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Book of Proverbs

January 13, 2023

The Book of Proverbs (Hebrew: מִשְלֵי, Mīšlē, "Proverbs (of Solomon)") is a book in the third section (called Ketuvim) of the Hebrew Bible and a book of the Christian Old Testament.[1] When translated into Greek and Latin, the title took on different forms: in the Greek Septuagint (LXX) it became Παροιμίαι (Paroimiai, "Proverbs"); in the Latin Vulgate the title was Proverbia, from which the English name is derived.

Proverbs is not merely an anthology but a "collection of collections" relating to a pattern of life which lasted for more than a millennium.[2] It is an example of the biblical wisdom literature, and raises questions of values, moral behaviour, the meaning of human life, and right conduct,[3] and its theological foundation is that "the fear of God (meaning submission to the will of God) is the beginning of wisdom".[4] Wisdom is praised for her role in creation; God acquired her before all else, and through her he gave order to chaos; and since humans have life and prosperity by conforming to the order of creation, seeking wisdom is the essence and goal of life.[5]

Structure

 
Scroll of the Book of Proverbs

The superscriptions divide the collections as follows:

  • Proverbs 1–9: "Proverbs of Solomon, Son of David, King of Israel"
  • Proverbs 10–22:16: "Proverbs of Solomon"
  • Proverbs 22:17–24:22: "The Sayings of the Wise"
  • Proverbs 24:23–34: "These Also are Sayings of the Wise"
  • Proverbs 25–29: "These are Other Proverbs of Solomon that the Officials of King Hezekiah of Judah Copied"
  • Proverbs 30: "The Words of Agur"
  • Proverbs 31:1–9: "The Words of King Lemuel of Massa,[a] Which his Mother Taught Him"
  • Proverbs 31:10–31: the ideal wise woman (elsewhere called the "woman of substance").[7]

Contents

 
Papyrus Bodmer VI, featuring a Coptic translation of Proverbs (4th/5th century AD)

"Proverb" is a translation of the Hebrew word mashal, but "mashal" has a wider range of meanings than the short, catchy saying implied by the English word. Thus, roughly half the book is made up of "sayings" of this type, while the other half is made up of longer poetic units of various types. These include "instructions" formulated as advice from a teacher or parent addressed to a student or child, dramatic personifications of both Wisdom and Folly, and the "words of the wise" sayings, longer than the Solomonic "sayings" but shorter and more diverse than the "instructions".[8]

The first section (chapters 1–9) comprises an initial invitation to young men to take up the course of wisdom, ten "instructions", and five poems on personified Woman Wisdom.[9] Verses 1:1-7 constitute an introduction to the whole of this section.[10] Proverbs 10:1–22:16, with 375 sayings, consists of two parts, the first part (10–14) contrasting the wise man and the fool (or the righteous and the wicked), the second (15–22:16) addressing wise and foolish speech.[11] Verse 22:17 opens ‘the words of the wise’, until verse 24:22, with short moral discourses on various subjects.[12] An additional section of sayings which "also belong to the wise" follows in verses 24:23-34.[13] Chapters 25–29, attributed to the editorial activity of "the men of Hezekiah", contrast the just and the wicked and broach the topic of rich and poor.[14] Chapter 30:1-4, the "sayings of Agur", introduces creation, divine power, and human ignorance.[15]

Composition

 
Solomon writing Proverbs (Gustave Doré)

It is impossible to offer precise dates for the sayings in Proverbs, a "collection of collections" relating to a pattern of life which lasted for more than a millennium.[2] The phrase conventionally used for the title is taken from chapter 1:1, mishley shelomoh, Proverbs of Solomon (the phrase is repeated at 10:1 and 25:1), is likely more concerned with labeling the material than ascribing authorship.[16]

