Introduction: The Purpose of Proverbs and the Fear of the Lord
Proverbs 1:1-7
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Pro.1.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- משלי: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- שלמה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 10:1 (verbal): Opens the main collection with the identical formula 'The proverbs of Solomon,' repeating the ascription to Solomon.
- Proverbs 25:1 (structural): Introduces a further collection: 'These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied,' linking Solomonic authorship and later editorial transmission.
- 1 Kings 4:29-34 (thematic): Describes Solomon's extraordinary wisdom and explicitly states that he composed proverbs and songs—background justification for attributing Proverbs to Solomon.
- 1 Kings 3:12 (thematic): God's gift of unparalleled wisdom to Solomon provides the theological basis for the claim that Solomon authored wise sayings and proverbs.
Alternative generated candidates
- The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel.
- The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel.
Pro.1.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לדעת: VERB,qal,inf,-,-,-
- חכמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ומוסר: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- להבין: PREP+VERB,piel,inf
- אמרי: VERB,qal,impv,2,f,sg
- בינה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Prov.1.7 (verbal): Closely related wording and theme—both pair 'wisdom' with 'instruction' (or 'discipline') and present the fear of the LORD as foundational to knowledge.
- Prov.4.7 (thematic): Urges pursuit of wisdom as the chief goal ('get wisdom'), echoing Proverbs 1:2’s aim to impart knowledge and understanding.
- Deut.4.6 (allusion): Mosaic charge that obedience will make Israel a model of 'wisdom and understanding' among the nations; background for the wisdom/discipline tradition in Proverbs.
- Job 28.28 (verbal): Links 'wisdom' and 'understanding' with the fear of the LORD—parallels Proverbs’ concern for true, God‑centered wisdom and discernment.
- Ps.111.10 (thematic): Declares the fear of the LORD as the beginning of wisdom and connects obedience with understanding, reinforcing Proverbs’ pedagogical aim to teach wisdom and instruction.
Alternative generated candidates
- To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive words of insight.
- To know wisdom and instruction; to discern the sayings of insight.
Pro.1.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לקחת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- מוסר: NOUN,m,sg,const
- השכל: NOUN,m,sg,def
- צדק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ומשפט: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ומישרים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Prov.2.9 (verbal): Uses nearly identical terms—righteousness (צדק), judgment (משפט), and equity (מישרים) — promising understanding of these virtues to the seeker of wisdom.
- Prov.16.11 (thematic): Speaks of just measures and right judgment (justice) as God's concern for fair dealings, echoing the Proverb’s focus on justice and equity in human conduct.
- Micah 6:8 (thematic): Summarizes ethical demand as doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly—paralleling the moral aims (צדק, משפט, מישרים) attributed to wisdom in Prov 1:3.
- Amos 5:24 (thematic): Calls for justice and righteousness to prevail like a flowing stream, resonating with Prov 1:3’s emphasis on justice, judgment, and rightness as central moral goods.
- Psalm 89:14 (thematic): Declares that righteousness and justice are the foundation of God's rule, reflecting the Proverbial pairing of justice and righteousness as foundational virtues taught by wisdom.
Alternative generated candidates
- To receive instruction in prudent conduct, in righteousness, justice, and integrity.
- To receive instruction in prudent conduct, in righteousness, justice, and equity.
Pro.1.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לתת: VERB,qal,inf
- לפתאים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ערמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לנער: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דעת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ומזמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 1:2-3 (structural): Immediate context—states the book's purpose (to impart wisdom, instruction, and prudence), of which v.4 ('to give subtilty to the simple') is a part.
- Proverbs 2:1-6 (thematic): Calls the young to receive wisdom and understanding; emphasizes obtaining knowledge for the naïve and upright—same instructional aim as Prov.1:4.
- Proverbs 4:1-5 (thematic): A father's appeal to his children to acquire wisdom and discretion—parallels the goal of imparting understanding to the young/simple.
