Difference between revisions of "Book Of Proverbs"

<p> <strong> [[Proverbs, Book Of]]  </strong> . The second book among the ‘Writings’ is the most characteristic example of the Wisdom literature in the OT. <strong> 1 </strong> . We may adopt the division of the book made by the headings in the Hebrew text as follows: </p> <p> I. &nbsp;Proverbs 1:1-33; &nbsp; Proverbs 2:1-22; &nbsp; Proverbs 3:1-35; &nbsp; Proverbs 4:1-27; &nbsp; Proverbs 5:1-23; &nbsp; Proverbs 6:1-35; &nbsp; Proverbs 7:1-27; &nbsp; Proverbs 8:1-36; &nbsp; Proverbs 9:1-18 , The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of [[Israel]] (heading for more than this section). See below. </p> <p> II. &nbsp;Proverbs 10:1 to &nbsp; Proverbs 22:16 , The proverbs of Solomon. </p> <p> III. &nbsp;Proverbs 22:17 to &nbsp; Proverbs 24:22 , … the words of the wise (&nbsp; Proverbs 22:17-21 forms an introductory poem). </p> <p> IV. &nbsp;Proverbs 24:23-34 , These also are the sayings of the wise. </p> <p> V. &nbsp;Proverbs 25:1-28; &nbsp; Proverbs 26:1-28; &nbsp; Proverbs 27:1-27; &nbsp; Proverbs 28:1-28; &nbsp; Proverbs 29:1-27 , These also are the proverbs of Solomon which the men of [[Hezekiah]] copied out. </p> <p> VI. &nbsp;Proverbs 30:1-33 , The words of Agur, etc. </p> <p> VII. &nbsp;Proverbs 31:1-9 , The words of king Lemuel, etc. </p> <p> VIII. &nbsp;Proverbs 31:10 to &nbsp; Proverbs 31:31 , Without heading, but clearly distinct from VII. </p> <p> Sections I., II., and III. form the body of the book; sections IV. and V. are additions to the earlier portion, and [[Vi., Vii]]  and VIII. are still later additions. </p> <p> We consider section II. first, because here the typical Hebrew proverb is best seen, especially if chs. 10 15 are taken by themselves as II <em> a </em> . These chapters consist of aphorisms in the form of couplets showing antithetic parallelism (see Poetry). The couplets are wholly detached, and little order is observable in their arrangement. In content they come nearest being popular, even if they are not so actually. In general they show a contented and cheerful view of life. The wise are mentioned, and with admiration, but not as a class or as forming a school of thought or instruction. They are the successful, upright, prosperous men, safe examples in affairs of common life. In II <em> b </em> the lines are still arranged in distiches, but the antithetic parallelism has largely given way to the synonymous or synthetic variety. This form gives a little more opportunity for classifying and developing the sentiment of the proverb. ‘My son’ is addressed a few times, but not regularly. [[Section]] III. again marks an advance over II <em> a </em> and II <em> b </em> . The verses &nbsp; Proverbs 22:17-21 are a hortatory introduction. There follows a collection of quatrains, instead of couplets. They are maxims with proverbs among them. Consecutive thought has developed. The truths stated are still the simple every-day ones, but they show meditation as well as observation. Section IV. is an appendix to the third, both coming from ‘the Wise.’ It is very defective in rhythm, and seemingly the text has suffered corruption. In the few verses three themes are treated, chiefly the sluggard. Section V. is easily subdivided. Chs. 25 27:22 contain proverbs in the form of comparisons. Chs. 28 29 are in the style of section II. Between the two a little piece (&nbsp; Proverbs 27:23-27 ) praises the life of a farmer. Section VI. consists of several independent discourses. The heading (&nbsp; Proverbs 30:1 ) separates the chapter from the preceding, but otherwise adds little to our knowledge of the origin, for it is wellnigh unintelligible, Even if it consists of proper names, as is most likely, there is no gain from knowing them and nothing more. In &nbsp; Proverbs 30:15 ff. are several stanzas of peculiar ‘numerical’ style: ‘there are three things that … and four … namely …’ Section VII. is a brief manual for a king or judge, though the maxims are rather rudimentary and homely. If there is a temperance lesson, it is only for the king; the advice to the poor and oppressed is very different (see &nbsp; Proverbs 30:6-7 ). The remainder of the chapter, section VIII., is noticeable for two things: its alphabetical structure, each couplet beginning with a new letter in regular order, and the unusual subject, the capable housewife. A most delicate tribute is in the omission of any reference to her virtue, which is tacitly assumed, and not even mentioned. </p> <p> There remains the important section chs. 1 9. Its position at the head of the book does not show that it was first in point of time. It is clearly a preface, or hortatory introduction. It does not so much give wise counsel of a concrete kind, as praise the wisdom illustrated in the concrete counsels of the following sections. It is studied, philosophical, flowing in style. It addresses ‘My son’ at the beginning of a new paragraph, exactly as a teacher addresses ‘My hearers’ as he begins a lecture. In one chapter at least, the eighth, the adoration of wisdom is carried to the limit, and in spite of the fine personification one feels, regretfully, far removed from the plain practical precepts of sections II. and III. In this ‘cosmogonic hymn’ wisdom is assigned a dignity in the universe hardly inferior to that of the Creator. </p> <p> Among the various attempts to explain the form in which the book comes to us, perhaps the following will be found as simple as any. We may suppose that the proverbs ‘of Solomon’ in II <em> a </em> and II <em> b </em> were collected separately and then combined in II.; that ‘the words of the wise’ in III. at first stood by themselves, and were supplemented by IV.; that the two groups, II. and [[Iii. Iv]]  were then joined together, becoming known as the proverbs ‘of Solomon’; that the collection in V. was attached; that to this book section I. was then prefixed as an introduction, which was thus stamped as the literature of the school of Wisdom. The few remaining chapters, sections [[Vi., Vii]]  and VIII., were added later from the mass of Wisdom literature which must have been in existence, or later came into existence. </p> <p> <strong> 2 </strong> . As for the <em> date </em> of the book, the traditional ascription of parts of it to king Solomon must, of course, be discarded. And with this rejection there disappears any reason for seeking an early date for it. The time when, all things considered, the compilation is best explained, is between b.c. 350 and 150. From the nature of the case it is impossible to fix even approximately the date of the origin of individual couplets. Many of the arguments valid against an early date of compilation are valueless so far as the single proverbs are concerned. </p> <p> <strong> 3 </strong> . The authors of the Wisdom literature do not claim revealed wisdom; their teachings are only practical common sense. They are humanists, basing their morality upon the universal principles underlying all human nature. From this practical interest the view broadens to the wide sweep of ch. 8. ‘Proverbs may be regarded as a manual of conduct, or, as Bruch calls it, an “anthology of gnomes.” Its observations relate to a number of forms of life, to affairs domestic, agricultural, urban (the temptations of city life), commercial, political, and military’ (Toy, <em> Proverbs </em> , p. x.). </p> <p> O. H. Gates. </p>

