Proverbs 1:1-7 and the Fear of the Lord

Proverbs 1:1-7 states,

¹ The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: ² To know wisdom and instruction, To discern the sayings of understanding, ³ To receive instruction in wise behavior, Righteousness, justice and equity; ⁴ To give prudence to the naive, To the youth knowledge and discretion, ⁵ A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel, ⁶ To understand a proverb and a figure, The words of the wise and their riddles. ⁷ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 1:1 gives the title of the book: “The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel.” Today, we simply call it the Book of Proverbs which we get from the Latin Vulgate. However, does 1:1 mean to imply that Solomon is the author? If so, then who wrote the following? (1) 22:17-24:22; 24:23-34, (2) 25:1-29:27, (3) 30:1-33, and (4) 31:1-9, 10-13? If these were not written by Solomon but by (1) Wisemen (who wrote Proverbs 22:17-24:22 of which 22:22-23:11 seems to be from Amenemope, an Egyptian collection of proverbs), (2) Men of Hezekiah (25:1-29:27), (3) Agur son of Jakeh (30:1-33), and (4) Lemuel (31:1-9, 10-13?), why is it called the “The proverbs of Solomon.” Well based solely on 1 Ki 4:32, where it says that Solomon wrote over 3,000 proverbs, it can be said that Solomon was Wiseman par excellence. Since Solomon wrote most of the Proverbs present and since he is the WISEMAN par excellence then the Book of Proverbs is attributed/dedicated to him as the Psalms are dedicated to David.

Proverbs 1:2-6 provides 5 purposes for the Book of Proverbs with an aside in 1:5, which I consider to be a vision of sorts.(NOTE: While I do not quote my sources here, I acknowledge that most of this comes from the following sources: Waltke, Proverbs 1-15; NET Bible; Koptak, Proverbs; Beyer, Survey of the OT; TDOT; BDB; HALOT; and many other places that I simply recalled from memory–to bad I didn’t remember where it came from, i.e. my Howard Hendricks quote).

Purpose 1: To know wisdom and instruction
To know (lada’at) means “to become conscious of, become aware of, observe, perceive, realize, experience.” It means “to gain knowledge of” or “to become wise in”. It’s experiential knowledge, not just cognitive knowledge. It is intellectual assimilation and practical use of what is acquired. Howard Hendricks of Dallas Seminary once said, “To Know and not to do is not to know at all.” For example, we all know that smoking is bad for our health. However, we don’t really know it experientially until we stop and demonstrate that knowledge. It’s like knowing that Speeding is wrong, but we refuse to acknowledge it because we continue to speed. Essentially it is the difference between knowing and accepting, between intellectual assent and faith, between cognitive knowledge and experiential knowledge. Simply here, knowing is the personal internalization or experiencing wisdom. Consider James 1:22, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

Wisdom (hokma) in its most general meaning means skillful living in which one will know the right thing to do at the right time. Both are in view here: action and time. Wisdom cannot be possessed without instruction to correct a moral fault. It is moral skill, that produces something of value based on observation and reflection of God’s nature order. It is used in reference to skill of seaman (Ps 107:27), abilities of weavers (Exo 35:26), capabilities of administrators (1 Kgs 3:28), or skill of craftsmen (Ex 31:6). It’s a “master” of sorts or a “smith” of sorts. Just as a blacksmith is an expert in molding and manipulating iron or metal. Instead of some sort of actual skill, a wise person or a master is someone who is skilled in soft skills. They are skilled in living, missing the black holes of adultery or lying or swindling. In moral living, it is skill in living, one lives lift with moral skill so that something of lasting value is produced from one’s life. So all are qualified to be able to do this, not just ministers/pastors/evangelists.

Discipline (NIV)/Instruction (NAS,KJV,NKJV) (musar) basically refers to instruction with the sense of correction. It has a 3-fold range of meanings: (1) physical/parental “discipline”, (2) verbal warning or exhortation, and (3) moral training and instruction.  This word is used of God’s discipline (DT 11:2; Isa 26:16; Ps 50:17) and corporal punishment (Pr 13:24; 22:15; 23:13); however, when it is coupled with wisdom it means “submitting to instruction in order to reach the goal of wisdom” usually to someone in authority to you. It entails shaping character and implicitly connected to Torah. It always refers to education and never refers to divine discipline of foreign nations, and the burden of action lies on the one receiving; he must listen (1:8), accept (1:3), love (12:1), prize it (4:7), and not let go of it (4:13) resulting in internalized wisdom.

