Understanding Wisdom: Pure Yahwism vs. Anti-Yahwism
As one approaches the Hebrew text in search for wisdom, one is met with several challenges, one being our language and another being our culture. While core theological truths are easily understood as they span culture and time, it is also true that an understanding of both the language and the culture of the Bible allow for a greater and deeper understanding of those truths. This is apparent when one searches for biblical wisdom.
There is no doubt that the ancient Israelites lived in an open environment, and they learned from those around them, including politics, language, culture, literature, and even worship (Bartholomew and O’Dowd 2011: 33). It is no less apparent that Israel stood out against her neighbors theologically and philosophically. Because of these philosophical and theological differences, much must be understood in order to come to any usable concept of biblical wisdom, especially as the opposite of Biblical wisdom can be seen in non-Hebraic religions and philosophies, including the socio-economic climate of the Southern Levant.
Wisdom vs. Folly
Of note, there appears in the Biblical text both a concept of wisdom and of folly, as noted in Proverbs 1:1-7 where the gaining of wisdom is said to be the purpose of the book of Proverbs and where fools are said to be those who hate it. Within that passage, Solomon urges the readers to acknowledge that true wisdom stems from fearing Yahweh as a part of the monotheistic religion of the Israelites, but throughout the book the author also urges against the “strange” or “foreign” woman who not only stands as a physical representation of foreign deities such as Ba’al and Astarte but as an antithesis to Pure Yahwism.
Terms Associated with Wisdom.
A rather interesting association is discovered in Proverbs 1:1-7 where the term wisdom, חָכְמָה, is exemplified with cognitive, rhetorical, and moral terminology (Wahlen 2008: 844), including cognitive terms such as "instruction" (מוּסָר), "understanding" (בִּינָה), "shrewdness" (עָרמָה), "knowledge" (דַּעַת), "skill" (תַּחְבֻּלָה), "prudence" (מְזִמָּה), and "fear of the LORD" (יִרְאַת יְהוָה). As rhetorical terminology the reader is offered "proverb" (מָשָׁל), "figure" (מְלִיצָה), and "riddle" (חִידָה). Finally, the moral terminology associated with biblical wisdom is "righteousness" (צַדִיק), "justice" (מִשְׁפָט), and "equity" מֵישָׁרִ֖ים). Additional terms associated with biblical wisdom can be found outside of Proverbs 1:1-7, including “counsel” (עֵצָה, Prov 8:14), “sound wisdom” (תוּשִׁיָּה; e.g., Prov 8:14), “understanding” (שֵׂכֶל; e.g., 1 Chron 22:12), and simply “wise” (חָכָם), terms that could perhaps be added to the cognitive terminology mentioned above.
Interestingly, Biblical wisdom appears to have a sense of ‘skillfulness’ to it, including labor skills such as the skill in making religious garments (Ex 28:3) and spinning goat’s hair (Ex 35:26). Perhaps the gist of the idea can be taken from Exodus 35:35 which associates חָכְמָה with engraving, designing, embroidering, preparing colored materials, working with fine linen, weaving, and the “craftsmen in all the work” (NET). Beyond this, the term is associated with more general craftsmanship, for example in Exodus 31:3 where חָכְמָה is juxtaposed to understanding, knowledge, and craftsmanship. Outside the Pentateuch, in 1 Kings 7:14, the reader will find a man who was filled with “חָכְמָה and understanding and skill for doing any work in bronze.” Thus, Biblical Wisdom can perhaps be clarified as a sort of life-skill, that is “the ability of the individual to conduct his or her life in the best possible way and to the best possible effect” (Lucas 2008: 902).
Beyond the “skillfulness” of biblical wisdom is its relationship to the fear of the LORD. This concept is a fundamental theological idea in the book of Proverbs (Longman 2008: 201); indeed it can be said that this fear of the LORD is deeply embedded in the wisdom literature in general (Bartholomew and O’Dowd 2011: 24). One rendering of this phrase used in Proverbs 1:7 reads, “Fearing the Lord is the beginning of moral knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” The positioning as the opening phrase of the theme of the book gives great credence to its relationship with “wisdom.” In fact, this passage links the phrase directly to wisdom; Proverbs 9:10 does so even more, reading, “The beginning of wisdom is to fear the Lord, and acknowledging the Holy One is understanding.” Thus, the fear of God, by definition, means that there is no true wisdom or knowledge apart from a relationship with Yahweh (Longman 2008: 202).
What is the Fear of the Lord? The Fear of the Lord is twofold: it is, first, “recognizing who God is and responding with a genuine fear to displease or disobey Him, knowing that He is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:28-29; Psa. 2:11),” but also “the conscious choice to adopt God’s attitude toward sin (remember that He hates it and has no tolerance toward it: Prov. 8:13; 23:17), and to demonstrate such an attitude toward sin by choosing only the things that please God (Prov. 1:29; Jer. 2:19; Psa. 34:11)” (Brown 2007).
