Editing Book of Proverbs

{{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>

== Structure ==
[[File:Proverb scroll.PNG|thumb|Scroll of the Book of Proverbs]]

The superscriptions divide the collections as follows:
* [[Proverbs 1–9]]: "Proverbs of Solomon, Son of David, King of Israel"
* Proverbs 10–22:16: "Proverbs of Solomon"
* Proverbs 22:17–24:22: "The Sayings of the Wise"
* Proverbs 24:23–34: "These Also are Sayings of the Wise"
* [[Proverbs 25-29|Proverbs 25–29]]: "These are Other Proverbs of Solomon that the Officials of King Hezekiah of Judah Copied"
* [[Proverbs 30]]: "The Words of [[Agur]]"
* [[Proverbs 31]]:1–9: "The Words of King [[Lemuel (biblical king)|Lemuel]] of Massa,{{Efn|Most translate: ''Lemuel, an oracle (masa) which his mother . . ."<ref>See [https://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-1.htm Proverbs 31:1, various translations], Biblehub.com</ref>}} Which his Mother Taught Him"
* Proverbs 31:10–31: the ideal wise woman (elsewhere called the "woman of substance").{{sfn|Perdue|2012|pp=x–xi}}

== Contents ==
[[File:Papyrus Bodmer VI fol. 16.jpg|thumb|Papyrus Bodmer VI, featuring a [[Coptic language|Coptic]] translation of Proverbs (4th/5th century AD)]]
"Proverb" is a translation of the Hebrew word ''mashal'', but "mashal" has a wider range of meanings than the short, catchy saying implied by the English word. Thus, roughly half the book is made up of "sayings" of this type, while the other half consists of longer poetic units of various types. These include "instructions" formulated as advice from a teacher or parent addressed to a student or child, dramatic [[personification]]s of both Wisdom and Folly, and the "words of the wise" sayings, which are longer than the Solomonic "sayings" but shorter and more diverse than the "instructions."{{sfn|Farmer|1991|pp= 17–20}}

The first section ([[Proverbs 1–9|chapters 1–9]]) comprises an initial invitation to young men to take up the course of wisdom, ten "instructions", and five poems on personified Woman Wisdom.{{sfn|Perdue|2007|p=48}} Verses 1:1-7 constitute an introduction to the whole of this section.<ref>Aitken, K. T., ''19. Proverbs'' in Barton, J., and Muddiman, J. (2001), [https://b-ok.org/dl/946961/8f5f43 The Oxford Bible Commentary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171122193211/http://b-ok.org/dl/946961/8f5f43 |date=2017-11-22 }}, p. 406</ref> Proverbs 10:1–22:16, with 375 sayings, consists of two parts, the first part (10–14) contrasting the wise man and the fool (or the righteous and the wicked), the second (15–22:16) addressing wise and foolish speech.{{sfn |Perdue|2007|p=58}} Verse 22:17 opens ‘the words of the wise’, until verse 24:22, with short moral discourses on various subjects.<ref name="A Bíblia sagrada"/> An additional section of sayings which "also belong to the wise" follows in verses 24:23-34.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Chapters 25–29, attributed to the editorial activity of "the men of [[Hezekiah]]", contrast the just and the wicked and broach the topic of rich and poor.{{sfn|Perdue|2007|p=67}} Chapter 30:1-4, the "sayings of Agur", introduces creation, divine power, and human ignorance.{{sfn|Perdue|2007|p=68}} Chapter 31, "the sayings of King Lemuel — an inspired utterance his mother taught him", describes a virtuous woman, a wife of noble character.

==Composition==
[[File:Dore Solomon Proverbs.png|thumb|Solomon writing Proverbs ([[Gustave Doré]])]]
It is impossible to offer precise dates for the sayings in Proverbs, a "collection of collections" relating to a pattern of life that lasted for more than a millennium.{{sfn|Clements|2003 |p= 438}} The title is traditionally derived from chapter 1:1, ''mishley Shelomoh'' ("Proverbs of Solomon"). This phrase is repeated in 10:1 and 25:1, indicating a focus on categorizing the content rather than attributing authorship.{{sfn|Farmer|1991|p=25}}