<p> In this book God has furnished, through the wisest of men, principles and precepts for the guidance and security of the believer in passing through the temptations to which he is exposed in an evil world. The admonitions speak in terms of affectionate warning 'as to sons:' &nbsp;Hebrews 12:5 . Under symbolic terms, such as 'the evil man' and 'the strange woman,' the great forms of evil in the world, violent self-will, and corrupting folly, are laid bare in their course and end. Wisdom is shown as the alone guard against one or the other. Wisdom is presented, not as a faculty residing in man, but as an object to be diligently sought after and acquired. It is often personified, and is spoken of as lifting up her voice. In &nbsp;Proverbs 8 , under the idea of wisdom, we have doubtless Christ presented as the resource that was with God from 'the beginning of His way,' so that God could independently of man establish and bring into effect His thoughts of grace for men. </p> <p> In detail the book refers to the world, showing what things are to be sought and what to be avoided, and evinces that in the government of God a man reaps according to what he sows, irrespective of the spiritual blessings of God in grace beyond and above this world. It maintains integrity in the earthly relationships of this life, which cannot be violated with impunity. The instruction rises altogether above mere human prudence and sagacity, for "the fear of the Lord is the beginning [or 'principal part,' <i> margin </i> ] of knowledge." We have in it the wisdom of God for the daily path of human life. </p> <p> The book divides itself into two parts: the first nine chapters give general principles, and &nbsp;Proverbs 10 onwards are the proverbs themselves. This latter portion divides itself into three parts: &nbsp; Proverbs 10 : to &nbsp;Proverbs 24 , the proverbs of Solomon; &nbsp;Proverbs 25 to &nbsp; Proverbs 29 , also the proverbs of Solomon, which were gathered by "the men of Hezekiah king of Judah." &nbsp;Proverbs 30 gives the words of Agur; and &nbsp; Proverbs 31 the words of king Lemuel. </p> <p> The Proverbs is a book of poetry. The proverbs vary in style: some are antithetical couplets, one being the <i> opposite </i> of the other, as "a wise son maketh a glad father; <i> but </i> a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother." Others are synthetical, the second sentence <i> enforcing </i> the first, as "The Lord hath made all things for himself, <i> yea, </i> even the wicked for the day of evil." See [[Poetry]] </p> <p> In &nbsp;Proverbs 1 the purport of the proverbs is pointed out: it is that instruction in wisdom, justice, judgement, and equity might be received: the fear of the Lord is the starting point. Satan would of course oppose this, so warnings are at once given to avoid the enticings of sinners. Wisdom cries aloud and in the streets: her instructions are for all. [[Retribution]] is for such as refuse her call. </p> <p> &nbsp;Proverbs 2 gives the results of following in the path of wisdom, whereasthe wicked will be rooted out. </p> <p> &nbsp;Proverbs 3 shows that it is the fear of God, and subjection to Hisword, that is the only true path in an evil world. </p> <p> &nbsp;Proverbs 4 enforces the study of wisdom: it will surely bringinto blessing. Evil must be avoided and be kept at a distance. The heart, the eye, and the feet must be watched. </p> <p> &nbsp;Proverbs 5 warns a man against leaving the wife of his youth (the lawful connection) for the strange woman, which leads to utter demoralisation. </p> <p> &nbsp;Proverbs 6 enjoins one not to be surety for another. Wisdom is not slothful, violent, nor deceitful. There are seven things which are an abomination to the Lord. The strange woman is again pointed out to be avoided <i> as fire </i> : there is no ransom for adultery. </p> <p> &nbsp;Proverbs 7 again shows the traps laid by the strange woman, which alas, are often too successful. Her house is the way to hell (Sheol). </p> <p> &nbsp;Proverbs 8 proclaims that wisdom calls, and invites all to listen: it is valuable for all — kings, princes, rulers, judges. With wisdom are linked durable riches and righteousness: her fruit is better than gold. All God's works in creation were carried out in wisdom. This introduces Christ as <i> the wisdom of God </i> , from &nbsp;Proverbs 8:22 . He was there before the work of creation was begun. His delights were with the sons of men (&nbsp;Proverbs 8:31 ), with which agrees the song of the heavenly host at the birth of the Lord Jesus: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward man." &nbsp;Luke 2:14 . Wisdom says, "Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoso findeth me findeth life." </p> <p> &nbsp;Proverbs 9 . Wisdom is established: she has her house, her food, her bread, and her wine. Her maidens are sent forth with loving invitations to enter. Again the world has its counter attractions by the strange woman; but the dead are there, and her guests in the depths of Sheol. </p> <p> Thus far are the general principles on which wisdom acts: in &nbsp;Proverbs 10 to the end are the proverbs themselves. They enter into details of dangers and how they are to be avoided, and show the path that wisdom leads into, and in which there is safety. </p> <p> &nbsp;Proverbs 30 has a heading, "The words of Agur, the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto [[Ithiel]] and Ucal." As these names are not known, it has been supposed that they are symbolical, and that Agur refers to Solomon. Whether this is so or not does not in any way affect the value of the proverbs in the chapter. There are six sets of four things: </p> <p> Four generations that are evil. (&nbsp;Proverbs 30:11-14 .) </p> <p> Four things that are insatiable. (&nbsp;Proverbs 30:15,16 ) </p> <p> Four things that are inscrutable. (&nbsp;Proverbs 30:18,19 ) </p> <p> Four things that are intolerable. (&nbsp;Proverbs 30:21-23 .) </p> <p> Four things that are weak, yet wise. (&nbsp;Proverbs 30:24-28 .) </p> <p> Four things that are very stately. (&nbsp;Proverbs 30:29-31 .) </p> <p> &nbsp;Proverbs 32 . Here are "the words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him." Who king [[Lemuel]] was is not known: this has caused some to suppose that Solomon is again alluded to. The first nine verses speak of the character of a king according to wisdom. The principal things are that his strength should not be given unto women, nor to strong drink, and that his mouth should be opened for those ready to perish, the poor, and the needy. The rest of the chapter is devoted to the description of a virtuous woman. She fills her house with good things, and brings prosperity to the household and honour to her husband. The king and the virtuous woman may in some respects be typical of Christ and the church. </p> <p> [[Christians]] should study the Book of Proverbs, for (even when properly occupied with heavenly things, and the interests of Christ on earth) they are apt to overlook the need of wisdom from heaven to pass through this evil world, and to manage their affairs on earth in the fear of God. </p>

