The Appeal Of Woman Folly To The Naive (Proverbs 9:13-18).
There is no suggestion that Woman Folly's house is opulent or well-provisioned. And indeed she herself is described as ‘turbulent' and ‘knowing nothing'. She may make a show of being like wisdom (she is on a seat in the high places of the city), but she rather offers ‘stolen waters' (illicit sexual enjoyment) and ‘bread in secret' (surreptitious pleasure). And whilst her house is also opened up to those who are naive and lacking in understanding (compare Proverbs 9:4), they never get beyond that stage. They do not ‘live' and walk in the way of understanding, rather, like her, those who come to her know nothing. They die. For they ‘do not know' that in her house are the ‘shadows' (rephaim) of the dead, and that her guests are in the depths of the grave-world.
Like all the Prologue this is presented chiastically:
A The woman Folly is noisy (disquieted), she is naive, and knows nothing, and she sits at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city (Proverbs 9:13-14).
B To call to those who pass by, who go right on their ways, “Whoever is naive, let him turn in here” (Proverbs 9:15-16 a).
B And as for him who is void of understanding, she says to him, “Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant” (Proverbs 9:16-17).
A But he does not know that the shades of the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol (Proverbs 9:18).
In A the woman Folly knows nothing and the door of her house is in the high places of the city, and in the parallel those who enter her house also ‘do not know' and her house proves to be in the depths of Sheol. The exaltation that she offers is spurious. In B she appeals to the naive to ‘turn in here' and in the parallel we find the terms of her offer which are to those lacking in understanding, and are stolen waters and bread in secret.
‘The woman Folly is noisy (vociferous),
She is naive, and knows nothing,
And she sits at the door of her house,
On a seat in the high places of the city,'
In contrast with Woman Wisdom, Woman Folly is noisy but empty. She is all bluster and no content. She makes a lot of noise, but is naive and knows nothing, that is, has nothing positive to offer in her words. Whereas wisdom has spoken positively and given guidance and direction, Folly has nothing of any importance to say. All she can do is use enticing words. For she too is naive. She too is lacking in wisdom and understanding.
She sits at the door of her house, on a seat, in the high places of the city. Thus like Woman Wisdom her house is in the high places of the city. But whereas Wisdom was active and outgoing, Folly sits on her seat. She is seeking to make herself impressive. And she calls to men from there. She has no urgency, only enticement. The fact that she has a seat to sit on, a rarity in those days (people would normally sit on stools or cushions), brings out that she is a woman of status. It may be that this is to be seen as one of her enticements.
‘To call to those who pass by,
Who make straight their ways,
“Whoever is naive,
Let him turn in here.”
The people whom she calls to are the naive and gullible. Whilst seeking to walk in straight ways, (they are therefore not open sinners), they are open to the tempting voice. She too cries, ‘whoever is naive let him turn in here' (compare Proverbs 9:4 a). She is trying to make herself look and sound as much like Wisdom as possible.
And as for him who is void of understanding,
She says to him,
“Stolen waters are sweet,
And bread (eaten) in secret is pleasant.”
But he does not realise that the shadows of the dead are there,
That her guests are in the depths of Sheol.'
Like Ms Wisdom, Ms Folly speaks to ‘him who is void of understanding' (Proverbs 9:4 b), in other words the one who is vaguely going on through life without having established the principles by which he will live. She also offers drink and food, but in her case it is not principles by which to live, and find life, but temptations which lead to death. Rather than mingled wine which speaks of that growth in understanding which will enable him to walk in the way of understanding, she offers ‘stolen waters', illicit sexual pleasures enjoyed behind her husband's back. Instead of solid spiritual food she offers ‘bread in secret', indicating the same furtive, illicit sex, the illicit pleasure of adultery. She offers ‘the pleasures of sin for a season' (Hebrews 11:25).
And what the young man does not realise is that ‘the shadows of the dead (rephaim) are there'. He is not moving on to life (Proverbs 9:6 a), but lies in a bed that has been occupied by many others, who have gone on into the depths of Sheol. For ‘the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). He is moving from being a naive young man to being a scorner and a fool.
‘The shadows of the dead.' The word is rephaim, which elsewhere speaks of the shadowy forms of the dead existing in the grave world who will not rise (Isaiah 14:9; Isaiah 26:14).