The book is an anthology made up of six discrete units. The ''Proverbs of Solomon'' section, chapters 1–9, was probably the last to be composed in the Persian or Hellenistic periods. This section has parallels to prior cuneiform writings.<ref>{{cite book |last= Rogers |first= Robert William |date= 1912 |title= Cuneiform parallels to the Old Testament |edition= 1 | chapter = 8. Fragment of Wisdom Literature | publisher= Eaton & Mains| place = New York | chapter-url= https://archive.org/details/cunciformparalle00roge |access-date= March 13, 2016}}</ref> The second, chapters 10–22:16, carries the superscription "the proverbs of Solomon", which may have encouraged its [[Development of the Hebrew Bible canon|inclusion]] in the Hebrew canon. The third unit, 22:17–24:22, is headed "bend your ear and hear the words of the wise". A large part of this section is a recasting of a second-millennium BCE Egyptian work, the ''[[Instruction of Amenemope]],'' and may have reached the Hebrew author(s) through an Aramaic translation.{{citation needed|date=December 2024}} Chapter 24:23 begins a new section and source with the declaration, "These too are from the wise". The next section, at chapter 25:1, has a superscription that the following proverbs were transcribed "by the men of [[Hezekiah]]", indicating at face value that they were collected in the reign of Hezekiah in the late 8th century BCE. Chapters 30 and 31 (the "words of Agur," the "words of [[Lemuel (biblical king)|Lemuel]]," and the description of the "ideal" woman and wife) are a set of appendices, quite different in style and emphasis from the previous chapters.{{sfn |Alter|2010|pp= 183–85}}

The [[Wisdom literature|”wisdom” genre]] was widespread throughout the [[ancient Near East]], and reading Proverbs alongside the examples recovered from Egypt and Mesopotamia reveals the common ground shared by international wisdom.{{sfn |Smothers|2000|pp= 167–68, 174}} The wisdom literature of Israel may have been developed in the family, the royal court, and houses of learning and instruction;{{sfn|Tucker|2000 |pp= 163–66}} nevertheless, the overwhelming impression is of instruction within the family in small villages.{{sfn |Crenshaw |2000 |p= 217}}

== Themes ==
[[Image:Proverbs 3- 5,6 IMG 3141.JPG|right|thumb|Excerpt from Proverbs 3 displayed at [[Portland International Jetport]] in [[Portland, Maine|Portland]], [[Maine]]]]
[[File:Incunabulum Blackletter Bible 1497.jpg|right|thumb|A page of the Book of Proverbs from a [[Bible]] from 1497]]
Along with the other examples of the biblical wisdom tradition – [[Book of Job|Job]] and [[Ecclesiastes]] and [[wisdom literature|some other writings]] – Proverbs raises questions of values, moral behavior, the meaning of human life, and righteous conduct.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=V. Fox |first1=Michael |title=Ethics and Wisdom in the Book of Proverbs |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/27913833 |journal=Hebrew Studies |publisher=National Association of Professors of Hebrew (NAPH) |access-date=February 24, 2024 |date=2007|volume=48 |pages=75–88 |doi=10.1353/hbr.2007.0028 |jstor=27913833 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> The three retain an ongoing relevance for both religious and secular readers, Job and Ecclesiastes through the boldness of their dissent from received tradition, Proverbs in its worldliness and satiric shrewdness. Wisdom is as close as biblical literature comes to Greek philosophy, of which it was a contemporary; it shares with the Greeks an inquiry into values and reflections on the human condition, although there is no discussion of [[ontology]], [[epistemology]], [[metaphysics]], and the other abstract issues raised by the Greeks.{{sfn |Alter|2010|pp=xiii–xvii}}

The rabbinic college almost excluded the Book of Proverbs from the Bible in the late first century.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.grunge.com/645942/the-untold-truth-of-the-book-of-proverbs/ | title=The Untold Truth of the Book of Proverbs | date=28 October 2021 }}</ref> They did this because of its contradictions (the result of the book's origins as not just an anthology but an anthology of anthologies). The reader is told, for example, both to "not answer a fool according to his folly," according to 26:4, and to "answer a fool according to his folly", as 26:5 advises. More pervasively, the recurring theme of the initial unit (chapters 1–9) is that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but the following units are much less theological, presenting wisdom as a transmissible human craft, until with 30:1–14, the "words of Agur," we return once more to the idea that God alone possesses wisdom.{{sfn|Alter|2010|pp=183–85}}

