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Writer's pictureDESAM FM

Survey of the Book of Proverbs

Updated: Feb 23, 2023


The book of Proverbs shares short sayings of God's wisdom. They remind us to fear the Lord and offer practical instructions on how we can live well. Proverbs invites us to live with wisdom and in the fear of the Lord.


#1 - TITLE


  • The “Proverbs” comes from the title heads the book in the Hebrew Bible text: “The Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel” (1:1).

  • The Hebrew word for “Proverbs” conveys a wide range of meanings, including the idea of comparison, a code of behaviour and the discovery of the hidden truth.

  • Several superscriptions in the book assign the various parts to different authors or collectors: Solomon, the wise, Agur and Lemuel.

#2 - AUTHORSHIP


  • The superscriptions do not claim that all the Proverbs of the book came from Solomon. Like the psalms, Proverbs is a great collection of collections.

  • According to 1 Kings 4:29-34, Solomon spoke three thousands Proverbs of which about 800 are included in Proverbs.

  • It is likely that Solomon collected and edited Proverbs other than his own (Eccl. 12:9)."


#3 - CONTENTS


  • Proverbs provides God’s detailed instructions for his people to deal successfully with the practical affairs of everyday life. How to relate to God, parents, children, neighbours and government.

  • Solomon the principle author uses a combination of poetry, parables, pithy questions, short stories and wise maxims to give in strikingly memorable form the common sense and divine perspective necessary to handle life’s challenge.

  • Proverbs is one of the books that clearly spells out its purpose: to impact moral discernment and discretion (1:3-5), and to develop mental clarity and perception (1: 2, 6).

  • The wisdom of which Proverbs speaks is literally “skill” in living. Wisdom is more than shrewdness or intelligence.


#4 - MAIN THEME


The Fear of the Lord

  • The book of Proverbs equates the fear of the Lord with the knowledge of God (2: 5-6). In the OT, the knowledge of God is associated with the experiment of covenant relationship with YHWH.

  • Since God alone possess wisdom and dispenses understanding to humanity only those who know God through the experience of covenant loyalty will find wisdom’s hidden treasures.

  • The fear of the Lord in Proverbs is a composite response of attitude and will shaping human behaviour in conformity with the commandments of God.

#5 - OUTLINE

  • Pro.1:1-9: Introduction

  • Pro. 1:10-9:18: The voice of wisdom

  • Pro. 10:1-22:16: Miscellaneous Proverbs of Solomon

  • Pro. 22:17-24:34: Words of wise

  • Pro. 25: 1-29:27: Second collection of Proverbs of Solomon

  • Pro. 30:1-33: Words of Agur

  • Pro. 31:1-9: Words of Lemuel

  • Pro. 31:10-31: An acrostic poem on the perfect wife

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