Presentation On

PROVERBS: A CRITICAL INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK

Course: Study of Hebrew Poetry and Wisdom Literature

Presented to: Rev. Dr JagatSantra

By Group 1: Billy, Elkan, Eloy, KS Maveio & Robert

Contents

1. Introduction
2. Authorship
3. Date
4. Structure
5. Theology in Proverbs
6. Contextualisation of the Message
7. Conclusion

1. INTRODUCTION

Proverbs or Wisdom literature is a collection of various writings which is speculated to have

been combined together for over a period of 7-8th centuries. It is a ‘collection of collections’
contributed by different authors in different period of time. Our attempt here would be to look
critically into the various aspects of the book particularly emphasising on the Authorship,
Date, Structure, Theology and Contextualisation of the Message.

2. AUTHORSHIP

The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel …… (1:1)

The opening verse of the book of Proverbs indicates that there is a close link between the
tradition of proverbial wisdom and King Solomon, the son of great King David, who ruled
Israel from about 961 to 922 BC, and whose story is told in the first book of Kings. He was
certainly known for his wisdom, as we read in 1 Kings 4:29-34.
29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of
mind like the sand on the seashore, 30 so that Solomon's wisdom surpassed the
wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he was wiser
than all other men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the
sons of Mahol, and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. 32 He also spoke 3,000
proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. 33 He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in
Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He spoke also of beasts, and of
birds, and of reptiles, and of fish. 34 And people of all nations came to hear the

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 wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his
wisdom. (ESV)

There is good reason (and many Old Testament specialists are returning to this view) that
where Proverbs ascribes material to Solomon, this may be taken at face value and not simply
ascribed to this traditional patronage of wisdom. There are some sections of the book which
are attributed to other authors: Agur and Lemuel are mentioned (30:1; 31:1), as well as an
unnamed group of ‘the wise’ (22:17, which includes material worded very similarly to an
Egyptian writing, Instruction of Amenemope; and 24:23). Hezekiah, a later king of Judah
from 715 to 687 BC, is said to have got his men to copy out some of Solomon’s proverbs,
and these are recorded in Proverbs 25:1ff. So what we have now as ‘the book of Proverbs’ is
a collection of collections, probably having passed through the hands of several editors, from
several different sources and times, brought together as another resource, alongside the law,
the prophecies and the histories in the Old Testament, by which the people of God could be
helped to learn something of the ways and wisdom of God.1 However, the important aspect of
the Solomonic attribution is that it places Proverbs at the heart of Israelite wisdom literature
and gives voice to Solomon’s renowned ‘three thousand proverbs’ (1 Kings 4:32).2

3. DATE
The book of Proverbs is the collection of sayings. The existence of such short epigrammatic
sayings, first in oral form and then in written form, certainly points that the collection would
have been made by ḥakāmīmor Wise Men. These collections would have been made at
different times and in the Book of Proverbs a number of such collections are brought
together. Therefore, the precise dating of each proverb (māshāl) is clearly impossible.3
Michael V. Fox also suggests that these sayings are collection of indefinite number of sages
(Pro. 24:23) over a number of generations, starting from Solomon’s time (min-tenth century)
to Hezekiah’s time (eight to seventh centuries; Pro. 25:1).4
We can possibly assert the existence of Pre-exilic collections in Proverbs based on these
factors:
1. The material for such an early collection (regarding family life, moral life, etc.)
existed before the Exile.
2. The schools of the Wise Men also existed before the Exile.
3. There are numerous references to royalty in the collections (8:15; 16:10; 12-15;
20:8, 26, 28; 21:1; 22:11; 25:2, 3; 28:15; 29:4, 14; 30:22, 27; 31:4) which possibly
points that the ‘royal’ proverbs belong to the period of early monarchy.
4. Considering these factors, the following chronological order of the making of the
collection may be suggested:
a. Collection II (10:1 – 22:16) in the eighth century B.C.E.
b. Collections III (22:17 – 24:22), IV (24:23-34) and V (25-29) in seventh
century B.C.E.
c. Collections VI (30:1-14), VII (30:115-33) and VIII (30:1-9) pre-exilic, and

1
David Atkinson,The Message of Proverbs,(London: Inter-Varsity Press, 1996) 21
2
Katharine J. Dell, The Book of Proverbs in Social and Theological Context, (Cambridge University Press,
2006) 4.
3
Edgar Jones, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes (London: SCM Press Ltd, 1961), 22.
4
Michael V. Fox, “Proverbs 1-9,” The Anchor Bible (New York: Doubleday, 2000), 6.