The book is an anthology made up of six discrete units. The Proverbs of Solomon section, chapters 1–9, was probably the last to be composed, in the Persian or Hellenistic periods. This section has parallels to prior cuneiform writings.[17] The second, chapters 10–22:16, carries the superscription "the proverbs of Solomon", which may have encouraged its inclusion in the Hebrew canon. The third unit, 22:17–24:22, is headed "bend your ear and hear the words of the wise". A large part of this section is a recasting of a second-millennium BCE Egyptian work, the Instruction of Amenemope, and may have reached the Hebrew author(s) through an Aramaic translation. Chapter 24:23 begins a new section and source with the declaration, "these too are from the wise". The next section at chapter 25:1 has a superscription to the effect that the following proverbs were transcribed "by the men of Hezekiah", indicating at face value that they were collected in the reign of Hezekiah in the late 8th century BCE. Chapters 30 and 31 (the "words of Agur," the "words of Lemuel," and the description of the ideal woman) are a set of appendices, quite different in style and emphasis from the previous chapters.[18]

The "wisdom" genre was widespread throughout the ancient Near East, and reading Proverbs alongside the examples recovered from Egypt and Mesopotamia reveals the common ground shared by international wisdom.[19] The wisdom literature of Israel may have been developed in the family, the royal court, and houses of learning and instruction;[20] nevertheless, the overwhelming impression is of instruction within the family in small villages.[21]

Themes

 
Excerpt from Proverbs 3 displayed at Portland International Jetport in Portland, Maine
 
A page of the Book of Proverbs from a Bible from 1497

Along with the other examples of the biblical wisdom tradition – Job and Ecclesiastes and some other writings – Proverbs raises questions of values, moral behavior, the meaning of human life, and righteous conduct. The three retain an ongoing relevance for both religious and secular readers, Job and Ecclesiastes through the boldness of their dissent from received tradition, Proverbs in its worldliness and satiric shrewdness. Wisdom is as close as biblical literature comes to Greek philosophy, of which it was a contemporary; it shares with the Greeks an inquiry into values and reflections on the human condition, although there is no discussion of ontology, epistemology, metaphysics, and the other abstract issues raised by the Greeks. [3]

The rabbinic college almost excluded the Book of Proverbs from the Bible in the late first century. [22] They did this because of its contradictions (the result of the book's origins as not just an anthology but an anthology of anthologies). The reader is told, for example, both to "not answer a fool according to his folly", according to 26:4, and to "answer a fool according to his folly", as 26:5 advises. More pervasively, the recurring theme of the initial unit (chapters 1–9) is that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but the following units are much less theological, presenting wisdom as a transmissible human craft, until with 30:1–14, the "words of Agur", we return once more to the idea that God alone possesses wisdom. [18]

"The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10 – the phrase implies submission to God's will).[23] Wisdom is praised for her role in creation ("God by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding, he established the heavens" – Proverbs 3:19). God acquired her before all else, and through her, he gave order to chaos ("When [God] established the heavens… when he drew a circle on the face of the Deeps… when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him" – Proverbs 8:27–31). Since humans have life and prosperity by conforming to the order of creation, seeking wisdom is the essence and goal of the religious life.[5] Wisdom, or the wise person, is compared and contrasted with foolishness or the fool, meaning one who is lacking in wisdom and uninterested in instruction, not one who is merely silly or playful (though see the words of Agur for a "fool" who has wisdom and could be seen as playful).

For the most part, Proverbs offers a simplistic view of life with few grey areas: a life lived according to the rules brings reward, and life in violation of them is certain to bring disaster. In contrast, Job and Ecclesiastes appear to be direct contradictions of the simplicities of Proverbs, each in its own way all but dismissing the assumptions of the "wise".[24] Noteworthy also is the fact that the "mighty acts of God" (the Exodus, the giving of the Torah at Sinai, the Covenant between God and Israel, etc.) which make up Israel's history are completely or almost completely absent from Proverbs and the other Wisdom books: in contrast to the other books of the Hebrew Bible, which appeal to divine revelation for their authority ("Thus says the Lord!"), wisdom appeals to human reason and observation.[25]

