Editing Book of Proverbs (section)

{{short description|Book of the Bible}}
{{Tanakh OT|Ketuvim |WP}}

The '''Book of Proverbs''' ({{langx|he|מִשְלֵי}}, {{Transliteration|he|Mišlê}}; {{langx|el|Παροιμίαι}}, {{Transliteration|el|Paroimiai}}; {{langx|la|Liber Proverbiorum}}, "Proverbs (of Solomon)") is a book in the third section (called [[Ketuvim]]) of the [[Hebrew Bible (Tanakh)]]/the Christian [[Old Testament]]. It is traditionally ascribed to [[King Solomon]] and his students.{{sfn|Berlin|2011|p=588}} When translated into [[Ancient Greek|Greek]] and Latin, the title took on different forms: in the Greek [[Septuagint]] (LXX), it became {{lang|grc|Παροιμίαι}} ({{Transliteration|grc|Paroimiai}}, "Proverbs"); in the Latin [[Vulgate]], the title was {{lang|la|Proverbia}}—from which the English name is derived.

Proverbs is not merely an [[anthology]] but a "collection of collections" relating to a pattern of life that lasted for more than a millennium.{{sfn|Clements|2003|p=438}} It is an example of Biblical [[wisdom literature]] and raises questions about values, moral behavior, the meaning of human life, and right conduct,{{sfn|Alter|2010|pp=xiii–xvii}} and its [[Theology|theological]] foundation is that "the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom."{{sfn|Longman|Garland|2009|p=50}} [[Wisdom (personification)|Wisdom]] is personified and praised for her role in creation; God created her before all else and gave order to chaos through her. As humans have life and prosperity by conforming to the order of creation, seeking wisdom is the essence and goal of life.{{sfn|Boccaccini|2002|p=106}}

The book of Proverbs is divided into sections: the initial invitation to acquire wisdom, another section focused mainly on contrasting the wise and the fool, and the third being moral discourses on various topics. Chapters 25–29 discuss justice, the wicked, and the rich and poor; [[Proverbs 30|chapter 30]] introduces the "[[Agur|sayings of Agur]]" on creation and divine power.<ref name="A Bíblia sagrada">{{Citation | title = A Bíblia sagrada | chapter = Os provérbios | at = xxii:17 | quote = Breves discursos morais do sábio acerca de vários assuntos | edition = Versão revisada de acordo com os melhores textos em hebraico e grego | year = 1974 | publisher = Imprensa bíblica brasileira, Junta de educação religiosa, Convenção batista brasileira | location = Rio de Janeiro | editor-first = João Ferreira | editor-last = de Almeida}}.</ref><ref name="ReferenceA">{{bibleverse||Proverbs|24:23|NKJV}}: [[New King James Version]]</ref>

Recent research on the book of Proverbs has taken two main approaches. Some scholars argue that different sections of the book originate from various periods, with chapters 1-9 and (30-)31 being the latest and final [[redaction]] dated to the late [[Persian period|Persian]] or Hellenistic periods,<ref>{{cite book
| last       = Maier
| first      = Christl
| title      = Die fremde Frau in Proverbien 1–9: Eine exegetische und sozialgeschichtliche Studie
| series     = Orbis Biblicus et Orientalis
| volume     = 144
| publisher  = Universitätsverlag; Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht
| year       = 1995
| pages      = 262–269
| location   = Freiburg; Göttingen
}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
| last       = Yoder
| first      = Christine Roy
| title      = Proverbs
| series     = Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries
| publisher  = Abingdon Press
| year       = 2009
| pages      = xxiii–xxiv
| location   = Nashville
}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
| last       = Loader
| first      = James Alfred
| title      = Proverbs 1–9
| series     = Historical Commentary on the Old Testament
| publisher  = Peeters
| year       = 2014
| page       = 9
| location   = Leuven
}}</ref> while others focus on the book's received form, analyzing its overall meaning first.<ref>{{cite book
| last       = Schipper
| first      = Bernd U.
| title      = Proverbs 1–15
| publisher  = Fortress Press
| year       = 2019
| pages      = 4
| url        = https://books.google.com/books?id=g_msDwAAQBAJ
| quote      = "Turning to more recent research on the book of Proverbs, two main approaches have been taken. Some scholars have followed Gressmann in postulating that the different parts of the book go back to different periods and that Proverbs 1-9 and (30-)31 are the latest sections. Thus, chaps. 1-9 are situated in the Persian period, and the final redaction of the book is dated to the late Persian or Hellenistic period. Others begin with the received form of the book of Proverbs, inquiring first into the meaning of the book as a whole."
}}</ref>