The Book of Proverbs is permeated with patterns of repetition, yet to date no major work on Proverbs has dealt adequately with this phenomenon. Snell catalogs and analyzes repetitive words and verses and uses the data to draw conclusions about the composition of the book. He sees four stages in the composition of the book, with the earliest section dated no later than Hezekiah's reign. This book provides a wealth of information, including indexes of repetitive words and verses and an English translation of J. M. Grintz's major essay on the composition of Proverbs, which has previously been available only in Hebrew. The basic work done here will need to be considered in any future work on the Book of Proverbs and wisdom literature in general.

Gives an overview of research on Proverbs, focusing especially on its theological themes - God as creator, the fear of the Lord and the role of Wisdom in creation, education and character formation. It is for scholars, students, clergy and all interested in this rather less well-known book within the Bible.

An essential guide to wisdom texts, and the major changes in the approach to different biblical and non-biblical wisdom books.

It can be a challenge to understand the Hebrew Bible’s wisdom literature and how it relates to biblical history and theology, but John L. McLaughlin makes this complicated genre straightforward and accessible. This introductory-level textbook begins by explaining the meaning of wisdom to the Israelites and surrounding cultures before moving into the conventions of the genre and its poetic forms. The heart of the book examines Proverbs, Job, Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes), and the deuterocanonical Ben Sira and Wisdom of Solomon. McLaughlin also explores the influence of wisdom throughout the Old Testament and in the New Testament. Designed especially for beginning students—and based on twenty-five years of teaching Israel’s wisdom literature to university students—McLaughlin’s Introduction to Israel’s Wisdom Traditions provides an informed, panoramic view of wisdom literature’s place in the biblical canon.

The book of Proverbs is more than the sum of its parts. Even if some individual proverbs and collections could be older, the overall composition stems from the late Persian or early Hellenistic period. In its present form, the book of Proverbs introduces the scribal student to the foundations of sapiential knowledge and its critical reflection. By discussing different worldviews and contrasting concepts on the relationship between God, the world, and humanity, the book of Proverbs paves the way to both the critical wisdom of Job and Ecclesiastes and the masterful combination of Wisdom and Torah in Sirach. Scholarly research has long situated the book of Proverbs within ancient Near Eastern literature but declared it to be something "alien" within the Hebrew Bible. In contrast to such a position, the present commentary interprets the book of Proverbs against the background of both ancient Near Eastern literature and the literature of the Hebrew Bible. One aim of the commentary is to discuss new ancient Near Eastern parallels to the book of Proverbs, with a special focus on Egyptian wisdom literature, including Demotic texts from the sixth to fourth centuries BCE. An equally important aim of this commentary is a detailed exegesis of Proverbs 1-15 as well as an analysis of the overarching strategy of the book of Proverbs as a whole. Taking the prologue of the book in Prov 1:1-7 as a hermeneutical key, the book of Proverbs turns out to be a masterful composition addressing both the beginner and the advanced sage. With its allusions to other biblical texts, including the book of Deuteronomy, the Psalms and the Prophets, the book of Proverbs can be connected to forms of scribal exegesis in Second Temple literature. By using the same scribal techniques as other literati of his time, the scribal sage responsible for some parts of the book as well as its final compilation seeks to provide deeper insight into the complex world of scribal knowledge and sapiential thought.

With Proverbs, veteran Old Testament scholar Tremper Longman III offers an accessible commentary on one of Scripture's most frequently quoted and visited books. With his deft exegetical and expositional skill, the resulting work is full of fresh insight into the meaning of the text. In addition to the helpful translation and commentary, Proverbs considers theological implications of these wisdom texts, as well as their literary, historical, and grammatical dimensions. Footnotes deal with many of the technical matters, allowing readers of varying interest and training levels to read and profit from the commentary and to engage the biblical text at an appropriate level. This built-in versatility has application for both pastors and teachers. This is the second volume in the Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms series.

Proverbs and the Formation of Character presses the wisdom of Proverbs into active duty in the trenches of everyday life and puts the principles of character formation in working clothes. The wisdom Proverbs describes is not designed to master life's challenges but to learn to manage them and adapt. In learning to adapt, individuals grow and mature spiritually. Relying on solid biblical scholarship, Dave Bland brings to the fore the neglected sentence literature in Proverbs 10-29 and the vital resources they contribute to the process of character formation. Contrary to popular opinion, the book of Proverbs, even though addressed to youth, is not a book solely for the young, but for those of all ages who desire to continue to grow personally, as well as in their relationship with others and God. The wise in the book of Proverbs employ a plethora of resources to help train up young and old alike to grow into the character of God. Among others, these resources include the value of interacting with others, a healthy understanding of conflict, an appropriate perspective on wealth, a new appreciation for and reliance on the role of the neglected proverb in the education process, and the vital role of family and the faith community.