Terms Associated with Folly.
Where the word wisdom has a lengthy list of terms associated with it, so the word folly has associated terms as well, though not as long of a list. There are four Hebrew words traditionally rendered “fool” (כְּסִיל, נָבָל, אֱוִיל, and סָכַל), and associated with these terms are their abstract nouns rendered “folly” (סִכְלוּת, נְבָלָה ,כֶּסֶל or שִׂכְלוּת, and אִוֶּלֶת). Additional associated terms include simple or gullible (פְּתִי), mindless (חֲסַר-לֵב), senseless (בַּעַר), and even mocker (לִיץ). Sometimes these words are understood as the word “stupid,” when in reference to practical things, and “insolent,” when in reference to religious concepts (HALOT s.v. כְּסִיל). Note that the idea of ‘dull’ or ‘obstinate’ is not referring to one’s mental deficiency but rather to one’s predisposition to make wrong choices (TWOT s.v. כְּסִיל). Thus, a fool is said to be someone who is always morally bad, despises wisdom, mocks at guilt, is quarrelsome, licentious, and it is useless to attempt to teach him (BDB s.v. כְּסִיל).
If the fear of the Lord is the essential principle of wisdom, then folly necessarily equals the lack of such fear (Davies 2008: 223). This contrast is made clear in Ecclesiastes 10:2, as it states: “A wise person’s good sense protects him, but a fool’s lack of sense leaves him vulnerable.” This idea could be more directly translated as “a wise man’s heart is at his right hand” (right-hand equals protection), but “the heart of a fool is at his left hand” (the wrong hand). Perhaps in common colloquial one could say that the fool doesn’t know his left from his right, or at least he doesn’t live as if he did. Additionally, a series of contrasts can be found in Proverbs 10-15, where the reader will find a greater concentration of antithetical statements involving folly, including 10:1, 8, 14, 21, etc. These contrasts are sometimes overt, such as, “The way of a fool is right in his own opinion, but the one who listens to advice is wise” (12:15), and sometimes implied, such as, “The one who conceals hatred utters lies, and the one who spreads slander is certainly a fool” (10:18).
Lady Wisdom vs. Dame Folly
As a heuristic tool, the author refers to two key women throughout Proverbs: Lady Wisdom and Dame Folly (Bartholomew and O’Dowd 2011). Lady Wisdom is given eminence by her positioning at the beginning (Prov 1), middle (Prov 8-9), and end of the book (Prov 31), and also in the fact that she does not simply stand there – she acts out of her wisdom. She calls out to those in the street to join her, and she also lives a complete and wholesome life – as evidenced in Proverbs 31. Of note, an Old Testament, human example of Lady Wisdom (someone who has without any objection lived out wisdom to its fullest) cannot be found, but the reader is given an idealized and applicatory example to follow in Proverbs 31.
Appearances of Lady Wisdom.
Interestingly, Lady Wisdom as a personification of wisdom appears only in the book of Proverbs, the main texts of which come from Proverbs 1-9, specifically chapters 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, and 9. In a realized sense, she is also found in Proverbs 31 – a subtext. Here Lady Wisdom is never named, but the description of the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31 fits the general description of Lady Wisdom.
Characteristics of Lady Wisdom.
Gathering information about Lady Wisdom from her appearances within the text, certain characteristics can be identified. Above all, Lady Wisdom appears to be a woman who fears Yahweh; this is implied directly from wisdom’s connection to fearing God but more importantly in that the beginning, middle, and ending passages concerning Lady Wisdom also contain reference to the fear of the LORD. This makes our Lady Wisdom to be a godly woman, an example to all. With remembrance of Proverbs 2:4’s seeking wisdom like a hidden treasure, Lady Wisdom is said to be more precious than jewels; and nothing we desire compares with her (3:15).
This desire appears to be directly related, throughout the text, with the young man’s desire for a good wife, especially in Proverbs 7:4 where the father says to his son to call Wisdom his “sister,” a familiar term in the Song of Songs for declaring one’s love. In this instance, Lady Wisdom is seen as a Fiancée—a future wife and lover.
As the young man begins his family, Lady Wisdom becomes a mother. Her motherly ways are seen not only in Proverbs 31, both in King Lemuel’s mother and in the virtuous woman, but also in Proverbs 8:32, where Wisdom says, “So now, children, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways.”
