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Bible Dictionaries
Proverbs The Book of
Smith's Bible Dictionary
or Prov'erbs, The Book of. The title of this book in Hebrew is taken from its first word, mashal, which originally meant "a comparison". It is sometimes translated parable, sometimes, proverb, as here. The superscriptions which are affixed to several portions of the book, in Proverbs 1:1; Proverbs 10:1; Proverbs 25:1, attribute the authorship of those portions to Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel. With the exception of the last two chapters, which are distinctly assigned to other authors, it is probable that the statement of the superscriptions is, in the main, correct, and that the majority of the proverbs contained in the book were uttered or collected by Solomon. Speaking roughly, the book consists of three main divisions, with two appendices: -
Chapters 1-9 form a connected didactic in which wisdom is praised and the youth exhorted to devote himself to her. This portion is preceded by an introduction and title describing the character and general aim of the book.
Chapters 10-24, with the title, "The Proverbs of Solomon," consist of three parts: Proverbs 10:1-22; Proverbs 10:16, a collection of single proverbs, and detached sentences out of the region of moral teaching and worldly prudence; Proverbs 22:17-24; Proverbs 22:21, a more connected didactic poem, with an introduction, Proverbs 22:17-22, which contains precepts of righteousness and prudence; Proverbs 24:23-34, with the inscription, "These also belong to the wise," a collection of unconnected maxims, which serve as an appendix to the preceding.
Then follows the third division, chapters 25-29, which, according to the superscription, professes to be collection of Solomon's proverbs, consisting of single sentences, which the men of the court of Hezekiah copied out.
The first appendix, chapter 30, "The words of Agur, the son of Jakeh," is a collection of partly proverbial and partly enigmatical sayings;
the second appendix, chapter 31, is divided into two parts, "The words of King Lemuel," Proverbs 31:1-6; and an alphabetical acrostic in praise of a virtuous woman, which occupies the rest of the chapter, Proverbs 31:7-31.
Who was Agur and who was Jakeh, are questions which have been often asked, and never satisfactorily answered. All that can be said of the first is that he was an unknown Hebrew sage, the son of an equally unknown Jakeh, and that he lived, after the time of Hezekiah. Lemuel, like Agur, is unknown. It is even uncertain whether he is to be regarded as a real personage, or whether the name is merely symbolical.
The Proverbs are frequently quoted or alluded to in the New Testament and the canonicity of the book thereby confirmed. The following is a list of the principal passages: -
Proverbs 1:16; compare Romans 3:10; Romans 3:15;
Proverbs 3:7; compare Romans 12:16;
Proverbs 3:11-12; compare Hebrews 12:5-6; see also Revelation 3:19;
Proverbs 3:34; compare James 4:6;
Proverbs 10:12; compare 1 Peter 4:8;
Proverbs 11:31; compare 1 Peter 4:18;
Proverbs 17:13; compare Romans 12:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:15; 1 Peter 3:9;
Proverbs 17:27; compare James 1:19;
Proverbs 20:9; compare 1 John 1:8;
Proverbs 20:20; compare Matthew 15:4; Mark 7:10;
Proverbs 22:8; (Septuagint (LXX)); compare 2 Corinthians 9:7;
Proverbs 25:21-22; compare Romans 12:20;
Proverbs 26:11; compare 2 Peter 2:22;
Proverbs 27:1; compare James 4:13-14
These files are public domain.
Smith, William, Dr. Entry for 'Proverbs The Book of'. Smith's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/sbd/p/proverbs-the-book-of.html. 1901.
