BIBLE STUDY --- BOOKS OF THE TANAKH {KETUVIM}

BOOK OF PROVERBS --- PART 1

Third poetical book in the Old Testament. A collection of striking, epigrammatic expressions concerning practical wisdom by example, warning, or precept.

AUTHORS

While there is an underlying unity of thought in the book of Proverbs, there is no presumption of unity of authorship, since the writers of the seven or more sections into which the book is divided are, in most cases, clearly noted.

1:1 -- 9:18

There is a division of opinion as to whether the opening verse refers to the Solomonic authorship of this section or whether it simply underscores the name of the main contributor to the entire book. It is objected that the man who wrote so carefully about the danger of promiscuous relationships with immoral women -- one of the main themes of this section -- is not likely to be Solomon, who failed significantly in the matter of mixed marriages {1 Kings 11:1-8}. There are flaws in such an argument. One may be capable of giving excellent advice without necessarily having the strength of character to follow it oneself, and there is a distinction between the seductive prostitutes or adulteresses of Proverbs 5:1-21, 6:20-35, 7:1-27 and Solomon’s polygamous but respectable relationships. However, the question of authorship is probably best left open. Those who question the Solomonic origin of this section regard 1:2-7 as setting out the purpose of the whole book. Proverbs 1:8 -- 9:18 is a series of 13 practical discourses on wisdom, lovingly and honestly given as by a father to a son. This provides an indispensable foundation for the more popular proverbial teaching in the remainder of the book.

10:1 -- 22:16

Solomon is specifically noted as the author or compiler of this main section of Proverbs. The probability that he played a major part in the production of the book of Proverbs finds strong support in the historical books. Soon after his coronation he was endowed with the spirit of wisdom -- in response to his request {1 Kings 3:5-14}. The incident concerning the two prostitutes {verses 16-28} provided public proof of this. His universal reputation, especially in connection with proverbial wisdom, is attested to in 1 Kings 4:29-34 and in the visit of the queen of Sheba {10:1-13}.

22:17 -- 24:34

The title “the words of the wise” {Proverbs 22:17} is incorporated into the opening verse of this section. An evident difference of style, replacing the simple, one-verse proverb by a more discursive approach that deals with a subject over several verses, and the title of the next subsection “These also are sayings of the wise” {24:23}, strongly suggest the independence of this collection. Of major interest is the remarkably close parallel between 22:17 -- 23:11 and the Egyptian book of Amenemope, which has been dated variously between the 13th and 7th centuries BC. Scholars have detected as many as 30 connections between the two. Most think that this section in Proverbs is an adaptation of an Egyptian original {such selection and modification being entirely congruous with the doctrine of inspiration}. However, a minority of scholars, including several prominent Egyptologists, argue persuasively on the basis of grammatical structure that Amenemope is derived from a Hebrew original.

25:1 -- 29:27

Some material of Solomon’s has here been edited and incorporated by “the men of Hezekiah king of Judah” {25:1}. In this section there is a tendency to group together proverbs dealing with specific subjects -- for example, the relationship between a king and his subjects {verses 2-7}, the lazy man {26:13-16}, and the mischief maker {verses 17-27}. Solomon and Hezekiah were frequently linked together in Jewish thought {e.g., 2 Chronicles 30:26}, and rabbinic tradition credited Hezekiah with the production of both Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. The national prestige during the reigns of both kings would have been conducive to literary pursuits.

30:1-33

Nothing is known of Agur, of his father, Jakeh of Massa, or of the two other characters mentioned, Ithiel and Ucal. According to Genesis 25:14, Massa was one of the 12 sons of Ishmael, and it is likely that Agur came from north Arabia, an area traditionally renowned for its wisdom.

31:1-9

Lemuel, the author of this section, also came from Massa, but apart from this is unknown. The inclusion of wisdom sayings from sources outside Israel illustrates the international connections of the wisdom movement during the period of the monarchy.

31:10-31

It is possible that Lemuel’s authorship includes this superb acrostic poem on the ideal wife; its inspiration may have come from his mother, like the earlier section. But the pattern of life would fit more easily into the context of a prosperous, agricultural community in Palestine rather than in an Arabian nomadic or seminomadic community. For this reason, most scholars regard the poem as anonymous.

DATE

The larger part of the book may, with confidence, be ascribed to Solomon {ruled c. 970–930 BC}. But the considerable contribution of Hezekiah and his men rule out a date for the completion of the book before 700 BC. The inclusion of sections by non-Israelites, like Agur and Lemuel, is more likely in the preexilic period, with its wider international interests, than in the more particularistic atmosphere of postexilic Judaism. Probably the final, sophisticated acrostic poem was the last section to be included, but there is nothing in the book that demands a date later than the early seventh century BC. In rabbinic tradition, Proverbs was invariably grouped with Psalms and Job in the third section of the Jewish canon, the Writings or Holy Books. While the content of the Writings was not authoritatively finalized until the end of the first century AD, it is likely that Proverbs was accepted as inspired long before this, as witnessed by its inclusion in the Septuagint, the principal Greek translation. The order in our English versions may have been influenced by the rabbinic tradition that linked the books of Job, Psalms, and Proverbs with Moses, David, and Hezekiah, respectively.

