Proverbs

מִשְׁלֵי

Proverbs posits that wisdom originates with God, and His centrality is assumed throughout the text. The wise, upright, righteous, and godly are equated, representing those who trust and know their God. These individuals reflect this knowledge through just and loving conduct towards others, in accordance with divinely-approved principles. Good and bad are linked with reward and penalty, as God embodies both love and justice. Consequently, God must promote good and eliminate evil.

The positive and negative standards in Proverbs serve as valuable tests for personal conduct. Jesus instructs His disciples to be “wise as serpents” (Matthew 10:16). The wisdom of Proverbs stands as the Old Testament counterpart to the practical exhortations found in the New Testament letters. This connection is evident in both the great fourteenfold discourse and the extensive series of concise instructions and observations that comprise most of this book, addressing various aspects of daily life.

About the Author

Proverbs 1.1 and 2 attribute the authorship of the book to Solomon. Chapters 10.1 to 22.16 are directly attributed to him. In chapter 22.17, he incorporates a group of “words of the wise” that he refers to as “my knowledge.” Chapters 24.23 to 34 were likely added by him or by Hezekiah’s men, along with Solomon’s second major series, chapters 25 through 29. The discourses, chapters 1 through 9, are undated, but there was a strong precedent in ancient Oriental literature for Solomon to preface them as an introduction to the main proverbs. The authorship of Agur, Lemuel, and the Good Wife poem remains unknown, but they could have been added during Hezekiah’s reign, although possibly later. Therefore, the earliest possible date for the present book of Proverbs would be during Hezekiah’s reign, just after 700 B.C., although it is possible that the book was written some time later.

External considerations support the tenth to seventh century B.C. date implied by the rubrics. Written proverbial literature was already ancient in the Near East during that period. Recent studies (not all of which have been published) of linguistic contacts and literary background from North-Canaanitic (Ugaritic), Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Hittite sources also suggest that Proverbs was written in the first half of the first millennium B.C.