Proverbs

Definition and Meaning

Proverbs is a book of the Old Testament consisting of 31 chapters. The Korean title, jameon (箴言), means words of warning that prick like a needle, that is, short maxims that serve as instruction. The Hebrew title, Mishlei, likewise refers to parables or proverbs. Together with Job, Ecclesiastes, and other books, it is classified as "wisdom literature," which deals with wisdom for living. The theme of the entire book is often summarized by Proverbs 1:7: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge." Here "fear" means reverence combined with awe.

Biblical and Historical Background

Proverbs 1:1 introduces the book as the proverbs of Solomon, the son of David. The text also contains other collections:

• "The words of the wise" (22:17ff.)
• Proverbs of Solomon compiled by the men of King Hezekiah (25:1)
• The words of Agur (chapter 30)
• The words of King Lemuel (chapter 31)

The text itself thus shows that Proverbs is a compilation of several collections.

Chapters 1–9 consist mainly of extended exhortations from a father to his son and of poems that portray wisdom as a woman. From chapter 10 onward, the book consists largely of maxims of one or two lines. Proverbs 31:10–31 is a poem celebrating the "virtuous woman," in which each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Views differ regarding the book's authorship and the date of its compilation. The conservative view regards Solomon as its principal author. Many scholars hold that the collections were added over a long period, and they point out that part of 22:17ff. resembles the ancient Egyptian text The Instruction of Amenemope.

Practice in the Korean Church

Because Proverbs has 31 chapters, it is well suited to reading one chapter a day over the course of a month. As a result, "one chapter of Proverbs a day" is a widespread practice in personal quiet time and reading through the Bible. Proverbs 3:5–6 is frequently used for Scripture memorization. Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he should go," is often quoted in sermons on Sunday school and the raising of children. The passage on the virtuous woman in chapter 31 is frequently used as a sermon text on occasions such as Parents' Sunday.

All Protestant denominations recognize Proverbs as part of the canon, and its use does not differ greatly from one denomination to another. The Catholic Church, however, also accepts as canonical the similar wisdom books of Wisdom and Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), which Protestants do not include in the canon. These two books appear in the Catholic edition of the Korean Common Translation Bible.