BOB – Proverbs

by Stephen Rodgers

PROVERBS IN 10 WORDS OR LESS

“Pithy, memorable sayings encourage people to pursue wisdom.”

TITLE

Per Constable:

The title of this book in the Hebrew Bible is “The Proverbs of Solomon, the Son of David, King in Israel” (Proverbs 1:1). The Greek Septuagint called this book “Proverbs of Solomon.” The Latin Vulgate named it “The Book of Proverbs.” Translators of English Bibles place Proverbs among the poetic books (Psalms—Song of Solomon) whereas in the Hebrew Bible it is found among the “Writings,” the third and final major section.

It should be noted that there is some dispute as to whether the title of the book is intended to refer to the total collection of proverbs, or just to the first section. As a number of scholars have pointed out, this may be yet another case where either/or creates a false antithesis and both/and could well be correct. After all, even if Proverbs 1:1 refers only to the initial segment of the collection, the rest of the book still contains proverbs.

AUTHOR & AUDIENCE

I’m going to quote the MSB on authorship, then outline the timeline the follows in the DATE section:

The phrase “Proverbs of Solomon” is more a title than an absolute statement of authorship (Proverbs 1:1). While King Solomon, who ruled Israel from 971–931 B.C. and was granted great wisdom by God (see 1 Kin. 4:29–34), is the author of the didactic section (chaps. 1–9) and the proverbs of 10:1–22:16, he is likely only the compiler of the “sayings of the wise” in 22:17–24:34, which are of an uncertain date before Solomon’s reign. The collection in chaps. 25–29 was originally composed by Solomon (25:1) but copied and included later by Judah’s king Hezekiah (ca. 715–686 B.C.). Chapter 30 reflects the words of Agur and chap. 31 the words of Lemuel, who perhaps was Solomon.

It should be noted that on the other hand, Lemuel’s sayings contain several Aramaic spellings that may point to a non-Israelite background. Scholars simply don’t agree on this (admittedly minor) point.

In regards to the audience, Proverbs tends to divide itself between a general audience (an assumed Israelite seeking wisdom) and a specific audience (a young man who finds himself at a crossroads in regards to life choices).

DATE

For anyone interested in a rough chronology of the book of Proverbs, here is a simplified outline:

  • Pre-Solomon: Various proverbs are created, circulated, and become embedded in Israelite culture. There is some evidence that these may have been influenced by other ANE cultures, such as Egypt to some degree (for example, “The Instruction of Vizier Ptah-hotep,” “The Instruction for Merikare,” and “The Instruction of Amenemope,” all of which predate the Solomonic reign by 1,500 to 300 years).
  • 971 BC to 931 BC: Solomon reigns in Israel, produces a ridiculous number of proverbs and songs (1 Kings 4:32), and records a number of these as the book of Proverbs, along with a collection of other sayings that pre-dates his reign.
  • 715 BC to 686 BC: Hezekiah reigns in Israel, and instructs a number of scholars and scribes to amend the book to include more of the proverbs of Solomon. As the NIVSB notes, this is not unusual as “this was a time of spiritual renewal led by the king, who also showed great interest in the writings of David and Asaph (see 2 Chr 29:30).”
  • Post-Hezekiah: This is where things get interesting. Some scholars would argue that some of the material in Proverbs was either written or edited during the Post-Exilic period, although the evidence for this claim is tenuous at best. Many of the sources cited below go into greater detail regarding the reasons for excluding this theory, but briefly, there are simply no significant literary, historical, or cultural indicators to adopt it over and against the records we have which indicate that the vast majority of the material originated in the Solomonic period.

BACKGROUND & SETTING

Proverbs spans three contexts: 1) general wisdom literature, 2) a royal court setting, and 3) an inter-generational household. Against this multi-faceted backdrop the various exhortations and admonitions of the book will be developed.

In the context of the OT, wisdom literature was typically the purview of the Sage/Wise Man who dispensed good counsel (as opposed to the Priest who dispensed the Law and/or the Prophet who dispensed the Word of the Lord). As a result, we can typically expect the Wisdom literature to interact with the entities of the Law and Word, but to largely concern itself with the areas that are not explicitly addressed by either.

