A collection of wise sayings largely attributed to Solomon

In Hebrew Mishle, in the LXX Paroimiai. A "Collection of Wise Sayings" seems to be the most satisfactory rendering of the Hebrew term, cf. Psalm 77:2.

That these Sayings were collected at different times is clear from the "titles" which are affixed to different parts of the Book, and with the assistance of these "titles" we can break up the whole into the following parts:

STRUCTURE

(a) Chapters 1-10

"The Parables of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel."

(b) Chapters 10-22:16

These have -- in the Vulgate only -- the title, "The Parables of Solomon."

(c) Chapters 22:17-24:22

These may, according to the LXX, be a separate section.

(d) Chapters 24:23-34

This is, also according to the LXX, a separate section.

(e) Chapters 25:1-29:27

This forms a section bearing in the Hebrew, LXX, and Vulgate, the interesting heading, "These are also parables of Solomon which the men of Ezechias, king of Juda copied out." The LXX adds, "the undoubted parables."

(f) Chapters 30:1-33

This is regarded as the first of three appendices; it bears the title, "The words of Gatherer the son of Vomiter; the vision which the man spoke, etc."

We have here a good instance of the way in which St. Jerome sometimes translated, instead of transliterating, the Hebrew proper names; in the R.V., we have the literal rendering of the Hebrew "the words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the oracle (or, of Massa)." This title is omitted in the LXX.

(g) Chapters 31:1-9

This forms a second appendix; "The words of king Lamuel, the vision wherewith his mother instructed him."

(h) Chapters 31:10-31

The praises of the valiant woman. No title is prefixed, but its style separates it off decisively from the preceding; it is a species of acrostic, each verse beginning with a new letter of the alphabet in the same way as the alphabetic psalms, q.v.

That these sections are not fanciful is clearly shown by the different styles evinced in each section. Thus in (a) there is hardly any indication of what we should call proverbs, the sentences are long and are closely connected, the sequence of thought is sustained. The same feature is noticeable in (d). On the other hand in (b) and (e) we have the real terseness of proverbs as we understand them . In (c), again, we miss the crisp style of proverbs, while in the three appendices we are in presence of an altogether different style.

DATE AND AUTHORSHIP

According to the "titles" given above, (a), (b), and (e) are attributed to Solomon, and there is absolutely no reason for dissenting from this view; it has been well remarked that the men of Ezechias would be in a far better position to decide upon the authorship of chapters 25-29 than we can be, and it should be noted, too, that in saying these are also parables of Solomon they clearly showed that they regarded those which preceded as also his work. Such passages as Eccles. 12:9, Ecclus. 47:17, 3 Kings 4:32, 4:9, 10:1, 2 Paral. 1:7-10, all tend to confirm the traditional view that Solomon was the author, of the major part at least, of our Book of Proverbs. With regard to the appendices it should be noted that the LXX translators clearly did not understand the Hebrew text of the title to chapter 31, it is a legitimate conclusion, therefore, that at the time this translation was made the Hebrew text was very ancient.

THE TEACHING OF THE BOOK OF PROVERBS

It is sometimes urged that the moral code set forth is not of a very lofty character, but we should be wrong to see in the book a treatise on asceticism. It is Jewish wisdom and, above all, it is human wisdom. A stream cannot rise higher than its source, and the source in this case is the Jewish Law, the weak and needy elements of which St. Paul speaks so scathingly, Gal. 4:9. And the power of the Book lies in this, that, while it is based on the Law, it disregards the accidentals of that Law but has seized on its substance, hence it presents us with many ideals. Many of the proverbs only find their fulfilment in Him Who came to fulfill all justice, thus cf. 11:17, 17:17, 18:24. Similarly, the personifications which are so striking a feature of the Book can only find their fulfilment in Him, and indeed have ever been so interpreted in the Church. From an à priori standpoint we should hardly expect the book to be often quoted in N.T., yet the opposite is the case, cf. Hebrews 12:5, James 4:6, 1 Peter 4:8, Romans 12:20.


By Very Rev. Hugh Pope, O.P., S.T.M.
Doctor in Sacred Scripture,
Member of the Society of Biblical Archaeology, and
late Professor of New Testament Exegesis at the Collegio Angelico, Rome.