《Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures – Proverbs (Vol. 1)》

31] Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature A Book of Readings, 3vols. (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1908), in Libronix Digital Library System, v 21c [CD-ROM] (Bellingham, WA: Libronix Corp, 2000-2004).

King Solomon was a king of kings. That Isaiah , his realm of dominion included other Gentile nations. Thus, in no place in these three books is the nation of Israel mentioned, nor a mention of the Jewish laws, rituals, feasts, ceremonies, sacrifices, the Sabbath day, or the tithe. There are also no prophetic passages about the coming of the Messiah. Nor are there any references to angels or Satan. It is clearly a Jewish writing that is designed for universal application for all ages and cultures. This is why both Jews and Christians have found comfort a clear application to their lives in these three books.

In 2 Chronicles 6:32-33 King Solomon prayed for the Gentiles who would come to the Temple in Jerusalem to call upon the name of the God of Israel. Such Gentiles would have heard and seen the great works of God and would come to receive His salvation and deliverance in their own lives. This shows that the Temple was to serve as a testimony to the nations of the earth that there was a God in heaven who could be approached. This prayer revealed that Solomon understood his office and ministry extended beyond the land of Israel and unto the nations. This would help explain why Solomon's writings of Proverbs , Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon are not designated for the Jews alone, but address all mankind.

2 Chronicles 6:32-33, "Moreover concerning the stranger, which is not of thy people Israel, but is come from a far country for thy great name"s sake, and thy mighty hand, and thy stretched out arm; if they come and pray in this house; Then hear thou from the heavens, even from thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for; that all people of the earth may know thy name, and fear thee, as doth thy people Israel, and may know that this house which I have built is called by thy name."

The introduction of Proverbs addresses the young, naive person, as well as the wise man. Both are recipients of this book.

Of course, we know that the proverbs are for all people today who will receive and heed these words of wisdom. But in the setting of the King's Court, it is likely that Solomon originally wrote and compiled his proverbs as material to teach to his young students as a foundation in theological training as he equipped them for leadership in the surrounding regions of his kingdom.

A careful study of the Scriptures reveals how the Lord revealed to King David that his son Solomon would be heir to the throne. As such, the king took his son aside and instilled within him a love for God and His Word. We see that God had previously spoken to King David about a son being born to him and that his name would be called "Solomon" ( 1 Chronicles 22:8-9). The birth and naming of Solomon took place in 2 Samuel 12:24-25. God also revealed to King David that Solomon was to succeed him on the throne ( 1 Chronicles 28:5-6). We also see evidence in Proverbs 4:3-4 that King David favored his son Solomon above his other sons. As he groomed Solomon for the kingship, his other sons appear to be raised without discipline and training. We read about the immorality in Amnon in raping his sister, about the murder and rebellion in Absalom, and insurrection and pride in Adonijah. Thus, we see how Solomon received correction in the smallest of areas, while his brothers remained without discipline in their sins. This was because King David gave Solomon special attention during his youth. As King David taught Solomon Wisdom of Solomon , he not only instilled within his son divine truths, but also the passion to seek God for divine Wisdom of Solomon , as Solomon must have seen his father seek the Lord passionately. Not only did Solomon inherit good behavior from these teachings, but he also inherited a yearning for wisdom. He would have sought the deepest meaning of the most noble of all the commandments, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, mind and strength." ( Deuteronomy 6:4-6) As king, Solomon's international exposure would have given him the opportunity to hear the wisdom of Egypt and of the East ( 1 Kings 4:30, Acts 7:22) and gather the collection of proverbs which we call "the words of the wise". Thus, Solomon"s upbringing would occasion the writing of the book of Proverbs. His role as king gave him the opportunity to explore the pursuits of pleasure, wealth and power, thus inspiring the book of Ecclesiastes. His relationships with his harem of wives would have occasioned him to explore the aspects of true love between a man and a woman, thus inspiring the Song of Solomon.

Within the historical setting of the early kingdom of Israel, the authors of the book of Proverbs chose to write using the literary style of the ancient wisdom literature. Thus, the book of Proverbs is assigned to the literary genre called "wisdom literature." Also included in this list are the books of Job and Ecclesiastes , with certain psalms (notably Psalm 19; Psalm 37; Psalm 104; Psalm 107; Psalm 147; Psalm 148) as well as some non-canonical Apocrypha literature, such as Ecclesiasticus (Wisdom of Solomon).

This is the most abundant type in the book of Proverbs , with Proverbs 10:1 to Proverbs 22:16 using them almost without exception. Then there is the tristitch, which consists of three statements within a single verse balancing a thought.

We find in the words of the wise ( Proverbs 22:17 to Proverbs 24:34) a large number of proverbs in the form of a tetrastitch. It takes two verses to form a tetrastitch.

There are a few proverbs using five lines that we can call a pentastitch.

Still fewer are what can be called a hexastitch, which uses six lines.

Finally, we have at least one example of a proverb using seven lines, which we call a heptastitch.