<li> [[Containing]] proverbs of Solomon "which the men of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, collected" (ch. 25-29). <p> These are followed by two supplements, (1) "The words of Agur" (ch. 30); and (2) "The words of king Lemuel" (ch. 31). </p> <p> Solomon is said to have written three thousand proverbs, and those contained in this book may be a selection from these (&nbsp;1 Kings 4:32 ). In the New [[Testament]] there are thirty-five direct quotations from this book or allusions to it. </p> <div> <p> '''Copyright Statement''' These dictionary topics are from M.G. Easton [[M.A., DD]]  Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by [[Thomas]] Nelson, 1897. Public Domain. </p> <p> '''Bibliography Information''' Easton, Matthew George. Entry for 'Proverbs, Book of'. Easton's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ebd/p/proverbs-book-of.html. 1897. </p> </div> </li>

<p> ''''' prov´ẽrbz ''''' : </p> <p> I. The Book 'S Account Of Itself </p> <p> 1. Title and Headings </p> <p> 2. Authorship or Literary Species? </p> <p> II. The Successive Compilations </p> <p> 1. The Introductory Section </p> <p> 2. The Classic Nucleus </p> <p> 3. A B ody of Solicited Counsel </p> <p> 4. Some Left-over Precepts </p> <p> 5. The Hezekian [[Collection]] </p> <p> 6. Words of Agur </p> <p> 7. Words of King Lemuel </p> <p> 8. An [[Acrostic]] [[Eulogy]] of Woman </p> <p> III. Movement Toward A [[Philosophy]] </p> <p> 1. Liberation of the [[Mashal]] </p> <p> 2. Emergence of Basal [[Principles]] </p> <p> 3. The [[Conception]] of Wisdom </p> <p> IV. Considerations Of Age And Literary Kinsh IP </p> <p> 1. Under the Kings </p> <p> 2. The Concentrative [[Point]] </p> <p> 3. Its [[Stage]] in Progressive Wisdom </p> <p> The Scripture book which in both the Hebrew and the Greek arrangements of the Old Testament [[Canon]] immediately succeeds the Psalms. In the Hebrew Canon it stands second in the final or supplementary division called <i> ''''' kethūbhı̄m ''''' </i> [[Septuagint]] Παροιμίαι , <i> ''''' Paroimı́ai ''''' </i> ), "writings"; placed there probably because it would be most natural to begin this section with standard collections nearest at hand, which of course would be psalms and proverbs. This book is an anthology of sayings or lessons of the sages on life, character, conduct; and as such embodies the distinctively educative strain of Hebrew literature. </p> I. The Book's Account of Itself. <p> <b> 1. Title and Headings: </b> </p> <p> At the beginning, intended apparently to cover the whole work, stands the title: "The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel." It seemed good to the compilers, however, to repeat, or perhaps retain an older heading, "The proverbs of Solomon" at &nbsp;Proverbs 10 , as if in some special sense the collection there beginning deserved it; and at &nbsp;Proverbs 25 still another heading occurs: "These also are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out." All these ascribe the proverbs to Solomon; but the heading (&nbsp; Proverbs 30:1 ), "The words of Agur the son of Jakeh; the oracle," and the heading (&nbsp;Proverbs 31:1 ), "The words of king Lemuel; the oracle which his mother taught him," indicate that authorship other than that of Solomon is represented; while the mention of "the words of the wise" (&nbsp;Proverbs 1:6; &nbsp;Proverbs 22:17 ), as also the definite heading, "These also are sayings of the wise" (&nbsp;Proverbs 24:23 ), ascribe parts of the book to the sages in general. The book is confessedly a series of compilations made at different times; confessedly, also, to a considerable extent at least, the work of a number, perhaps a whole guild, of writers. </p> <p> <b> 2. Authorship or Literary Species?: </b> </p> <p> It is hazardous to argue either for or against a specific authorship; nor is it my intention to do so. The question naturally arises, however, in what sense this book, with its composite structure so outspoken, can lay claim to being the work of Solomon. Does the title refer to actual personal authorship, or does it name a species and type of literature of which Solomon was the originator and inspirer - as if it meant to say "the Solomonic proverbs?" We may work toward the answer of this question by noting some literary facts. </p> <p> Outside of the prophets only three of the Old Testament books are provided in the original text with titles; and these three are all associated with Solomon - two of them, Proverbs and the Song of Songs, directly; the third, Ecclesiastes, by an assumed name, which, however, personates Solomon. This would seem to indicate in the composition of these books an unusual degree of literary finish and self-consciousness, a sense on the part of writers or compilers that literature as an art has its claims upon them. The subject-matter of the books, too, bears this out; they are, relatively speaking, the secular books of the Bible and do not assume divine origin, as do law and prophecy. For the original impulse to such literary culture the history directs us to the reign of King Solomon; see &nbsp;1 Kings 4:29-34 , where is portrayed, on the part of king and court, an intense intellectual activity for its own sake, the like of which occurs nowhere else in Scripture. The forms then especially impressed upon the literature were the <i> ''''' māshāl ''''' </i> (proverb) and the song, in both of which the versatile young king was proficient; compare &nbsp;1 Kings 4:32 . For the cultivation of the <i> ''''' māshāl ''''' </i> these men of letters availed themselves of a favorite native form, the popular proverb; but they gave to it a literary mold and finish which would thenceforth distinguish it as the Solomonic <i> ''''' māshāl ''''' </i> (see Proverb ). This then was the literary form in which from the time of Solomon onward the sages of the nation put their counsels of life, character, conduct; it became as distinctively the mold for this didactic strain of literature as was the heroic couplet for a similar strain in the age of Dryden and Pope. </p> <p> It is reasonable therefore to understand this title of the Book of Proverbs as designating rather a literary species than a personal authorship; it names this anthology of Wisdom in its classically determined phrasing, and for age and authorship leaves a field spacious enough to cover the centuries of its currency. Perhaps also the proverb of this type was by the term "of Solomon" differentiated from <i> ''''' māshāl ''''' </i> of other types, as for