Purpose 2: To discern the sayings of understanding
To discern refers to the ability to make distinction between things, here between moral options. Ever hear someone say, “Yea same thing!” when in fact that is so far from the truth. The thing is that they lack the wisdom to see the difference. The wise one will be able to understand (NIV, discriminate, read between the lines of) the proverbs, riddles, and the sayings of the wise.  More specifically, they will be able to discern or perceive (KJV, NKJV) meaning when there seems to be no apparent meaning. Understand (lehabin) means “the act of giving heed and considering something with the senses in such a way that understanding about it takes place.” This skill is learned through practice and the exercise of hearing/reading. Words or sayings (‘imre) refers to complete, multiple statements, not necessarily its parts. Here it most likely is referring to verbal speech here. This is an intellectual understanding and reasoning of the content of the teachings. Academia apart from wisdom and the fear of God is renounced (3:5), hence the reason that one very good approach to theology is, “I believe so that I may understand.” The phrase “to discern words of discernment” refers to the ability to (1) distinguish truth from falsehood or (2) understand the wise sayings, such as Proverbs. The only way to understand the wise sayings is to understand other wise sayings. It is reading proverbs in light of other proverbs, Scripture in light of other Scripture. Let me give an example of a wrong discernment. One proverb in proverbs states, “Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with turmoil.” This is not saying that the fear of the Lord is worth a great treasure which Proverbs does say elsewhere. However, it is saying that having the fear of the Lord is better than having a lot of money. It is better to sacrifice money and maintain your fear of the Lord than to sacrifice your integrity and compromise yourself and have a great deal of money and all its troubles and great responsibilities associated with being rich along with the guilt of how you got there.

Purpose 3: To receive instruction in wise behavior, Righteousness, justice and equity
Here the focus switches from general purposes and goals to a student purpose. It is important to note that Purpose 3 is probably the most important purpose based on its chiastic structure. W. Brown has recognized a concentric circle: a-b-c (2a, 2b, 3a) and c´-b- a´ (4–5, 6, 7) with d (v 3b) in the middle position, proclaiming “righteousness, justice and equity” (cf. Prov 2:9).

To receive or accept (laqahat) means to “take, grasp, seize (manually)” or “to take way with one,” or “to accept something with approval or favor (from someone’s hand)” (TLOT 2:649). Not only does it mean to take, but it refers to take something worth having. It’s similar to “store up” or “treasure up.”

“Wise behavior” (NASB) or “prudence” (NIV) is the ability to size up a situation and respond accordingly. It is the coach who can survey the game and call the perfect play. It is the operations manager who can look at their situation and staffing and make the right call for help or to move a person to anticipate the next issue. It is the entrepreneur who sees the perfect opportunity and goes for it. It is the corporate guy who waits and waits for the right time to make his proposal.  This describes the results of a self-disciplined life. For example, do you remember the prudent action of Abigail as opposed to Nabal (1 Sam 25). And here is another example of the importance of name meanings in the Old Testament. Nabal literally means “FOOL,” and he surely acted the fool towards his king, David. While Abigail, who is described as “good in discretion and beautiful in form,” means “Father rejoiced, or father’s joy, or gives Father joy,” as would any wise son or daughter.

Righteousness (sedeq) is “to bring about the right and harmony for all, for individuals, related in the community and to the physical and spiritual realms. It finds its basis in God’s rule of the world” (JW Olley). The righteous are willing to disadvantage themselves to advantage the community and wicked vice versa. In Job 29:14, righteousness is a pattern of life. It is personhood, not performance; disposition not deeds; character behind and beyond conduct. It is a matter of the heart (10:20) and acquired through the sages. This is moral quality that establishes right order. This is conduct that conforms to a standard. Elsewhere used in a concrete sense to refer to commercial weights and measures that conform to a standard (Dt 25:15).

