The Contrast Between The Scorner, Who Does Not Like Reproof, And The Wise Man Who Heeds It, (a warning to the naive), Centred Round The Fear Of YHWH (Proverbs 9:7-12).
The prologue initially began with a warning concerning ‘the naive, -- scorners -- and the foolish' (Proverbs 1:22). Here in this final chapter wisdom addresses the naive, for whom there is still hope (Proverbs 9:4-6), reveals the truth about scorners, for whom there is little hope (Proverbs 9:7-8), and epitomises the foolish in terms of Woman Folly (Proverbs 9:13-18). Thus the fact that Solomon deals with scorners here ties in with the pattern of the book. This not the first mention of scorners. They are mentioned in Proverbs 1:22 but from then on the scorners tend to be ignored, probably precisely because they were deemed unreachable. Up to this point all that we have learned further about them is that ‘God scorns the scorners' (Proverbs 3:34). Now in giving his final warning he wants the naive to learn why that is so. It is because scorners react violently to rebuke. They will not examine themselves. They do not want anyone to suggest that their lives are not satisfactory.
So Solomon now moves on to emphasise the distinction between the wise, the followers of wisdom, and the scornful. Many cavil here at the interruption of two smooth comparisons (Proverbs 9:1-6; Proverbs 9:13-18) by something presented in a complete change of style. They do not see it as fitting. It conflicts with their sense of what is appropriate and artistically acceptable. And so they see it as ‘a later insertion' which does not really fit into the text. But the ancients were more rugged in their presentations than we are, and we regularly find in their writings sudden changes like this which to us at first appear inexplicable. We must therefore give it fair consideration.
And in fact this subsection is not completely inexplicable. Solomon is bringing his prologue to an end and wants to do more than finish it with a nice, smooth parabolic contrast. He wants to cover ‘the naive -- the scorners -- and the foolish' (Proverbs 1:22). So having spoken to the naive of ‘walking in the way of understanding' (the way of the fear of YHWH and knowledge of the Holy One - Proverbs 9:10) he does not want to move simply into a comparison with the woman Folly. It would be nice and smooth, but it would not bring his readers up sharp, and face them with their choice. However, that is what he wants to do. He wants to bring the naive among his readers up sharp, by vividly letting them know what will happen to them if they become scorners. And he does it in vivid fashion, by changing his style and letting them know that if they become scorners they will become hardened. For, he points out, those who become scorners refuse to accept correction or rebukes. They become almost unreachable and unresponsive to wisdom. He knows that it is something that the naive might easily become, and he does not want that.
Accepting the text as it stands these words are seen as continuing to be spoken by Wisdom to the naive. Note the ‘by me your days will be multiplied' (Proverbs 9:11). Some seek to amend the ‘by me'. However, that requires amending the text in line with the versions. And the versions probably translated in the way they did because they also saw ‘by me' as difficult. On the other hand ‘by me' makes perfectly good sense if we accept it.
So here those who hear the call of wisdom are being advised not to become scorners, but rather to become wise men who love reproof and gladly receive wisdom. Proverbs 9:6 spoke of the way of understanding, so before going on to portray Woman Folly, Solomon wants to bring home what that way of understanding is (Proverbs 9:10), and warn the naive of what they might become if they refuse to walk in it, as others have done.
The subsection is presented chiastically:
A He who corrects a scorner gets to himself reviling, and he who reproves a wicked man gets to himself an injury (literally ‘it is his injury'). Do not reprove a scorner, lest he hate you (Proverbs 9:7-8 a).
B Reprove a wise man, and he will love you (Proverbs 9:8 b).
C Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser, teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning (Proverbs 9:9).
D The fear of YHWH is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10 a).
D And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding (Proverbs 9:10 b).
C For by me your days will be multiplied, and the years of your life will be increased (Proverbs 9:11).
B If you are wise, you are wise for thyself (Proverbs 9:12 a)
A And if you scorn, you alone will bear it (Proverbs 9:12 b).
In A the scorner is laid bare, and in the parallel a warning is given to the scorner that he is personally responsible for the consequences which will affect him alone. In B a wise man is defined, and in the parallel the wise learn that they too are personally responsible for what they are. In C the wise and the righteous man increases in wisdom and learning, and in the parallel the years of his life will consequently. Centrally in D the fear of YHWH and the knowledge of the Holy One are paralleled.
“He who corrects a scorner gets to himself reviling,
And he who reproves a wicked man gets to himself an injury (literally ‘it is his injury',
Do not reprove a scorner, lest he hate you,
Reprove a wise man, and he will love you.'
Give (instruction) to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser,
Teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.