Beyond the roles of fiancée, wife, and mother, Lady Wisdom acts primarily as a teacher. This can be seen all throughout the Lady Wisdom texts, but specifically in Proverbs 1:20ff. Here Lady Wisdom calls out to the men, warning them not to disregard her words and rebuking them. For example, in 1:23 she says, “If only you will respond to my rebuke.” What happens if they do ignore her rebuke? She states in 1:26, “I myself will laugh when disaster strikes you.”
Lady Wisdom is then seen as a realization or application of biblical wisdom, and biblical wisdom is that idea of entrenching oneself in the fear of the LORD, in the very covenant between God and man. In modern times, exegetes could say that biblical wisdom is this idea of allowing God’s Word, through God’s grace, to guide them along the path of life. Again, this idea of a life-skill comes into play.
Because of this idea of a life-skill, these teachings of Lady Wisdom are of great importance, and the symbolism of marriage should be carried through these ideals. The main point is that the young man should marry himself to biblical wisdom while he is young. In fact, this marriage to wisdom is an individualistic way of understanding the national marriage covenant of Israel to Yahweh. It isn’t enough that the nation is married to God, each individual must also find himself in covenant marriage.
This being the case, the contrast with Dame Folly becomes all the more important. While Lady Wisdom is spoken of by name more than Dame Folly, the facts discovered about Dame Folly are striking.
Dame Folly Within the Text.
Dame Folly appears within the text very little, but her weight is carried throughout. In fact, as the antithesis to Lady Wisdom, it could be said that her character is found in most biblical proverbs—at least those in antithetical parallelism. Specifically, though, one finds Dame Folly in one main text and several subtexts, the main text appearing with Dame Folly by name and the subtexts giving a realized expression of her nature.
The one, main text is found in Proverbs 9:13-18 and is closely associated with Lady Wisdom as she is in direct contrast. This passage begins: “The woman called Folly is brash, she is naive and does not know anything.” While this verse has been rather difficult to translate, this translation, New English Translation, does well to show the overall nature of the woman.
The subtexts containing Dame Folly never name the individual as Folly, but her characteristics match those of Folly found in Proverbs 9, these being broken down into two groups: the “strange woman” passages and the “foreign” woman passages (Crawford 1998). These are found in 2:16-19; 5:1-14; 6:20-35; 7:1-4, 5-27; 9:1-6, and since the characteristics match, the main text of 9:13-18.
Characteristics of Dame Folly.
Taking characteristics from the main text and the subtexts, the reader can understand Dame Folly as an evil woman—not simple but wicked. Note her personality as described in the passages. In Proverbs 2:17, the reader is told that she “leaves the husband from her younger days, and forgets her marriage covenant made before God”; she is not committed. Also note that she lies in wait for her victims (Prov 9:14-15). This illustrates the evil desire within her heart as she “preys on […] precious life” (Prov 6:26). The fact that she acts like a prostitute might warrant a quick extension of her attributes outside of the Dame Folly passages in order to note that the prostitute “lies in wait like a robber, and increases the unfaithful among men” (Prov 23:28).
Her attitude is such that she is brash (Prov 9:13); she is also loud and rebellious (Prov 7:11). Generally speaking, Dame Folly is an unstable woman and does not even know it (Prov 5:6). A part of this instability is her boldness as seen in the seizing and kissing of her prey (Prov 7:13). Indeed, the exegete is later told in Proverbs 30:20 that an adulterous woman believes that she does nothing wrong (cf. Prov 9:13).
The reader is told that Dame Folly lurks about (Prov 7:12) in the dead of night (Prov 7:8-9). She flatters with her words (Prov 2:16), and this can be seen in two very clear examples: 7:13-20 where she convinces her prey and 9:17 where it is stated that stolen waters are sweet.
The reader is told by Lady Wisdom, herself, that “the fear of the LORD is to hate evil” (8:13), but Dame Folly’s “house is the way to the grave, going down to the chambers of death” (Prov 7:27). Ultimately, Dame Folly’s sin is against God Himself, as seen by the fact that she “forgets her marriage covenant made before God,” or as the NASB translates this, “forgets the covenant of her God” (Prov 2:17). In the end, Dame Folly matches well with our previous understanding of what Folly is, notably, the rejecting of the fear of the LORD and rejecting God Himself.
Dame Folly as Goddess or Mere Anti-Yahwist?
The direct connection between Lady Wisdom to the Old Testament covenant stirs an important implication concerning her antithesis, namely, if Lady Wisdom stands for all that is good within Yahwism (in fact, pure Yahwism), then, necessarily, Dame Folly must stand as the antithesis to pure Yahwism.
Understanding Lady Wisdom as Pure Yahwism.
Lady Wisdom is linked directly with the covenant, but not only is there a link, there is a call for all of the young men of Israel to bind themselves to this covenant. In essence, this is a call to pure Yahwism, but this can only be understood as such when the culture of the Hebrews is taken into account.
