Book of Proverbs
The Book of Proverbs (in Hebrew: מִשְלֵי Mish'ley), commonly referred to simply as Proverbs, is a book of the Hebrew Bible. The original Hebrew title of the book of Proverbs is "Míshlê Shlomoh" ("Proverbs of Solomon"). When translated into Greek and Latin, the title took on different forms. In the Greek Septuagint (LXX) the title became "paroimai paroimiae" ("Proverbs"). In the Latin Vulgate the title was "proverbia", from which the English title of Proverbs is derived.
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Proverbs is an anthology of collections of sayings and instructions. Many of the sayings and perhaps some instructions were composed in the monarchic period (late eleventh to the early sixth centuries). Editing of the whole book was done in the early postexilic period, in the view of most scholars; at that time chaps. 1–9 would have been added as the introduction. Whether the material originated among royal scribes (as 25:1 seems to suggest) imitating common literary genres, or whether it arose among tribal elders inculcating traditional ways, is disputed. The origin of the material, however, need not be imagined in an either/or scenario. Folk wisdom and observations could surely have been elaborated and re-expressed by learned scribes: “What oft was thought but ne’er so well expressed” (Alexander Pope). There can be no doubt, however, that Proverbs is sophisticated literature by talented writers, winning readers with its compelling portrait of wisdom and inviting them to see life afresh, “wisely,” through its wit, originality, and shrewd observation.
The primary purpose of the book is to teach wisdom, not only to the young and inexperienced (1:2–4) but also to the advanced (1:5–6). Wisdom in the ancient Near East was not theoretical knowledge but practical expertise. Jewelers who cut precious stones were wise; kings who made their dominion peaceful and prosperous were wise. One could be wise in daily life, too, in knowing how to live successfully (having a prosperous household and living a long and healthy life) and without trouble in God’s universe. Ultimately wisdom, or “sound guidance” (1:5), aims at the formation of character.
In the ancient Near East, people assumed that wisdom belonged to the gods, who were wise by reason of their divinity; human beings needed to have wisdom granted them by the gods. Creation accounts of neighboring cultures depict creation in two stages. In the first stage, human beings lived an animal-like existence, without clothes, writing, or kingship (proper governance). Over time, the gods came to realize that such a low grade of existence made the human race inadequate as their servants, so they endowed the race with “wisdom,” which consisted of culture (e.g., kingship) and crafts (e.g., knowledge of farming, ability to weave). Such wisdom elevated the race to a “human” level and made them effective servants of the gods. Furthermore, divine wisdom was mediated to human beings through earthly institutions—the king, scribes (who produced wise writings), and heads of families (fathers, sometimes mothers). These traditional mediators appear in Proverbs: the book is credited to King Solomon, and kings are respectfully mentioned as pillars of society (e.g., 16:12–15); writings are a source of wisdom (1:1–7); the father instructing his son is the major paradigm of teaching. Proverbs differs, however, from other wisdom books in concentrating on wisdom itself, treating it as a virtually independent entity and personifying it as an attractive woman. Other books urge readers to perform wise acts, but Proverbs urges them to seek wisdom itself and portrays wisdom as a woman seeking human beings as disciples and companions.
Chapters 1–9 introduce the book, drawing attention to wisdom itself and its inherent value rather than exhorting to particular wise actions. The chapters personify wisdom as a woman and draw an extended analogy between finding a wife, or founding and maintaining a house(hold), and finding wisdom. The collections following chap. 9 consist largely of independent, two-line sayings, yielding their often indirect or paradoxical meaning only to readers willing to ponder them. To reflect on the sayings is perhaps what chaps. 1–9 mean by living with Wisdom and dwelling in her house.
The Book of Proverbs can make an important contribution to Christians and Jews today. First, it places the pursuit of wisdom over the performance of individual wise acts. To seek wisdom above all things is a fundamental option and a way of life. Second, it portrays the quest as filled with obstacles. There are men and women who offer a substitute for the real thing; discernment is required. Third, the book teaches that acquiring wisdom is both a human task and a divine gift. One can make oneself ready to receive by discipline, but one cannot take so divine a gift. Fourth, wisdom is in the world but it is not obvious to people entirely caught up with daily activities. The instructions and the aphorisms of the book can free the mind to see new things. Christians will see in personified Wisdom aspects of Jesus Christ, who they believe is divine wisdom sent to give human beings true and full life. Yet there is a universal dimension to Proverbs, for in its attention to human experience it creates a link to all people of good will.
