Introduction to Proverbs

31 Chapters

1. Author and Time of Writing

The book of Proverbs bears the inspired title: "Proverbs of Solomon, son of David" (Proverbs 1:1). Solomon is also mentioned as a poet in chap. 10:1 and 25:1.

In chapters 22:17 and 24:23, the proverbs (contained in the sections following these verses) are called "words of the wise." Finally, chapters 30:1 and 31:1 mention Agur and Lemuel as poets of the proverbs. We do not know anything, however, about their identity.

As David was the greatest poet of Psalms, Solomon was the greatest poet of Proverbs. 1 Kings 4:29-34 states: "And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. Thus, Solomon’s wisdom exceeded the wisdom of all the men of the East and Egypt. For he was wiser than all men than Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame was in all the surrounding nations.He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five. Also, he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon, even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he also spoke of animals, birds, creeping things, and fish. And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon."

Only around a thousand of Solomon's proverbs are collected in the Book of Proverbs and were maintained by divine inspiration and preservation. King Hezekiah's men gathered some of Solomon's proverbs only 200 years later (compare Proverbs 25:1). Also, Solomon has probably not compiled all proverbs but took over already known proverbs by the wise (compare chap. 22:17; 24:23). The same implies for the "appendix" in Proverbs 30 and 31 where the name of Agur and Lemuel appear. Therefore, Solomon has more likely collected these men's words than just added them later. Solomon reigned around 970 to 931 BC, and Hezekiah (in whose time many ancient things came to honor) reigned around 716 to 687 BC. This fixes the beginning and the end of the book's origin.

2. Purpose of Writing

Maxims (or aphorisms) played an essential part in antiquity. This is still the case in the Orient. In a time when not everybody could read or write, the learning or knowledge of proverbs was a particular form of instruction.

One has found a certain similarity between Proverbs 22:17-23:11 and the Egyptian Book of Knowledge of Amenemope. This discovery, on the one hand, confirms the spreading and popularity of collected proverbs in the Orient. At the same time, an enormous difference comes to light: The worldly, heathen maxim is a mixture of moral philosophy and thinking by chance, whereas the book of Proverbs of Solomon in the Holy ScripturesIn the NT, the various parts of the OT are referred to as “the Scriptures”; these are the “sacred letters/writings” (2 Tim. 3:15). “Every Scripture is divinely inspired and profitable... considers the fear of Jehovah as the aim, which is the beginning of wisdom.

The book of Proverbs shows what the god-fearing man in this worldThe word is used with different meanings. It can mean the whole of humanity (Gen 41:57) or the created world (Rom 1:20), but also a moral system that is opposed... shall seek and avoid. The book also teaches that man, irrespective of his spiritual blessings under the government of God, will reap what he has sowed. It contains the advice of divine wisdom for the daily life of a Godfearing man in all his difficulties, trials, dangers, and joys of his way over this earth.

The Proverbs (written by Solomon, the king of peace) also bear certain parallels to the principles of the kingdom of GodEssentially, it refers to the same thing as the kingdom of heaven, whereby it is less about a period and more about the moral characteristics of the kingdom. God is... as the Lord Jesus has set them forth in the so-called Sermon of the Mount in Matthew 5-7. The divine wisdom is so often mentioned in Proverbs, and which in chap. 8 and 9 speak to the reader personified and even find their perfect expression in the NT in the Person of ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is..., the Son of GodThe term "Son of God" in the singular always refers to the Lord Jesus. On the one hand, He is the only begotten (unique) and eternal Son of God, who... (1 Cor. 1:30).

3. Peculiarities

a) The Fear of the Lord

The fear of the Lord is the key word of this book. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (chap. 1:7) and wisdom (chap. 9:10; 15:33). The Lord fears to hate evil (chap. 8:13; 16:6) and it is a fountain of life (chap. 14:27; 19:23). Besides compare the following references: Proverbs 1:29; 2:5; 3:7; 10:27; 14:2+26; 15:16; 22:4; 23:17; 24:21; 31:30.

b) The Name of God

The name of God only appears five times in Proverbs, whereas the name of Jehovah (Jahwe) appears around 85 times. Jehovah is the name that expresses God's relation to His creatures, that is, men, and especially to His people, Israel (compare with Overview on Genesis, 3. Peculiarities).

c) Poetical Form

The book of Proverbs is written in poetic form (compare explanations to the Psalms). Chapter 31:10-31, however, is written in acrostic form. That is, the first letter of each verse is identical to the sequence of the Hebrew alphabet.

4. Overview of Contents

I. Proverbs 1-9: Introduction

1. Chapter 1:1-7 Title and Purpose of Book

2. Chapter 1:8 - 9:18 Praise of Wisdom

• Chapter 1:8 -33 Warning against Sinners and Wisdom's Cry

• Chapter 2 The Path of Wisdom

• Chapter 3 The Teachings of Wisdom

• Chapter 4 The Striving for Wisdom

• Chapter 5 Walking in Purity

• Chapter 6 Warning against Diverse Sins

• Chapter 7 Warning against Prostitution

• Chapter 8 Wisdom Personified

• Chapter 9 Wisdom and Folly

II. Proverbs 10:1 -22:16: Proverbs of Solomon: Conduct in the Fear of God and Wisdom

• Chapter 10 - 17 Contrary between Conduct of the Just and Conduct of the Fool

• Chapter 18 - 19 Relationship towards the Neighbor

• Chapter 20:1-22:16 Personal Conduct

III. Proverbs 22:17 - 24:34: Various Proverbs of the Wise

• Chapter 22:17-29 Introduction and Personal Warnings

• Chapter 23 Personal Warnings

• Chapter 24 Wisdom and Folly

IV. Proverbs 25 - 29: Proverbs of Solomon collected during the Reign of Hezekiah

• Chapter 25 Commendation for Fear of God and Wisdom

• Chapter 26 Warning against Folly, Laziness, and Malice

• Chapter 27 Wise Conduct Towards Others

• Chapter 28 - 29 Characteristics of the Lawless and the Righteous

V. Proverbs 30 - 31: The Words of Agur and Lemuel

• Chapter 30 Agur's RepentanceWhile remorse (Greek metamellomai) means to regret a previous act or behavior and to have a different way of thinking about it, Repentance (Greek metanoia) goes further than that: It... and Teachings

• Chapter 31 Lemuel's Instructions: the Woman of Worth