Later interpretation and influence

The pre-Exilic (i.e. pre-586 BCE) Old Testament allowed no equals to YHWH in heaven, despite the continued existence of an assembly of subordinate servant-deities.[26] The post-Exilic writers of the Wisdom tradition developed the idea that Wisdom existed before creation and was used by God to create the universe:[27] "Present from the beginning, Wisdom assumes the role of master builder while God establishes the heavens, restricts the chaotic waters, and shapes the mountains and fields."[28] Borrowing ideas from Greek philosophers who held that reason bound the universe together, the Wisdom tradition taught that God's Wisdom, Word and Spirit were the ground of cosmic unity.[29] Christianity in turn adopted these ideas and applied them to Jesus: the Epistle to the Colossians calls Jesus "...image of the invisible God, first-born of all creation...", while the Gospel of John identifies him with the creative word ("In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God").[30]

In the 4th century, when Christianity was caught up in heresies and still developing the creeds which would define its beliefs, Proverbs 8:22[31] was used both to support and refute the claims of the Arians. The Arians, assuming that Christ could be equated with the "Wisdom of God" (1 Corinthians 1:24),[32] argued that the Son, like Wisdom, was "created",[31] and therefore subordinate to the Creator; their opponents, who argued that the relevant Hebrew word should be translated as "begot", won the debate, and the Nicene Creed declared that the Son was "begotten, not made", meaning that God and Christ were consubstantial.[33]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Most translate: Lemuel, an oracle (masa) which his mother . . ."[6]

References

  1. ^ Berlin 2011, p. 588.
  2. ^ a b Clements 2003, p. 438.
  3. ^ a b Alter 2010, pp. xiii–xvii.
  4. ^ Longman & Garland 2009, p. 50.
  5. ^ a b Boccaccini 2002, p. 106.
  6. ^ See Proverbs 31:1, various translations, Biblehub.com
  7. ^ Perdue 2012, pp. x–xi.
  8. ^ Farmer 1991, pp. 17–20.
  9. ^ Perdue 2007, p. 48.
  10. ^ Aitken, K. T., 19. Proverbs in Barton, J., and Muddiman, J. (2001), The Oxford Bible Commentary, p. 406
  11. ^ Perdue 2007, p. 58.
  12. ^ de Almeida, João Ferreira, ed. (1974), "Os provérbios", A Bíblia sagrada (Versão revisada de acordo com os melhores textos em hebraico e grego ed.), Rio de Janeiro: Imprensa bíblica brasileira, Junta de educação religiosa, Convenção batista brasileira, xxii:17, Breves discursos morais do sábio acerca de vários assuntos.
  13. ^ Proverbs 24:23: New King James Version
  14. ^ Perdue 2007, p. 67.
  15. ^ Perdue 2007, p. 68.
  16. ^ Farmer 1991, p. 25.
  17. ^ Rogers, Robert William (1912). "8. Fragment of Wisdom Literature". Cuneiform parallels to the Old Testament (1 ed.). New York: Eaton & Mains. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  18. ^ a b Alter 2010, pp. 183–85.
  19. ^ Smothers 2000, pp. 167–68, 174.
  20. ^ Tucker 2000, pp. 163–66.
  21. ^ Crenshaw 2000, p. 217.
  22. ^ "The Untold Truth of the Book of Proverbs". 28 October 2021.
  23. ^ Longman & Garland 2009.
  24. ^ Keown 2000, p. 183.
  25. ^ Farmer 1998, p. 130.
  26. ^ Page Lee 1990, pp. 176–77.
  27. ^ Berlin 2011, p. 188.
  28. ^ Parrish 1990, p. 183.
  29. ^ Kaiser 1997, p. 28.
  30. ^ Parrish 1990, pp. 183–84.
  31. ^ a b Proverbs 8:22
  32. ^ 1 Corinthians 1:24
  33. ^ Farmer 1991, pp. 53–54.

