Proverbs 9:1
New International Version
Wisdom has built her house; she has set up its seven pillars.

New Living Translation
Wisdom has built her house; she has carved its seven columns.

English Standard Version
Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn her seven pillars.

Berean Standard Bible
Wisdom has built her house; she has carved out her seven pillars.

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

New King James Version
Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars;

New American Standard Bible
Wisdom has built her house, She has carved out her seven pillars;

NASB 1995
Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars;

NASB 1977
Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars;

Legacy Standard Bible
Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars;

Amplified Bible
Wisdom has built her [spacious and sufficient] house; She has hewn out and set up her seven pillars.

Christian Standard Bible
Wisdom has built her house; she has carved out her seven pillars.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Wisdom has built her house; she has carved out her seven pillars.

American Standard Version
Wisdom hath builded her house; She hath hewn out her seven pillars:

Contemporary English Version
Wisdom has built her house with its seven columns.

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

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Wisdom has built her house. She has carved out her seven pillars.

Good News Translation
Wisdom has built her house and made seven columns for it.

International Standard Version
Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn out her seven pillars.

Majority Standard Bible
Wisdom has built her house; she has carved out her seven pillars.

NET Bible
Wisdom has built her house; she has carved out its seven pillars.

New Heart English Bible
Wisdom has built her house. She has set up her seven pillars.

Webster's Bible Translation
Wisdom hath built her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars:

World English Bible
Wisdom has built her house. She has carved out her seven pillars.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Wisdom has built her house, "" She has hewn out her pillars—seven.

Young's Literal Translation
Wisdom hath builded her house, She hath hewn out her pillars -- seven.

Smith's Literal Translation
Wisdom built her house, she hewed out her seven pillars:
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Wisdom hath built herself a house, she hath hewn her out seven pillars.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Wisdom has built a house for herself. She has hewn seven columns.

New American Bible
Wisdom has built her house, she has set up her seven columns;

New Revised Standard Version
Wisdom has built her house, she has hewn her seven pillars.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
WISDOM has built her house, she has set up in it seven pillars;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Wisdom has built a house and she has set seven pillars in it.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Wisdom hath builded her house, She hath hewn out her seven pillars;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Wisdom has built a house for herself, and set up seven pillars.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Way of Wisdom
1Wisdom has built her house; she has carved out her seven pillars. 2She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table.…

Cross References
James 3:17
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.

Matthew 7:24-25
Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. / The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock.

1 Corinthians 1:24
but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Colossians 2:3
in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Luke 14:28-30
Which of you, wishing to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost to see if he has the resources to complete it? / Otherwise, if he lays the foundation and is unable to finish the work, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, / saying, ‘This man could not finish what he started to build.’

John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Ephesians 2:20-22
built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. / In Him the whole building is fitted together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. / And in Him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God in His Spirit.

Hebrews 3:3-4
For Jesus has been counted worthy of greater glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. / And every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.

1 Peter 2:4-5
As you come to Him, the living stone, rejected by men but chosen and precious in God’s sight, / you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Revelation 21:14
The wall of the city had twelve foundations bearing the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Isaiah 28:16
So this is what the Lord GOD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will never be shaken.

Psalm 127:1
A song of ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain; unless the LORD protects the city, its watchmen stand guard in vain.

Job 28:12-28
But where can wisdom be found, and where does understanding dwell? / No man can know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living. / The ocean depths say, ‘It is not in me,’ while the sea declares, ‘It is not with me.’ ...

Proverbs 8:1-3
Does not wisdom call out, and understanding raise her voice? / On the heights overlooking the road, at the crossroads she takes her stand. / Beside the gates to the city, at the entrances she cries out:

Proverbs 14:1
Every wise woman builds her house, but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands.


Treasury of Scripture

Wisdom has built her house, she has hewn out her seven pillars:

Matthew 16:18
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

1 Corinthians 3:9-15
For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building…

Ephesians 2:20-22
And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; …

pillars

1 Kings 7:2,3,6,21
He built also the house of the forest of Lebanon; the length thereof was an hundred cubits, and the breadth thereof fifty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits, upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars…

Galatians 2:9
And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.

Revelation 3:12
Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

Jump to Previous
Builded Built Carved Hewn House Pillars Putting Seven Wisdom
Jump to Next
Builded Built Carved Hewn House Pillars Putting Seven Wisdom
Proverbs 9
1. The discipline
4. and the doctrine of wisdom
13. The custom
16. and error of folly














Wisdom
The Hebrew word for "wisdom" is "חָכְמָה" (chokmah), which encompasses not only knowledge but also the skillful application of knowledge in daily life. In the biblical context, wisdom is personified as a noble woman, a common literary device in Proverbs, symbolizing divine insight and understanding. This personification invites readers to view wisdom as an active, living force that seeks to guide and nurture humanity. From a conservative Christian perspective, wisdom is seen as a gift from God, essential for righteous living and decision-making.

has built
The verb "built" in Hebrew is "בָּנְתָה" (banah), indicating a deliberate and skillful act of construction. This suggests that wisdom is not passive but actively involved in creating a stable and secure environment. The imagery of building implies a process that requires planning, effort, and purpose. In the spiritual sense, this construction can be seen as the formation of a life or community grounded in godly principles.

her house
The "house" in this context, "בֵּיתָה" (bayit), represents more than a physical structure; it symbolizes a place of dwelling, safety, and community. In ancient Near Eastern culture, a house was a central place for family and social interaction. Spiritually, it can be interpreted as the heart or life of a believer, where wisdom resides and influences every aspect of existence. The house built by wisdom is one of order, peace, and righteousness.

