proverbs

Background

Authorship, date, and composition.   The matters of both authorship and date in Proverbs are inextricably related to composition. The largest part of the book is clearly a collection of collections of wisdom sayings (10:1—31:9). Without question Solomon is rightly respected as the father of wisdom in Israel, being credited with some 3000 proverbs (1 Kings 4:32). Named in 1:1, 10:1, and 25:1, he is to be regarded as the author of the divisions headed by those verses (see the outline), the men of Hezekiah having merely collected from his works for that section (25—29). The Agur and Lemuel of chapters 30 and 31 are otherwise unknown. The composition of 1:8—9:18 probably also belongs to Solomon. The section headed “the words of the wise” (22:17—24:34) could well have been collected by Solomon and rightly attributed to ‘others,’ especially in light of its similarity to the Egyptian work by Amenemope and his date (c. 1000). The book’s conclusion (31:10-31) was probably composed by the final compiler(s) in the time of Hezekiah specifically as a conclusion to this book. Date that final compilation around 700.

Literary setting: Wisdom in the ANE.   Wisdom literature did not begin in Israel. “The Egyptian Instructions of the Vizier Ptah-hotep was written about 2450 B.C., and Instruction for King Meri-ka-re about 2180.”[1] Besides Egypt, Mesopotamia was also a significant source of ancient wisdom.[2]

It usually had an international flavor that allowed for much cross-fertilization. It was predominantly concerned with success in life, a kind of pragmatic prudence. And yet much of the non-Israelite wisdom was not suited for the covenant people of God. For Israel wisdom was much more than ‘getting ahead,’ but was rather living in harmony with the creation of the God who also redeemed them and called them. Wisdom was a matter of doing what was right whether it ‘worked’ or not (and it could normally be expected to work, as well). For this reason the word ‘righteous’ is one of the most significant words in Proverbs, being more prominent here than in any other OT book besides the Psalms.

In comparison to the books of Job and Ecclesiastes (q.v.) Proverbs looks at the world as generally predictable and equitable. Its maxims are therefore to be understood as statements of the way the world generally works, not as absolute promises.

In seeking to interpret the various proverbs and apply them to life, one must bear in mind that they are generalizations.

Implicit, then, to a correct understanding of wisdom was the awareness of its limits. As effective as the proverbs were as a guide to success, they could be misleading if viewed as magical sayings which would always and automatically bring results.[3]

Argument

The book of Proverbs is composed of various collections of pithy sayings of the wise from an age of wisdom (10:1—31:9), together with messages recommending wisdom specially written for this book, which simulate the royal training of the princes (if not actually from that setting; 1—9; 31:10-31). The introduction acknowledges as author of this opening section the patron and chief benefactor of wisdom in Israel, Solomon (1:1), and goes on to declare the unique purpose of this Israelite wisdom document, especially emphasizing the moral element (1:2-6), and the motto, which links its brand of wisdom with its religion and God (1:7).

The first major division of the book (1:8—9:18) is comprised of some ten individual messages of varying lengths (there are three messages in chapter 4 of 9, 10 and 8 verses respectively; then the final message spans chapters 7 to 9, a total of 81 verses), presented as a father’s counsel to his (royal) son, advising him actively to seek to become a person of wisdom: the alternative is to default to a life of folly. The first message shows what allurements each alternative life must actively reject: wisdom must reject the appeal of sin (1:8-19); while the fool must reject the appeal of wisdom (1:20-33). The next message exalts the benefits of seeking wisdom (2). The third spells out some particulars of wise living, in regard to one’s relations to God (3:1-12), wisdom (3:13-26), and his neighbor (3:27-35). The next three messages are relatively brief, exhorting the reader outright to seek wisdom (4:1-9); promising the wise fullness of life, involving righteousness and avoiding wickedness (4:10-19); and counseling to guard diligently his thought life as well as his behavior (4:20-27). The father moves to the topic of sex, addressing specifically the matter of the temptation of fornication with the prostitute (5), identifying its high cost (5:1-14), and the key to prevention (5:15-23). The eighth message (6:1-19) closely approximates the collections of proverbial material of chapters 10 and following, warning against three life situations and describing their dangers (6:1-15), concluding with a memorable list of seven things considered abominable by God (6:16-19). Returning to the matter of sex he speaks this time (in contrast to the promiscuity of unmarried people described in chapter 5) of the danger of marital infidelity (6:20-35). The fatherly instruction concludes where it began: wisdom and folly competing for the attention of youth (7—9). This the longest of the ten messages contrasts wisdom and folly and their respective appeals to the young, personifying each as a woman. His parable is introduced with a straightforward expression of its intent: that the reader should choose wisdom (7:1-5). He then portrays first folly’s (7:6-27) and then wisdom’s (8) appeals to youth, depicting each according to its character: folly is like a prostitute, while wisdom is a virtuous teacher offering blessing and life. Both wisdom and folly are then seen as hostesses inviting the youth to their respective banquets, in which the relative pleasantness of each hostess is clear (9: note especially the identical appeals in vv. 4, 16). This extended contrast also lays the foundation for what follows, as it is developed with respect to many areas of life.