- Proverbs 8:5-6 (allusion): Wisdom's voice addresses the simple and calls for understanding and prudence, echoing the language and intent of giving insight to the simple.
- Proverbs 9:4-6 (quotation): Wisdom explicitly invites the simple to come and gain understanding—an explicit appeal corresponding to Prov.1:4's purpose of instructing the simple and young.
Alternative generated candidates
- To give shrewdness to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young.
- To give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
Pro.1.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ישמע: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- חכם: ADJ,m,sg
- ויוסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לקח: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ונבון: CONJ+ADJ,m,sg
- תחבלות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- יקנה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Prov.9.9 (verbal): Very close wording and parallel teaching: giving instruction to a wise person results in increased wisdom and learning (’Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning’).
- Prov.18.15 (verbal): Near-verbal parallel: both verses link the discerning/wise with active acquisition of knowledge (’The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out’).
- Prov.19.20 (thematic): Shared exhortation to listen to counsel and instruction in order to gain wisdom (’Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days’).
- Prov.23.12 (verbal): Similar imagery of attentive reception: urging the listener to apply heart and ear to instruction and words of knowledge, echoing the call for the wise to hear and increase in learning.'
- Prov.15.14 (thematic): Both emphasize the connection between understanding/insight and the pursuit of knowledge: the understanding heart seeks knowledge while fools feed on folly, analogous to the wise increasing in learning.
Alternative generated candidates
- Let the wise listen and add to their learning; let the discerning gain sound counsel.
- Let the wise hear and increase learning; the discerning will acquire sound counsel.
Pro.1.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- להבין: PREP+VERB,piel,inf
- משל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ומליצה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- דברי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,c,sg
- חכמים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- וחידתם: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Prov.1.2 (verbal): Part of the same introduction — both state the book's purpose to know wisdom and the ‘words of understanding,’ paralleling the language and intent of v.6.
- Prov.1.4 (thematic): Gives the practical aim of the sayings: to give prudence to the simple and knowledge to the young, complementing v.6's focus on understanding proverbs and riddles.
- Prov.1.7 (thematic): Provides the foundational principle (the fear of the LORD) for true knowledge and understanding, which v.6 seeks to impart; also contrasts fools who reject such instruction.
- Prov.22.17 (verbal): Begins a collection of sayings with the phrase ‘words of the wise’ and an exhortation to hear them — echoes v.6's reference to ‘the words of the wise’ and their riddles.
- Eccles.12.9-10 (allusion): The Preacher gathers and orders many proverbs and ‘words of the wise’; thematically parallels the interest in proverbs, enigmas, and wise sayings described in Prov 1:6.
Alternative generated candidates
- To understand proverbs and parables, the sayings of the wise and their riddles.
- To understand proverbs and parables, the words of the wise and their riddles.
Pro.1.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יראת: NOUN,f,sg,cs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ראשית: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- דעת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- חכמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ומוסר: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אוילים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בזו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Prov.9:10 (verbal): Echoes the exact formula 'The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom/knowledge,' linking fear-of-YHWH language with the origin of wisdom.
- Ps.111:10 (verbal): Uses the same formula 'The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,' applying it to those who keep God's commandments and praising its enduring value.
- Job 28:28 (thematic): Associates fear of the LORD with true wisdom and understanding ('Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding'), thematically parallel to Prov.1:7.
- Prov.15:33 (thematic): Links the fear of the LORD with instruction in wisdom and connects reverence for God to moral formation and eventual honor—develops the practical consequences of fearing the LORD.
Alternative generated candidates
- The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
- The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel.
To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight.
To receive instruction in prudence, in righteousness, in justice, and in integrity.
To give prudence to the naive, knowledge and discretion to the young.
Let the wise hear and increase in learning; let the discerning acquire guidance, and the prudent obtain counsel.
To understand proverbs and parables, the words of the wise and their riddles.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.