Bibliography

Works cited

  • Alter, Robert (2010). The Wisdom Books: Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes: A Translation with Commentary. W.W. Norton & Co. ISBN 978-0-39308073-5.
  • Berlin, Adele (2011). "Cosmology and creation". In Berlin, Adele; Grossman, Maxine (eds.). The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973004-9.
  • Boccaccini, Gabriele (2002). Roots of Rabbinic Judaism: An Intellectual History, from Ezekiel to Daniel. Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0-80284361-6.
  • Clements, Ronald E. (2003). "Proverbs". In Dunn, James D. G.; Rogerson, John William (eds.). Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible. Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802837110.
  • Crenshaw, James (2000). "Unresolved Issues in the Wisdom Literature". In Tate, Marvin E.; Ballard, Harold Wayne; Tucker, W. Dennis (eds.). An Introduction to Wisdom Literature and the Psalms. Mercer University Press. ISBN 978-0-86554652-3.
  • Farmer, Kathleen A. (1991). Who knows what is good? : a commentary on the Books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN 978-0-80280161-6.
  • Farmer, Kathleen A. (1998). "The Wisdom Books". In McKenzie, Steven L.; Graham, Matt Patrick (eds.). The Hebrew Bible Today: An Introduction to Critical Issues. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 978-0-66425652-4.
  • Fox, Michael V. (2000). Proverbs 1–9.
  • ——— (2009). Proverbs 10–31. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-30015556-3.
  • Grabbe, Lester L. (2006). A History of the Jews and Judaism in the Second Temple Period. Vol. 1: The Persian Period (539–331 BCE). Continuum. ISBN 978-0-56704352-8.
  • Kaiser, Christopher B. (1997). Creational theology and the history of physical science. Brill. ISBN 90-0410669-3.
  • Keown, Gerald (2000). "The Canonical Shape of the Wisdom Literature". In Tate, Marvin E.; Ballard, Harold Wayne; Tucker, W. Dennis (eds.). An Introduction to Wisdom Literature and the Psalms. Mercer University Press. ISBN 978-0-86554652-3.
  • Longman, Tremper; Garland, David E. (2009). Proverbs—Isaiah. Zondervan. ISBN 978-0-31059058-3.
  • Page Lee, H. (1990). "Council, Heavenly". In Watson E. Mills (ed.). Mercer Dictionary of the Bible. Mercer University Press. ISBN 9780865543737.
  • Parrish, V. Steven (1990). "Creation". In Mills, Watson E. (ed.). Mercer Dictionary of the Bible. Mercer University Press. ISBN 9780865543737.
  • Perdue, Leo G. (2007). Wisdom Literature: A Theological History. Presbyterian Publishing. ISBN 978-0-66422919-1.
  • Perdue, Leo G. (2012). Proverbs. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 978-0-66423884-1.
  • Sinnott, Alice M. (2005). The Personification of Wisdom. Ashgate Publishing. ISBN 978-0-75465124-6.
  • Smothers, Thomas (2000). "Biblical Wisdom in its Ancient Middle Eastern Context". In Tate, Marvin E.; Ballard, Harold Wayne; Tucker, Karl Smith (eds.). An Introduction to Wisdom Literature and the Psalms. Mercer University Press. ISBN 9780865546523.
  • Tucker, W. Dennis (2000). "Literary Forms in the Wisdom Literature". In Tate, Marvin E.; Ballard, Harold Wayne; Tucker, W. Dennis (eds.). An Introduction to Wisdom Literature and the Psalms. Mercer University Press. ISBN 978-0-86554652-3.

Further reading

  • Crenshaw, James L. "Book of Proverbs", The Anchor Bible Dictionary, 1992
  • Dockery, David S. (general ed.), Holman Bible Handbook, Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, 1992
  • Lasor, William Sanford, Hubbard, David Allan, & Bush, Frederic Wm., Old Testament Survey: The Message, Form, and Background of the Old Testament, 1996
  • Murphy, Roland E., Wisdom Literature: Job, Proverbs, Ruth, Canticles, Ecclesiastes, and Esther. Grand Rapids, 1981
  • Steinmann, Andrew, "Proverbs 1–9 as a Solomonic Composition", Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 43, no. 4
  • Waltke, Bruce (2004). Book of Proverbs: Chapters 1–15. Wm. B. Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0-8028-2545-2.
  • Waltke, Bruce (2005). The Book of Proverbs: Chapters 15–31. Wm. B. Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0-8028-2776-0.
  • Waltke, Bruce K.; De Silva, Ivan D. V. (2021). Proverbs: A Shorter Commentary. Wm. B. Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0-8028-7503-7.