instance those of Balaam and Job and Koheleth. </p> II. The Successive Compilations. <p> <b> 1. The Introductory Section: </b> </p> <p> That the Book of Proverbs is composed of several collections made at different times is a fact that lies on the surface; as many as eight of these are clearly marked, and perhaps subdivisions might be made. The book was not originally conceived as the development of a theme, or even as a unity; whatever unity it has was an afterthought. That it did come to stand, however, for one homogeneous body of truth, and to receive a name and a degree of articulation as such, will be maintained in a later section (see III, below). Meanwhile, we will take the sections in order and note some of the salient characteristics of each. The introductory section, &nbsp;Proverbs 1 through 9, has the marks of having been added later than most of the rest; and is introductory in the sense of concentrating the thought to the concept of Wisdom, and of recommending the spiritual attitude in which it is to be received. Its style - and in this it is distinguished from the rest of the book - is hortatory; it is addressed to "my son" (&nbsp; Proverbs 1:8 and often) or "my sons" (&nbsp; Proverbs 4:1; &nbsp;Proverbs 5:7; &nbsp;Proverbs 7:24; &nbsp;Proverbs 8:32 ), in the tone of a father or a sage, bringing stores of wisdom and experience to the young. The first six verses are prefatory, giving the purpose and use of the whole book. Then &nbsp;Proverbs 1:7 lays down as the initial point, or spiritual bedrock of Wisdom, the fear of Yahweh, a principle repeated toward the end of this introductory section (&nbsp; Proverbs 9:10 ), and evidently regarded as very vital to the whole Wisdom system; compare &nbsp;Job 28:28; &nbsp;Psalm 111:10; [[Sirach]] 1:14. The effect of this prefatory and theme-propounding matter is to launch the collection of proverbs much after the manner of modern literary works, and the rest of the section bears this out fairly well. The most striking feature of the section, besides its general homiletic tone, is its personification of Wisdom. She is represented as calling to the sons of men and commending to them her ways (&nbsp;Proverbs 1:20-33; 8:1-21, &nbsp;Proverbs 8:32-36 ); she condescends, for right and purity's sake, to enter into rivalry with the "strange woman," the temptress, not in secret, but in open and fearless dealing (Prov 7:6 through 8:9; &nbsp;Proverbs 9:1-6 , &nbsp;Proverbs 9:13-18 ); and, in a supremely poetic passage (&nbsp;Proverbs 8:22-31 ), she describes her relation from the beginning with God and with the sons of men. It represents the value that the Hebrew mind came to set upon the human endowment of Wisdom. The Hebrew philosopher thought not in terms of logic and dialectics, but in symbol and personality; and to this high rank, almost like that of a goddess, his imagination has exalted the intellectual and spiritual powers of man. See [[Wisdom]] . </p> <p> <b> 2. The Classic Nucleus: </b> </p> <p> The section &nbsp;Proverbs 10:1 through 22:16, with the repeated heading "The proverbs of Solomon", seems to have been the original nucleus of the whole collection. All the proverbs in this, the longest section of the book, are molded strictly to the couplet form (the one triplet, &nbsp; Proverbs 19:7 , being only an apparent exception, due probably to the loss of a line), each proverb a parallelism in condensed phrasing, in which the second line gives either some contrast to or some amplification of the first. This was doubtless the classic art norm of the Solomonic <i> ''''' māshāl ''''' </i> . </p> <p> The section seems to contain the product of that period of proverb-culture during which the sense of the model was a little rigid and severe, not venturing yet to limber up the form. [[Signs]] of a greater freedom, however, begin to appear, and possibly two strata of compilation are represented. In &nbsp;Proverbs 10 through 15 the prevailing couplet is antithetic, which embodies the most self-closed circuit of the thought. Out of 184 proverbs only 19 do not contain some form of contrast, and 10 of these are in &nbsp; Proverbs 15 . In &nbsp;Proverbs 16 through 22:16, on the other hand, the prevailing form is the so-called synonymous or amplified couplet, which leaves the thought-circuit more open to illustrative additions. Out of 191 proverbs only 18 are antithetic, and these contain contrasts of a more subtle and hidden suggestion. As to subject-matter, the whole section is miscellaneous; in the first half, however, where the antithesis prevails, are the great elemental distinctions of life, wisdom and folly, righteousness and wickedness, industry and laziness, wise speech and reticence, and the like; while in the second half there is a decided tendency to go farther afield for subtler and less obvious distinctions. In this way they seem to reflect a growing and refining literary development, the gradual shaping and accumulation of materials for a philosophy of life; as yet, however, not articulated or reduced to unity of principle. </p> <p> <b> 3. A B ody of Solicited Counsel: </b> </p> <p> In the short section &nbsp;Proverbs 22:17 through 24:22, the proverb literature seems for the first time to have become as it were self-conscious - to regard itself as a strain of wise counsel to be reckoned with for its educative value. The section is introduced by a preface (&nbsp; Proverbs 22:17-21 ), in which these "words of the wise" are recommended to some person or delegation, "that thou mayest carry back words of truth to them that send thee" (&nbsp;Proverbs 22:21 ). The counsels seem intended for persons in responsible position, perhaps attached to the court (compare &nbsp;Proverbs 23:1-3 ), who, as they are to deal officially with men and affairs, need the prudence, purity, and temperance which will fit them for their duties. As to form, the detached couplet appears only occasionally; the favorite form is the quatrain; but proverbs of a greater number of lines are freely used, and one, the counsel on wine drinking (&nbsp;Proverbs 23:29-35 ), runs to 17 lines. In tone and specific counsel the section has many resemblances to the introductory section (Proverbs 1 through 9), and provokes the conjecture that this latter section, as the introduction to a compiled body of Wisdom, was composed not long after it. </p> <p> <b> 4. Some Left-Over Precepts: </b> </p> <p> The little appendix (&nbsp;Proverbs 24:23-34 ) is headed, "These also are sayings of the wise." They refer to wise intercourse and ordered industry. The little poem on the sluggard (&nbsp;Proverbs 24:30-34 ), with its refrain (&nbsp;Proverbs 24:33 , &nbsp;Proverbs 24:14 ), is noteworthy as being apparently one stanza of a poem which is completed with the same refrain in the introductory section (&nbsp;Proverbs 6:6-11 ). The stanzas are of the same length and structure; and it would seem the latter named was either discovered later or composed as a supplement to the one in this section. </p> <p> <b> 5. The Hezekian