PROVERBS INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION TO PROVERBS

THE NAME OF THE BOOK
1. In Hebrew the title is the first seven verses, with the theme in v. 7. This is the longest title to any book in the OT.
2. In the Septuagint (LXX) it is called "proverbs of Solomon."
3. In the Latin Vulgate it is called "book of proverbs."
4. The title "Proverbs" comes from the Hebrew term mashal (BDB 605, KB 647-648 I), which means "to be like." Proverbs were usually short, thought-provoking statements, commonly of two lines, but here in Proverbs, chapters 1-9, they are a sustained larger literary unit. See III. Genre, B. below.
CANONIZATION
1. It is part of the third division of the Hebrew canon called "The Writings" (Kethubim, Hagiographa)
2. The Talmud, Baba Bathra 14b, says the order of the wisdom books was Psalms, Job, and Proverbs. It attributed authorship of:
  1. the book of Job to Moses
  2. the Psalms to David
  3. Proverbs to Hezekiah
3. The rabbis (Midrash Shir Hashirim, Rabbah, sec. 10) asserted that Solomon, who was famous for his wisdom (cf. 1 Kgs. 3:12; 4:29-34), wrote three books:
  1. Song of Songs when he was young
  2. Proverbs when he was middle aged
  3. Ecclesiastes when he was old and bitter
    This tradition was expressed by the grouping of these three books together in the LXX.
4. After the fall of Jerusalem and the Temple, the surviving Pharisees who gathered at Jamnia (A.D. 90) were still discussing the canonicity of Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Proverbs (Shab. 30b). They noted Prov. 26:4-5 as an example of a contradiction.
GENRE
1. The Proverbs are a specialized type of Wisdom Literature.
2. There are several types of proverbial sayings (cf. Clyde Francisco, Introducing the Old Testament, p. 265).
  1. historical proverbs ‒ these are famous and popular sayings of the past which become a current truism
  2. metaphorical proverbs ‒ these are two line sayings which compare things:
    1. using comparisons, "like" or "as"
    2. using contrast
  3. enigmas ‒ these are riddles or brain teasers (such as Samson's riddles in the book of Judges)
  4. parabolic proverbs ‒ these are longer, more developed comparisons or contrasts
  5. didactical proverbs ‒ these are truths geared for training young men for government service or leadership
3. Proverbs contain parallelism like the Psalms:
  1. synonymous parallel ‒ Prov. 8:1; 19:5 (very common in chapters 16-22)
  2. antithetical parallel ‒ Prov. 10:5,7; 14:31,34; 15:1; 24:16; 28:1 (most of chapters 10-15)
  3. synthetic parallel (3 elements but still 2 lines of poetry) ‒ Prov. 20:1; 26:1
  SPECIAL TOPIC: WISDOM LITERATURE
  