External links

 
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Proverbs
 
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Online translations of Book of Proverbs:

  • Jewish translations:
    • Mishlei – Proverbs (Judaica Press) translation [with Rashi's commentary] at Chabad.org
  • Christian translations:
    • Bible Gateway 35 languages/50 versions
    • Unbound Bible 100+ languages/versions at Biola University
  • Introductions:
  •   Proverbs public domain audiobook at LibriVox – Various versions
Book of Proverbs
Preceded by Hebrew Bible Succeeded by
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Old Testament

January 13, 2023
book, proverbs, hebrew, mīšlē, proverbs, solomon, book, third, section, called, ketuvim, hebrew, bible, book, christian, testament, when, translated, into, greek, latin, title, took, different, forms, greek, septuagint, became, Παροιμίαι, paroimiai, proverbs, . The Book of Proverbs Hebrew מ ש ל י Misle Proverbs of Solomon is a book in the third section called Ketuvim of the Hebrew Bible and a book of the Christian Old Testament 1 When translated into Greek and Latin the title took on different forms in the Greek Septuagint LXX it became Paroimiai Paroimiai Proverbs in the Latin Vulgate the title was Proverbia from which the English name is derived Proverbs is not merely an anthology but a collection of collections relating to a pattern of life which lasted for more than a millennium 2 It is an example of the biblical wisdom literature and raises questions of values moral behaviour the meaning of human life and right conduct 3 and its theological foundation is that the fear of God meaning submission to the will of God is the beginning of wisdom 4 Wisdom is praised for her role in creation God acquired her before all else and through her he gave order to chaos and since humans have life and prosperity by conforming to the order of creation seeking wisdom is the essence and goal of life 5 Contents 1 Structure 2 Contents 3 Composition 4 Themes 5 Later interpretation and influence 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 9 Bibliography 9 1 Works cited 9 2 Further reading 10 External linksStructure Edit Scroll of the Book of Proverbs The superscriptions divide the collections as follows Proverbs 1 9 Proverbs of Solomon Son of David King of Israel Proverbs 10 22 16 Proverbs of Solomon Proverbs 22 17 24 22 The Sayings of the Wise Proverbs 24 23 34 These Also are Sayings of the Wise Proverbs 25 29 These are Other Proverbs of Solomon that the Officials of King Hezekiah of Judah Copied Proverbs 30 The Words of Agur Proverbs 31 1 9 The Words of King Lemuel of Massa a Which his Mother Taught Him Proverbs 31 10 31 the ideal wise woman elsewhere called the woman of substance 7 Contents Edit Papyrus Bodmer VI featuring a Coptic translation of Proverbs 4th 5th century AD Proverb is a translation of the Hebrew word mashal but mashal has a wider range of meanings than the short catchy saying implied by the English word Thus roughly half the book is made up of sayings of this type while the other half is made up of longer poetic units of various types These include instructions formulated as advice from a teacher or parent addressed to a student or child dramatic personifications of both Wisdom and Folly and the words of the wise sayings longer than the Solomonic sayings but shorter and more diverse than the instructions 8 The first section chapters 1 9 comprises an initial invitation to young men to take up the course of wisdom ten instructions and five poems on personified Woman Wisdom 9 Verses 1 1 7 constitute an introduction to the whole of this section 10 Proverbs 10 1 22 16 with 375 sayings consists of two parts the first part 10 14 contrasting the wise man and the fool or the righteous and the wicked the second 15 22 16 addressing wise and foolish speech 11 Verse 22 17 opens the words of the wise until verse 24 22 with short moral discourses on various subjects 12 An additional section of sayings which also belong to the wise follows in verses 24 23 34 13 Chapters 25 29 attributed to the editorial activity of the men of Hezekiah contrast the just and the wicked and broach the topic of rich and poor 14 Chapter 30 1 4 the sayings of Agur introduces creation divine power and human ignorance 15 Composition