BACKGROUND

The book of Proverbs is included in the Old Testament corpus of books known as the Wisdom Literature. This corpus is further represented in Scripture by the books of Job and Ecclesiastes and some of the Psalms {e.g., Psalms 1, 37, 73, 119}. Proverbs represent one major class of this literature. Individual proverbs contain sharp, practical applications of wisdom covering many facets of life. Job and Ecclesiastes focus on one major problem, or a group of interrelated problems, in monologue or dialogue form. In the ancient Near East, wisdom was originally connected with all skills, manual as well as intellectual, and was considered to be the gift of the gods. Gradually it acquired a dominantly intellectual significance, particularly in a cultic setting, in such magical or semi-magical arts as exorcism. A wide range of wisdom literature from Egypt, Canaan, and Mesopotamia, of the two basic types noted in the preceding paragraph, has survived, making it possible to see its Hebrew counterpart against this background. There is no duplication, however, and the spirit of the Hebrew Wisdom Literature is markedly superior to anything comparable in the ancient world. This is due principally to the strong religious foundation in Israel, where wisdom’s first step was to trust and revere Adonai {Proverbs 1:7}. When Israel emerged as a nation in the Mosaic period, it was in a world where individuals or groups of “the wise” already existed. Israel shared this inheritance, with both men and women being involved, as witnessed by the wise women of Tekoa and Abel in Beth-Maacah {2 Samuel 14:2; 20:16} and the professional military or civic court counsellors Ahithophel and Hushai {2 Samuel 15:1-2, 31; 16:15-19}. Proverbs shows this group of “the wise” at its best; the life of uprightness, diligence, honesty, and self-control that it advocates sets a standard of morality that accords with the law on which it was based. But it is probable that many proverbs predate the emergence of a class of the wise. Most communities develop their own collections of short, witty sayings that express practical wisdom and form a store of primitive philosophy. Solomon’s part in giving definitive shape to Israel’s proverbs {1 Kings 4:32} has already been noted. The antithetic form of Hebrew poetry, where the parallelism of the second line allows either a sharp contrast {as generally in Proverbs 10–15} or further support {i.e., synonymous parallelism, as in chapters 16–22} is an ideal medium for the proverb. When the class of “the wise” developed, this popular wisdom became part of their provenance.

PURPOSE AND THEOLOGY

THE CLOSE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RELIGION AND EVERYDAY LIFE

While the general tone of Proverbs is dominantly rational, the importance of fearing {showing reverence to} Adonai is stressed throughout the book {1:7; 2:5; 3:7; 8:13; etc.}. This “fear of Adonai” is one of the main definitions of religion in the Old Testament, the other being “the knowledge of YHVH” stressed especially by Hosea and Jeremiah {Jeremiah 9:24; Hosea 4:1}. Both are found in parallel in Proverbs 2:5 and 9:10. Far from there being an unbridgeable gap between religion and the secular world, Proverbs shows the results, in noble character and harmonious, happy homes, when the whole of life is brought under YHVH’s control. A danger exists when the moral elements are taken in isolation from the religious foundation that is assumed throughout. Then the pursuit for happiness or success can become selfish, inward-looking, and ultimately self-defeating.

PROVERBS AND THE PROPHETIC MOVEMENT

There are many similarities between Proverbs and the Prophets, including a down-to-earth realism; a championing of the poor and underprivileged groups {e.g., 14:31}; a realization of the inefficacy of sacrifice apart from morality {15:8; 21:27}; and an emphasis on the individual, which was sometimes overlooked because of the strong sense of corporate identity within the Covenant community. Jeremiah and Ezekiel, especially, restated strongly the theme of individual responsibility {Jeremiah 31:29-30; Ezekiel 18}. But there is a vital difference that Proverbs shares with the remainder of biblical Wisdom Literature, namely the absence of any clear, historical reference to Israel’s election and Covenant relationship with YHVH. This was the consistent point of appeal of the great preexilic prophets. Similarly, Jerusalem and its temple theology are not mentioned, although the wisdom movement, especially as reflected in Proverbs, flourished under the patronage of the Davidic monarchy. Even the name Israel does not occur. This has lent strength to the view that Proverbs is the clearest and most comprehensive manual of universal, practical ethics existing in the ancient world. An educated contemporary Egyptian would have found Proverbs readily comprehensible and uplifting, and although this was not its primary purpose, the book still has a strong appeal to the moral non-believer.

PROVERBS AND DEUTERONOMY

Proverbs shares many features with the book of Deuteronomy, especially its emphasis on retribution and reward {Proverbs 2:22; 3:9-10; 10:27-30; cf. Deuteronomy 28}. This doctrine could be perverted into an invariable equation: the righteous are always rewarded and the wicked are always punished. That is a view against which Job {Job 21:7-34} and Jeremiah {Jeremiah 12:1-4} protested strongly. It could also result in a hypocritical, self-seeking approach; I want the blessings promised {e.g., Proverbs 3:9-10}, therefore I will “honour” YHVH in the matter of tithes. This substitution of an outward show for the inward dynamic of love, gratitude, and faith was often the curse of Israel’s formalized religion. However, the principle itself -- that those who honour YHVH and live in cooperation with him and his laws are generally those who are YHVH-blessed {not necessarily in material terms} -- is a scriptural one, and the authors of Proverbs must not be blamed for the perversions that arose subsequently.

CONTENT

INTRODUCTION: 1:1-7

Proverbs 1:1-7 sets out the purpose of the wisdom movement in Israel. The subtitle of the whole book is found in verse 2: “The purpose of these proverbs is to teach people wisdom and discipline, and to help them understand wise sayings”. The question of the authorship of this section has already been discussed, but there is certainly nothing incongruous about Solomon’s authorship. In the earlier part of his reign, Solomon showed a deep longing for the wisdom that was required to govern his people rightly {1 Kings 3:7-9}, and there is the earnest desire here that his subjects might have a similar understanding. Verses 1-6 form one sentence in Hebrew and include no fewer than 11 different aspects of wisdom. The first of them, “wisdom,” occurs 37 times in Proverbs and indicates an informed, skilful use of knowledge. It is only by taking the first step of trusting in Adonai that a person can enter into wisdom. Morality is not situational, nor an absolute in itself; it requires an unchanging point of reference that can only be found in YHVH.