"The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10 – the phrase implies submission to God's will).{{sfn|Longman|Garland|2009|p=}} Wisdom is praised for her role in creation ("God by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding, he established the heavens" – Proverbs 3:19). God created her before all else, and through her, he gave order to chaos ("When [God] established the heavens… when he drew a circle on the face of the [[Tehom|Deeps]]… when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him" – Proverbs 8:27–31). Since humans have life and prosperity by conforming to the order of creation, seeking wisdom is the essence and goal of the religious life.{{sfn|Boccaccini|2002|p= 106}} Wisdom, or the wise person, is compared and contrasted with foolishness or the fool, meaning one who is lacking in wisdom and uninterested in instruction, not one who is merely silly or playful (though see the words of Agur for a "fool" who has wisdom and could be seen as playful).{{sfn|Perdue|2007|p=68}}

For the most part, Proverbs offers a simplistic view of life with few grey areas: a life lived according to the rules brings reward, and life in violation of them is certain to bring disaster. In contrast, Job and Ecclesiastes appear to be direct contradictions of the simplicities of Proverbs, each in its own way all but dismissing the assumptions of the "wise".{{sfn|Keown|2000|p=183}} Noteworthy also is the fact that the "mighty acts of God" ([[the Exodus]], the giving of the [[Torah]] at Sinai, the Covenant between God and Israel, etc.) which make up Israel's history are completely or almost completely absent from Proverbs and the other Wisdom books: in contrast to the other books of the Hebrew Bible, which appeal to divine revelation for their authority ("Thus says the Lord!"), wisdom appeals to human reason and observation.{{sfn|Farmer|1998|p=130}}

==Later interpretation and influence==
Pre-Exilic (i.e., pre-586 BCE) Israelite religion worshipped [[YHWH]] as the supreme deity despite the continued existence of subordinate [[Heavenly host|servant-deities]].{{sfn|Page Lee|1990|pp=176–77}} The post-Exilic writers of the Wisdom tradition developed the idea that Wisdom existed before creation and was used by God to create the universe:{{sfn|Berlin|2011|p=188}} "Present from the beginning, Wisdom assumes the role of master builder while God establishes the heavens, restricts the chaotic waters, and shapes the mountains and fields."{{sfn|Parrish|1990|p=183}} Borrowing ideas from Greek philosophers{{example needed|date=December 2024}} who held that Reason bound the universe together, the Wisdom tradition taught that God's Wisdom, Word, and Spirit were the ground of cosmic unity.{{sfn|Kaiser|1997|p=28}} Christianity, in turn adopted these ideas and applied them to Jesus: the [[Epistle to the Colossians]] calls Jesus "...image of the invisible God, first-born of all creation...", while the [[Gospel of John]] identifies him with the creative Word ("In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God").{{sfn|Parrish|1990|pp=183–84}}

In the 4th century, when Christianity was caught up in [[Heresy|heresies]] and still developing the [[creed]]s that would define its beliefs, Proverbs 8:22<ref name="proverbs8_22">{{Bibleverse|Proverbs|8:22|NASB}}</ref> was used both to support and refute the claims of the [[Arian controversy|Arians]]. The Arians, assuming that Jesus could be equated with the "Wisdom of God" (1 Corinthians 1:24),<ref>{{Bibleverse|1 Corinthians|1:24}}</ref> argued that the Son, like Wisdom, was "created"<ref name="proverbs8_22" /> and therefore subordinate to the Creator. Their opponents, who argued that the relevant Hebrew word should be translated as "begot", won the debate, and the [[Nicene Creed]] declared that the Son was "begotten, not made"—meaning that God and Jesus were [[Consubstantiality|consubstantial]].{{sfn|Farmer|1991|pp=53–54}}

== See also ==
* "[[As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly]]"
* [[Proverbs 30]]
* [[Proverbs 31]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References ==
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{{reflist|30em}}{{Notelist}}

