Proverbs
The Book of Proverbs ("Proverbs (of Solomon)") is a book in the third section (called Ketuvim) of the Hebrew Bible and a book of the Christian Old Testament. When translated into Greek and Latin, the title took on different forms: in the Greek Septuagint (LXX) it became 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. It is an example of the biblical wisdom literature, and raises questions of values, moral behaviour, the meaning of human life, and right conduct, and its theological foundation is that "the fear of God (meaning submission to the will of God) is the beginning of wisdom." 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 the religious life.
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, Which his Mother Taught Him"
- Proverbs 31:10-31: the ideal wise woman (elsewhere called the "woman of substance").
View the Chapters of Proverbs:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31