Collection: </b> </p> <p> The long section (&nbsp;Proverbs 25 through 29) is headed, "These also are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out." The collection claims to be only a compilation; but if, as already suggested, we understand the term "proverbs of Solomon" as equivalent to "Solomonic proverbs," referring rather to species than personal authorship, the compilation may have been made not merely from antiquity, but from the archives of the Wisdom guilds. If so, we have a clue to the state of the Wisdom literature in Hezekiah's time. The collection as a whole, unlike secs. 3,4, returns predominantly to the classic form of the couplet, but with a less degree of compression and epigram. There is a tendency to group numbers of proverbs on like subjects; note for instance the group on the king (&nbsp; Proverbs 25:2-7 ). The most striking-feature of the collection is the prevalence of simile and analogy, and in general the strong figurative coloring, especially in Proverbs 25 through 27; it reads like a new species of proverb when we note that in all the earlier Solomonic sections there are only two clearly defined similes (&nbsp;Proverbs 10:26; &nbsp;Proverbs 11:22 ). In Proverbs 25 through 27 are several proverbs of three, four, or five lines, and at the end (&nbsp;Proverbs 27:23-27 ) a charming little poem of ten lines on husbandry. Proverbs 28; 29 are entirely of couplets, and the antithetic proverb reappears in a considerable number. As to subject-matter, the thought of this section makes a rather greater demand on the reader's culture and thinking powers, the analogies being less obvious, more subtle. It is decidedly the reflection of a more literary age than that of section 2. </p> <p> <b> 6. Words of Agur: </b> </p> <p> &nbsp;Proverbs 30 is taken up with "the words of Agur the son of Jakeh," a person otherwise unknown, who disclaims expert knowledge of Wisdom lore (&nbsp; Proverbs 30:3 ), and avows an agnostic attitude toward theological speculations, yet shows a tender reverence before the name and unplumbed mystery of [[Yahweh]] (&nbsp;Proverbs 30:6 , &nbsp;Proverbs 30:9 , &nbsp;Proverbs 30:32 ). His words amount to a plea against a too adventurous, not to say presumptuous, spirit in the supposed findings of human Wisdom, and as such supply a useful makeweight to the mounting pride of the scholar. Yet over this peculiar plea is placed the word "Massa" (המּשּׂא , <i> ''''' ha ''''' </i> -massa <i> ''''' ̄' ''''' </i> ); "burden" or "oracle," the term used for prophetic disclosures; and the word for "said" ("the man said," הגּבר נאם , <i> ''''' ne'um ''''' </i> <i> ''''' ha ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' gebher ''''' </i> ) is the word elsewhere used for mystic or divine utterance. This seems to mark a stage in the self-consciousness of Wisdom when it was felt that its utterances could be ranked by the side of prophecy as a revelation of truth (compare what Wisdom says of herself, &nbsp;Proverbs 8:14 ), and could claim the authoritative term "oracle." For the rest, apart from the humble reverence with which they are imbued, these words of Agur do not rise to a high level of spiritual thinking; they tend rather to the riddling element, or "dark sayings" (compare &nbsp;Proverbs 1:6 ). The form of his proverbs is peculiar, verging indeed on the artificial; he deals mostly in the so-called numerical proverb ("three things ... yea, four"), a style of utterance paralleled elsewhere only in &nbsp;Proverbs 6:16-19 , but something of a favorite in the later cryptic sayings of the scribes, as may be seen in <i> ''''' Pirḳe ''''' </i> <i> ''''' 'Ābhōth ''''' </i> . </p> <p> <b> 7. Words of King Lemuel: </b> </p> <p> &nbsp;Proverbs 31:1-9 (possibly the whole chapter should be included) is headed, "The words of king Lemuel; the oracle which his mother taught him." Here occurs again the mysterious Word "oracle," which would seem to be open to the same interpretation as the one given in the previous paragraph, though some would make this otherwise unknown monarch a king of Massa, and refer to the name of one of the descendants of [[Ishmael]] (&nbsp; [[Genesis]] 25:14 ), presumably a tribal designation. The Hebrew sages from the beginning were in rivalry and fellowship with the sages of other nations (compare &nbsp;1 Kings 4:30 , &nbsp;1 Kings 4:31 ); and in the Book of Job, the supreme reach of Wisdom utterance, all of the sages, Job included, are from countries outside of Palestine. King Lemuel, if an actual personage, was not a Jew; and probably Agur was not. The words of Lemuel are a mother's plea to her royal son for chastity, temperance and justice, the kingly virtues. The form is the simple Hebrew parallelism, not detached couplets, but continuous. </p> <p> <b> 8. An Acrostic Eulogy of Woman: </b> </p> <p> The Book of Proverbs ends in a manner eminently worthy of its high standard of sanity and wisdom. Without any heading (it may possibly belong to the "oracle" that the mother of Lemuel taught her son) the last 22 verses (31:10-31) constitute a single poem in praise of a worthy woman, extolling especially her household virtues. In form these verses begin in the original with the successive 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet; a favorite form of Hebrew verse, as may be seen (in the original) in several of the psalms, notably &nbsp;Psalm 119 , and in &nbsp;Lamentations 1 through 4. </p> III. Movement Toward a Philosophy. <p> It has been much the fashion with modern critics to deny to the Hebrews a truly philosophic mind; this they say was rather the distinctive gift of the Greeks; while for their solution of the problem of life the Hebrews depended on direct revelation from above, which precluded that quasi-abeyance of concepts, that weighing of cosmic and human elements, involved in the commonly received notion of philosophy. This criticism takes account of only one side of the Hebrew mind. It is true they believed their life to be in direct contact with the will and word of Yahweh, revealed to them in terms which could not be questioned; but in the findings and deliverance of their own intellectual powers, too, they had a reliance and confidence which merits the name of an authentic philosophy. But theirs was a philosophy not of speculative world-making, but of conduct and the practical management of life; and it was intuitive and analogical, not the result of dialectical reasoning. Hence, its name wisdom, the solution itself, rather than philosophy, the love of wisdom, the search for solution. This Book of Proverbs, beginning with detached maxims on the elements of conduct, reveals in many suggestive ways the gradual emergence of a philosophy, a comprehensive wisdom, as it were, in the making; it is thus the pioneer book of that Hebrew Wisdom which we see developed to maturer things in the books of Job and Ecclesiastes. Some of its salient stages may here be traced. </p> <p> <b> 1. Liberation of the Mashal: </b> </p> <p> We may first note it, or