Interestingly, the life of Solomon, the author of Proverbs, stands in contrast to the spirit of the Davidic age. While David cannot be understood as the perfect example of wisdom for mankind, it can be claimed that he was a pure monotheist, holding Yahweh as the one and only true God. This is understood throughout the text, but the primary inference for this claim comes from his “perfect heart” (1 Kgs 11:4, לֵבָב שָׁלֵם). In contrast, Solomon did not have a perfect heart, as expressed in 1 Kings 11:4. Here the text reads, “When Solomon became old, his wives shifted his allegiance to other gods; he was not wholeheartedly devoted [לְבָבוֹ שָׁלֵם] to the Lord his God, as his father David had been.”
It, then, appears quite troublesome that Proverbs 1-9 contains such an emphasis upon a fear of God, a pure Yahwism, rather than a blurring of the two as is observed in the life of Solomon. Perhaps these writings could be understood as the mature thoughts of Solomon. After living such a “foolish” life, Solomon instructs his readers in the better ways of skillful-living within a framework of the fear of the LORD rather than the approach he once took. Solomon could never attain a “perfect heart” because he has already, personally, betrayed his God, but Solomon could teach those he led astray to correct this in later generations. One could hope this is the case.
Understanding Dame Folly, Possibly, as a Canaanite Goddess.
The antithetical nature of Dame Folly is such that any designation of Lady Wisdom to pure Yahwism by nature demands some sort of antithesis to pure Yahwism. What better antithesis can there be than that of the syncretistic Canaanite/Israelite religion, especially in terms of a Canaanite goddess? Take for evidence of a mixture a large storejar from the early 8th century that contains an inscription concerning the Northern Kingdom (Israel/Samaria) deity that reads: “I [b]lessed you by (or ‘to’) Yahweh of Samaria and by his Asherah” (Dever 2005: 162), Asherah being commonly known as the consort of Ba’al, thus Yahweh is equated with Ba’al.
What is found in the “real” Israel is that although God had moved his prophets and certain people to call for pure Yahwism, most of the people tried to move in a different direction, thus establishing new religious ideas. Because of this syncretism, some have attempted to equate Dame Folly with Asherah (cf. Smith 1987: 337), a well known Canaanite deity. While the issue of who Asherah is has not yet been settled, we do know that she was represented as a tree, pole, or image of wood. “Trees were hewn down, and with their branches removed to the sacred places [sic]. In course of time the trees were trimmed into more or less artistic pillars, or were carved as statues” (Nobdell 1889: 298). While notably not the best translation of the word, the KJV renders the term אֲשֵׁרָה] as “grove”—a mistranslation based on the LXX and Latin Vulgate and probably due to the nature of the “tree” concept.
Iconography of the Asherah is often shown as a tree of fertility, and therefore a tree of life. While Dame Folly is never associated with a tree in the text, her antithesis is called a tree of life in Proverbs 3:18. Rather than accepting Lady Wisdom as the Asherah, as some have attempted (Dever 2005: 199-200), the “tree of life” motif could in fact be an assault on the Asherah, showing instead that the acceptance of the Law is in all actuality the tree of life. Lady Wisdom appears, then, to be a sort of counteradvertisement to Dame Folly (Smith 1987: 337).
Understanding Dame Folly as Anti-Yahwism/Anti-Christ.
Although Lady Wisdom undoubtedly stood as a counteradvertisement to the goddess Asherah, limiting the antithesis of Biblical Wisdom to the goddess Asherah eisegetically delimits the extent of the passage. If Lady Wisdom is equated as Pure Yahwism, which she appears to be, then Dame Folly stands in opposition to that fact.
Rather than simply relating Dame Folly to a single Canaanite goddess, the antithesis to Pure Yahwism would necessarily be anti-Yahwism, a concept readily seen in the Old Testament. Anti-Yahwism can be observed in two forms within the Hebraic Bible: the replacement of Yahweh with Ba‘al and the mixing of Yahweh with Ba’al. This mixture, as seen in the beliefs and established cult of Jeroboam, is a form of syncretism, the mixing together of religious beliefs and practices, often seen through the lenses of the socio-economic norm of the society in question.
Perhaps in Biblical times this could be described as Canaanite Yahwism, the mixing of Canaanite socio-economic norms with Yahwistic worship. Today, this may be seen in the United States as American Christianity, the mixing together of American ideals with the Biblical text.
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[This is a lecture written for the course 'HIST 262: History of the Ancient Near East,' taught Fall 2024 at God's Bible School and College, a regionally accredited College in Cincinnati, Ohio. Bibliographical material will be posted under Research on this site.]
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