PROVERBS משלי

“The Proverbs,” also called “The Book Of Proverbs” is an Old Testament book of “wisdom” writing found in the third section of the Jewish canon, known as the Ketuvim, or Writings.

Proverbs is not merely an anthology, but a “collection of collections” relating to a pattern of life that lasted for more than a millennium. It is an example of the biblical wisdom literature and raises questions of values, moral behavior, the meaning of human life, and right conduct, and its theological foundation is that “the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom”.

Wisdom is praised for her role in creation; God acquired her before all else, and through her, he gave order to chaos; since humans have life and prosperity by conforming to the order of creation, seeking wisdom is the essence and goal of life.

Knowledge is nothing more than an accumulation of raw facts, but wisdom is the ability to see people, events, and situations as God sees them. The Book of Proverbs reveals the mind of God in matters high and lofty and in common, ordinary, everyday situations, too.

It appears that no topic was left behind. Matters pertaining to personal conduct, sexual relations, business, wealth, charity, ambition, discipline, debt, child-rearing, character, alcohol, politics, revenge, and godliness are among the many topics covered in this rich collection of wise sayings.

Proverbs 1:5 – “Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.”

Proverbs 1:7 – “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

Proverbs 3:5-8 – “Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart rely on him to guide you, and he will lead you in every decision you make. Become intimate with him in whatever you do, and he will lead you wherever you go. Don’t think for a moment that you know it all, for wisdom comes when you adore him with undivided devotion and avoid everything that is wrong. Then you will find the healing refreshment your body and spirit long for.”

Proverbs 4:5 – “Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them.”

Proverbs 5:21 – “Fill your thoughts with my words until they penetrate deep into your spirit. Then, as you unwrap my words, they will impart true life and radiant health into the very core of your being.”

Proverbs 6:7-8 – “The ants have no chief, no boss, no manager-no one has to tell them what to do. You’ll see them working and toiling all summer long, stockpiling their food in preparation for winter.”

Proverbs 8:13-14 – “To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have understanding and power.”

The proverbs contained in this book are not to be interpreted as prophecies or their statements about effects and results as promises. For instance, 10:27 says that the years of the wicked are cut short, while the righteous live long and prosperous lives (3:2). The righteous have abundant food (10:3), but the wicked will go hungry (13:25).

While such statements are generally true, there are enough exceptions to indicate that sometimes the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper (3:2). Normally the righteous and wicked “receive their due on earth” (11:31), but at other times reward and punishment lie beyond the grave.

Most proverbs are short, compact statements that express truths about human behavior. Often there is the repetition of a word or sound that aids memorization (30:33).

In the longest section of the book (10:1 – 22:16) most of the proverbs are two lines long, and those in chapters 10 – 15 almost always express a contrast. Sometimes the book simply makes a general observation, such as “a bribe is a charm to the one who gives it” (17:8; cf. 14:20), but usually it evaluates conduct: “he who hates bribes will live” (15:27).

Many proverbs, in fact, describe the consequences of a particular action or character trait: “A wise son brings joy to his father” (10:1). Since the proverbs were written primarily for instruction, often they are given in the form of commands: “Do not love sleep or you will grow poor” (20:13).

A common feature of the proverbs is the use of figurative language: “Like cold water to a weary soul / is good news from a distant land” (25:25). In chapter 25 alone there are 11 verses that begin with “like” or “as.” These similes make the proverbs more vivid and powerful.

Occasionally the simile is used in a humorous or sarcastic way: “Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout / is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion” (11:22; cf. 26:9), or, “As a door turns on its hinges, / so a sluggard turns on his bed” (26:14).

Equally effective is the use of metaphors: “The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life” (13:14), and “the tongue that brings healing is a tree of life” (15:4). According to 16:24, “pleasant words are a honeycomb.” The figure of sowing and reaping is used in both a positive and a negative way (cf. 11:18; 22:8).

In order to develop a proper set of values, a number of proverbs use direct comparisons: “Better a poor man whose walk is blameless / than a rich man whose ways are perverse” (28:6). This “better . . . than” pattern can be seen also in 15:16-17; 16:19,32; 17:1,12; a modified form occurs in 22:1.

Solomon was a monarch of ancient Israel and the son and successor of David, according to the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament. He is described as having been the penultimate ruler of an amalgamated Israel and Judah. After his death, his son and successor Rehoboam would adopt a harsh policy towards the northern tribes, eventually leading to the splitting of the Israelites between the Kingdom of Israel in the north and the Kingdom of Judah in the south. Following the split, his patrilineal descendants ruled over Judah alone.

Solomon was renowned as a sage. When two women each claimed to be the mother of the same baby, he determined the real mother by observing each woman’s reaction to the prospect of dividing the child into two halves; he acknowledged the woman who protested as the mother. Solomon was deemed wiser than all the sages of Egypt and the Middle East—even wiser than some ancient paragons of wisdom.

The biblical book of Proverbs contains collections of aphorisms and other wise teachings attributed to him. Like his father, Solomon was also revered as a poet. The biblical Song of Solomon is attributed to him—albeit spuriously and likely because of his posthumous fame—in the opening verse.

His reputation as a great lover, reflected in the size of his harem, is appropriately a major theme in the Song of Solomon. Postbiblical tradition attributed later works to him: the apocryphal Wisdom of Solomon, on the one hand, and the Odes of Solomon and Psalms of Solomon, on the other, are tributes to him as sage and poet.