Proverbs 1–9
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Proverbs 1 is the first
chapter Chapter or Chapters may refer to: Books * Chapter (books), a main division of a piece of writing or document * Chapter book, a story book intended for intermediate readers, generally age 7–10 * Chapters (bookstore), Canadian big box bookstore ...
of the
Book of Proverbs The Book of Proverbs (, ; , ; , "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. When translated into ...
in the
Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. '' Old Testament The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...
of the
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
.Holman Illustrated Bible Handbook. Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. 2012. The book is a compilation of several wisdom literature collections, with the heading in 1:1 may be intended to regard
Solomon Solomon (), also called Jedidiah, was the fourth monarch of the Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy), Kingdom of Israel and Judah, according to the Hebrew Bible. The successor of his father David, he is described as having been the penultimate ...
as the traditional author of the whole book, but the dates of the individual collections are difficult to determine, and the book probably obtained its final shape in the post-exilic period. This chapter is a part of the first collection of the book.


Text


Hebrew

The following table shows the
Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
text of Proverbs 1 with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the
JPS 1917 The Jewish Publication Society of America Version (JPS) of the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible) was the first Bible translation published by the Jewish Publication Society of America and the first translation of the Tanakh into English by a committee ...
translation (now in the
public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...
).


Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in
Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
are of the
Masoretic Text The Masoretic Text (MT or 𝕸; ) is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (''Tanakh'') in Rabbinic Judaism. The Masoretic Text defines the Jewish canon and its precise letter-text, with its vocaliz ...
, which includes the
Aleppo Codex The Aleppo Codex () is a medieval bound manuscript of the Hebrew Bible. The codex was written in the city of Tiberias in the tenth century CE (circa 920) under the rule of the Abbasid Caliphate, and was endorsed for its accuracy by Maimonides. ...
(10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008). Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the
Dead Sea Scrolls The Dead Sea Scrolls, also called the Qumran Caves Scrolls, are a set of List of Hebrew Bible manuscripts, ancient Jewish manuscripts from the Second Temple period (516 BCE – 70 CE). They were discovered over a period of ten years, between ...
including 4Q102 (4QProv; 30 BCE – 30 CE) with extant verses 27–33.Dead sea scrolls - Proverbs
/ref> There is also a translation into
Koine Greek Koine Greek (, ), also variously known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek, Septuagint Greek or New Testament Greek, was the koiné language, common supra-regional form of Greek language, Greek spoken and ...
known as the
Septuagint The Septuagint ( ), sometimes referred to as the Greek Old Testament or The Translation of the Seventy (), and abbreviated as LXX, is the earliest extant Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible from the original Biblical Hebrew. The full Greek ...
, made in the last few centuries BC; some extant ancient manuscripts of this version include
Codex Vaticanus The Codex Vaticanus ( The Vatican, Bibl. Vat., Vat. gr. 1209), is a manuscript of the Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Old Testament and the majority of the New Testament. It is designated by siglum B or 03 in the Gregory-Aland numb ...
(B; \mathfrakB; 4th century),
Codex Sinaiticus The Codex Sinaiticus (; Shelfmark: London, British Library, Add MS 43725), also called the Sinai Bible, is a fourth-century Christian manuscript of a Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Greek Old Testament, including the deuterocanonica ...
(S; BHK: \mathfrakS; 4th century), and
Codex Alexandrinus The Codex Alexandrinus (London, British Library, Royal MS 1. D. V-VIII) is a manuscript of the Greek Bible,The Greek Bible in this context refers to the Bible used by Greek-speaking Christians who lived in Egypt and elsewhere during the early ...
(A; \mathfrakA; 5th century).


Analysis

This chapter opens a section regarded as the first collection in the book of Proverbs (comprising Proverbs 1– 9), known as "Didactic discourses". The
Jerusalem Bible ''The Jerusalem Bible'' (JB or TJB) is an English translation of the Bible published in 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd. As a Catholic Bible, it includes 73 books: the 39 books shared with the Hebrew Bible, along with the seven deuterocanonical ...
describes chapters 1–9 as a prologue of the chapters 10–22:16, the so-called " ctualproverbs of
Solomon Solomon (), also called Jedidiah, was the fourth monarch of the Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy), Kingdom of Israel and Judah, according to the Hebrew Bible. The successor of his father David, he is described as having been the penultimate ...
", as "the body of the book". The chapter has the following structure: *Introduction (1:1–7) *Avoid Evil Men (1:8–19) *Wisdom's First Speech (1:20–33)


Introduction (1:1–7)

This section provides the purpose and value of the whole book, especially the basis of its teaching. The five purpose clauses of the collection of proverbs in general are listed in verses 1:2a, 2b, 3a, 4a, 6a of the opening section.