From chapter 10 to the middle of 31 are included collections of proverbs: first from Solomon (10:1—22:16), then an Israelite version of Amenemope’s “thirty sayings” (22:17—24:22), Hezekiah’s wise men’s collection (25—29), an unknown Agur’s (30), and an unknown Lemuel’s (31:1-9). The point is to provide the young man who would be wise with wisdom’s point of view on various practical aspects of life, to guide him in his pursuit of wise living. The first three of these collections are comprised of significant numbers of individual proverbs: 375, the number of Solomonic proverbs, is the numerical value of the Hebrew name Solomon; the number 30 of the sayings of the wise corresponds to a well-known Egyptian collection; and 140, the number of lines in the Hezekiah collection, is the numerical value of the Hebrew name Hezekiah.

The alphabetic acrostic poem in praise of “a virtuous wife” (31:10-31) is probably better taken as a metaphorical encomium to wisdom, the subject of the book, thus making this poem a fitting conclusion to an intelligently composed book on wisdom.

Outline

I. Introduction  1:1-7

A. Title  1:1

B. Purpose  1:2-6

1. Moral acumen  1:2-5

2. Mental acumen  1:6

C. Motto  1:7

II. A Father’s Instruction in Praise of Wisdom  1:8—9:18

A. Wisdom’s and Folly’s Active Rejections  1:8-33

1. Wisdom rejects the appeal of sin  1:8-19

2. Folly rejects the appeal of wisdom  1:20-33

B. Benefits of Seeking Wisdom  2

1. The search for wisdom  2:1-7

a) How to obtain wisdom  2:1-4

b) The acquisition of wisdom  2:5

c) The source of wisdom  2:6-7

2. The reward of wisdom  2:8-22

C. Right Relations with God, Wisdom, and Neighbor  3

1. God  3:1-12

2. Wisdom  3:13-26

3. Neighbor  3:27-35

D. Pursue Wisdom  4:1-9

E. Wisdom Promises Life and Righteousness  4:10-19

F. Diligently Guard Thoughts and Behavior  4:20-27

G. Eschew the Prostitute  5

1. Her end is bitter  5:1-14

2. Cultivate your marriage  5:15-23

H. Three Follies and Seven Abominations  6:1-19

1. The folly of trusting a stranger  6:1-5

2. The folly of laziness  6:6-11

3. The folly of the trouble-maker  6:12-15

4. Seven abominations  6:16-19

I. Wisdom’s Protection From the Danger of Adultery  6:20-35

J. Two Rival Invitations  7—9

1. Exhortation to choose wisdom  7:1-5

2. Folly’s seduction  7:6-27

a) Parable of a prostitute  7:6-23

b) Plea to avoid her (folly)  7:24-27

3. Wisdom’s appeal  8

a) Wisdom teaches truth, and is of surpassing value  8:1-11

b) Wisdom blesses and exalts its adherents  8:12-21

c) Wisdom is elemental to creation  8:22-31

d) Wisdom urges adherence because it leads to life, while its alternative leads to death  8:32-36

4. Two Rival Feasts  9

a) Wisdom’s feast and invitation  9:1-6

b) Only the wise profit from instruction  9:7-12

c) Folly’s “feast” and invitation  9:13-18

III. Various collections of proverbs  10:1—31:9

A. The Proverbs of Solomon  10:1—22:16 — Detailed elaboration of the thesis (ch. 1—9) of wisdom’s blessings; 375 proverbs, corresponding to the numerical value of the name Solomon

1. Contrast of righteous and wicked  10—15

2. Encouragement to godly living  16:1—22:16

B. The Words of the Wise  22:17—24:34

1. Part 1  22:17—24:22 — Thirty sayings which parallel Amenemope

2. Part 2  24:23-34

C. Hezekiah’s Collection of Solomonic Proverbs  25—29 — 140 lines of poetry, corresponding to the numerical value of the name Hezekiah

1. Worldly wisdom  25—27

2. Religious wisdom  28—29

D. The Words of Agur  30

1. Know God; honor his Word  30:1-6

2. Two-fold prayer  30:7-9

a) Honesty  30:7

b) Neither poverty nor affluence  30:8-9

3. Never speak evil of another  30:10

4. Four abominations  30:11-14

a) Dishonoring parents  30:11

b) Self-righteousness  30:12

c) Arrogance  30:13

d) Oppression  30:14

5. Five numerical proverbs  30:15-31

a) Four things not satisfied  30:15-17

b) Four things wonderful  30:18-20

c) Four things grievous  30:21-23

d) Four things small but wise  30:24-28

e) Four things stately  30:29-31

6. Recant rather than produce strife  30:32-33

E. The Words of King Lemuel  31:1-9 — Rules for rulers

1. Negatively  31:1-7

a) Don’t be controlled by sexual passion  31:1-3

b) Don’t be controlled by alcohol  31:4-7

2. Positively: Be defender of the defenseless  31:8-9

IV. Conclusion: An encomium to Wisdom under the metaphor of the virtuous wife  31:10–31