Justice (mispat, HALOT) is what is due someone in a cause. It denotes something beyond law but to obligation and morality (what is right and correct, Ex 26:30; Judges 13:2; Job 32:9). Think about it, when do we cry out for justice? We only cry for justice when something has happened that we believe to be unfair or unjust based on our own personal theory or idea of justice. So justice is moral quality that restores God’s order when disturbed, thus goes hand in hand with righteousness. You cannot have justice without righteousness though you can have righteousness without justice. Just like righteousness, it is being able to put oneself out for the advantage of the disadvantaged.

Equity or uprightness (mesarim) has the literal meaning to be the geometric notion of being straight, either horizontal or vertical or flat. In 23:31 it is wine that goes down smoothly. Elsewhere it is used to describe cows walking straight down a path without turning right or left (1 Sam 6:12). It assumes righteousness and justice, especially righteousness. Righteousness is the standard of straight. Justice is setting things back to straight. Equity and uprightness is the ability to stay on the straight path. It is the transversing of the straight path, sort of the living out of the righteousness. Simply, the Book of Proverbs is “a storehouse of moral instruction” founded on the fear of the Lord, which we will see in 1:7.

Purpose 4: To give prudence to the naive, To the youth knowledge and discretion
Here we shift from the student to the teacher, for it is the teacher or the sage that espouses wisdom. To give (natan) “basically indicates the process through which an object or matter is set in motion,” more specifically either to cause something to come to someone. And this isn’t just anything. We don’t just give anything away. As a Father, what do we typically give our sons or our daughters? Even as donations, do we give junk? Well, to us it is junk but to another it is a treasure. We don’t donate anything and everything we do not want. We donate things of value, things that can be used even further or more, and we trash things that lack value (and some of us trash things that still have value!). But as teachers, we only give what we believe to be something of value.

Prudance (shrewdness, craftiness, cleverness) refers to a shrewd plan of action, viewed positively (Josh 9:4; Prov 8:5, 12; 15:5; 19:25) or negatively (Ex 21:14, murder; Gen 3:1, serpent). And this prudance is extrememly necessary for the naive person. Naïve or Gullible (petaim) have the basic need to be shrewd or cunning (orma), and the wise person or the sage is the perfect teacher. This is the first occurance of five different variations on the English word “Fool.” They are the simple (untutored or the ignorant), that is, lacking instruction than lacking intellect.  Simple people can be lead astray, so there is a sense of gullibility and naivety. There is no virtue for simpletons to be unaware in this world. A friend once told me that if ignorance is bliss, then he’d wish to always be ignorant. I had a friend once who told me, “If ignorance is bliss, then may I ever be ignorant.”

Now this next word has huge implications! The young (na’ar) is anyone from infancy (Ex 2:6) to 17-yr old (Gen 37:2) to a 30-yr old (Gen 41:12; 41:46)! So I am still a young person, as anyone older than me would attest. However, in Proverbs, the young is anyone before they’re an elder (17:6; 20:29). It is the case of experience versus inexperience, maturity versus stupidity/ignorance. In Jewish culture, a youth was fully accountable at 20 (Num1:3,18;14:29), but he couldn’t serve at the temple until 30 (Num 4:3). Thus it is the threshold of maturity, not necessarily age. Take any two people and you will see that maturity for one person happened at one time while for another it may not yet have happened (<– that sounds funny to me).

Knowledge (da’at), Wisdom, and discretion (mezimma) are inseparable for mastery of life’s experience demands knowledge of the divine moral order. Knowledge and discretion is a hendiadys (fancy word that means these are 2 words which mean the same thing like when the gospels write that Jesus “answered and said” which the NIV truncates to one or the other for stylistic reasons). This hendiadys basically meaning a shrewd plan for the morally naïve or a discerning plan for the young person. Discretion is the ability to make a plan or formulate the best course of action for gaining a goal. This is a knowledge of how to form and carry out a morally wise plan of life.

