Why does the Wisdom Books of the Bible personify God as a woman?

Answer 1

The main subject of Proverbs chapters 1-9 is wisdom, which is an abstract quality or character trait rather than a person, but wisdom is treated as a woman from the first chapter right through chapter 9. Wisdom is portrayed as a woman of dazzling attractiveness and virtue, who teaches in the market place of town (v. 1:20), who is romantically embraced (4:8-9), who can be addressed as "my sister" (7:4), who utters a long speech commending herself to the public (chapter 8), and who builds a house and invites people to an alluring banquet (9:1-6). We would make so much more sense of biblical poetry if we would simply acknowledge that poetry is a form of fiction and quite often fantasy. In its usual pose, it asserts something that we know to be literally untrue and often openly fantastic. A proper understanding of Proverbs 8 does not absolutely depend on viewing the poem as an encomium (one of the most beautiful and exalted types of literature used in The Bible) but the dynamics of the passage will fall even more into place if we do so. An encomium is a composition in praise of either an abstract quality or general character type. 1 Corinthians 13 is an encomium in praise of love, Hebrews 11 in praise of faith, and Proverbs 31:10-31 in praise of the virtuous wife. The writer of an encomiumconducts the praise by using a standard set of literary motifs (elements)

(1) introduction to the subject, (2) the distinguished and ancient ancestry of the subject, (3) a list of praise worthy acts and qualities of the subject, (4) the indispensable and or superior nature of he subject, (5) a conclusion urging the reader to emulate the subject. Proverbs 8 has all these familiar motifs. In verses 22-31 we find the motif of the ancient and distinguished ancestry of wisdom, which was present from the beginning and even participated in the creation of the world.

Answer 2

A:The Book of Proverbs is a mixture of wise/wisdom sayings and passages about the ancient Jewish spirit/goddess Wisdom, sometimes referred to as Lady Wisdom - in Greek translations, Sophia. For example, Proverbs 1:20ff: "Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, ..." Wisdom is also mentioned in the New Testament and some non-canonical books.

Answer 3

It doesn't. The book of Proverbs in the Bible, personifies wisdom as a woman. For example, Proverbs 7:4 says, "Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:"

God is never personified as a woman in the Bible. Technically, God isn't a man either. He has no male/female body parts. But the Bible does use the word "he" to refer to God.

Answer 4

Lady Wisdom was a spirit/goddess in early Jewish belief and is believed by some to have been the Hebrew goddess of wisdom. Helmer Ringgren (Word and Wisdom), who is widely cited in this field, says that Wisdom was not an abstraction but 'a concrete being, self-existent beside God'. She is represented in female form in both the Old and New Testaments, as well as the Apocrypha. Some examples are:

Proverbs 1:20-23: "Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets; She crieth in the chief places of the concourse, in the openings of the gates; in the city she uttereth he words, saying, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and the fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you. I will make known my words unto you."

Proverbs 9:1-5: "Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars: She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table. She hath sent forth her maidens: she crieth upon the highest places of the city. Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither; as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled."

1 Enoch 42:1-2: "Then Wisdom went out to dwell with the children of the people, but she found no dwelling-place. So Wisdom returned to her place and she settled permanently among the angels."

Luke 7:35: "But [W]isdom is justified of all her children."

Answer 5

Wisdom is personified (Proverbs 7:4), just as are the day and night (Psalms 19:3), the Earth (Jeremiah 22:29), and tens of other items and ideals. This is done as a literary device in order to convey some concept; and no foreign significance should be read into it.