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 d. Collections I (1-9) and IX (31:10-31) possibly the third century B.C.E.
e. The preface (1:1-6) would have been added after the whole compilation
was complete.5
Further, scholars also consider two other ancient wisdom collections i.e. the Egyptian
Teaching of Amenemope and the Assyrian Words of Ahikar. The first could well have been
earlier than Solomon; the second unlikely to date before 700 B.C.E. These both show close
verbal parallels with the sayings of wise (22:17 ff).6 Derek Kinder comments that the book
was still in the making (25:1) at 700 B.C.E., about 250 years after Solomon. This is a fair
assumption, but no more, that chapters 30-31 were added later as existing collections, and
chapters 1-9 placed as introduction to the whole by the final editor.7
From these observations, it appears that most of Proverbs is pre-exilic in origin. In course, of
compiling and editing them in their final form and arrangement, many proverbs of a later date
became incorporated in the original source. For instance, first six verse of the book, were
probably added as a general introduction by the compiler and editor of the first two sections.
So, even though the bulk of the material in every section is pre-exilic, the final form of the
book was not attained until sometime after 400 B.C.E.8
No further precision would be possible in dating of individual proverbs or the collections due
to the fact that some proverbs and literary units have links with ancient Egyptian Wisdom.
But, that does not help us to find the exact date of the book as it has undergone much
development since their Egyptian forerunners.9

4. STRUCTURE AND ORGANISATION

Later part of 20th century till today has seen a consensus argument stating that an intentional
and subtle structure permeates large parts of 10-31. One with such a view is G. Bostrom
(1928). KM Heim (2001), Perry, Whybray and others opines for the same.10 The reason is,
for instance, proverbs on laziness and determination are scattered throughout the book, and
no attempt to bring them all together. It does seem logical to think that proverbs were added
either individually or in group. The randomness of proverbial collection is also the case with
most of the ancient wisdom literature.11McCreesh states that the lack of structure is “based on
a refusal to see life as a neat system.”12
However on the basis of authorship this section can be further organised in this manner : 1:1-
9:18- Extended discourses on Wisdom “The Proverbs of Solomon”(1:1) ; 10:1-22:16 & 25:1-
29:27- “Proverbs of Solomon” (10:1), 22:17-24:34- “Words of the Wise”, 30:1-33- “Sayings

5
Jones, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, 22–23.
6
Charles G. Martin, “Proverbs,” ed. F.F. Bruce, New International Bible Commentary (Michigan: Zondervan
Publlishing House, 1979), 657.
7
Derek Kinder, “The Proverbs,” Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Illinois: Inter-Varsity Press, 1964), 25–
27.
8
Charles T. Fritsch, “The Book of Psalms and Proverbs,” ed. George Arthur Buttrick, The Interpreter’s Bible
(Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1955), 775.
9
Fox, “Proverbs 1-9,” 6.
10
Temper Longmen III, Proverbs…, 38
11
Temper Longmen III, Proverbs…, 40
12
Temper Longmen III, Proverbs…, 40

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of Agur”(30:1), 31:1-9- “Sayings of Lemuel” (31:1), 31:10-31- Poem of the Virtuous
Woman.13

Proverbs can be broadly divided into two sections:14

I. Extended Hortatory Discourse (1:1-9:18)

Chapters 1-9 contain extended discourses in two types: one of which, a father speaks
to his son, and the other has woman wisdom publicly addressing the crowds of naïve
young men who are walking by her.
II. Assorted advice, Observations and warnings (10:1-31:31)
Chapters 10-31 for most parts, is composed of the short, pithy proverbs that give the
book its name.

