Allahabad Bible Seminary

Subject: Hope in Suffering and Joy in Liberation: Study of Hebrew Poetry and Wisdom Literature

Submitted to: Rev. Baby Sigamony

Submitted by: Amos Samu L

Class: BD4th year (English)

Date: 30/ 09/ 2021

Topic: Critical Introduction to the book of Proverbs including Authorship, Date, Composition,
Structure, Message and Theology.

Introduction:

Proverbs is a book, which comprises a collection of “Wisdom” words, portrayed in poetic language. It was
written to meet the intellectual demands of a wider circle of readers. The Book of Proverbs is also a collection
of moral and religious teachings, mostly in the form of short sayings and Proverbs. Much of it has to do with
practical, everyday concerns. This book is also preferably, a book for the adults and youths, specified to
aspire the life of wise in young. This assignment is an attempt to have a overall sketch on the book of
Proverbs.

1. Authorship, Date, Message and Theology:

1.1. Authorship:

In considering the traditional point of view, the book has been closely connected with Solomon (ca. 970-
930), described in the book of kings as the paragon of wisdom, a gift that was granted to Solomon upon his
request (I Kings 3:1-15). Even the book also begins with the following superscription: “The proverbs of
Solomon, the Son of David, king of Israel.” Solomon often pictured as demonstrating extraordinary wisdom
(I Kings 4:29-34), a wisdom with which he achieved international fame. 1 However, internal evidence throws
that idea into doubt. The book occasionally mentions others who have contributed to the making of the final
product.

• First mention had made of an anonymous group of sages referred to simply as “the wise” (Prov. 22:17;
24:23).
• While the reference to “the wise” is nonspecific, material in the last two chapters of the book are ascribed
to individuals who are specifically named, Agur (Prov. 30:1) and Lemuel (Prov. 31:1), although they
remain enigmatic because they are not named elsewhere in the Bible. 2 The writer of the acrostic poem
(31: 10-31) is not known at all, although he must have been a Hebrew. 3
• Finally, another anonymous group is said to have contributed to the final form of the book: “men of
Hezekiah” (Prov. 25:1). 4
• According to Jewish tradition, Solomon wrote the Song of Songs when he was young, Proverbs when he
was mature, and Ecclesiastes in his old age. 5

1.2. Date:

Proverbs are generally considered to be postexilic, although there is no definite evidence to preclude a much
earlier date for the material. 6 Conservative scholars have followed the traditional view of Solomonic

1
Tremper Longman III and Peter Enns editors, Dictionary of Old Testament Wisdom, Poetry and Writings (England: Inter-
Varsity Press, 2008), 539.
2
Longman III, “Book of Proverbs,” in Dictionary of Old Testament Wisdom, Poetry and Writing, 530.
3
N.A, The Interpreter’s Bible The Book of Proverbs Vol. IV (New York: Abingdon Press, 1955), 775.
4
Longman III, “Book of Proverbs,” in Dictionary of Old Testament Wisdom, Poetry and Writing, 530.
5
Jacques B. Doukhan, Proverbs (Nampa: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 2014), 66.
6
The Interpreter’s Bible The Book of Proverbs Vol. IV (New York: Abingdon Press, 1955), 775.

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authorship of all except Prov. 30-31. Therefore they date the bulk of the book in the 10th cent. B.C., probably
from Solomon’s later years. 7 Two distinct questions are involved in the dating of Proverbs.

The first concerns the date of the writing of each section.

• The first section (Prov. 1-9) has been dated quite late, since it was supposed to have been written as an
introduction to the entire collection. R. E. Murphy thinks it is postexilic, whereas Paterson thinks the
personification of wisdom in ch. 8 makes a 3rd-century. Fritsch follows the trend toward early dating
when he says there are strong Ugaritic and Phoenician influences in this section, and chs. 8 and 9
comprise “one of the oldest parts of the book.”
• The second section (Prov. 10:1-22:16) is viewed by critical scholars as a gradual collection, perhaps with
a Solomonic nucleus, that reached its present state in the 5th or 4th cent. B.C. Paterson (Wisdom of Israel,
60) considers it the oldest part of the book.
• The third and fourth section (22:17-24:22 and 24:23-34) borrows from the Egyptian work makes possible
a date between 1,000 and 600 B.C., depending on the dating of the Egyptian work. Paterson (Wisdom of
Israel, 61) thinks this part is pre-exilic, but later than 700BCE.
• The fifth section (Prov. 25-29), according to its superscription, comes from the times of Hezekiah; the
actual authorship, however, would have been in the 10th century.
• In discussing about the last three sections of the book (ch. 30; 31:1-9; 31:10-31) Paterson states that
originally they were separate collections. On the basis of alleged artificiality he would date them late.
The acrostic form, regarded by some moderns as artificial, was a favorite device of the ancient Hebrews.
Some say the acrostic appeared long before the 6th-cent.8

The second deals with the date of the collection or “editing” of the various sections into one book (scroll).