  SPECIAL TOPIC: HEBREW POETRY
AUTHORSHIP
1. Proverbs has been traditionally connected to Solomon (Midrash), as the Psalms have been connected to David. This was because
  1. Solomon was famous for his wisdom (cf. 1 Kgs. 3:12; 4:29-34; 10:1)
  2. he is connected and supportive of Egyptian influence where this kind of Wisdom Literature flourished
  3. Solomon's name is mentioned in Pro. 1:1; 10:1; and 25:1
2. Proverbs is the result of editorial compilation, like the Psalms. There are several authors mentioned.
  1. Solomon ‒ Prov. 1:1; 10:1; 25:1
  2. the wise men (sages) ‒ Prov. 22:17; 24:23
  3. Agur (non-Israelite) ‒ Prov. 30:1
  4. Lemuel (non-Israelite) ‒ Prov. 31:1
3. The editorial process in Proverbs can be seen in Prov. 25:1, where it states that men of the court of Hezekiah compiled Solomon's proverbs. Possibly many were oral before this time. See John H. Walton and D. Brent Sandy, The Lost World of Scripture.
4. Chapters 30 and 31 are by men from Massa (BDB 601 I, #2, KB 640 III). There is some disagreement among translators about this term.
  1. Many modern English versions translate this term by "oracle" or "burden."
  2. The Jewish Publication of America (JPSOA) translates it as a place name.
  3. This term, Massa, can be a reference to an Ishmaelite kingdom in Saudi Arabia (cf. Gen. 25:14 and 1 Chr. 1:30).
  4. See detailed notes at Prov. 30:1.
5. There is an obvious similarity between the "Words of the Wise," Prov. 22:17-24:22 and the "Instruction of Amenemope," dating from Egypt about 1220 b.c. For a full discussion see John H. Walton, Ancient Israelite Literature in Its Cultural Context, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1990. pp. 192-197.
DATE
1. The date of this book has the same problem as the Psalms. There are two dates to be considered.
  1. the date of the individual proverbs
  2. the date they were collected into our canonical book
2. Many of the proverbs go back to the days of Solomon, especially Prov. 10:1-22:16 and 25:1-29:27.
3. There are many similarities between the words of Agur in chapter 30 and the Ras Shamra texts from Ugarit (as is also true for Psalms). These Ugaritic texts are from the 15th century b.c.
4. The canonical book of Proverbs, chapters 1-29, was compiled during the time of Hezekiah (710-687 b.c.). The last two chapters were added later.
HISTORICAL SETTING (connected to date)
LITERARY UNITS
1. Title of the book, Prov. 1:1-6
2. Theme statement, Prov. 1:7
3. Praise of wisdom (personification), Prov. 1:8-9:18
4. Proverbs of Solomon (contrasting couplets), Prov. 10:1-22;16
5. Words of the wise (similar to Egyptian wisdom, i.e., Wisdom of Amenemope, esp. 23:15-24:22), Prov. 22:17-24:22
6. More words of the wise, Prov. 24:23-24
7. Proverbs of Solomon (thematic, collected by Hezekiah's wise men, cf. Prov. 25:1), Prov. 25:1-29:27
8. Words of Agur (response to an agnostic), Prov. 30:1-33
9. Words of Lemuel (from his mother), Prov. 31:1-9
10. Praise of a godly woman (acrostic), Prov. 31:10-31
MAIN TRUTHS
1. Although not stated often, Proverbs is based on the assumption of a monotheistic personal God active in both creation and the lives of individual believers (cf. Prov. 1:7; 3:5-6; 9:10; 14:26-27; 19:23). Believers are to respect and obey (i.e., the two ways, cf. Deuteronomy 30; Psalm 1).
  SPECIAL TOPIC: MONOTHEISM
2. This type of literature was a balance to (cf. Jer. 18:18; Ezek. 7:26):
  1. "The Law" (priests)
  2. "counsel" (sage, i.e., Wisdom Literature)
  3. "the Word" (prophets)
  It is not geared to the national history or cultus of Israel but the happiness, morality, and successful living of individual Israelites.
3. Originally it was designed to train wealthy young men for governmental service or community leadership (cf. Prov. 1:8-9). The teacher is characterized as "father" (cf. Prov. 1:8) and the student as "son" (cf. Prov. 1:8; 2:1; 3:1).
4. It is inspired insight for daily, practical, godly living. It could be characterized as 'divine horse sense." But it must always be remembered it is part of the performance-based covenant of Moses.
5. It must be remembered that Proverbs are general statements of truth. They do not always explain or take into account the problems or circumstances of every individual situation.
  Here is a quote from Douglas Stuart, How To Read the Bible for All Its Worth, p. 237:
  
  "2. Proverbs Must Be Read as a Collection
  
  Each inspired proverb must be balanced with others and understood in comparison with the rest of Scripture. As the third example above (15:25) illustrates, the more in isolation one reads a proverb, the less clear its interpretation may be. An individual proverb, if misunderstood, may lead you to attitudes or behavior far more inappropriate than would be the case if you read Proverbs as a whole. Moreover, you must guard against letting their intensely practical concern with material things and this world make you forget the balancing value of other Scriptures that warn against materialism and worldliness. Do not engage in the kind of wisdom Job's friends did, equating worldly success with righteousness in God's eyes. This is an unbalanced reading of selected proverbs. Do not try to find in Proverbs justification for living a selfish life or for practices that do not comport with what the Scriptures teach otherwise. And remember that the proverbs are often grouped in various ways, so that one jumps from topic to topic in reading through them."