== Bibliography ==

===Works cited===
* {{Cite book |last = Alter |first = Robert |title = The Wisdom Books: Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes: A Translation with Commentary |publisher = W.W. Norton & Co |year = 2010 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=TujOn209Ts8C|isbn = 978-0-39308073-5}}
* {{cite book | last1 = Berlin | first1 = Adele | title = The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion | chapter = Cosmology and creation | editor1-last = Berlin | editor1-first = Adele | editor2-last = Grossman | editor2-first = Maxine | year = 2011 | publisher = Oxford University Press | isbn = 978-0-19-973004-9 | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=hKAaJXvUaUoC&pg=PA189 }}
* {{Cite book |last = Boccaccini |first = Gabriele |title = Roots of Rabbinic Judaism: An Intellectual History, from Ezekiel to Daniel |publisher = Eerdmans |year = 2002 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=dki2j9fT5LkC |isbn = 978-0-80284361-6}}
* {{Cite book |last = Clements |first = Ronald E. |chapter = Proverbs |editor1-last = Dunn |editor1-first = James D. G. |editor2-last = Rogerson |editor2-first = John William |title = Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible |publisher = Eerdmans |year = 2003 |isbn = 9780802837110 |chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=2Vo-11umIZQC&pg=PA436 }}
* {{Cite book |last = Crenshaw|first = James |chapter = Unresolved Issues in the Wisdom Literature |editor1-last = Tate |editor1-first = Marvin E. |editor2-last = Ballard |editor2-first = Harold Wayne |editor3-last = Tucker |editor3-first = W. Dennis |title = An Introduction to Wisdom Literature and the Psalms |publisher = Mercer University Press |year = 2000 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=IRtSYt_YNRgC |isbn = 978-0-86554652-3}}
* {{Cite book |last = Farmer |first = Kathleen A. |title = Who knows what is good? : a commentary on the Books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes |publisher = Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing |year = 1991 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=BUbM16h3D-MC&pg=PA54 |isbn = 978-0-80280161-6}}
* {{Cite book |last = Farmer |first = Kathleen A. |chapter = The Wisdom Books |editor1-last = McKenzie |editor1-first = Steven L. |editor2-last = Graham |editor2-first = Matt Patrick |title = The Hebrew Bible Today: An Introduction to Critical Issues |publisher = Westminster John Knox Press |year = 1998 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=owwhpmIVgSAC |isbn = 978-0-66425652-4}}
* {{Cite book |last = Fox |first = Michael V. |title = Proverbs 1–9 |year = 2000 }}
* {{Cite book |last = Fox |first = Michael V. |title = Proverbs 10–31 |publisher = Yale University Press |year = 2009 | author-mask = 3 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=3IJsciPDEWoC |isbn = 978-0-30015556-3}}
* {{Cite book |last = Grabbe |first = Lester L. |title = A History of the Jews and Judaism in the Second Temple Period | volume = 1: The Persian Period (539–331 BCE) |publisher = Continuum |year = 2006 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=VK2fEzruIn0C&pg=PA102 |isbn = 978-0-56704352-8}}
* {{cite book | last1 = Kaiser | first1 = Christopher B.
| title = Creational theology and the history of physical science | year = 1997 | publisher = Brill | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=BBgXuy_D8WEC&pg=PA28 | isbn = 90-0410669-3}}
* {{Cite book |last = Keown |first = Gerald |chapter = The Canonical Shape of the Wisdom Literature |editor1-last = Tate |editor1-first = Marvin E. |editor2-last = Ballard |editor2-first = Harold Wayne |editor3-last = Tucker |editor3-first = W. Dennis |title = An Introduction to Wisdom Literature and the Psalms |publisher = Mercer University Press |year = 2000 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=IRtSYt_YNRgC |isbn = 978-0-86554652-3}}
* {{Cite book |last1 = Longman |first1 = Tremper |last2 = Garland | first2 = David E. |title = Proverbs—Isaiah |publisher = Zondervan |year = 2009 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=k7NSlYX0cCIC |isbn = 978-0-31059058-3}}
* {{cite book |last = Page Lee |first = H. |editor = Watson E. Mills |title = Mercer Dictionary of the Bible |publisher = Mercer University Press |chapter = Council, Heavenly |year = 1990 |isbn = 9780865543737 |chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=goq0VWw9rGIC&pg=PA176 }}
* {{cite book |last = Parrish |first = V. Steven |editor-first = Watson E. | editor-last = Mills |title = Mercer Dictionary of the Bible |publisher = Mercer University Press |chapter = Creation |year = 1990 |isbn = 9780865543737 |chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=goq0VWw9rGIC&pg=PA183 }}
* {{Cite book |last = Perdue
|first = Leo G. |title = Wisdom Literature: A Theological History
|publisher = Presbyterian Publishing |year = 2007 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=AN9lxYT0ZGUC |isbn = 978-0-66422919-1}}
* {{Cite book |last = Perdue |first = Leo G. |title = Proverbs |publisher = Westminster John Knox Press |year = 2012 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=uO0hE3D6I40C |isbn = 978-0-66423884-1}}
* {{Cite book |last = Sinnott |first = Alice M. |title = The Personification of Wisdom |publisher = Ashgate Publishing |year = 2005 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=cSmldJgaEawC&pg=PA25 |isbn = 978-0-75465124-6}}
* {{Cite book |last = Smothers |first = Thomas |chapter = Biblical Wisdom in its Ancient Middle Eastern Context |editor1-last = Tate |editor1-first = Marvin E. |editor2-last = Ballard |editor2-first = Harold Wayne |editor3-last = Tucker |editor3-first = Karl Smith |title = An Introduction to Wisdom Literature and the Psalms |publisher = Mercer University Press |year = 2000 |isbn = 9780865546523 |chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=IRtSYt_YNRgC&pg=PA167 }}
* {{Cite book |last = Tucker |first = W. Dennis |chapter = Literary Forms in the Wisdom Literature |editor1-last = Tate |editor1-first = Marvin E. |editor2-last = Ballard |editor2-first = Harold Wayne |editor3-last = Tucker |editor3-first = W. Dennis |title = An Introduction to Wisdom Literature and the Psalms |publisher = Mercer University Press |year = 2000 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=IRtSYt_YNRgC |isbn = 978-0-86554652-3}}