she has carved out
The phrase "carved out" comes from the Hebrew "חָצְבָה" (chatzvah), which implies a process of cutting or hewing with precision and care. This action denotes intentionality and craftsmanship, suggesting that wisdom's work is not haphazard but carefully designed. It reflects the idea that wisdom shapes and refines the moral and spiritual structure of one's life, much like a sculptor chisels a masterpiece from stone.

her seven pillars
The "seven pillars" are "עַמּוּדֶיהָ שִׁבְעָה" (ammudeha shiv'ah) in Hebrew. The number seven often symbolizes completeness or perfection in the Bible, indicating that the house of wisdom is perfectly supported and balanced. Pillars are structural elements that provide strength and stability, suggesting that wisdom's foundation is robust and enduring. Historically, pillars were also seen as symbols of beauty and grandeur, enhancing the house's aesthetic and functional value. In a spiritual sense, these pillars could represent foundational virtues or principles that uphold a life of wisdom, such as integrity, humility, and faithfulness.

IX.

(o). Fifteenth Discourse: the Invitations of Wisdom and Folly (Proverbs 9).

(1) Wisdom hath builded her house--i.e., in preparation for the feast to which she is about to invite her guests. It is not an unusual custom in the Old Testament to describe intimate communion with God, and the refreshment which the soul of man thereby receives, under the figure of a festival. Thus in Exodus 24:11, when the elders of Israel were admitted to the vision of the Almighty, they "did eat and drink." The same idea occurs frequently in the prophets also (as Isaiah 25:6; Isaiah 65:13; Zephaniah 1:7-8); and is brought out in the New Testament with great fulness in the parables of the great supper (Luke 14) and the marriage of the king's son (Matthew 22). Christ, the supreme Wisdom, has "builded His house" by taking man's flesh at His Incarnation, and thus rearing for Himself a "temple of the Holy Ghost" (John 2:19); and also by building for Himself a "spiritual house" (1Peter 2:5), "the house of God, which is the church of the living God" (1Timothy 3:15). (For references to the Fathers, see Bishop Wordsworth.) In the previous chapter Christ's work as Creator was described; now He is set forth as Regenerator of mankind. . . .

Verses 1-18. - 15. Fifteenth admonitory discourse, containing in a parabolic form an invitation of Wisdom (vers. 1-12), and that of her rival Folly (vers. 13-18). The chapter sums up in brief the warnings of the preceding part. Verse 1. - Wisdom was represented as having a house at whose portals persons waited eagerly for admission (Proverbs 8:34); the idea is further carried on. Wisdom hath builded her house. (For the plural form of khochmoth, "wisdom," a plural of excellency, see on Proverbs 1:20.) As the "strange woman" in ch. 7. possessed a house to which she seduced her victim, so Wisdom is represented as having a house which she has made and adorned, and to which she invites her pupils. Spiritual writers see here two references - one to Christ's incarnation, when he built for himself a human body (John 2:19); and another to his work in forming the Church, which is his mystical body (1 Peter 2:5). And the sublime language used in this section is not satisfied with the bare notion that we have here only an allegorical representation of Wisdom calling followers to her. Rather we are constrained to see a Divine intimation of the office and work of Christ, not only the Creator of the world, as in ch. 8, but its Regenerator. She hath hewn out her seven pillars. Architecturally, according to Hitzig and others, the pillars of the inner court are meant, which supported the gallery of the first story. Four of these were m the corners, three in the middle of three sides, while the entrance to the court was through the fourth side of the square. The number seven generally denotes perfection; it is the covenant number, expressive of harmony and unity generally, the signature of holiness and blessing, completeness and rest. So in the Apocalypse the whole Church is represented by the number of seven Churches (Revelation 1:4, etc.; see on Proverbs 26:16). Wisdom's house is said to be thus founded because of its perfection and adaptability to all states of men. But doubtless there is a reference to the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit, which rested upon the Christ (Isaiah 11:2, etc.), and which are the support and strength of the Church, being symbolized by the seven-branched candlestick in the temple.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Wisdom
חָ֭כְמוֹת (ḥā·ḵə·mō·wṯ)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 2454: Wisdom, every wise woman

has built
בָּנְתָ֣ה (bā·nə·ṯāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1129: To build

her house;
בֵיתָ֑הּ (ḇê·ṯāh)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 1004: A house

she has carved out
חָצְבָ֖ה (ḥā·ṣə·ḇāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 2672: To cut, carve, to hew, split, square, quarry, engrave

her seven
שִׁבְעָֽה׃ (šiḇ·‘āh)
Number - masculine singular
Strong's 7651: Seven, seven times, a week, an indefinite number

pillars.
עַמּוּדֶ֣יהָ (‘am·mū·ḏe·hā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 5982: A column, a stand, platform


Links
Proverbs 9:1 NIV
Proverbs 9:1 NLT
Proverbs 9:1 ESV
Proverbs 9:1 NASB
Proverbs 9:1 KJV

Proverbs 9:1 BibleApps.com
Proverbs 9:1 Biblia Paralela
Proverbs 9:1 Chinese Bible
Proverbs 9:1 French Bible
Proverbs 9:1 Catholic Bible

OT Poetry: Proverbs 9:1 Wisdom has built her house (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 8:36
Top of Page
Top of Page