HISTORICAL & THEOLOGICAL THEMES

There are two dominant themes in the book of Proverbs:

  • Wisdom. The dominant motif of the extended discourse in Proverbs 1:1-9:18 is that of two women: Wisdom and Folly. Wisdom is a personification of God’s attribute of wisdom and ultimately represents God Himself, whereas Folly represents the various false gods and idols vying for Israel’s devotion. The conclusion is that there is no real wisdom apart from God (Prov 1:7).
  • Practical Living. As alluded to in the previous section, Proverbs has much to say on subjects that are not explored in extended or pragmatic detail in the Law or prophetic revelation. Wealth, work, and matters of the heart are all raised and expounded upon, and ultimately are all grounded in the person and nature of God Himself.

INTERPRETIVE CHALLENGES

There are a number of issues that could be raised in regards to challenges to correctly understanding Proverbs, even from within a Christian worldview:

  • Cultural Considerations. As with any Biblical passage, it is important to evaluate the proverbs in light of the context and culture of the original author in order to avoid drawing false conclusions. I recall a sermon I heard a number of years ago where the preacher took his cue from Proverbs 21:9 and articulated at great length how uncomfortable this would be, exhorting the audience to consider in detail what it would be like to try to keep from rolling off their own roofs. Unfortunately, while it’s a vivid image, it’s not an accurate one since the houses of Solomonic Israel had flat roofs that were often used for storage (remember Rahab?),  recreation (remember Bathsheba?) and even sleeping. Right principle; wrong illustration.
  • Literary Format. I won’t belabor the point here, except to reference the earlier articles on the Wisdom Books in general and Psalms in particular.
  • Principles vs. Promises. It really cannot be over-emphasized that Proverbs contains instruction that is intended to be understood as normative principles rather than divine promises. In general, hard work and diligence will result in financial security while laziness and a refusal to apply oneself will result in poverty.  This does not prevent hard workers from falling on hard times, or slackers from winning the lottery.

LITERARY FEATURES

Shockingly perhaps, the genre or Proverbs is proverbs.

To summarize the ESVSB in regards to some of the literary characteristics of the proverbs of Proverbs…

  • Comparison. Typically a comparison is made between A and B; however, the comparison need not be literal, and its application may vary depending on the time and culture. In this way, the English proverb “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink” typically refers to interpersonal relationships…not ranching.
  • Context. Individual proverbs may stand alone, or they may be situated in a broader context (paragraph). An astute reader will need to carefully determine these factors in order to understand the proverb appropriately.
  • Concreteness. Just because a proverb employs imagery evoking a specific situation or circumstance (just weights and scales, a father/son dynamic) does not mean it is intended to exclude a more fundamental principle (honesty and labor) or a different relationship (father/daughter, mother/son, mother/daughter, etc.). Be careful not to apply an overly-literal hermeneutic.
  • Contradictions. Many proverbs seem to result in contradictions (the most famous being Proverbs 26:4-5), but this is typically the result of failing to make the proper application to the relevant circumstance.  Most languages have the same phenomenon: English has “Many hands make light work” and “Too many cooks spoil the broth.”
  • Consequences. As previously mentioned, proverbs by nature deal with general truths, and are not meant to cover every conceivable situation. These are behavioral observations, rather than statistical ones.

OBJECTIONS

There are no significant objections to Proverbs that haven’t already been addressed in the DATE, AUTHOR, and/or INTERPRETIVE CHALLENGES sections (at least that I’m aware of).

NOTABLE QUOTABLES

  • Proverbs 3:5
  • Proverbs 6:6
  • Proverbs 10:1
  • Proverbs 11:22
  • Proverbs 13:24
  • Proverbs 15:1
  • Proverbs 16:3
  • Proverbs 17:28
  • Proverbs 18:10
  • Proverbs 20:1
  • Proverbs 22:1
  • Proverbs 26:4-5
  • Proverbs 27:6

DID YOU KNOW?

  • The final chapter (31) of Proverbs is a long poem in praise of wives, which was highly unusual for an ANE culture. It was traditionally recited by a husband to his wife on Sabbath evenings.

Other Works Referenced

  • Apologetics Study Bible, “Proverbs Introduction”
  • Archaeological Study Bible, “Introduction to Proverbs”
  • ESV Study Bible, “Introduction to Proverbs”
  • MacArthur Study Bible, “Proverbs”
  • NET Bible, Proverbs
  • NIV Study Bible, Proverbs
  • Reformation Study Bible, “Proverbs”
  • The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook, “Proverbs”
  • Know Your Bible
  • Dever, The Message of the Old Testament
  • Driscoll, A Book You’ll Actually Read On the Old Testament
  • Knight, The Layman’s Bible Handbook