ASIDE: The Vision of the Wise (1:5)
“”A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel.” A wise man also understands that his learning is not yet over. To a wise person, this is “preaching to the choir” (an idiom meaning that the author here is preaching to people that not only already agree with him but are living it).  When I first became a Christian someone said to me, “You have now embarked on a lifetime of learning and growing.” I had no idea. In and after college, I thought I knew everything I needed to know. I was stumping profs getting answers like, “You’ll learn that in seminary,” to most of my questions. I thought I had arrived! I went to seminary and learned even more and became stronger in my theology while maintaining my biblical precision (at least that is what the entrance and exit tests said). I thought I was on top of my game. Then I began my PHD in NT. A whole new world opened up. Professors were admitting “problems” and struggles that they’ve had with various texts for years. They revealed things that they wouldn’t reveal to even M.Div. and Th.M. students! Then I realized that I had just only started to scratch the surface, even after 120+ hours of undergraduate work in Bible and 120+ hours of masters work in Bible and Theology!

The wise (hakam) will hear (sama) or listen (yisma) externally and obey internally. And they will add (yosep), which protects the command to hear from being understood as an original commitment. Instead it adds to their quiver of wisdom, which Solomon did by adding the 30 sayings of the wise (22:17). Learning (leqah) means “getting a grasp on what the teacher wishes to convey” (4:2; 9:9). The insightful or man of understanding (nabon) posses the ability to understand the words of insight and are potentially capable of possessing it. Acquire (yiqneh) takes it beyond simple route memory. It is possession, mastery. Wise counsel or moral guidance. (NET-Let the wise also hear and gain instruction, and let the discerning acquire guidance.) originally meant directing a ship by pulling ropes on the mast. It is used of God directing the path of the clouds (Job 37:12) and moral guidance (Pr 11:14; 20:18; 24:6). Refers to the ability to steer a right course through life.

Purpose 5: Purpose with a Definition? Proverbs: What are they? (1:6)
“To understand a proverb and a figure, The words of the wise and their riddles.” Focuses on the benefits of proverbs from the perspective of the reader. By studying proverbs, the reader will discover the hermeneutical key to understanding more and more proverbs. Get good at reading proverbs by reading proverbs. Get good at speaking Spanglish by speaking Spanglish. Riddles are enigmatic sayings whose meaning is obscure or hidden, allegory, perplexing moral problem, perplexing question, ambiguous saying. A Proverb is “A succinct persuasive saying proven true by experience.” Because it is a short, salty saying, its inherent content is always in need of interpretation and application. They are not for the lazy. Parables is a synonym of proverbs. The noun, proverb, can mean an object lesson based on or using a comparison or analogy. It may be a short pithy statement (Ezek 16:44), object lesson drawn from experience (Ps 78:2-6), saying or by-word (Deut 28:37) or an oracle of future blessing (Ezek 21:1-5). Here it means an object lesson setting out courses of action. It helps one choose the course of action to follow or avoid. There are three things that every person should know about proverbs. They are (Beyer):

• They are not promises.  They were never intended to be guarantees of what would happen in every situation; instead, they are generally true.
• They are not commands.  Even though many proverbs begin with an imperative, it is important to interpret these carefully.
• The proverbs are general principles of life.  Here is the wisdom of the ages, tried and true, compelling in its presentation and uplifting in its ethics.  Because of their terse style, proverbs are not to be skimmed or read quickly.  Their condensed language makes it necessary to read them slowly and contemplatively. Their general quality also means you should always be looking for the underlying principle of the statement.

Simply, they are sayings designed to provoke a response in those who hear them and relate them to life (Koptak). And in order to understand them one needs: (1.) A trained ear; and (2) a heart inclined to instruction from otherwise people.

The MOTTO: The fear of the Lord is the beginning… (1:7)
Fear has a 3-fold range of meanings: (1) “dread or terror” (Dt 1:29; Jonah 1:10) (2) “stand in awe” (1 Kgs 3:28), (3) “to revere, respect” (Lev 19:3). Think of it on a continuum where dread in terror is on the left end while to revere and respect are on the right end with standing in awe in the middle. With the LORD as the object, it captures the polar opposites of shrinking back in fear/terror and drawing close in reverence and adoration (eg Ex 20:20, Lord on Sinai). Fear of the Lord is expressed in reverential submission to his will, a characteristic of true worship. It is the foundation for wisdom (9:10) and discipline leading to wisdom (15:33) expressed in the hatred of evil (8:13) and avoidance of sin (16:6) resulting in prolonged life (10:27; 19:23).