The genres and themes of Proverbs continued on in Sirach, Wisdom of Solomon, and the later Pirqe Abot (The Sayings of the Fathers), a treatise in the Mishnah, which became the object of commentary in Abot de Rabbi Nathan. The New Testament saw Jesus as a wisdom teacher and employed the tradition of personified wisdom of chaps. 2 and 8 to express his incarnation. The Letter of James is an instruction resembling those in Proverbs. Wisdom traditions influenced the Gospels of Matthew and Luke through a common source (see, e.g., Mt 11:25–27 and Lk 10:21–22, which seem to derive their father-son language, at least in part, from the parental language of Proverbs). The Gospel of John regards Jesus as incarnate wisdom descended from on high to offer human beings life and truth and make disciples of them, a view largely reflected in Proverbs 1–9. In later Judaism, Hebrew ethical wills, in which parents hand on to their children their wisdom, borrowed from the genre of instruction.
The original audience of the instructions and sayings seems to have been male. The father addresses his son, marriage is finding a wife, success often is serving the king or farming effectively. The book itself, however, expands the traditional audience of youths (1:4) to include older, more experienced, people (1:5). It broadens the father-son language by mentioning the mother, and incorporates sayings on human experience generally. The father teaching his son becomes a model for anyone teaching a way of life to another person. The canonical process furthered such inclusiveness, for Proverbs was made part of the Bible that addresses all Israel.
The Book of Proverbs has nine sections:
Title and Introduction (1:1–7)
Instructions of Parents and of Woman Wisdom (1:8–9:18)
First Solomonic Collection of Sayings (10:1–22:16)
Sayings of the Wise (22:17–24:22)
Further Sayings of the Wise (24:23–34)
Second Solomonic Collection, Collected under King Hezekiah (25:1–29:27)
Sayings of Agur and Others (30:1–33)
Sayings of King Lemuel (31:1–9)
Poem on the Woman of Worth (31:10–31)
Part II is judged by many scholars to contain ten instructions (1:8–19; chap. 2; 3:1–12, 21–35; 4:1–9, 10–19, 20–27; chap. 5; 6:20–35; chap. 7), three wisdom poems (1:20–33; chap. 8; 9:1–6 + 11, 13–18), and two interludes (3:13–20; 6:1–19).
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Quotes·Quotations by Book of Proverbs
First Solomonic Collection of Sayings
¶ Better a dry crust with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife. [Proverbs 17, 1]
¶ The evildoer gives heed to wicked lips, the liar, to a mischievous tongue. [Proverbs 17, 4]
¶ Whoever mocks the poor reviles their Maker; whoever rejoices in their misfortune will not go unpunished. [Proverbs 17, 5]
¶ Children’s children are the crown of the elderly, and the glory of children is their parentage. [Proverbs 17, 6]
¶ Fine words ill fit a fool; how much more lying lips, a noble! [Proverbs 17, 7]
¶ A bribe seems a charm to its user; at every turn it brings success. [Proverbs 17, 8]
¶ Whoever overlooks an offense fosters friendship, but whoever gossips about it separates friends. [Proverbs 17, 9]
¶ A single reprimand does more for a discerning person than a hundred lashes for a fool. [Proverbs 17, 10]
¶ The wicked pursue only rebellion, and a merciless messenger is sent against them. [Proverbs 17, 11]
¶ Face a bear robbed of her cubs, but never fools in their folly! [Proverbs 17, 12]
¶ If you return evil for good, evil will not depart from your house. [Proverbs 17, 13]
¶ The start of strife is like the opening of a dam; check a quarrel before it bursts forth! [Proverbs 17, 14]
¶ Whoever acquits the wicked, whoever condemns the just—both are an abomination to the LORD. [Proverbs 17, 15]
¶ Of what use is money in the hands of fools when they have no heart to acquire wisdom? [Proverbs 17, 16]
¶ A friend is a friend at all times, and a brother is born for the time of adversity. [Proverbs 17, 17]
¶ Those without sense give their hands in pledge, becoming surety for their neighbors. [Proverbs 17, 18]
¶ Those who love an offense love a fight; those who build their gate high* court disaster. [Proverbs 17, 19]
¶ The perverse in heart come to no good, and the double-tongued fall into trouble. [Proverbs 17, 20]
¶ Whoever conceives a fool has grief; the father of a numskull has no joy. [Proverbs 17, 21]
¶ A joyful heart is the health of the body, but a depressed spirit dries up the bones. [Proverbs 17, 22]
¶ A guilty person takes out a bribe from the pocket, thus perverting the course of justice. [Proverbs 17, 23]
¶ On the countenance of a discerning person is wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth. [Proverbs 17, 24]
¶ A foolish son is vexation to his father, and bitter sorrow to her who bore him. [Proverbs 17, 25]
¶ It is wrong to fine an innocent person, but beyond reason to scourge nobles. [Proverbs 17, 26]
¶ Those who spare their words are truly knowledgeable, and those who are discreet are intelligent. [Proverbs 17, 27]
¶ Even fools, keeping silent, are considered wise; if they keep their lips closed, intelligent. [Proverbs 17, 28]
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