the literary preparation for it, in the opening up of the <i> ''''' māshāl ''''' </i> , or proverb unit, toward added elements of illustration, explanation, amplitude, a development that begins to appear, in the oldest section (the classic nucleus, section 2) at about &nbsp; Proverbs 16 . The primitive antithetic <i> ''''' māshāl ''''' </i> contrasted two aspects of truth in such a way as to leave the case closed; there was nothing for it but to go on to a new subject. This had the good effect of setting over against each other the great elemental antagonisms of life: righteousness and wickedness, obedience and lawlessness, teachableness and perversity, industry and laziness, prudence and presumption, reticence and prating, etc., and so far forth it was a masterly analysis of the essentials of individual and social conduct. As soon, however, as the synonymous and illustrative <i> ''''' māshāl ''''' </i> prevails, we are conscious of a limbering up and greater penetrativeness of the range of thought; it is open to subtler distinctions and remoter discoveries, and the analogies tend to employ the less direct relationships of cause and effect. This is increased as we go on, especially by the greater call upon the imagination in the figurative tissue of the Hezekian section, and by the decidedly greater tendency to the riddling and paradox element. The <i> ''''' māshāl ''''' </i> increases in length and amplitude, both by the grouping of similar subjects and by the enlargement from the couplet to the quatrain and the developed poem. All this, while not yet a self-conscious philosophy, is a step on the way thereto. </p> <p> <b> 2. Emergence of Basal Principles: </b> </p> <p> One solid presupposition of the sages, like an axiom, was never called in question: namely, that righteousness and wisdom are identical, that wickedness of any sort is folly. This imparts at once a kind of prophetic coloring to the Wisdom precepts, well represented by the opening proverb in the original section (after the prefatory one about the wise son), "Treasures of wickedness profit nothing; but righteousness delivereth from death" (&nbsp;Proverbs 10:2 ). Thus from the outset is furnished an uncompromising background on which the fascinating allurements of vice, the crooked ways of injustice and dishonesty, the sober habits of goodness and right dealing, show for what they are and what they tend to. The sages thus put themselves, too, in entire harmony with what is taught by priests and prophets; there is no quarrel with the law or the word; they simply supply the third strand in the threefold cord of instruction (compare &nbsp;Jeremiah 18:18 ). From this basal presumption other principles, scarcely less axiomatic, come in view: that the fount and spring of wise living is reverence, the fear of Yahweh; that the ensuring frame of mind is teachableness, the precluding attitude perverseness; that it is the mark of wisdom, or righteousness, to be fearless and above board, of wickedness, which is folly, to be crooked and secretive. These principles recur constantly, not, as a system, but in numerous aspects and applications in the practical business of life. For their sanctions they refer naively to the Hebrew ideal of rewards on the one hand - wealth, honor, long life, family (compare &nbsp;Proverbs 11:31 ) - and of shame and loss and destruction on the other; but these are emphasized not as direct bestowments or inflictions from a personal Deity, rather as in the law of human nature. The law that evil works its own destruction, good brings its own reward, is forming itself in men's reason as one of the fundamental concepts out of which grew the Wisdom philosophy. </p> <p> <b> 3. The Conception of Wisdom: </b> </p> <p> From times long before Solomon sagacity in counsel, and. skill to put such counsel into maxim or parable, gave their possessor, whether man or woman, a natural leadership and repute in the local communities (compare &nbsp;2 Samuel 14:2; &nbsp;2 Samuel 20:16 ); and Solomon's exceptional endowment showed itself not merely in his literary tastes, but in his ability, much esteemed among Orientals, to determine the merits of cases brought before him for judgment (&nbsp;1 Kings 3:16-28 ), and to answer puzzling questions (&nbsp;1 Kings 10:1 , &nbsp;1 Kings 10:6 , &nbsp;1 Kings 10:7 ). It was from such estimate of men's intellectual powers, from the recognition of mental alertness, sagacity, grasp, in their application to the practical issues of life (compare &nbsp;Proverbs 1:1-5 ), that the conception of Wisdom in its larger sense arose. As, however, the cultivation of such sagacity of utterance passed beyond the pastime of a royal court (compare &nbsp;1 Kings 4:29-34 ) into the hands of city elders and sages it attained to greatly enhanced value; note how the influence of such sage is idealized (Job 29:7-25). The sages had definite calling and mission of their own, more potent perhaps than belonged to priests and prophets; the frequent reference to the young and the "simple" or immature in the Book of Prov would indicate that they were virtually the schoolmasters and educators of the nation. As such, working as they did in a fellowship and collaboration with each other, the subject-matter with which they dealt would not remain as casual and miscellaneous maxims, but work toward a center and system of doctrine which could claim the distinction of an articulated philosophy of life, and all the more since it was so identified with the great Hebrew ideal of righteousness and truth. We have already noted how this sense of the dignity and value of their calling manifested itself in the body of precepts sent in response to solicitation (3 above), with its appendix (4 above) (Prov 22:17 through 24:34). It was not long after this stage of Wisdom-culture, I think, that a very significant new word came into their vocabulary, the word (תּוּשיּה , <i> ''''' tūshı̄yāh ''''' </i> , a puzzle to the translators, variously rendered "sound wisdom," "effectual working," and called by the lexicographers "a technical term of the Wisdom literature," <i> BDB </i> , under the word). Its earliest appearance, and the only one except in the introductory section (&nbsp;Proverbs 18:1 ), is where the man who separates himself from others' opinions and seeks his own desire is said to quarrel with all <i> ''''' tūshı̄yāh ''''' </i> . The word seems to designate Wisdom in its subjective aspect, as an authentic insight or intuition of truth, the human power to rise into the region of true revelation from below, as distinguished from the prophetic or legal word spoken directly from above. Outside of Proverbs and Job the word occurs only twice: once in &nbsp;Micah 6:9 , and once in &nbsp;Isaiah 28:29 , in which latter case the prophet has deliberately composed a passage (&nbsp;Isaiah 28:23-29 ) in the characteristic <i> ''''' māshāl ''''' </i> idiom, and attributed that strain of insight to Yahweh. [[Evidently]] there came a time in the culture of Wisdom when its