Ultimately wisdom, or “sound guidance” ( 1:5), aims at the formation of character.
PROVERBS BIBLE STUDY HOW TO
One could be wise in daily life, too, in knowing how to live successfully (having a prosperous household and living a long and healthy life) and without trouble in God’s universe. Jewelers who cut precious stones were wise kings who made their dominion peaceful and prosperous were wise. Wisdom in the ancient Near East was not theoretical knowledge but practical expertise.
The primary purpose of the book is to teach wisdom, not only to the young and inexperienced ( 1:2– 4) but also to the advanced ( 1:5– 6). There can be no doubt, however, that Proverbs is sophisticated literature by talented writers, winning readers with its compelling portrait of wisdom and inviting them to see life afresh, “wisely,” through its wit, originality, and shrewd observation. Folk wisdom and observations could surely have been elaborated and re-expressed by learned scribes: “What oft was thought but ne’er so well expressed” (Alexander Pope). The origin of the material, however, need not be imagined in an either/or scenario. Whether the material originated among royal scribes (as 25:1 seems to suggest) imitating common literary genres, or whether it arose among tribal elders inculcating traditional ways, is disputed. 1– 9 would have been added as the introduction. Editing of the whole book was done in the early postexilic period, in the view of most scholars at that time chaps. Many of the sayings and perhaps some instructions were composed in the monarchic period (late eleventh to the early sixth centuries). Proverbs is an anthology of collections of sayings and instructions.
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