Because the book is a collection of collections compiled over at least three centuries,
systematic arrangements of the writing is largely lacking. The Wisdom prologue of 1:1-7
serves as an introduction to the entire corpus of literature. It sets the general historical context
for the instructions in wisdom, outlines the purposes and goals of the teachings contained in
the collections of wise and provides certain interpretative principles, and introduces the major
theme of biblical wisdom literature. The series of discourses in chapters 1:8-9:18 are
generally understood to postdate the proverbial collections of 10:1-29:27. The speeches of
instruction and exhortation, warning and admonition in this section elaborate on the theme of
wisdom presented in the prologue. This discourse illustrates the fear of the Lord by
contrasting the behaviour of the wise and righteous with the foolish and the wicked (4:10-
19).15

The appendices (30-31) rehearse themes previously discussed in the proverbial sections,
especially the control of the tongue, sensual indulgences and drunkenness. Appropriately, the
acrostic poem in praise of the virtuous woman concluding the book serves as a “case study”
highlighting the preferred outcomes of the way of wisdom. The Massaite additions (31:8-9)
to the book recapitulate the importance of the horizontal or social aspects of the way of
wisdom promoted in the proverbial sections, maintaining the rights of the poor and needy.16

5. THEOLOGY OF PROVERBS

This collection of wise sayings is not exclusively religious; its teachings apply to human
problems in general and not primarily to the problems of the religious community or to major
theological themes such as election, redemption, and covenant. Rather, the teacher concerns
himself with plain, ordinary individuals who live in the world. Accordingly, the sayings
exhibit several distinctive characteristics. i) They focus attentions on individuals rather than
on the nation, setting forth the qualities needed and the dangers to be avoided by people
seeking to find success with God. ii) They are applicable to all people at any period in history

13
Michael V Fox, Proverbs 1-9: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, (New York:
Doubleday, 2000) 5
14
Temper Longmen III, Proverbs, (Michigan: Baker Academy, 2006) 37-38
15
Andrew Hill & John Walton, A survey of the Old Testament, (Michigan: Grand Rapids, 1991), 445
16
Andrew Hill & John Walton, A survey of the Old Testament…, 446

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who face the same types of perils and have the same characteristics and abilities (1:20; 8:1-5).
iii) They are based on respect for authority, traditional values, and the wisdom of mature
teachers (24:21). iv) They are immensely practical, giving sound advice for developing
personal qualities that are necessary to achieve success in this life and to avoid failure or
shame, and warning that virtue is rewarded by prosperity and well-being but that vice leads to
poverty and disease.17

It would be wrong, however, to conclude that Proverbs is a secular book; its teachings
are solidly based on “the fear of the Lord” (1:7), making compliance with them a moral and
spiritual matter. In fact, the book teaches that this fear of the Lord is the evidence of faith; for
the wise teacher enjoins people to trust in the Lord whose counsel stands (19:21) and not their
own understanding (3:5-7). The purpose of proverbial teaching is then, is to inspire faith in
the Lord (22:19). Such reverential fear requires a personal knowledge of the Lord (“fear” and
“knowledge” are parallel in 9:10)—to find this fear is to find knowledge (2:5), a knowledge
that comes by revelation (3:6). Ultimately, however, the fear of the Lord is manifested in a
life of obedience, confessing and forsaking sin (28:18), and doing what is right (21:3), which
is the believer’s task before God (17:3). Since the motivation for faith and obedience comes
from the Scripture, Proverbs relates the way of wisdom to the law (28:4; 29:18). In the final
analysis we must conclude there are no secular proverbs that can be contrasted with religious
ones; everything on earth serves the purposes of God and is potentially holy.18