utterances attained in men's estimate to a parity with utterances direct from the unseen; perhaps this explains why Agur's and Lemuel's words could be boldly ranked as oracles (see above, 6 and 7). At any rate, such a high distinction, an authority derived from intimacy with the creative work of Yahweh (&nbsp;Proverbs 8:30 , &nbsp;Proverbs 8:31 ), is ascribed to Wisdom (חכמה , <i> ''''' ḥokhmāh ''''' </i> , in the introductory section; "counsel is mine," Wisdom is made to say, "and <i> ''''' tūshı̄yāh ''''' </i> " (&nbsp;Proverbs 8:14 ). Thus the Book of Proverbs reveals to us a philosophy, as it were, in the making and from scattered counsels attaining gradually to the summit where the human intellect could place its findings by the side of divine oracles. </p> IV. Considerations of Age and Literary Kinship. <p> To get at the history of the Book of Proverbs, several inquiries must be raised. When were the proverbs composed? The book, like the Book of Psalms, is confessedly an anthology, containing various accumulations, and both by style and maturing thought bearing the marks of different ages. When were the successive compilations made? And, finally, when did the strain of literature here represented reach that point of self-conscious unity and coordination which justified its being reckoned with as a strain by itself and choosing the comprehensive name Wisdom? What makes these inquiries hard to answer is the fact that these proverbs are precepts for the common people, relating to ordinary affairs of the village, the market, and the field, and move in lines remote from politics and dynastic vicissitudes and wars. They are, to an extent far more penetrative and pervasive than law or prophecy, the educative literature on which the sturdy rank and file of the nation was nourished. 'Where there is no vision, the people let loose,' says a Hezekian proverb (&nbsp;Proverbs 29:18 ); but so they are also when there is no abiding tonic of social convention and principle. Precisely this latter it is which this Book of [[Prey]] in a large degree reveals; and in course of time its value was so felt that, as we have seen, it could rank itself as an asset of life by the side of vision. It represents, in a word, the human movement toward self-directiveness and self-reliance, without supine dependence on ruler or public sentiment (compare &nbsp;Proverbs 29:25 , &nbsp;Proverbs 29:26 ). When and how was this sane and wholesome communal fiber developed? </p> <p> <b> 1. Under the Kings: </b> </p> <p> When Solomon and his court made the <i> ''''' māshāl ''''' </i> an elegant fad, they builded better than they knew. They gave to the old native form of the proverb and parable, as reduced to epigrammatic mold and polish, the <i> eclat </i> of a popular literature. This was done orally at first (Solomon <i> spoke </i> his proverbs, &nbsp; 1 Kings 4:32 , &nbsp;1 Kings 4:33 ); but the recording of such carefully expressed utterances could not be long delayed; perhaps this brief <i> style coupe </i> was the most natural early exercise in the new transition from the unwieldly cuneiform to the use of papyrus and a more flexible alphabet, which probably came in with the monarchy. At any rate, here was the medium for a practical didactic literature, applied to the matters of daily life and intercourse to which in Solomon's time the nation was enthusiastically awake. There is no valid reason for denying to Solomon, or at least to his time, the initiation of the Solomonic <i> ''''' māshāl ''''' </i> ; and if, as has been suggested, the name "proverbs of Solomon" designates rather literary species than personal authorship, the title of the whole book (&nbsp;Proverbs 1:1 ), as well as the headings of sections (&nbsp;Proverbs 10:1; &nbsp;Proverbs 25:1 ), may be given in entire good faith, whatever the specific time or personal authorship of the utterances. Nor is there anything either in recorded history or the likelihood of the case to make improbable that the activity of the "men of Hezekiah" means just what is said; these men of letters were adding this supplementary collection (Prov 25 through 29) to a body of proverbs that already existed and were recognized as Solomon's. This would put the composition of the main body of the Proverbs (chapters 10 through 29) prior to the reign of Hezekiah. They represent therefore the chief literary instruction available to the people in the long period of the Kings from Solomon onward, a period which otherwise was very meagerly supplied. The [[Mosaic]] Law, as we gather from the finding of the Law in the time of [[Josiah]] (2 Ki 22), was at best a sequestered thing in the keeping - or neglect - of priests and judges; the prophetic word was a specific message for great national emergencies; the accumulations of sacred song were the property of the temple and the cult; what then was there for the education of the people? There were indeed the folk-tales and catechetical legends of their heroic history; but there were also, most influential of all, these wise sayings of the sages, growing bodies of precept and parable, preserved in village centers, published in the open places by the gate (compare &nbsp;Job 29:7 ), embodying the elements of a common-sense religion and citizenship, and representing views of life which were not only Hebrew, but to a great extent international among the neighbor kingdoms. [[Understood]] so, these Solomonic proverbs furnish incomparably the best reflection we have of the religious and social standards of the common people, during a period otherwise meagerly portrayed. And from it we can understand what a sterling fiber of character existed after all, and how well worth preserving for a unique mission in the world, in spite of the idolatrous corruptions that invaded the sanctuaries, the self-pleasing unconcern of the rulers and the pessimistic denunciations of the prophets. </p> <p> <b> 2. The Concentrative Point: </b> </p> <p> For the point in the Hebrew literary history when these scattered Solomonic proverbs were recognized as a homogeneous strain of thought and the compilations were made and recommended as Wisdom, we can do no better, I think, than to name the age of Israel's literary prime, the age of Hezekiah. The "men of Hezekiah" did more than append their supplementary section (&nbsp;Proverbs 25 through 29); the words "these also" ( גּאלּה , <i> ''''' gam'ēlleh ''''' </i> ) in their heading imply it. See [[Hezekiah]] , The Men Of . </p> <p> I apprehend the order and nature of their work somehow thus: Beginning with the classic nucleus (&nbsp;Proverbs 10 through 22:16) (see above, II., 2.), which may have come to them in two subsections (&nbsp; Proverbs 10 through 15; 16 through 22:16), they put these together as the proverbs most closely associated with Solomon, without much attempt at systematizing, substantially as these had accumulated through the ages in the rough order of their developing form and thought; compiling thus, in their zeal for the literary treasures of the