Author: Solomon, with parts written by Agur and king Lemuel
Date: Approximately 950 B.C., with parts added around 720 B.C.
Theme: Universal principles of life
Key Words: Wisdom, knowledge, understanding, instruction, fear of the LORD

Author: Solomon, king of Israel, was the son of David and Bathsheba. He ruled for forty years, from 970 to 930 B.C., and ascended the throne at approximately twenty years of age.

Undoubtedly, influenced by his father's custom of writing psalms, Solomon left us more books than any other Old Testament author, with the exception of Moses. It seems probably that his "Song of songs" was written when he was a young romantic; his Proverbs, at a mature age, when he was at the height of his power; and Ecclesiastes in his old age, when he felt more inclined to philosophic speculation. His strength didn't lie in his military gifts but in the field of reflection, meditation, the conception of great projects, negotiation and organization.

Solomon's reputation for wisdom wasn't born from the incidents in which he acted as judge, such as when he presented us with the anecdote of the two women who disputed over the baby (I Ki. 3:16-27), but from the references about him in the Scripture. In I Kings 3:12 GOD says, "There was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee". In I Kings 4:31 he is called "wiser than all men", and the names of other wise men are cited to compare with him.

We know nothing of Agur and the king Lemuel (30:1; 31:1), except that they weren't Israelite by their names. Wisdom is universal, not exclusively a national legacy.

Date and Authorship:: (HBH)

I. The Proverbs of Solomon (1:1-24:34
II. Solomon's Proverbs as Copied by Hezekiah's Men (25:1-29:27
III. The Sayings of Agur (30:1-33)
IV. The Sayings of King Lemuel (30:1-31)

The text says that the above four works are respectively by Solomon, by Solomon as edited by Hezekiah's scribes, by Agur, and by Lemuel as learned from his mother. This means that the bulk of Proverbs (1-29) is essentially from Solomon. Even so, many modern scholars believe that these collections came together long after Solomon. Some believe that Proverbs was not written until over five hundred years after Solomon, although others would date the collections to the late monarchy, some three hundred years after Solomon.

But no hard evidence exists that forces us to abandon the Bible's assertion that Solomon wrote most of the book. Some have argued that passages like Proverbs 8 are too advanced in thought to have come from Solomon. Yet other advanced and complex works of wisdom literature that are far older than Solomon's day appear in ancient Near Eastern texts. In addition, we read in the Bible that Solomon's reign was something of a flowering of wisdom in ancient Israel and that Solomon was at the head of its study (I Kings 10:1-9). That being the case, it is not strange that the greatest Israelite wisdom literature should come from this period.

Agur and Lemuel may be pen names of someone otherwise familiar to us; more likely Agur and Lemuel were simply sages about whom we have no other information.

Since we do not know the identities of the writers, we cannot know the dates of composition. But there is no reason to date these sections very late. Also, although we cannot be sure when something like the present Book of Proverbs first appeared, the reign of Hezekiah (716-687 B.C.) may be a reasonable surmise (25:1).

The Origin of the Individual Proverbs: (HBH) To say that Solomon was the principal author of Proverbs is not to imply that he coined every single proverb in his sections. To the contrary, much of his work was as a collector of the "sayings of the wise" (22:17; 24:23). From whom did these proverbs come?

Certainly a primary source of Israelite wisdom was the family, where traditional teachings were handed down for generations. Proverbs frequently addresses its reader as "my son" and urges him to adhere to the teachings of his father and mother (for example, 1:8).

A second source was in the schools where scribes both compiled and composed wisdom literature. Many such scribes are known from Egyptian literature, and the Bible speaks of scribes and wise men in ancient Israel and Judah (Prov. 25:1; I Chron. 27:32; Jer. 18:18). These men were not only the intellectual class of their day, but they also were the counselors of the kings (Gen. 41:8). Solomon, as king, would have had close contact with such men in order to develop his own studies and writings (I Kings 4:31,34).

It is easy to see, therefore, why Proverbs contains such a variety of types of teachings. The more homey and humorous proverbs may have come from the traditional teachings of the Israelite family (see 11:22 and 26:3). The more literary compositions show the influence of court scribes (1:20-33).