“The fear of the Lord” is commonly recognized as not only the credo or motto of the
book, but as its theological and epistemological foundation.19 This syntagm is found fourteen
times in Proverbs and only seven in the rest of the Tanakh.20 In Proverbs the fear of the Lord
is not “a trembling dread that paralyzes action, but neither is it a polite reverence.” 21 This
concept ultimately expresses reverential submission to the Lord’s will that characterizes a
true worshiper.22 Proverbs starts from God’s general revelation, available to people because
they are made in God’s image and live in God’s world. Precisely because it knows that God
is real, that people are made in God’s image and that they live in God’s world, it also assumes
that morality and faith are part of life itself as people experience it.23

The proverbs about the Creator present him as both transcendent and immanent.
Transcendent means he is before and beyond all that he has made. Nothing in heaven or on
earth is out of his sight (5:21; 15:3; 22:12; 24:12). God’s transcendence assures his
sovereignty and freedom to enact his will. However, the Lord is not only transcendent; he is
also immanent, which means he is near to his people, particularly those who are weak,
17
Kenneth L. Barker and John R. Kohlenberger III, “Proverbs,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary—
Abridged Edition: Old Testament, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1994), 939.
18
Ibid.
19
Bruce K. Waltke, The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 1–15, The New International Commentary on the Old
Testament, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004), 180.
20
Andrew E. Steinmann, “Proverbs”, in Concordia Commentary, (Saint Louis: Concordia, 2009), 53.
21
Allen P. Ross, “Proverbs,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 1991), 5:907.
22
Ross, “Proverbs,” 5:907.
2323
D.A. Carson, R.T. France, J.A. Motyer, and G.J. Wenham, eds. “Proverbs”, in New Bible Commentary,
(Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), 585.

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defenceless and poor (19:17; 22:22-23).24 The book of Proverbs bring out many comparisons
and its relevance which we can learn from it. There are massive differences between
individuals, but there are often commonalities to allow for categorizations such as wise and
fools (10:1, 5). Proverbs divides humanity into two classes: the wise and righteous over
against fools and the wicked. These wisdom and ethical terms are correlative, for though they
do not mean the same thing they have the same referent.25 Proverbs shows the connection
between character, conduct and consequences. Good character can only be formed in those
who fear the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom. This spiritual-ethical wisdom is a
divine gift that is more valuable than anything else (2:6).26

6. CONTEXTUALIZATION OF THE MESSAGE

The Book of Proverbs is a source book of material for the instruction of youth and the more advanced
study of their elders, in the wisdom that helps in bringing about a satisfying life. The wisdom
literatures written in the Old Testament are addressed not to the nation of Israel in particular and made
no direct appeal to the authority of a revealed religion, though their occasional exhortations to piety
towards YHWH presupposes an accepted belief. They speak to and about men primarily as
individuals. The authority to which they chiefly appeal is the disciplined intelligence and moral
experience of good men.27

The books on wisdom literature are linked by their common approaches to life and living. They are
concerned with what is good for the people. They are experiential in the sense that what is said is
derived from careful observations of life and of the consequences of certain patterns of human
behaviour. They share many common themes such as the value of wisdom, the power of tongue, the
inequities of life, the foolishness of accumulating wealth, the problem of suffering and the finality of
death. They tell us that wisdom is something that can be acquired. The Book of Proverbs explicitly
says that its purpose is to help people gain wisdom understanding and insight. It also makes it clear
that gaining wisdom is not just about gaining information, but also involves gaining the ability to use
information in an appropriate manner at the appropriate time. It is about learning how to live in a
manner that is right, just and fair. Although the biblical wisdom literature has similarities with
writings from other cultures of the day, it is still deeply rooted in Israel’s relationship with God.28

Proverbs are also very popular in South Asia and similar collections exist in India. In some
commentaries, the Book of Proverbs is explained and studied in parallel with other wisdom saying of
different regions. For example, the South Asia Bible Commentary has drawn parallels between the
Book of Proverbs and the Tamil collection of proverbs called Thirukurral, which was compiled by the
sage Thiruvalluvar. In the book of Proverbs, the tutor addresses the pupil as “son,” much like any
Indian guru would do in speaking to his disciple or “shisya.”29