past, the body of educational literature which lay nearest at hand, a body adapted especially, though not exclusively, to the instruction of the young and immature. This done, there next came to their knowledge a remarkable body of "words of the wise" (&nbsp; Proverbs 22:17 through 24:22), which had evidently been put together by request as a <i> vade mecum </i> for some persons in responsible position, and which were prefaced by a recommendation of them as "words of truth" designed to promote "trust in Yahweh" (&nbsp; Proverbs 22:19-21 ) - which latter, as we know from Isaiah, was the great civic issue of Hezekiah's time. With this section naturally goes the little appendix of "sayings of the wise" (&nbsp;Proverbs 24:23-34 ), added probably at about the same time. These two sections, which seem to open the collection to matter beyond the distinctive Solomonic <i> ''''' māshāl ''''' </i> , are, beyond the rest of the book, in the tone of the introductory section (Proverbs 1 through 9), which latter, along with the Hezekian appendix (Proverbs 25 through 29), was added, partly as a new composition, partly as incorporating some additional findings (compare for instance the completion of the poem on the sluggard, &nbsp;Proverbs 6:6-11 ). Thus, by the addition of this introductory section, the Book of Proverbs was recognized as a unity, provided with a preface and initial proposition (&nbsp;Proverbs 1:1-6 , &nbsp;Proverbs 1:7 ), and launched with such hortatory material as had already, on a smaller scale, introduced the third section. This part not only contains the praise of Wisdom as a human endowment, sharing in the mind and purpose of the divine (&nbsp;Proverbs 8:22-31 ), but it has become aware also of the revelatory value of <i> ''''' tūshı̄yāh ''''' </i> (&nbsp;Proverbs 2:7; &nbsp;Proverbs 3:21; &nbsp;Proverbs 8:14 ), or chastened intuition (see above, III, 3), and dares to aspire, in its righteous teachableness, to the intimacy or secret friendship of Yahweh (סודו , <i> ''''' ṣōdhō ''''' </i> , &nbsp;Proverbs 3:32 ). All this indicates the holy self-consciousness to which Wisdom has attained. </p> <p> I see no cogent reason for postponing the substantial completion of the Book of Proverbs beyond the time of Hezekiah. The words of Agur and of King Lemuel, with the final acrostic poem, may be later additions; but their difference in tone and workmanship is just as likely to be due to the fact that they are admitted, in the liberal spirit of the compilers, from foreign stores of wisdom. For spiritual clarity and intensity they do not rise to the height of the native Hebrew consciousness; and they incline to an artificial structure which suggests that the writer's interest is divided between sincere <i> ''''' tūshı̄yāh ''''' </i> and literary skill. For the sake of like-minded neighbors, however, something may be forgiven. </p> <p> <b> 3. Its Stage in Progressive Wisdom: </b> </p> <p> It is too early in the history of Wisdom to regard this Book of Proverbs as an articulated and coordinated system. It is merely what it purports to be, a collected body of literature having a common bearing and purpose; a literature of reverent and intelligent self-culture, moving among the ordinary relations of life, and not assuming to embody any mystic disclosures of truth beyond the reach of human reason. As such, it has a vocabulary and range of ideas of its own, which distinguishes it from other strains of literature. This is seen in those passages outside of the Book of Proverbs which deliberately assume, for some specific purpose, the Wisdom dialect. In &nbsp;Isaiah 28:23-29 , the prophet, whom the perverse rulers have taunted with baby-talk (&nbsp;Isaiah 28:9 , &nbsp;Isaiah 28:10 ), appeals to them with the characteristic Wisdom call to attention (&nbsp;Isaiah 28:23 ), and in illustrations drawn from husbandry proves to them that this also is from Yahweh of hosts, 'who is transcendent in counsel, preeminent in <i> ''''' tushı̄yah' ''''' </i> (&nbsp;Isaiah 28:29 ) - teaching them thus in their own vaunted idiom. In &nbsp;Micah 6:9-15 , similarly, calling in <i> ''''' tūshı̄yāh ''''' </i> to corroborate prophecy ("the voice of Yahweh," יהוה קול , <i> ''''' ḳōl ''''' </i> <i> ''''' Yahweh ''''' </i> , ותוּשׁיּה , <i> ''''' wethūshı̄yāh ''''' </i> , &nbsp;Micah 6:9 ), the prophet speaks of the natural disasters that men ought to deduce from their abuse of trade relations, evidently appealing to them in their own favorite strain of thinking. Both these passages seem to reflect a time when the Wisdom dialect was prevalent and popular, and both are concerned to call in sound human intuition as an ally of prophecy. At the same time, as prophets have the right to do, they labor to give revelation the casting vote; the authentic disclosure of truth from Yahweh is their objective, not the mere luxury of making clever observations on practical life. All this coincides, in the Wisdom sphere, with what in Isaiah's and Micah's time was the supreme issue of state, namely trust in Yahweh, rather than in crooked human devices (compare &nbsp;Isaiah 28:16; &nbsp;Isaiah 29:15 ); and it is noteworthy that this is the venture of Wisdom urged by the editors of Proverbs in their introductory exhortations (compare &nbsp;Proverbs 22:19; &nbsp;Proverbs 3:5-8 ). In other words, these editors are concerned with inducing a spiritual <i> attitude </i> ; and so in their literary strain they make their book an adjunct in the movement toward spirituality which Isaiah is laboring to promote. As yet, however, its findings are still in the peremptory stage, stated as absolute and unqualified truths; it has not reached the sober testing of fact and interrogation of motive which it must encounter in order to become a seasoned philosophy of life. Its main pervading thesis - that righteousness in the fear of God is wisdom and bound for success, that wickedness is fatuity and bound for destruction - is eternally sound; but it must make itself good in a world where so many of the enterprises of life seem to come out the other way, and where there is so little appreciation of spiritual values. Nor is the time of skepticism and rigid test long in coming. Two psalms of this period (as I apprehend) (Psalms 73 and 49) concern themselves with the anomaly of the success of the wicked and the trials of the righteous; the latter pointedly adopting the Wisdom or <i> ''''' māshāl ''''' </i> style of utterance (&nbsp;Psalm 49:3 , &nbsp;Psalm 49:4 ), both laboring to induce a more inward and spiritual attitude toward the problem. It remains, however, for the Book of Job to take the momentous forward step of setting wisdom on the unshakable foundation of spiritual integrity, which it does by subjecting its findings to the rigid test of fact and its motives to a drastic Satanic sifting. It is thus in the Book of Job, followed later by the Book of Ecclesiastes, that the Wisdom strain of literature, initiated by the Proverbs of Solomon, finds its Old Testament culmination. </p>