Wisdom Literature Part 06

As we continue our journey through the Wisdom Literature, the next book we will look at is Proverbs. In today’s lesson we will introduce the book and look at the title, author, date, audience and purpose of the book. 

Title

The original Hebrew title was “The Proverbs of Solomon.” The Hebrew word māšāl is translated as proverb, meaning superiority in mental action; similitude; parable; properly, a pithy maxim, usually of metaphorical nature; a rule.  

Authorship

Although the original title was “The Proverbs of Solomon” and most of the proverbs are attributed to him, statements in the book reveal that Solomon is not the only author. Authors include: 

• Solomon, the son of David. Solomon is credited with just over 500 proverbs (1 Kings 4:32 states that Solomon’s original collection numbered 3,000). We can recall that God was the origin of his wisdom: 1 Kings 3:5-12 and 4:29-34; Ecclesiastes 12:9-10.
• Unnamed wise men. “Sayings of the wise” is the attribution of 22:17-24:22 and 24:23-34. It’s possible they were members of Solomon’s court or wise men from other countries and/or from a time preceding Solomon (1 Kings 4:31, 12:6).
• Agur the son of Jakeh. Nothing is known of him except his being credited with writing Proverbs 30:1-33. “Agur” means “Gatherer” or “Collector,” possibly a pseudonym for Solomon.
• King Lemuel. This unknown king is credited with writing the words his mother told him (Proverbs 31:1-9). He may have been a non-Israelite due to a few sayings with Aramaic not Hebrew spelling. “Lemuel” means “Devoted to God” or "Belonging to God,” possibly a pseudonym for Solomon. 

Original Audience

Instruction is addressed to “the young” (Proverbs 1:4); “sons,” (Proverbs 1:8, 10; 2:1; 3:1; 4:1; 5:1), the “simple” (i.e., “immature”), and “the wise” ( Proverbs 1:4). Note that a “son” is a disciple of his father and of his mother. It’s possible that the book was originally intended for young men of the royal court.

Purpose

The book of Proverbs was to teach people wisdom, the skill of living daily in “the fear of the LORD.” Though it was originally intended to guide and instruct young men along the right path, its wisdom is perfectly suited for any person and of any age or of any time. 

Most proverbs follow a common pattern as Gleason Archer notes: “the characteristic type of māšāl or proverb in this book is that balanced antithesis that incisively contrasts the wise man and the fool, the good man and the wicked, true value and the false appearance, in such a way as to set forth the two sides of the truth in clearest opposition to each other and thus perform an incisive didactic function.  

There is a constant theme of the book with contradiction or opposition of obedience versus rebellion, industry versus laziness, prudence versus presumption, and so on. These are presented to put before the reader a clear-cut choice, leaving him no ground for wretched compromise or vacillating indecision” (A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, p. 437). 

Proverbs Outline  

1. Introduction: Title, Purpose and Theme (Proverbs 1:1-7)
2. Prologue: A Father’s Admonition to His Son to Acquire Wisdom (Proverbs 1:8-9:18)
3. Solomon’s Proverbs (Proverbs 10:1-22:16)
4. The Sayings of the Wise (Proverbs 22:17-24:22)
5. More Sayings of the Wise (Proverbs 24:23-34)
6. Solomon’s Proverbs Collected by Hezekiah’s Men (Proverbs 25:1-29:27)
7. The Words of Agur (Proverbs 30:1-33)
8. The Words of Lemuel from His Mother (Proverbs 31:1-9)
9. Epilogue: The Virtuous Wife (Proverbs 31:10-31) 

© Randy Urwiller, 2025. All rights reserved. 

UYA Team | uya@ucg.org  

United Young Adults (UYA) primarily serves the 18–32-year age group for the United Church of God. There are three main areas of contribution to the lives of the young adults: Promoting Spiritual Growth, Developing Meaningful Relationships and Making the Most of Your Talents. The Know Your Sword series is a daily expository message introducing God’s Word from a trusted perspective.