The fear of the Lord is the Motto of Proverbs. It is the guiding principle of Proverbs and of all biblical wisdom literature for that matter. So what does it mean that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”?

1. Fear of the Lord is the first step to wisdom (Ps 111:10; PR 17:14; Mic 1:13).
2. Fear of the Lord is the chief or priority/principal part of wisdom (Prv 4:7).

So it is not only the first step, it is the principal part. Proverbs 15:33 states, “The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom.” So not only is it the first step and the principal part, it is also the essence of wisdom. Bruce Waltke said, “It is at one and the same time both the source and the substance, the cause and the effect.”

“But what is this fear of the Lord?”  asks Charles Bridges, and he answers the question adequately: “It is that affectionate reverence by which the child of God bends himself humbly and carefully to his Father’s law. His wrath is so bitter, and His love so sweet; that hence springs an earnest desire to please Him, and—because of the danger of coming short from his own weakness and temptations—a holy watchfulness and fear, ‘that he might not sin against Him.’”

So let’s take a look at what Proverbs says about the Fear of the Lord. The phrase appears 18 times in the book. They are:

1. 1:7 (beginning of knowledge), 29 (he beginning of knowledge); 9:10 (beginning of wisdom; the knowledge of the holy is understanding);
2. 2:5 (only when you seek it will you understand/discern it and discover the knowledge of God);
3. 8:13 (hate evil; that is, pride, arrogance, perverted mouth); 16:6 (men depart from evil as a whole);
4. 10:27 (lengthens days); 14:27 (fountain of life);19:23 (leads to life, sleep satisfied);
5. 14:26 (strong confidence, place of refuge),
6. 15:16 (turmoil of lacking peace with God & possibly others),
7. 15:33 (is the instruction for wisdom; relation to “before honor comes humility”);
8. 22:4 (By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.);
9. 23:17 (opposite of envy; do it all day long)

Finally 1:7 leaves us with a choice. Either we can take The Way of the Wise which leads to Prosperity and Follow Lady Wisdom or we can take The Way of the Fool which leads to Destruction and Follow Madame Folly. So just as Psalm 1 leaves the reader with a choice to make for reading the Book of Psalms, Proverbs 1:7 gives the reader a choice to make before listening to Lady Wisdom so as not to cast their pearls before swine.

The Book of Proverbs

The Book of Proverbs is a book that is full of great wisdom. While it is not entirely the wisdom of Solomon (see Author below), it is rightly dedicated to the wisest person of all time. Generally, proverbs is a book of timeless truths that many times can be applied directly to our own lives. While the bridge between the Book of Proverbs may be longer and bigger for some than others, Proverbs is the closest one can get to the Old Testament without being there. It gives light and understanding of Old Testament times without having to do any exegetical or background research for many of the proverbs. Jones also writes, “Proverbs brings the passion and the vision of the prophets to the humdrum imme­diate concerns of everyday life. The writers of Proverbs rarely sound a trumpet note but they presuppose that it has been heard” (Edgar Jones, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1961), p. 47.)

To really understand the book of proverbs, one needs to understand the first seven verses. Proverbs is purely didactic containing no history. Like the other wisdom books, there is no explicit reference to anything distinctively Israelite (the Law, sacrifices, etc). The first seven verses explains the author of the Book, the purpose of the Book, and its literary genre. Similar to verse one, “other verses also identify individual collections within the book, as well as designate the book’s structure (10:1; 22:17; 24:23; 25:1; 30:1; 31:1)” (John E. Johnson, BibSac 144, 423).

The Purpose of Proverbs
Verses 2-5 explicitly state the author’s purpose in writing the Book of Proverbs using a set of infinitives (“to X”).