The fear of YHWH is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
Solomon could have said something like this (following Proverbs 9:6), ‘do not become a scorner for they are unreachable by wisdom, rather become a wise man who loves to receive reproof'. And in effect that is what he does say (see Proverbs 9:12). But first he wants to puts it in a way that pulls the reader up short, asking him to consider a scorner from the point of view of Wisdom. The naive one thereby learns that if he becomes a scorner Wisdom will want nothing to do with him. Why? Because anyone who corrects a scorner simply gets reviled by the scorner, and anyone who reproves a wicked man can simply expect injury. Note the equation of the scorner with a wicked man, that is, a man who is not righteous and who therefore does not respond to YHWH in His covenant relationship.
Then Wisdom reinforces the lesson by facing the naive man up with a scorner directly. ‘Do not reprove a scorner lest he hate you.' In other words, ‘recognise that that is the kind of person scorners become. Their hearts are hardened, they will not admit to fault, and they hate anyone who shows them up.
In contrast Wisdom points out how different is the wise man. ‘Reprove a wise man and he will love you.' Why? Because a wise man wants to know his faults so that he can put them right. He wants to become wiser and so he loves anyone who genuinely reveals his faults to him.
The wise man is then revealed by Wisdom to be also a righteous man (a man who observes the covenant with YHWH). The two are seen as necessarily going together, because the fruit of wisdom is righteousness, and to walk in the way of righteousness is to be wise. She points out that if you give instruction to a wise man he will learn from it because he is a wise man, and will become wiser. If you teach a righteous man he will listen because he is a righteous man and wants to know more of righteousness, and will therefore increase in learning.
As a consequence of the naive young man being faced up with these issues in this way, he has had abruptly brought home to him what is involved in being a scorner, and how much better it is to be a wise man. And it is done by a sharp apparent change of subject, rather than just by a smooth transition. He is jolted into considering the difference between a scorner and a wise and righteous man.
Note On Proverbs 9:7-9.
It will be noted that in these verses we have a chiasmus within a chiasmus:
A He who corrects a scorner gets to himself reviling, and he who reproves a wicked man gets to himself an injury (literally ‘it is his injury' (Proverbs 9:7).
B Do not reprove a scorner, lest he hate you (Proverbs 9:8 a).
B Reprove a wise man, and he will love you (Proverbs 9:8 b)
A Give (instruction) to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser, teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.
In A the scorner and the wicked man are contrasted in the parallel by the wise man and the righteous man. In B the consequence of reproof to a scorner are compared with the consequences of reproof to a wise man.
This might suggest that it is this portion (Proverbs 9:7-9) which was originally incorporated by Solomon, for the purpose explained above, on the basis of a well known proverbial comparison. If Proverbs 9:7-9 were a wellknown saying which Solomon incorporated it would adequately explain both the disjointedness, and the change in the modes of address, while still fitting easily into the narrative. Modern man would precede it by saying, ‘consider the adage --'. But that was not the ancient way. Solomon can then be seen as continuing his own narrative in Proverbs 9:10, in order to explain what the way of understanding is, having first faced the young man up proverbially to the choice between being a scorner or being a wise man.
End of note.
When we come to Proverbs 9:10 it clearly connects back to Proverbs 9:6, and is indeed explanatory of it. The reader may ask, ‘What does it mean to walk in the way of understanding?' Wisdom now gives her answer. “The fear of YHWH is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Let the naive young man learn to reverently fear YHWH, which is the first step in being wise and will have the continuing consequence of obedience to YHWH, and let him come to a true knowledge of the Holy One, which will have the consequence for him of knowing God (Proverbs 2:6) and knowing what He requires, and he will then walk in the way of understanding. Thus we have confirmed at the end that the wisdom which Solomon is speaking of all the way through is based on the fear of YHWH and the knowledge of God.
It should, perhaps, be noted that ‘Holy one' is actually in the plural (holy ones). But in view of the parallel with YHWH we are probably to see this as an intensive plural indicating the supreme holiness of God. The idea of ‘the Holy One' fits in well here, for the fear of YHWH partly arises from an awareness of His ‘otherness', His moral splendour and uniqueness, which brings men in submission to His feet. It is when we know God as He is that we truly fear Him. And for this we can compare Isaiah 57:15, ‘I am the high and lofty One, Who inhabits eternity, Whose Name is Holy', which then goes on to say that only the humble and contrite can dwell with Him.
“For by me your days will be multiplied,
And the years of your life will be increased,
If you are wise, you are wise for thyself,
And if you scorn, you alone will bear it.”
In Proverbs 9:6 Wisdom had pointed out that if they left off their old ways, and responded to her, they would ‘live'. Now she concludes by pointing out that it is by responding to her, and her message concerning the fear of YHWH, that their days will be multiplied, and the years of their life be increased. And this has within it the implication that those lives will be worthwhile. But it will all depend on their response to God's wisdom. Each must make an individual choice, to become wise and respond to reproof, or to be a scorner and reject reproof. And they will be responsible for their individual choices. If they are wise it will be because that is the path that they have chosen, recognising that it is for their own benefit. If they scorn the way of wisdom, it is they, and they alone, who will suffer the consequences. It is a fitting aspect of the conclusion to the Prologue.