The collection of the various sections usually is dated by conservatives between 700 and 400 B.C. 9

1.3. Message:

The author of Prov. 1:2-4 clearly states his aim, namely, to impart wisdom and discretion, especially to the
simple which is the main purpose of the entire collection. It is designed to guide the reader in practical
everyday conduct. Such wisdom is needed for the formulation of sound character. The collection would be
a useful sourcebook for public or private study. It inculcates personal morality and plain “horse sense.” 10

The book of Proverbs is open to dispute, but it is clearly a secular work. It makes no pretense to an origin in
divine revelation or inspiration. God is never quoted or addressed. It never had a role in the ritual life of
Israel, in neither temple nor synagogue. In fact, it never was, and still is not, a subject of deliberate study in
the rabbinic academies. With the exception of a few passages, it treats everyday life, not the grand affairs of
state, history, cult, or law. It gives guidance in challenges we all face: how to get along with people, how to
be a good decent person, how to make the right choices in personal and business affairs, how to win God’s
favor and avoid disaster–all issues of great importance, but still modest and prosaic ones. 11 Paterson aptly
states the message of the proverb as thus: “to subtract from the number of fools and add to the number of the
wise.”12

1.4. Theology of Proverbs:

• Fear of God

The central core of the theology of the book of Proverbs can be understood from Proverbs 1:7 which states
that “The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” Wisdom theology’s foundational principle is the

7
Merrill C. Tenney, ed., “Proverbs” in “The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible” Vol.4 (Michigan: Zondervan Press,
2009), 1842.
8
Merrill C. Tenney, ed., “Proverbs” in “The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible,” 1843-1844
9
Tenney, ed., “Proverbs” in “The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible,” 1842.
10
Ibid., 1844
11
Michael V. Fox, Proverbs 1–9: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, Anchor Bible, ed. William F.
Albright and David Noel Freedman (New York: Doubleday, 2000), 7.
12
Merrill C. Tenney, ed., “Proverbs” in “The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible,” 1844.

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fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7; 8:13; 9:10; 31:30), which involves not simply sincere reverence for God but
also reliance on him/her and the avoidance of evil.

In understanding the notion of wisdom, the book of proverbs explains that biblical wisdom involves more
than intellectual prowess. Wisdom, in proverbs is defined as the ability – divinely bestowed and acquired
through a lifelong process - that enables one in various situations tomake ad carry out decisions pleasing to
God and ultimately socially and personally beneficial. Thus, acquisition of wisdom is a lifelong process to
be furthered through instruction and observation as well as through discipline and correction. Thus, wisdom
through reverence and fear of God is mainly employed in the book of proverbs.13

• Women Wisdom:

The book of proverbs also deals with the metaphor of Woman Wisdom. The discourses are mostly the address
of a father to his son, but in some cases the speaker is a Woman whose name is Wisdom. In the first place,
Woman Wisdom represents God’s wisdom. While there are debates concerning the source of the inspiration
of this personification (for instance, a foreign goddess like Maʿat or Isis), most people agree that in its present
context the figure represents Yahweh’s wisdom. Creation and Wisdom are inextricably bound. Thus, if one
wants to know how the world works and thus to successfully navigate life, one had better know this woman,
which is Yahweh’s wisdom and Yahweh himself. 14

2. The Composition of the book and its Structure

2.1. Composition:

The composition of Proverbs remains one of the most difficult questions about the book. Its strong
association with Solomon means most of its contents were completed prior to his death in 931 BCE. Clearly
the book stayed in the southern kingdom of Judah, as Hezekiah’s men compiled more of Solomon’s proverbs
in Proverbs 25-29. This indicates that the book was likely in its final form sometime before the end of
Hezekiah’s reign in 686 BC.15

The book can be separated into two sections as

2.1.1. Instructions:

The instruction is a genre which aims to enable its hearers to live without unnecessary difficulties for
themselves. The instructions are not about changing society but about a young person adapting to it. The
genre appears in Proverbs but the biblical authors have added their own emphases such as sharp antitheses
between types; they have reduced the amount of exhortation and are less specific. To put it another away,
Proverbs emphasizes character rather than acts. Proverbs 1-9,22:17- 24:22, and 30-31 comes under the
category of instructions. These instructions are widely known in Egypt and Mesopotamia, and it helps to
briefly characterize this genre of ancient literature, drawing primarily on the more plentiful and relevant
Egyptian instances.16

2.1.2. Sayings:

Saying can also be expressed or represented in Proverbs is the saying or proverb. A good point of departure
for the discussion is a widely accepted definition of the proverb: a concise statement of an apparent truth that
has currency. “Concise” suggests saturation of thought and artful expression, in sound, wordplay, ellipsis,
the employment of irony and paradox. “Apparent” reminds us that a proverb must be “performed,” that is,
applied to a situation; a proverb is true when it is applied to this case. “Currency,” or popular usage, is the
one that was probably not true of the bulk of the sayings of Proverbs. Though the point is disputed, it is likely
that most were composed by scribes rather than collected from sayings of the people. 17

2.2. Structure:

13
Gary M. Burge and Andrew E. Hill, The Baker Illustrated Bible commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2012), 746.
14
Tremper Longman III, “Book of Proverbs,” 536.
15
N.A, The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Vol. 5(New York: Doubleday, 1992), 513.
16
Ibid., 47.
17
Ibid., 48.