Some may call Proverbs 23:22-25 an octastitch using eight lines.

Then there are the lengthy proverbial "odes," such as the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31:10-31, which forms an acrostic, and those lengthy sections found in the first nine chapters of the book.

Within these forms, or structures, that make up the book of Proverbs , we call also find several types of parallelisms. Antithetical proverbs use the second sentence to contrast the thought of the first. We see that Proverbs 10:1 to Proverbs 15:33 is made up almost entirely of this type of proverbs.

Proverbs 10:3, "The LORD will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked."

A second type is the synonymous Proverbs , in which the second sentence repeats the first sentence in order to reinforce the thought.

A third common type of proverb can be called the progressive proverb, in which the second thought develops a conclusion from the first thought.

A fourth type is the parabolic Proverbs , which Jesus developed so well when He taught in parables. These proverbs are characterized by the first sentence stating a fact of nature, with the second thought drawing an ethical conclusion from it.

A fifth type of proverb can be described as numerical proverbs. We find these used in the book of Amos , in the thirtieth chapter of Proverbs and one use in Proverbs 6:16-19. This type of proverb uses numbers to build up to a climax in order to reinforce a divine truth.

Scholars have found other types of Proverbs , but these examples give us a good idea of how the Hebrew thoughts parallel one another to create a hidden truth. 33]

33] Refer to "Introduction," in The Pulpit Commentary for an excellent discussion from which much of this material was gathered. See W. J. Deane, S. T. Taylor-Taswell, Walter F. Adeney, T. Whitelaw, R. A. Redford, and B. C. Caffin, "Introduction to Proverbs ," in Proverbs ,, Ecclesiastes , Song of Solomon. in The Pulpit Commentary, vol 9, eds. H. D. M. Spence and Joseph Exell (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co, 1950), in Ages Digital Library, v 10 [CD-ROM] (Rio, WI: Ages Software, Inc, 2001).

It is not uncommon to find loosely grouped proverbs sharing a common theme, such as the tongue, or divine providence, or material prosperity, or long life.

This type of structure found in the book of Proverbs is conducive as an aid in memory. Henry Halley said, "The Oriental method of teaching was constant repetition of wise and practical thoughts in a form that would stick in the mind." Oriental education consisted of learning by heart the maxims of the wise. The teacher dictated the lesson while the students wrote it down on their slates using a stylus. When this lesson was memorized, the slate was wiped cleaned and made ready for another lesson. Unlike today, written material was expensive scarce in those times. Thus, students were made to memorize large amounts of material.

Although the Scripture testify to three thousand proverbs that were written by Song of Solomon , the book of Proverbs records only three hundred seventy-five (375) of these sayings between chapters Proverbs 10:1 and Proverbs 22:16. There are approximately eight hundred (800) proverbs that make up the entire book.

The name of God that was personal to the nation of Israel was Jehovah, or YHWH. This was the name of the God of Israel and of no other heathen nation. The children of Israel knew Him as the only true God and the Creator of all things. It is this personal name Jehovah that is used throughout the book of Proverbs much more frequently than the more general name of Elohim. In addition, the character and nature of Jehovah God is very developed within the book of Proverbs , revealing that He was not distant to His people. We find an excellent list of verses compiled in the introduction to this book in the Pulpit Commentary show much about the character and nature of God.

1. He is holy Proverbs 30:3

2. He is incomprehensible in His ways Proverbs 30:4

3. He is a shield and protector to His people Proverbs 30:5

4. He is infinitely wise Proverbs 3:19, Proverbs 8:12-31

5. He is omniscient and omnipresent Proverbs 15:3

6. He created all things Proverbs 8:22-31

7. He governs all things by divine providence Proverbs 16:4

8. He chastens whom He loves Proverbs 3:11-12

9. He rewards the good and punishes evil Proverbs 12:2

10. He has compassion on the poor Proverbs 22:4, Proverbs 16:19, Proverbs 23:11

11. He created man with a free will Proverbs 1:24

12. He loves and delights in those who seek Him Proverbs 8:17; Proverbs 8:31

In addition, there are many verses that develop the concept of eternal life and judgment, where the dead are placed into either heaven or hell (Sheol). There is no doubt that one could expand upon this list. But the one given above reveals that author(s) of the book of Proverbs wrote under the inspiration and direction of Jehovah, the God of Israel.

THEOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK

"Scholarly excellence requires a proper theological framework."

(Andreas Ksenberger) 34]

34] Andreas J. Ksenberger, Excellence: The Character of God and the Pursuit of Scholarly Virtue (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2011), 161.

Based upon the historical setting and literary style of the book of Proverbs , an examination of the purpose, thematic scheme, and literary structure to this book of the Holy Scriptures will reveal its theological framework. This introductory section will sum up its theological framework in the form of an outline, which is then used to identify smaller units or pericopes within the book of Proverbs for preaching and teaching passages of Scripture while following the overriding message of the book. Following this outline allows the minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to take his followers on a spiritual journey that brings them to the same destination that the author intended his readers to reach.