Scripture Commentaries

The Book of Proverbs
Irene Nowell, OSB

Originally published in God’s Word Today
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Any attempt to read the book of Proverbs straight through without any help is something like reading the telephone book. There are hundreds of separate entries, but how do they connect to each other? How are we supposed to understand these little two-line snippets?

Definition
Proverbs are found in every culture. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a proverb as a “short pithy saying in common use.” Proverbs are characterized by clever word plays or rhymes; they are brief and memorable. Proverbs, like all wisdom, are based on common human experience. They are both practical and surprising. One of my students defined a proverb as “a dynamite common-sense phrase.” We all have many proverbs in our storehouse. Some of mine are: “Rain before seven, quit before eleven.” “Every cloud has a silver lining.” “Make hay while the sun shines.” What are yours?

The Hebrew word for the sayings in the book of Proverbs is mashal. Mashal means “proverb,” but it also means more; it also applies to longer units like parables and allegories. The root meaning of mashal is threefold: (1) rule; (2) comparison; (3) riddle. A proverb, if it is really good, does rule. Its wisdom and cleverness catch in our minds and won’t let go. Good proverbs are a testimony to the power of the word. Many proverbs are also comparisons: “Like clouds and wind without rain is one who boasts of a gift never given” (Prov 25:14). Sometimes the comparison is subtler: “Pleasing words are a honeycomb, sweet to the taste and healthful to the body” (Prov 16:24). A parable, also called mashal, is simply an extended comparison. Some proverbs are also riddles, challenging us to tease out their meaning. “Three things are too wonderful for me, yes, four I cannot understand: The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent upon a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a maiden” (Prov 30:18-19). How are these four things alike? Proverbs gives its own answer in 30:20. What is yours?

Collection of collections
Most proverbs have their origin in common speech. Only after they become familiar are they written down and eventually collected. The book of Proverbs is a collection of collections of these originally oral nuggets of wisdom. The book begins with the editor’s introduction (Proverbs 1--9). The following collections are easy to find. Look at Prov 10:1, “The Proverbs of Solomon.” “The words of Agur, son of Jakeh the Massaite” begin at Prov 30:1. Other titles appear at 22:17; 24:23; 25:1; 31:1. Each of these collections has a somewhat different flavor. For example, the first half of the Proverbs of Solomon (10:1--15:33) contains many proverbs in which the second line seems to say the opposite of the first line. For example, “a mild answer calms wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (15:1). Many of the proverbs of the men of Hezekiah (25:1--30:1) begin with “like.”

One of these collections, “the sayings of the wise” (Prov 22:17--24:22), has an interesting history. In 1922 a document written on papyrus was discovered at Thebes in Egypt. This document, dated to the seventh-sixth century B.C., is a copy of an instruction by an Egyptian sage, Amen-em-ope, which was originally written sometime in the second millennium B.C. When scholars began to study the thirty sections of Amen-em-ope’s work, they discovered amazing similarities to Prov 22:17--24:22. Since Amen-em-ope’s work was written first, it seems that the final editor of Proverbs borrowed and edited the wisdom of the Egyptian sage. This borrowing is a dramatic testimony to the fact that wisdom, based on common human experience, is available to all people. The biblical editors did not hesitate to use whatever good material they found, whether it was their own or from one of their neighbors.

Structure of the book: number games
The structure of the book seems fairly straightforward: Introduction (chaps. 1–9); Seven Collections, all of which begin with a title (see above) except the numerical proverbs (30:7-33); and the Epilogue on the Woman of Worth (31:10-31). Here too, however, there are surprises in store.

Ancient wisdom teachers were very interested in the order of the world. They were the scientists and mathematicians of their time as well as the poets. In their writing and editing they attempted to imitate the order they found in creation. Poets have always been “world-makers,” as they counted accents and lines and played with repeated sounds. The poet-scientists who edited the book of Proverbs were no different. (A little willingness to believe is demanded here.) They constructed this book according to a basic mathematical formula.

First we must understand that the symbols for letters and numbers are the same in Hebrew. Ancient Latin did the same thing; the symbols I, V, X, L might stand for letters or “Roman” numerals. So the first ten letters of the Hebrew alphabet are also the numbers 1-10. Then the next nine letters are also the numbers 20, 30, 40, up to 100. (Remember, there is no symbol for zero.) The last three letters of the twenty-two-letter alphabet are also 200, 300, and 400. So it was very easy to look at someone’s name and to see a row of numbers. (If we were working with Roman numerals the woman’s name, LIV, might also represent 54 in our numbers.) The wisdom poets loved to add up the numbers of famous people’s names!