Verse 1

*"Proverb": from Hebrew noun , , can refer to "an object lesson based on or using a comparison or analogy", also can be "a short pithy statement" (
Ezekiel 16 Ezekiel 16 is the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christianity, Christian Bible. This book contains prophecies attributed to the Biblical prophet, prophet/Kohen, priest Ezekiel, and is one ...
:44), "object lesson drawn from experience" (
Psalm 78 Psalm 78 is the 78th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Give ear, O my people, to my law". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bi ...
:2–6), "saying or by-word" (
Deuteronomy 28 Ki Tavo, Ki Thavo, Ki Tabo, Ki Thabo, or Ki Savo (—Hebrew for "when you enter," the second and third words, and the first distinctive words, in the parashah) is the 50th weekly Torah portion (, ''parashah'') in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah ...
:37), or "an oracle of future blessing" (
Ezekiel 21 Ezekiel 21 is the twenty-first chapter of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet/priest Ezekiel, and is one of the Books of the Prophets. I ...
:1–5). *"The Proverbs of Solomon": a phrase that is considered the title for the entire book, although it does not mean that Solomon authored or collected all the proverbs in this book, because some sections are collections bearing the names different authors, such as the "sayings of the wise" (
Proverbs 22 Proverbs 22 is the 22nd chapter of the Book of Proverbs in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.Holman Illustrated Bible Handbook. Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. 2012. The book is a compilation of several wi ...
:17– 24:22), "more sayings of the wise" (
Proverbs 24 Proverbs 24 is the 24th chapter of the Book of Proverbs in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.Holman Illustrated Bible Handbook. Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. 2012. The book is a compilation of several wi ...
:23–34), "the words of
Agur Agur ben Jakeh () was a sage and a compiler of a collection of proverbs found in Proverbs 30, which is sometimes known as the ''Book of Agur'' or ''Sayings of Agur''. Biblical accounts The initial text of the chapter runs as follows ( JPS trans ...
" (
Proverbs 30 Proverbs 30 is the 30th chapter of the Book of Proverbs in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.''Holman Illustrated Bible Handbook''. Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. 2012. The book is a compilation of sever ...
:1–33) and "the words of Lemuel" (
Proverbs 31 Proverbs 31 is the 31st and final chapter of the Book of Proverbs in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. Verses 1 to 9 present the advice which King Lemuel's mother gave to him, about how a just king should reign. The r ...
:1–9).Note on Proverbs 1:1 in NET Bible The book might not be in its final canonical form in the days of Solomon, because there is a note in it that "the men of
Hezekiah Hezekiah (; ), or Ezekias (born , sole ruler ), was the son of Ahaz and the thirteenth king of Kingdom of Judah, Judah according to the Hebrew Bible.Stephen L Harris, Harris, Stephen L., ''Understanding the Bible''. Palo Alto: Mayfield. 1985. "G ...
" added a collection of Solomonic proverbs to the existing form of the book (
Proverbs 25 Proverbs 25 is the 25th chapter of the Book of Proverbs in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.Holman Illustrated Bible Handbook. Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. 2012. The book is a compilation of several wi ...
:1– 29:27).


Verse 2

*"To know" from a Hebrew stative verb , , which can mean "to come to know" or "to become wise in". *"Wisdom" from Hebrew noun , , which means 'skill, ability' and could be nuanced "moral skill."Note on Proverbs 1:2 in NET Bible The term refers to "skill" that produces something of value, such as the manual skills of craftsmen (Exodus 31:6; 35:35; cf.
Isaiah 40 Isaiah 40 is the fortieth chapter of the Book of Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, and the first chapter of the section known as "Deutero-Isaiah" (Isaiah 40- 55), dating from the time of the Israelites' ex ...
:20), the navigational skills of sailors (Psalm 107:27;
Ezekiel 27 Ezekiel 27 is the twenty-seventh chapter of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet/priest Ezekiel, and is one of the Books of the Prophets. ...
:8), abilities of weavers (Exodus 35:26), or capabilities of administrators ( 1 Kings 3:28). Deuteronomy 4:6 refers to the statutes and laws given by God as Israel's wisdom. To learn about wisdom means 'to become equipped with the skills necessary to live a good and successful life'. *"Instruction": The noun (, , which has a three-fold range of meaning: (1) physical or parental: "discipline; chastisement" (including that from God) (2) verbal: "warning; exhortation" and (3) moral: "training; instruction",Note on Proverbs 1:2 in NET Bible such as received under the authority of a parent or teacher (cf.
Proverbs 4 Proverbs 4 is the fourth chapter of the Book of Proverbs in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.Holman Illustrated Bible Handbook. Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. 2012. The book is a compilation of several ...
:1–5). This term is paired with "wisdom" () four times in the book (Proverbs 1:2, 7; 15:33, 23:23).