Background: Under Solomon's leadership, Israel reached its greatest geographical extension and enjoyed the most prolonged peace in the age of the kings. "Peaceful", the meaning of his name, is the term that describes Solomon's kingdom. Peace, together with wisdom, brought an unprecedented prosperity to the nation, whose greatness elicited the admiration of the kingdom of Sheba (I Ki. 10:6-9) and other governments of that time. Expressions of wisdom like proverbs, music and other art forms, tended to flourish in times like those and then remained for generations.

Content: The Book of Proverbs is not only a collection of sayings, but a collection of collections. The theme that gives unity to its content is, "The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom" (9:10); which appears in another form in, "The beginning of wisdom is the fear of Jehovah" (1:7). Truths such as the following, born from multiple human experiences, have resisted the passing of time:

1. Wisdom (the ability to judge and act in accordance with GOD's direction) is the most valuable of treasures.
2. Wisdom is at everyone's disposal, but its price is high.
3. Wisdom has its origin in GOD, not in oneself, and comes from paying attention to what He teaches us.
4. Wisdom and righteousness go together. It's good to be wise, and it's wise to be good.
5. The unholy suffer the consequences of their evil.
6. The simple, the fool, the good-for-nothing, the ignorant, the proud, the drunkard, the sinner, will never be admired.

Many contrasting impressions appear time and again in this book. Antithesis helps to clarify the significance of key words. Among the principles that are presented here in sharp contrast are:

• Wisdom versus foolishness
• Righteousness versus wickedness
• Good versus evil
• Life versus death
• Prosperity versus poverty
• Honor versus dishonor
• Permanence versus transition
• Truth versus falsehood
• Work versus indolence
• Friendship versus enemies
• Prudence versus imprudence
• Faithfulness versus adultery
• Peace versus violence
• Good will versus wrath
• GOD versus man

The Nature of Proverbial Literature: (HBH) Every culture has its own proverbs and traditional wisdom. In fact, the study of wisdom and proverbs was a favorite activity of ancient scribes and teachers. Writings that preserve this ancient wisdom have survived from Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Greece.

In ancient times collections of traditional wisdom were the textbooks for educating young men of aristocratic birth. Proverbs often implies that it was written for young men for a similar purpose. For example, the reader is frequently addressed as "my son" (2:1; 3:1,11; 4:1,10; 5:1; 6:1) and is warned to avoid prostitutes (5:3-6; 6:20-35). Although Proverbs can be profitably read by anyone, its interpretation is easier if we keep in mind the original audience for whom it was written.

Proverbs has other features in common with the wisdom writings of the other nations of the ancient Near East. Like them, it is very practical. It deals with ordinary matters of life more than with great philosophical concepts. Also its structure and organization are in many ways like the other wisdom writings, especially those from Egypt.

But Israelite wisdom is distinct from that of the other nations in its assertion that GOD is the starting point in the search for true wisdom: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge" (Prov. 1:7; compare 9:10; Ps. 111:10). From beginning to end, Proverbs deals with the practical concerns of an individual who knows GOD. It teaches the believer how to live. In this sense even when it deals with mundane issues, Proverbs is never "secular".

Forms of Wisdom Teaching: (HBH) Even a casual reading of Proverbs reveals the many creative ways in which the book teaches its lessons. Proverbs is not only interesting to read, but its teachings are also memorable. Some of the major types of expressions follow:

Proverb. A proverb is a short, carefully constructed ethical observation (13:7) or teaching (14:1).

Admonition. An admonition is a command written either as a short proverb (16:3) or as part of a long discourse (1:10-19).

Numerical Saying. The numerical pattern lists items that have something in common after an introduction like, "There are six things, indeed seven" (see 30:24-31).

Better Saying. A better saying follows the pattern "A is better than B". See 21:19.

Rhetorical Question. A rhetorical question is a question with an obvious answer that still draws the reader into deeper reflection. See Proverbs 30:4.

Wisdom Poem. Wisdom poems or songs teach a series of moral lessons, as in 31:10-31. These poems are often acrostic.

Example Story. An example story is an anecdote meant to drive home a moral lesson (7:6-27).

Structure of Proverbs: (HBH) Proverbs is actually a collection of several books:

The Proverbs of Solomon (Prov. 1-24). This work includes a title and prologue (1:1-7) and a main text divided into discourses (1:7-9:18), proverbial sayings (10:1-22:16), thirty "sayings of the wise" (22:17-24:22), and additional "sayings of the wise" (24:23-34).