The first collection of proverbs after the introduction is entitled the Proverbs of Solomon (10:1—22:16). The name Solomon adds up to 375 (trust me). There are 375 proverbs between 10:1 and 22:16! The Proverbs of the Men of Hezekiah are in Prov 25:1—29:27. Hezekiah adds up to 140 and — you guessed it — there are 140 proverbs in that section. The same is true for the Proverbs of the Wise (22:17—24:22). But there’s more! The opening verse of the book says, “The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel” (1:1). If we add up Solomon + David + Israel, we get 930, and there are 932 lines in the whole book. (I don’t know where the other two came from!)

Date of Final Editing
The final editing of the book of Proverbs was done sometime in the late sixth-early fifth century B.C. The Jews had recently returned from the Babylonian exile and were re-establishing their political, economic, religious and cultural way of life. It was important to preserve the wisdom tradition from before the exile and also to continue serious reflection on the experiences of the present. The training of young men, future leaders and heads of families, was vital if they were to flourish as a people and a faith community. The book of Proverbs represents an important tool in that training.

Purpose of the Book
These editors in postexilic Jerusalem stated their purpose at the beginning of the book, right after the title: “that people may know wisdom and discipline, may understand intelligent sayings; may receive instruction in wise conduct, in what is right, just, and fair; that resourcefulness may be imparted to the naïve, knowledge and discretion to the young. The wise by hearing them will advance in learning, the intelligent will gain sound guidance, to comprehend proverb and byword, the words of the wise and their riddles” (1:2-6).

These proverbs are collected so that the readers may know wisdom and act in accordance with good teaching. Knowledge is not enough; good conduct is also necessary. What is said of beauty is true also of wisdom: “Wisdom is as wisdom does.” The intended audience includes the young (especially young men) and the naïve, those who are just beginning to ponder the experiences of life. It also includes the wise and intelligent, those who are further along the way. By using the proverbs in this book, both the young and the mature will learn how to understand proverbs, sayings, and riddles — all the words of the wise.

How will this education happen? Is reading the book enough? Probably not! It has been said that the book of Proverbs is an exercise book, somewhat like an algebra textbook. These collected proverbs are all exercises. Whenever we ponder one proverb and consider how to apply it to our lives, we learn the nugget of wisdom hidden in the proverb. When another similar situation arises, we will have the proverb ready to use again. But, like everything else in “advanced” education, the proverbs are ambiguous. Sometimes one proverb fits, sometimes another. Proverbs contradict each other. How can we know which proverb to use? The answer is simple but not easy: Practice! Wisdom comes from lived human experience. Just as we do not learn how to play the piano by simply listening to it, we don’t learn the wisdom of proverbs simply by hearing or reading them. They only yield their treasure after repeated use. Both the beginner and the maestro need to practice every day!

Fear of the Lord
Wisdom is not gained, however, simply by memorizing proverbs or even by putting them into practice in our lives. In the final analysis, wisdom is a gift from God. The editors want to be sure that we understand this. Immediately after the statement of purpose they confront us with the virtue that is indispensable for anyone looking for wisdom: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (1:7). Just in case we missed it, they repeat this statement at the end of their introduction, right before the description of Woman Folly: “The beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord” (9:10). We need to study our proverbs and practice our exercises (see the Practical Pointer), but if we do not cultivate fear of the Lord we will not achieve wisdom.

What is fear of the Lord? St. Benedict says that fear of the Lord is the first step of humility. In other words, fear of the Lord is the awareness that God is God and I am not. I would add to that answer, “and I am glad!” I am glad that God is God and I am not! Fear of the Lord is awe at the wonders God works for us. It is the breathless realization of how much God loves us. It is amazement at the beauty of a sunset and the miracle of a newborn. It is a “fountain of life” (Prov 14:27) and “training for wisdom” (Prov 15:33). It is a “strong defense” (Prov 14:26) and an “aid to life” (Prov 19:23). It is our grateful response to God’s forgiveness (Ps 130:4)! Sirach has a wonderful poem in praise of fear of the Lord in which he says that “fear of the Lord warms the heart, giving gladness and joy and length of days” (Sir 1:10[NRSV 12]). It is “glory and splendor, gladness and a festive crown” (Sir 1:9[10]). But fear of the Lord, like wisdom, is not acquired in a day. It is “formed with the faithful in the womb” (Sir 1:12[14]), but it can only be understood through lifelong experience. Over and over we hear that fear of the Lord is wisdom’s beginning (Ps 111:10; Sir 1:12), but it is also wisdom’s fullness (Sir 1:14[16]). In the end, the purpose of the book of Proverbs is to lead us along the way of fear of the Lord.