Verse 7

*"Fear of the ": from the Hebrew phrase , , with "
YHWH The TetragrammatonPronounced ; ; also known as the Tetragram. is the four-letter Hebrew-language theonym (transliterated as YHWH or YHVH), the name of God in the Hebrew Bible. The four Hebrew letters, written and read from right to left, a ...
" ("the Lord") in form of objective genitive, as the object of "fear and wonder".Note on Proverbs 1:7 in NET Bible This expression embraces both reverence for God (cf. Isaiah 8:13) and obedience to him (cf. Deuteronomy 10:12–13; Ecclesiastes 12:13); stated here as the prerequisite of true wisdom with a repetition in 9:10 as a literary inclusion for the section comprising Proverbs 1– 9, forming a central theme of the book. *"Fear": from the Hebrew term , , originated from the root , , which has a three-fold range of meanings: (1) "be in dread or terror" (Deuteronomy 1:29; Jonah 1:10), (2) "to stand in awe" (1 Kings 3:28), (3) "to revere; to respect" (Leviticus 19:3); all of these appear in
Exodus 20 The Ten Commandments (), or the Decalogue (from Latin , from Ancient Greek , ), are religious and ethical directives, structured as a covenant document, that, according to the Hebrew Bible, were given by YHWH to Moses. The text of the Ten C ...
:20. *"Beginning" may imply first in order ( Genesis 1:1;
Psalm 111 Psalm 111 is the 111th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Lat ...
:10; Proverbs 17:14;
Micah 1 The Book of Micah is the sixth of the twelve minor prophets in the Hebrew Bible. The book has seven chapters. Ostensibly, it records the sayings of Micah, whose name is ''Mikayahu'' (), meaning "Who is like Yahweh?", an 8th-century BCE prophet f ...
:13), or importance (Proverbs 4:7;
Amos 6 AMOS-6 was an Israeli communications satellite, one of the Spacecom AMOS series, that was built by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), a defense and aerospace company. AMOS-6 was intended to be launched on flight 29 of a SpaceX Falcon 9 to ...
:1), or the 'best part' (Amos 6:6).


Avoiding evil men (1:8–19)

This section contains the first of several instructions by "a father to his son" throughout the book of Proverbs. The characteristics of these instructions are: *an appeal for attentiveness (cf. verse 8); *the directive expressed as a command or prohibition (cf. verses 10b, 15), and *motivation clauses to heed the directive (cf. verses 9, 16–19). In contrast to the common practice in the wisdom schools of Egypt and Babylonia, which has a similar setting of instruction by a teacher to the pupils, the parallelism between father and mother (cf. verse 8) indicates that the instructions in the book of Proverbs may have a less formal setting of parental instruction at home. Although bearing constant reminders of parental authority, the motivation clauses appeal more to one's good sense than a duty to obey the parents.


Verse 8

This form of appeal, ''My son'', "is continually repeated throughout these opening chapters".. The medieval French rabbi
Rashi Shlomo Yitzchaki (; ; ; 13 July 1105) was a French rabbi who authored comprehensive commentaries on the Talmud and Hebrew Bible. He is commonly known by the List of rabbis known by acronyms, Rabbinic acronym Rashi (). Born in Troyes, Rashi stud ...
suggested that the "father" refers to God, the father of mankind, and the "instruction" or "discipline" meant the
law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...
which God "gave
Moses In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...
in writing and orally". Likewise, he suggested that "mother" refers to "your nation, the nation of Israel".Rashi
Rashi on Proverbs 1.8
accessed 1 April 2021
Theologian John Gill challenges this:


Wisdom's first speech (1:20–33)

In this passage Wisdom is personified as a woman, who speaks with a divine authority (the basis of this authority is explained in Proverbs 8:22-31). Rejecting Wisdom would mean rejecting "the fear of the Lord" (verse 29), and is reproached with a language in close parallel to prophetic indictments (cf. Isaiah 65:1–2,12; Jeremiah 6:19). On the other hand, those who take heed to Wisdom would enjoy security and peace of mind enjoyed by those who pay heed to Wisdom (verse 33; cf. Proverbs 3:21–26).


See also

*Related
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
parts: Proverbs 2, Proverbs 3,
Proverbs 9 Proverbs 9 is the ninth chapter of the Book of Proverbs in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.Holman Illustrated Bible Handbook. Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. 2012. The book is a compilation of several w ...
,
Proverbs 15 Proverbs 15 is the fifteenth chapter of the Book of Proverbs in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.Holman Illustrated Bible Handbook. Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. 2012. The book is a compilation of sever ...


Notes


References


Sources

* * * * * * * * * *


External links

*
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
translations: *
Mishlei - Proverbs - Chapter 1 (Judaica Press)
translation [with
Rashi Shlomo Yitzchaki (; ; ; 13 July 1105) was a French rabbi who authored comprehensive commentaries on the Talmud and Hebrew Bible. He is commonly known by the List of rabbis known by acronyms, Rabbinic acronym Rashi (). Born in Troyes, Rashi stud ...
's commentary] at Chabad.org *
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
translations: *
''Online Bible'' at GospelHall.org
(ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English)
Book of Proverbs Chapter 1 King James Version
* Various versions {{DEFAULTSORT:Proverbs 1 01