Edit Solomon writing Proverbs Gustave Dore It is impossible to offer precise dates for the sayings in Proverbs a collection of collections relating to a pattern of life which lasted for more than a millennium 2 The phrase conventionally used for the title is taken from chapter 1 1 mishley shelomoh Proverbs of Solomon the phrase is repeated at 10 1 and 25 1 is likely more concerned with labeling the material than ascribing authorship 16 The book is an anthology made up of six discrete units The Proverbs of Solomon section chapters 1 9 was probably the last to be composed in the Persian or Hellenistic periods This section has parallels to prior cuneiform writings 17 The second chapters 10 22 16 carries the superscription the proverbs of Solomon which may have encouraged its inclusion in the Hebrew canon The third unit 22 17 24 22 is headed bend your ear and hear the words of the wise A large part of this section is a recasting of a second millennium BCE Egyptian work the Instruction of Amenemope and may have reached the Hebrew author s through an Aramaic translation Chapter 24 23 begins a new section and source with the declaration these too are from the wise The next section at chapter 25 1 has a superscription to the effect that the following proverbs were transcribed by the men of Hezekiah indicating at face value that they were collected in the reign of Hezekiah in the late 8th century BCE Chapters 30 and 31 the words of Agur the words of Lemuel and the description of the ideal woman are a set of appendices quite different in style and emphasis from the previous chapters 18 The wisdom genre was widespread throughout the ancient Near East and reading Proverbs alongside the examples recovered from Egypt and Mesopotamia reveals the common ground shared by international wisdom 19 The wisdom literature of Israel may have been developed in the family the royal court and houses of learning and instruction 20 nevertheless the overwhelming impression is of instruction within the family in small villages 21 Themes Edit Excerpt from Proverbs 3 displayed at Portland International Jetport in Portland Maine A page of the Book of Proverbs from a Bible from 1497 Along with the other examples of the biblical wisdom tradition Job and Ecclesiastes and some other writings Proverbs raises questions of values moral behavior the meaning of human life and righteous conduct The three retain an ongoing relevance for both religious and secular readers Job and Ecclesiastes through the boldness of their dissent from received tradition Proverbs in its worldliness and satiric shrewdness Wisdom is as close as biblical literature comes to Greek philosophy of which it was a contemporary it shares with the Greeks an inquiry into values and reflections on the human condition although there is no discussion of ontology epistemology metaphysics and the other abstract issues raised by the Greeks 3 The rabbinic college almost excluded the Book of Proverbs from the Bible in the late first century 22 They did this because of its contradictions the result of the book s origins as not just an anthology but an anthology of anthologies The reader is told for example both to not answer a fool according to his folly according to 26 4 and to answer a fool according to his folly as 26 5 advises More pervasively the recurring theme of the initial unit chapters 1 9 is that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom but the following units are much less theological presenting wisdom as a transmissible human craft until with 30 1 14 the words of Agur we return once more to the idea that God alone possesses wisdom 18 The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom Proverbs 9 10 the phrase implies submission to God s will 23 Wisdom is praised for her role in creation God by wisdom founded the earth by understanding he established the heavens Proverbs 3 19 God acquired her before all else and through her he gave order to chaos When God established the heavens when he drew a circle on the face of the Deeps when he marked out the foundations of the earth then I was beside him Proverbs 8 27 31 Since humans have life and prosperity by conforming to the order of creation seeking wisdom is the essence and goal of the religious life 5 Wisdom or the wise person is compared and