the present passage she seems to be little more than a literary and poetic personification of the sage’s teaching devised to make its appeal more forceful and dramatic. But we shall find that the good Lady has some things to say about herself in chapter 8 which tell us there is more to her than that. Lady Wisdom stands more on the side of God than of men, and is a spokesman for divine wisdom and the fear of the Lord. For the moment, however, it is enough to call attention to this; but it explains