references to building in a figurative or metaphorical sense: a sort of ancient speculative Masonry. The Book of Proverbs, central to Biblical Wisdom literature, declares, "Wisdom has builded her house" (Prov. 9:1). Wisdom's house has seven pillars (the source of the concept of Seven Pillars of Wisdom), allowing ethicists and homileticists much scope for speculative analysis. Speculative Masonry is developed in a number of colourful discussions in post-Biblical rabbinic literature. The verse in Isaiah, "And all your children ( banayich ) shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be the peace of your children" (Isa. 54:13) is subjected to a play on words: "Read not 'your children' -- banayich -- but 'your builders' -- bonayich " (Talmud B'rachot 64a and parallels). This is an example of a rabbinic device whereby the plain meaning of a verse is given an added level of meaning. In this case the notion is that children are the builders of the future, though there is an interpretation by Rabbi Isaac Alfasi that bonayich is to be read as "men of understanding", i.e. scholars and teachers. Thus Isaiah may be saying that knowledge (of God and His will, of the nature of man, and the structure of Creation) facilitates peace, harmony and equilibrium. An important piece of analysis addresses the rabbinic Hebrew word banna'i which means a builder or mason, from the root banah, "to build". One view sees the plural banna'im as a contraction of ben na'im , a person (literally "son") of