contrasted with foolishness or the fool meaning one who is lacking in wisdom and uninterested in instruction not one who is merely silly or playful though see the words of Agur for a fool who has wisdom and could be seen as playful For the most part Proverbs offers a simplistic view of life with few grey areas a life lived according to the rules brings reward and life in violation of them is certain to bring disaster In contrast Job and Ecclesiastes appear to be direct contradictions of the simplicities of Proverbs each in its own way all but dismissing the assumptions of the wise 24 Noteworthy also is the fact that the mighty acts of God the Exodus the giving of the Torah at Sinai the Covenant between God and Israel etc which make up Israel s history are completely or almost completely absent from Proverbs and the other Wisdom books in contrast to the other books of the Hebrew Bible which appeal to divine revelation for their authority Thus says the Lord wisdom appeals to human reason and observation 25 Later interpretation and influence EditThe pre Exilic i e pre 586 BCE Old Testament allowed no equals to YHWH in heaven despite the continued existence of an assembly of subordinate servant deities 26 The post Exilic writers of the Wisdom tradition developed the idea that Wisdom existed before creation and was used by God to create the universe 27 Present from the beginning Wisdom assumes the role of master builder while God establishes the heavens restricts the chaotic waters and shapes the mountains and fields 28 Borrowing ideas from Greek philosophers who held that reason bound the universe together the Wisdom tradition taught that God s Wisdom Word and Spirit were the ground of cosmic unity 29 Christianity in turn adopted these ideas and applied them to Jesus the Epistle to the Colossians calls Jesus image of the invisible God first born of all creation while the Gospel of John identifies him with the creative word In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God 30 In the 4th century when Christianity was caught up in heresies and still developing the creeds which would define its beliefs Proverbs 8 22 31 was used both to support and refute the claims of the Arians The Arians assuming that Christ could be equated with the Wisdom of God 1 Corinthians 1 24 32 argued that the Son like Wisdom was created 31 and therefore subordinate to the Creator their opponents who argued that the relevant Hebrew word should be translated as begot won the debate and the Nicene Creed declared that the Son was begotten not made meaning that God and Christ were consubstantial 33 See also Edit As a dog returns to his vomit so a fool repeats his folly Proverbs 30 Proverbs 31Notes Edit Most translate Lemuel an oracle masa which his mother 6 References Edit Berlin 2011 p 588 a b Clements 2003 p 438 a b Alter 2010 pp xiii xvii Longman amp Garland 2009 p 50 a b Boccaccini 2002 p 106 See Proverbs 31 1 various translations Biblehub com Perdue 2012 pp x xi Farmer 1991 pp 17 20 Perdue 2007 p 48 Aitken K T 19 Proverbs in Barton J and Muddiman J 2001 The Oxford Bible Commentary p 406 Perdue 2007 p 58 de Almeida Joao Ferreira ed 1974 Os proverbios A Biblia sagrada Versao revisada de acordo com os melhores textos em hebraico e grego ed Rio de Janeiro Imprensa biblica brasileira Junta de educacao religiosa Convencao batista brasileira xxii 17 Breves discursos morais do sabio acerca de varios assuntos Proverbs 24 23 New King James Version Perdue 2007 p 67 Perdue 2007 p 68 Farmer 1991 p 25 Rogers Robert William 1912 8 Fragment of Wisdom Literature Cuneiform parallels to the Old Testament 1 ed New York Eaton amp Mains Retrieved March 13 2016 a b Alter 2010 pp 183 85 Smothers 2000 pp 167 68 174 Tucker 2000 pp 163 66 Crenshaw 2000 p 217 The Untold Truth of the Book of Proverbs 28 October 2021 Longman amp Garland 2009 Keown 2000 p 183 Farmer 1998 p 130 Page Lee 1990 pp 176 77 Berlin 2011 p 188 Parrish 1990 p 183 Kaiser 1997 p 28 Parrish 1990 pp 183 84 a b Proverbs 8 22 1 Corinthians 1 24 Farmer 1991 pp 53 54 Bibliography EditWorks cited Edit Alter Robert 2010 The Wisdom Books Job Proverbs and Ecclesiastes A Translation with Commentary W W Norton amp Co ISBN 978 0 39308073 5 Berlin Adele 2011 Cosmology and creation In Berlin Adele Grossman Maxine eds