PROVERBS

Like Psalms, this book is a collection, this time with many of its works attributed to Solomon rather than his father David. It is an example of wisdom literature as are Job and Ecclesiastes. What makes this section of the Bible so different from the portions that came before it, wisdom literature focuses on the practical and philosophic side of life rather than the religious aspect so prominent in past stories. The sayings here are based on observation and experimentation, not divine revelation.

All societies have proverbs, which are short, memorable truths about life and human behavior. What makes them memorable is the use of figurative language (for example, wisdom is described as a woman) and parallelism (one part of a sentence echoes the same structure as a second part of the sentence). It may be difficult to read through all the chapters at one sitting due to the lack of a plot and the need for meditation on the ideas presented, but since there are 31 chapters, many people enjoy reading one chapter a day for a month.

Keep in mind these proverbs are not a promise of how your life will go. They are generalizations that describe how life tends to go.

Take a look at chapter 31 in particular. Here the author describes the ideal wife. Note how modern this description appears–she can do so many things beyond raising children. Also note that this is an acrostic in which each verse starts with the next letter in the Hebrew alphabet. The result is that the author is saying the woman can do all from A to Z.

However you read this book, be prepared to think about the truths contained in it.