“Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Wisdom doesn't just offer sustenance; the phrase "wine I have mixed" suggests a deliberate and potent preparation, inviting a deeper engagement beyond mere superficial taste. This isn't a casual snack but a fully prepared banquet, calling you to fully embrace its enriching counsel.
“Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Wisdom has prepared a lavish feast in her fortified house, sending servants to invite everyone, especially the simple, to come and partake. This grand invitation, offering sustenance and counsel, stands in stark contrast to the seductive calls of Folly, highlighting a critical choice between life and ruin.
Wisdom isn't just about knowing things; it's about experiencing a life that's rich and satisfying. Her invitation is an open door to something truly nourishing.
Wisdom, personified here, doesn't just offer advice; she offers a feast. The 'bread' and 'wine' are ancient symbols for everything needed for sustenance and celebration. This isn't just about intellectual knowledge, but a holistic nourishment for the soul. It’s about embracing Wisdom’s way of life, which provides all that is truly needed to thrive, not just to survive.
Why ‘mingle’ the wine? This isn't just a drink; it represents a carefully prepared, potent experience that goes beyond the superficial.
The 'wine I have mingled' suggests that Wisdom’s provisions are not simple or common. The ancient practice was often to mix wine with spices or water to enhance its flavor, potency, or even its effects. Here, it signifies that Wisdom offers a rich, perhaps even challenging, experience that requires more than a passing glance. It’s an invitation to delve deeply, to understand the underlying principles and implications of Wisdom’s way, rather than settling for shallow understanding.
Wisdom’s house is open, her feast is ready, and her call is clear. But this generosity comes with a vital distinction: who is welcome?
Wisdom’s invitation is extended generously to all, symbolized by the open house and the ready feast. However, the context of Proverbs 9 highlights a crucial contrast with Folly, who also calls out. Wisdom’s provisions are for those who are 'simple' – those open to learning and acknowledging their need. She doesn't waste her refined offerings on 'scorners' who are closed off and resistant to truth. This isn't about exclusion out of spite, but about the nature of Wisdom itself; it cannot be truly received or appreciated by those who are arrogant and dismissive.
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Understand the original words
lechem · Hebrew Noun
Bread is the essential staple of life in the ancient Near East. Spiritually, it symbolizes God's provision, nourishment, and the sustaining truth that supports the soul.
yayin · Hebrew Noun
A beverage often used in the Bible as a symbol of joy, celebration, and fellowship. In this context, it signifies the spiritual refreshment and the transformative delight found in divine wisdom.
This passage echoes Wisdom's invitation, calling out to anyone who is thirsty, offering them water and nourishment freely, just as Wisdom offers bread and wine.
John 6:35Jesus identifies Himself as the bread of life, directly paralleling Wisdom's invitation to eat her bread and drink her wine, signifying spiritual sustenance and eternal life.
Revelation 22:17The Holy Spirit and the Bride say 'Come!', extending an invitation to all who hear to take the free gift of the water of life, much like Wisdom's open invitation to her feast.
Matthew 22:4This parable describes a great banquet where guests are invited, mirroring Wisdom's preparation of a feast and sending out invitations to draw people in.
pulpitProverbs 9:5: "Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled."
Verse 5. - Come, eat ye of my bread. Wisdom now directly addresses the simple and the foolish (comp. Revelation 22:17). And drink of the wine which I have mingled (see on ver. 2). Bread and wine represent all needful nourishment, as flesh and wine in ver. 2. So Christ says (John 6:51), "I am the living Bread which came down from heaven... and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life…
clarkeProverbs 9:5: "Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled."
Come, eat of my bread - Not only receive my instructions, but act according to my directions. Drink of the wine - I have mingled - Enter into my counsels; be not contented with superficial knowledge on any subject, where any thing deeper may be attained. Go by the streams to the fountain head. Look into the principles on which they were formed; investigate their nature, examine their properties, acquaint thyself…
Wisdom doesn't just offer sustenance; the phrase "wine I have mixed" suggests a deliberate and potent preparation, inviting a deeper engagement beyond mere superficial taste. This isn't a casual snack but a fully prepared banquet, calling you to fully embrace its enriching counsel.
Wisdom has prepared a lavish feast in her fortified house, sending servants to invite everyone, especially the simple, to come and partake. This grand invitation, offering sustenance and counsel, stands in stark contrast to the seductive calls of Folly, highlighting a critical choice between life and ruin.
Wisdom has prepared a lavish feast in her fortified house, sending servants to invite everyone, especially the simple, to come and partake. This grand invitation, offering sustenance and counsel, stands in stark contrast to the seductive calls of Folly, highlighting a critical choice between life and ruin.
"“Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed." — Wisdom doesn't just offer sustenance; the phrase "wine I have mixed" suggests a deliberate and potent preparation, inviting a deeper engagement beyond mere superficial taste. This isn't a casual snac…
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Last reviewed October 2026