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The book is written in poetic form, with regular patterns and vivid images, and emanates from a fairly
established group in society, anxious to maintain stability and tradition. These teachers of the Wisdom School
were sometimes in conflict with the more radical proclamations of the prophets (Jer. 9: 23); they were from
the same school as Ben Sirach and the author of Job and were intellectuals but not in the Greek tradition of
speculative philosophers. Hebrew wisdom was exemplified in practical skills, knowledge about how best to
manage one's life and about the purpose of life. Hence ‘wisdom’ came to be personified as an attribute of
God (Prov. 8: 22) and eventually the concept was available to the Church as it struggled with its Christology
(Col. 2:3).18

3. Social Setting of Proverbs:

Whether or not Solomonic authorship is accepted, one can agree that the social setting of Proverbs seems to
be the royal court at Jerusalem. Although wisdom literature in the Ancient Near East antedates Proverbs by
more than a thousand years, the particular form of instructions addressed to “my son” seems more like such
Egyptian works as The Instructions of Ptahhotep, The Instructions of Meri-ka-Re, The Instructions of Amen-
en-het, and The Instructions of Ani. The marriage of Solomon to Pharaoh’s daughter (1 Ki. 3:1) may have
led to his interest in such instruction. Individual literary features have parallels in earlier Semitic literature
which made readers already familiar with that literary form.19

In discussing the social setting from the scholar’s point of view, G. von Rad argued that proverbs found their
social setting among royal scribes working in the service of the king. Evidence for this includes the
connection with Solomon and the men of Hezekiah, noted in Proverbs 25:1. Also Proverbs has analogues
from the ancient Near East, especially ancient Egypt. Many of these texts have a court origin, as is illustrated
by the most famous related Egyptian text, the Instruction of Amenemope. Amenemope was a lower-level
bureaucrat who was instructing his son. 20

More recently this question has been concerned with the issue of whether or not there were scribal schools
in ancient Israel that might have fed graduates into the royal bureaucracy. The first mention of such a school
is from the later book, Sirach, which refers to the Bet Midrash. A. Lemaire has put forward the best arguments
in favour of the existence of schools during the Old Testament time period. He points to the discovery of a
handful of extra biblical texts that appear to come from a school setting. Tablets that contain lists of the
alphabet provide a good example. 21

Golka and his teacher C. Westermann took a different tack to the question. Rather than looking at ancient
analogies such as Egypt, they observed living societies that they felt were socially similar to ancient Israel.
That led them to tribal Africa, where they examined the production of proverbs in those societies. The
similarities led them to argue that biblical proverbs originated with small farmers of Israel. The best
conclusion recognizes that the proverbs of the biblical book do not come from a single social setting. The
book is a collection from a variety of settings. 22

Conclusion:

The book of proverbs echoed many genres, some of that of family relations, others business dealings, social
relationships, self-control, humility, patience, respect for the poor, and loyalty to friends. He underlined what
was thought to be good behavior in ancient Israelite society which is still a contemporary in the present
society. So, critical study is necessary to understand the real intent of then and to connect with the present
day realities in order to bring out the hidden moral teachings that are undergrounded within the book.

18
W.R.F. Browning, “Proverbs” in The Oxford Dictionary of the Bible (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000), 893.
19
Merrill C. Tenney, ed., “Proverbs” in “The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible” Vol.4 (Michigan:Zondervan Press,
2009), 1842
20
Ibid., 541.
21
Ibid., 542.
22
Ibid., 542.

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Bibliography:

N.A, The Interpreter’s Bible The Book of Proverbs Vol. IV. New York: Abingdon Press, 1955.

Burge, M. Gary and Andrew E. Hill. The Baker Illustrated Bible commentary. Grand Rapids: Baker Books,
2012.

Doukhan, B. Jacques. Proverbs. Nampa: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 2014.

Tenney, C. Merrill. “Proverbs” in “The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible.” Vol.4 Michigan:Zondervan
Press, 2009.

Fox, V. Michael. Proverbs 1-9: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, Anchor Bible, edited
by William F. Albright and David Noel Freedman. New York: Doubleday, 2000.

N.A, The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Vol. 5(New York: Doubleday, 1992), 513.

Longman III, Tremper and Peter Enns. Dictionary of Old Testament Wisdom, Poetry and Writings. England:
Inter-Varsity Press, 2008.

W.R.F. Browning. “Proverbs” in The Oxford Dictionary of the Bible. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.