The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 973004 9 Boccaccini Gabriele 2002 Roots of Rabbinic Judaism An Intellectual History from Ezekiel to Daniel Eerdmans ISBN 978 0 80284361 6 Clements Ronald E 2003 Proverbs In Dunn James D G Rogerson John William eds Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible Eerdmans ISBN 9780802837110 Crenshaw James 2000 Unresolved Issues in the Wisdom Literature In Tate Marvin E Ballard Harold Wayne Tucker W Dennis eds An Introduction to Wisdom Literature and the Psalms Mercer University Press ISBN 978 0 86554652 3 Farmer Kathleen A 1991 Who knows what is good a commentary on the Books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes Wm B Eerdmans Publishing ISBN 978 0 80280161 6 Farmer Kathleen A 1998 The Wisdom Books In McKenzie Steven L Graham Matt Patrick eds The Hebrew Bible Today An Introduction to Critical Issues Westminster John Knox Press ISBN 978 0 66425652 4 Fox Michael V 2000 Proverbs 1 9 2009 Proverbs 10 31 Yale University Press ISBN 978 0 30015556 3 Grabbe Lester L 2006 A History of the Jews and Judaism in the Second Temple Period Vol 1 The Persian Period 539 331 BCE Continuum ISBN 978 0 56704352 8 Kaiser Christopher B 1997 Creational theology and the history of physical science Brill ISBN 90 0410669 3 Keown Gerald 2000 The Canonical Shape of the Wisdom Literature In Tate Marvin E Ballard Harold Wayne Tucker W Dennis eds An Introduction to Wisdom Literature and the Psalms Mercer University Press ISBN 978 0 86554652 3 Longman Tremper Garland David E 2009 Proverbs Isaiah Zondervan ISBN 978 0 31059058 3 Page Lee H 1990 Council Heavenly In Watson E Mills ed Mercer Dictionary of the Bible Mercer University Press ISBN 9780865543737 Parrish V Steven 1990 Creation In Mills Watson E ed Mercer Dictionary of the Bible Mercer University Press ISBN 9780865543737 Perdue Leo G 2007 Wisdom Literature A Theological History Presbyterian Publishing ISBN 978 0 66422919 1 Perdue Leo G 2012 Proverbs Westminster John Knox Press ISBN 978 0 66423884 1 Sinnott Alice M 2005 The Personification of Wisdom Ashgate Publishing ISBN 978 0 75465124 6 Smothers Thomas 2000 Biblical Wisdom in its Ancient Middle Eastern Context In Tate Marvin E Ballard Harold Wayne Tucker Karl Smith eds An Introduction to Wisdom Literature and the Psalms Mercer University Press ISBN 9780865546523 Tucker W Dennis 2000 Literary Forms in the Wisdom Literature In Tate Marvin E Ballard Harold Wayne Tucker W Dennis eds An Introduction to Wisdom Literature and the Psalms Mercer University Press ISBN 978 0 86554652 3 Further reading Edit Crenshaw James L Book of Proverbs The Anchor Bible Dictionary 1992 Dockery David S general ed Holman Bible Handbook Holman Bible Publishers Nashville 1992 Lasor William Sanford Hubbard David Allan amp Bush Frederic Wm Old Testament Survey The Message Form and Background of the Old Testament 1996 Murphy Roland E Wisdom Literature Job Proverbs Ruth Canticles Ecclesiastes and Esther Grand Rapids 1981 Steinmann Andrew Proverbs 1 9 as a Solomonic Composition Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 43 no 4 Waltke Bruce 2004 Book of Proverbs Chapters 1 15 Wm B Eerdmans ISBN 978 0 8028 2545 2 Waltke Bruce 2005 The Book of Proverbs Chapters 15 31 Wm B Eerdmans ISBN 978 0 8028 2776 0 Waltke Bruce K De Silva Ivan D V 2021 Proverbs A Shorter Commentary Wm B Eerdmans ISBN 978 0 8028 7503 7 External links Edit Wikisource has original text related to this article Proverbs Wikiquote has quotations related to Book of Proverbs Wikimedia Commons has media related to Book of Proverbs Online translations of Book of Proverbs Jewish translations Mishlei Proverbs Judaica Press translation with Rashi s commentary at Chabad org Christian translations Bible Gateway 35 languages 50 versions Unbound Bible 100 languages versions at Biola University Introductions Introduction to the Book of Proverbs a Forward Movement publication Proverbs public domain audiobook at LibriVox Various versionsBook of ProverbsWisdom literaturePreceded byPsalms Hebrew Bible Succeeded byJobWesternOld Testament Succeeded byEcclesiastesPreceded byOdes E OrthodoxOld Testament Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Book of Proverbs amp oldid 1122343691, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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