fools, be of an understanding heart,
Hear, for I will speak excellent things (princely things),
And the opening of my lips will be right (straight, equitable) things,
For my mouth will utter truth,
And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.”
Note that here, where we might have expected the word ‘wisdom', we have the word shrewdness, although we then learn in Proverbs 8:12 that wisdom has made shrewdness her dwelling. So while Wisdom may be personified, she is defined by a number of words such as ‘understanding' (with which she is regularly combined - Proverbs 2:2; Proverbs 3:13; Proverbs 3:19; Proverbs 4:5; Proverbs 4:7; Proverbs 5:1; Proverbs 7:4; Proverbs 8:1; Proverbs 8:14; Proverbs 9:10), ‘knowledge', ‘disciplinary instruction', ‘discretion', ‘shrewdness' and the like. She is a clearly not an individual but a composite concept (compare especially Proverbs 1:2-4; Proverbs 2:2-3; Proverbs 2:10-11; Proverbs 3:19-20; Proverbs 5:1-2), and regularly thought of in terms of Solomon's ‘wisdom', ‘words', ‘commandments', ‘torah (instruction)' and ‘disciplinary instruction' (Proverbs 1:7-8; Proverbs 2:1-2; Proverbs 3:1; Proverbs 5:1; Proverbs 6:20; Proverbs 6:25; Proverbs 7:1-4). Note how in Proverbs 8:1-4 ‘wisdom and understanding' are seen as one and spoken of as ‘she' (compare Proverbs 2:2-4 where wisdom, understanding and discernment are spoken of as ‘her').
So the naive are called on to understand shrewdness, and the fools (those who live carelessly) are called on to be of an understanding heart. They are to pay heed to the excellent and princely things, the right and equitable things, which ‘wisdom and understanding' (Proverbs 8:1) speaks. For the main concern of true wisdom and understanding is ‘truth'. Indeed false words and wickedness are an abomination to her. When put in apposition to ‘truth (what is reliable)', ‘wickedness' is ‘falsity, (what is unreliable)'.
“All the words of my mouth are in righteousness,
There is nothing crooked or perverse in them,
They are all plain to him who understands,
And right to those who find knowledge.”
For all her spoken words are ‘in righteousness', they are true, honest and upright, and there is nothing crooked (twisted) and perverse in them. For her there is no ‘lying or deceitful tongue' (Proverbs 6:17). All her words are plain to those who understand, and they are right (straight, open, honest), to those who find true knowledge (the fear of YHWH and the knowledge of God - Proverbs 2:5). In the words of Jesus, ‘if any man wills to do His will, he will know of My teaching, whether it comes from God' (John 7:17).
Thus we have here the assurance that what is true will be known to those whose hearts are truly open to God. It is only when sin distorts men's thinking that they are unable to come to truth. Thus people today have much knowledge, but because their hearts are closed to God and are sinful, they do not come to truth. Each sees things from his own perspective. Men who will devote countless hours and huge amounts of money to discern an invisible and elusive particle in nature, have no time to consider the many things that point to an invisible, and to them elusive, God. But to those who are open to understand, and who find knowledge, because it is given to them by God (Proverbs 2:6), all is plain.
“Receive my instruction, and not silver,
And knowledge rather than choice gold,
For wisdom is better than rubies,
And all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.”
In Proverbs 8:6 wisdom called on men to ‘hear' excellent things, princely things' and ‘equitable things'. Here they are assured that Solomon's instruction, knowledge and wisdom are more valuable than silver and fine gold, and better than ‘rubies' (possibly red coral). Indeed nothing else can be compared with them for value. God's word is the most precious thing that this world contains.
Note on Proverbs 8:11. .
There are no conclusive grounds for excluding Proverbs 8:11 from the narrative as an interpolation, even though this is often suggested. It is found in all manuscripts and versions, and Hebrew poetry has a habit of not falling into line with the structures that moderns expect of it. The use of wisdom in the third person, paralleling instruction and knowledge, was to be expected if Wisdom was to speak of wisdom. She is underlining her own worth in terms of her attributes. This also explains the unusual ‘I, Wisdom' in Proverbs 8:12. She has to indicate who the personal pronoun refers to precisely because of the variation in Proverbs 8:11. The fact that something similar was said in Proverbs 3:15 is not a valid argument. Solomon often repeats good ideas. Thus there are no good grounds for excising this verse.
End of note.
“I wisdom have made shrewdness my dwelling,
And find out knowledge and discretion,
Wisdom ends the subsection, which is all in her words, with a reminder of what she is. Shrewdness is her dwellingplace. The two are inseparably connected. That was why the naive could be called on to ‘understand shrewdness' rather than wisdom (Proverbs 8:5). ‘Knowledge and discretion' are what she seeks out. Knowledge is the knowledge of God and His ways, and is a revelation from God (Proverbs 2:5-6); discretion is the ability to discern and devise wisely. Discretion parallels knowledge in Proverbs 1:4; understanding in Proverbs 2:11; and is a companion of wisdom in Proverbs 3:21. In other words wisdom, shrewdness, knowledge and discretion are all an essential part of one another. Note how they all appear together in Proverbs 1:4-5.