(1.) The first purpose clauses says that the proverbs are for “attaining wisdom and discipline” (1:2a). Wisdom in its most general meaning means skillful living in which one will know the right thing to do at the right time. Therefore, one will learn how to live morally, that is, “to live a life of moral order in an ordered universe” (Johnson, 425).  Discipline basically refers to instruction with the sense of correction. This word is used of God’s discipline (Dt 11:2; Isa 26:16; Ps 50:17) and corporal punishment (Pr 13:24; 22:15; 23:13); however, when it is coupled with wisdom it means “submitting to instruction in order to reach the goal of wisdom” (Koptak, NIV Application Commentary: Proverbs, 59).  As Ptahhotep (Egyptian) taught his son, he also says to all, “There is no one born wise.” Therefore, the Book of Proverbs aims to bring you intimately acquainted with wisdom and discipline (because it is needed, plus the Proverbs call you stupid if you hate discipline, 12:1.).
(2.) The second purpose clause urges the reader to understand the wisdom sayings (1:2b, 6). As will be pointed out later, Proverbs 1:6 states its own literary genre. Crenshaw believes that sages communicated in their own literary genre and lingo. However, the wise one will be able to understand the proverbs, riddles, and the sayings of the wise. More specifically, they will be able to discern meaning when there seems to be no apparent meaning. Within the sayings are vast amounts of nuggets of truth, but one needs understanding or discernment in order to tap into this wisdom (“The term “understanding” more accurately refers to discernment. The person who is truly wise is able to separate, to discriminate, to read between the lines. On the surface some lines of poetry seem to have no relationship to each other (e.g., the two lines in 25:27 ). Some verses appear to be independent (cf. 25:16–17 ), while others are connected (26:4–5),” Johnson 426.). Even further, these riddles, satire, and proverbs speak of the vast wisdom content of the mysteriousness of God, the unknown daily fortunes or misfortunes, and moral-spiritual behavior (somewhat unintelligible to the unspiritual, cf. 1 Cor 1-2).
(3.) Together, along with wisdom and discipline, one needs instruction on moral insight, that is, prudence (1:3). Prudence is the ability to size up a situation and respond accordingly (Koptak 59).  This learns from looking back (history) and looking forward (future consequences). The Book of Proverbs is “a storehouse of moral instruction” (Johnson 427) founded on the fear of the Lord (1:7, etc.). Thus the proverbs stand beside the Decalogue as complementary coming from a different direction (observation, experience, and reflection). The proverbs persuade the wise to obey the torah, and in a sense it provides the solution to idolatry of the Old Testament (Koptak 39-40).  So prudence leads one along the good path, instead of the path of the wicked (cf. Ps 1). Moral behavior is behavior that is just, right, and fair. Or rather, the goal of the wise is to exhibit behavior that complements or resembles the character of God (cf. Ps 9:8; 33:5; 89:14; 96:10; 97:2; 103:17).

(4.) The last objective or purpose of the proverbs is that the proverbs are to be received by a certain type of person (1:4). Wisdom offers her advice to a wide range of interests: “Its precepts follow man into all the details of his daily occupation, and into all the relations of his common life. Wisdom is the friend and counsellor alike of the monarch on the throne, of the artisan in the workshop, and of the husbandman in the field” (T. T. Perowne, The Proverbs (Cambridge: At the University Press, 1899), p. 13).  However, this verse declares the intended recipients of these proverbs. They are the simple (untutored or the ignorant), that is, lacking instruction than lacking intellect. Simple people can be lead astray, so there is a sense of gullibility and naivety (Koptak 60).  Not only is Proverbs addressed to the simple, but also to the young. The simple and young are set in parallel suggesting that anyone needing instruction is invited to sit at the feet of the Sages. Scott writes, “Specially is the young man directed to this book. His undisciplined ardor runs to waste. His mind fluctuates at the mercy of the winds of opinion in the world around him; and greatly does he need some settled master-principles to fix his purpose, choice, and conduct” (Scott, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, p. 2).

Many teachers can definitely agree that it is difficult to impart wisdom to the young and we all know that it is hard to explain prudence to the naïve. They are to learn prudence, knowledge and discretion instead of being tossed about by the elementary philosophies of this world. “Prudence here is used as a positive description of hidden, private thoughts…discretion is the ability to make plans…and knowledge is a positive term that will receive greater positive charge…by its association with the fear of Yahweh” (Koptak 60).