Proverbs of Solomon copied by the men of Hezekiah (Prov. 25-29). This collection has no prologue; it is simply an assortment of individual proverbs.

The sayings of Agur (Prov. 30). This collection has seven numerical sayings (30:7-9,15a,15b-16,18-19,21-23,24-28,29-31) and several proverbs. Verses 2-9 could be regarded as a prologue.

The sayings of King Lemuel (Prov. 31). This two-part book concerns the duties of a king (31:2-9) and the praise of the virtuous woman (31:10-31).

Theological Contribution: (IBD) Israel's distinctive contribution to the thinking of the wise men of all nations and times is that true wisdom is centered in respect and reverence for GOD. This is the great underlying theme of the Book of Proverbs.

Special Considerations: (IBD) In reading the Book of Proverbs, we need to make sure that we do not turn these sayings into literal promises. Proverbs are statements of the way things generally turn out in GOD's world. For example, it is generally true that those who keep GOD's commandments will enjoy "length of days and long life" (3:2). But this should not be interpreted as an ironclad guarantee. It is important to keep GOD's laws, no matter how long or short our earthly life may be.

Personal Application: The wisdom contained in Proverbs is as significant today as when the book was written. It's not a pamphlet about prosperity, nor a manual about how to have success. It teaches us, on the contrary, to organize our scale of values, that strengthen character, makes us more honest and leads us to happiness. The Book of Proverbs warns us against errors and declares the absurdity of not fearing the LORD. As the thirty-one chapters of the book contain so many valuable things upon which to meditate daily, and are valid for all ages, many readers of the Bible make it a habit to meditate on one chapter each day, thus covering the entire book in a month's time.

Christ Revealed: In the Book of Proverbs no direct, prophetic or typological references to Christ appear. In fact, wisdom is normally personified as a feminine being. In spite of that, some passages (such as 8:23-31) seem to be an obvious description of Jesus Christ, who "was with GOD in the beginning" (John 1:2), is "the wisdom of GOD" (I Cor. 1:24), and "who of GOD was made unto us wisdom" (I Cor. 1:30).

Certainly, the book pays a great service in feeding the human appetite for wisdom and knowledge, a type of appetite that can only be satisfied fully in Christ.

Proverbs, in a form similar to the Mosaic Law, describes an ideal, an aspiration, a yearning for perfection. Solomon himself wasn't entirely wise or he wouldn't have disobeyed GOD so flagrantly (I Ki. 11:9-11). Only later, in Jesus Christ, do we encounter a perfect example of all that Proverbs teaches, He "in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge were hidden" (Col. 2:3).

Point by point, the qualities of wisdom are the qualities of Christ. Obedience to GOD, upright comportment, patience, trustability, humility, diligence, the perception of such things, like love, which appear perfectly expressed in our Savior.

The Holy Spirit in Action: The Holy Spirit is not mentioned directly in the Book of Proverbs. But wisdom refers to its spirit (1:23), which, of course, if the Spirit of GOD. In fact, a central principle of the book is that wisdom apart from GOD is impossible, because in that sense His Spirit covers the entire text of Proverbs. However, the word that is translated as "spirit" in the book is almost always used in an impersonal way synonymous with "attitude" or "inclination".

In our age, a time in which the Holy Spirit works in a very special way, it is the Spirit who helps us amass the riches of Proverbs, and not Proverbs that helps us to understand the Spirit. It has been said of the Old and New Testament that "the New is hidden in the Old; the Old is revealed in the New".

In relation to Proverbs, the Holy Spirit in the New Testament shows how to achieve the wisdom of this book (which is uncovered only through righteousness).

Unique Characteristics: This book is different from the other books of the Bible in the following aspects:

1. It offers clear internal evidence of its multiple authorship. This is also deduces in some other books of the Bible, but never in such evident form as in Proverbs.
2. It also offers clear internal evidence of having been compiled throughout an amazing period of 250 years, since the Hezekiah mentioned in 25:1 lived that many years after Solomon. Other books (Genesis, for example) embraced long periods of time, but none indicate the time of their composition with such clarity.

Back to Top

  

Home	Site Index	Bible Index
Kingdom Dynamics	Truth in Action	Links