The people of South Asia are very attentive to wisdom sayings and thus there are numerous
collections of such sayings in many regional languages. In India alone, we have Urdu couplets in the

24
Brian Wintle, ed. “Proverbs” in South Asia Bible Commentary, (Udaipur, India: Open Door, 2015), 770.
25
Bruce K. Waltke, The Book of Proverbs Chapters 1-15, The New International Commentary on the Old
Testament, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmas, 2004), 93.
26
Brian Wintle, ed. “Proverbs” in South Asia Bible Commentary, (Udaipur, India: Open Door, 2015), 770.
27
R.B.Y. Scott, The Anchor Bible: Proverbs. Ecclesiastes.(New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc.
1965).XVIII-XIX.
28
Brian Wintle, South Asia Bible Commentary. (Michigan: Zondervan, 2011). 768, 770
29
Brian Wintle, South Asia Bible Commentary… 768, 770

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North, Tamil “Kurals” in the South, wisdom poems in Bengali and similar sayings in Marathi. The
unique contribution that Proverbs offers to the South Asia is its focus on God: “The fear of the Lord is
the beginning of wisdom” (9:10). Other traditions talk about gaining wisdom as a skill, but the writers
of Proverbs show that wisdom is the outcome of a person fearing God. In the light of this, Proverbs is
a very apt book for the people of South Asia and highly relevant to the issues we face.30

7. CONCLUSION

Proverbs is not merely an anthology but in most cases is used a medium for instructions in
relation to ways of living. It has been sectioned into different categories and each deal with
different circumstances of life, a guide for different age groups, raising the question of
values, right conduct for enrichment of one’s moral, social and spiritual aspects of life. The
core theme “fear of the Lord” forms as the basis of wisdom and is repeatedly emphasised. It
was as speculated to have been composed during the 10th – 3rd century BC. Nevertheless its
relevance still stands firm for the present generation and possibly for future as well. Proverbs,
unlike other literature is not secular but is divinely inspired wisdom book that connects one
with the divine.

30
Brian Wintle, South Asia Bible Commentary… 768, 770.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Atkinson, David.The Message of Proverbs.London: Inter-Varsity Press, 1996

Barker, Kenneth L and Kohlenberger III, John R.“Proverbs,” in The Expositor’s Bible
Commentary—Abridged Edition: Old Testament. Grand Rapids, Michigan:
Zondervan, 1994.

Carson D.A., France, R.T. Motyer, J.A. and Wenham, G.J. eds. “Proverbs”, in New Bible
Commentary. Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994.

Dell,Katharine J. The Book of Proverbs in Social and Theological Context.Cambridge

University Press, 2006.

Fritsch, Charles T. “The Book of Psalms and Proverbs.” Edited by George Arthur Buttrick.
The Interpreter’s Bible. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1955.

Fox, Michael V. Proverbs 1-9: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. New
York: Doubleday, 2000.

Fox, Michael V. “Proverbs 1-9.” The Anchor Bible. New York: Doubleday, 2000.

Hill, Andrew & John Walton.A survey of the Old Testament. Michigan: Grand Rapids, 1991.
Jones, Edgar. Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. London: SCM Press Ltd, 1961.
Kinder, Derek. “The Proverbs.” Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries. Illinois: Inter-Varsity
Press, 1964.

Longmen, Temper III.Proverbs. Michigan: Baker Academy, 2006.

Martin, Charles G. “Proverbs.” Edited by F.F. Bruce. New International Bible Commentary.
Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1979.

Ross, Allen P. “Proverbs,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein.
Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1991.

Scott, R.B.Y. The Anchor Bible: Proverbs. Ecclesiastes.New York: Doubleday & Company,
Inc. 1965.

Steinmann, Andrew E. Proverbs, Concordia Commentary. Saint Louis: Concordia, 2009.

Waltke, Bruce K. The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 1–15, The New International Commentary
on the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004.

Wintle, Brian.ed. “Proverbs” in South Asia Bible Commentary.Udaipur, India: Open Door,
2015.
Wintle, Brian. South Asia Bible Commentary.Michigan: Zondervan, 2011.

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