The Genre of Proverbs

Verse 6 explains the literary genre, forms and devices that the Book of Proverbs employs. Proverbs and parables compare in order to teach. Riddles are complex statements that hide their meaning in order to demonstrate its cleverness. Among those who study proverbial literature, there is great debate about what a proverb (Heb. masal) is.  Wolfgang Mieder says, “A proverb is a short sentence of wisdom” (W. Mieder, Proverbs Are Never Out of Season: Populer Wisdom in the Modern Age (New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1993), 18-40).   A proverb is “succinct persuasive saying proven true by experience” (Arnold and Beyer, Encountering the Old Testament, 314 though I used the 1999 version)   They are not promises.  They were never intended to be guarantees of what would happen in every situation; instead, they are generally true.  They are not commands.  Even though many proverbs begin with an imperative, it is important to interpret these carefully.  “Rather than promises or commands to be applied in every case, the proverbs are general principles of life.  Here is the wisdom of the ages, tried and true, compelling in its presentation and uplifting in its ethics.  Because of their terse style, proverbs are not to be skimmed or read quickly.  Their condensed language makes it necessary to read them slowly and contemplatively…Their general quality also means you should always be looking for the underlying principle of the statement” (Beyer, 315).

“It is material set in proverbial form to encourage the mind to slow down and compare, each couplet serving as a kind of thesis for discussion among the sages” (Scott, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, p. 24). To read Proverbs rapidly leads to frustration. As Collins put it, “To read straight through a few chapters of Proverbs is like trying to have a conversation with someone who always replies with a one-liner” (Collins, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, p. 13. John E. Johnson 423). Therefore, the author implicitly tells the reader to read slowly, contemplatively, and with great reflection. In other words, proverbs foster wisdom and understanding. This is higher level learning for the simple and the young who most likely exhibit impatience and immaturity to wait desiring for instant gratification instead of future gain.

Proverbs are found throughout the Old Testament and some scholars view Jesus’ teaching ministry as an ancient sage of proverbs (including parables, Mt 13:52-53; Mk 3:23; Lk 6:39; 8:10) and instructions (cf. Lk 4:23).  “The masal provides a model of reality—or better, a model for reality—using analogy to connect the saying with the actual life situation of the audience (S. Niditch, Folklore and the Hebrew Bible (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 1993), 67-87).   In sum, readers of the book of Proverbs must keep in mind that its proverbs are never simple ancient deposits of wisdom; rather, they are sayings designed to provoke a response in those who hear them and relate them to life” (Koptak, 22).

The Motto of Proverbs

While the reader is still contemplating the roads of the wise and the fool, he/she comes upon the thesis of the Book of Proverbs (and all of biblical wisdom literature for that matter).  Proverbs says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (1:7).  This can mean either that the fear of the Lord is the first thing to know in acquiring knowledge or it can mean that it is the most important.  I personally believe that it is a pun intended to mean both.  This statement thrusts the reader into the Book, and every subsequent statement throws the reader back to this statement. It is what I call the Guiding Principle of Wisdom Literature.

1. The Fear of the Lord is the first step to wisdom (1:7a).
2. The Fear of the Lord is the priority or principal part of wisdom (1:7a).
3. The Fear of the Lord is the essence of wisdom (15:33).

Bruce Waltke writes, “It is at one and the same time both the source and the substance, the cause and the effect” (Proverbs). So one is left at an impasse. One must choose either to follow the way of the wise that leads to prosperity (though not necessarily defined monetarily, cf. Ps 1) or to follow the path of the fool which leads to destruction (again, though not necessarily defined monetarily, cf. Ps 1); that is, to follow Madame Folly or Lady Wisdom.

The Author of Proverbs

Solomon, the son of David, was said to have written over three thousand proverbs (1 Ki 4:32). Many of them are found in the book of Proverbs (1:1-9:18; 10:1-22:16; 25:1-29:27, these were selected by a committee appointed under king Hezekiah, 726-698 B.C.). The wisemen were perhaps the ones who attended Solomon (cf. 1 Ki 4:31; 12:6; wrote 22:17-24:22 and 24:23-34). We do not know who Agur son of Jakeh (30:1-33) or King Lemuel (31:1-9, perhaps 31:10-13) were, but some project that he was a non-Israelite who may have lived in the area of Uz where people still believed in the true God. Regardless, as stated before, Solomon was the most excellent wiseman, sage par excellence, hence the reason that the Book of Proverbs would be at least dedicated to him.