===Further reading===
* Crenshaw, James L. "Book of Proverbs", The Anchor Bible Dictionary, 1992
* Dockery, David S. (general ed.), ''Holman Bible Handbook'', Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, 1992
* Lasor, William Sanford, Hubbard, David Allan, & Bush, Frederic Wm., ''Old Testament Survey: The Message, Form, and Background of the Old Testament'', 1996
* Murphy, Roland E., Wisdom Literature: Job, Proverbs, Ruth, Canticles, Ecclesiastes, and Esther. Grand Rapids, 1981
* [[Andrew Steinmann|Steinmann, Andrew]], "Proverbs 1–9 as a Solomonic Composition", Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 43, no. 4
* {{cite book|author-link = Bruce Waltke | last = Waltke | first = Bruce |title=Book of Proverbs: Chapters 1–15 | publisher= Wm. B. Eerdmans | year= 2004 | isbn= 978-0-8028-2545-2}}
* {{cite book| last =Waltke | first = Bruce |title=The Book of Proverbs: Chapters 15–31 |isbn= 978-0-8028-2776-0 |publisher= Wm. B. Eerdmans |year= 2005}}
* {{cite book| last1 =Waltke | first1 = Bruce K.| last2 =De Silva | first2 = Ivan D. V. |title=Proverbs: A Shorter Commentary |isbn= 978-0-8028-7503-7 |publisher= Wm. B. Eerdmans |year= 2021}}

== External links ==
{{Wikisource|Proverbs (Bible)|Proverbs}}
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Commons category|Book of Proverbs}}

* [http://www.vts.edu/ftpimages/95/download/FM.Heskett.Proverbs.pdf ''Introduction to the Book of Proverbs''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411214109/http://www.vts.edu/ftpimages/95/download/FM.Heskett.Proverbs.pdf |date=2016-04-11 }} a [[Forward Movement]] publication
* {{librivox book | title = Proverbs}} – Various versions

'''Online translations of the Book of Proverbs'''
* [[Judaism|Jewish]] translations:
** [http://www.chabad.org/library/archive/LibraryArchive2.asp?AID=15771 Mishlei – Proverbs (Judaica Press)] translation [with [[Rashi]]'s commentary] at Chabad.org
* [[Christianity|Christian]] translations:
** [http://www.biblegateway.com Bible Gateway 35 languages/50 versions]
** [http://unbound.biola.edu Unbound Bible 100+ languages/versions] at [[Biola University]]

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{{Book of Proverbs}}
{{Books of the Bible}}
{{Solomon}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Proverbs}}
[[Category:Book of Proverbs| ]]
[[Category:8th-century BC books]]
[[Category:Ketuvim| 02]]
[[Category:Texts assigned to Solomon]]
[[Category:Wisdom literature]]
[[Category:Anthologies]]
[[Category:Poetic Books]]