The Hebrew word translated "proverb"(masal) essentially means a comparison. However through usage it came to mean any profound pronouncement including maxims, observations, sermons (e.g., ch. 5), even wisecracks (cf. Ezek. 18:2), and revelations from God (cf. Ps. 49:4).13Etymologically the English word means "in place of (i.e., for) words."A proverb is usually a succinct statement that stands in place of a long explanation and expresses a truth about reality.
"In its basic form, the proverb is an ancient saying that takes wisdom and endows it with youthful vigor. In a few, piquant phrases the proverb capsulizes a practical idea or truth in such a way as to lift the common-place to a new level of mental consciousness. It reweaves the threadbare idea and shows the ordinary to be quite extraordinary.
"Fundamental to the proverbial form [genre] is the fact that it bears a truth that has been tested by time."14
"The Book of Proverbs has always been regarded as containing the concentrated deposit of ancient Israelite morality."15
"The Book of Proverbs has two purposes: to give moral skillfulness and to give mental discernment. The first purpose is developed in vv. 3-4; then, after a parenthetical exhortation in v. 5, the second purpose is developed in v. 6."16
This book claims to offer wisdom (Heb. hokmah) to the reader. It is this wisdom that the Apostle Paul commanded us to walk in (cf. Eph. 5:15).
Wisdom is "God's fixed order for life, an order opposed to chaos and death.
"No longer can wisdom be defined simplistically as the practical application of knowledge.' Instead wisdom must be thought of as a broad, theological concept denoting a fixed, righteous order to which the wise man submits his life."17
"Wisdom' (hokmah) basically means skill.'"18
". . . wisdom means being skillful and successful in one's relationship and responsibilities. It involves observing and following the Creator's principles of order in the moral universe."19
"It isn't enough simply to be educated and have knowledge, as important as education is. We also need wisdom, which is the ability to use knowledge. Wise men and women have the competence to grasp the meaning of a situation and understand what to do and how to do it in the right way at the right time. . . .
"The pages of history are filled with the names of brilliant and gifted people who were smartenough to become rich and famous but not wiseenough to make a successful and satisfying life. Before his death, one of the world's richest men said that he would have given all his wealth to make one of his six marriages succeed. It's one thing to make a living, but quite something else to make a life."20
This is not to say that everyone who submits to God will be able to make equally wise decisions in life. Some Christians, for example, demonstrate more wisdom than others. This is another sense in which Proverbs uses the word wisdom. Nevertheless essentially wisdom is a proper orientation toward God.21
"Proverbial wisdom is characterized by short, pithy statements; but the speculative wisdom, such as Ecclesiastes or Job, uses lengthy monologues and dialogues to probe the meaning of life, the problem of good and evil, and the relationship between God and people."22
The key words in verses 2 through 4 have the following meanings.
Riddles (v. 6) are any puzzles that are unclear and need interpreting, not just what we call riddles today (cf. Num. 12:8; Judg. 14:12; 1 Kings 10:1; Ezek. 17:2; Hab. 2:6).23A second purpose of the book is to solve such thought-provoking problems about life.
These verses set forth four objectives. God gave us these proverbs to impart an intimate acquaintance with wisdom and discipline (v. 2a) and to impart understanding of wisdom sayings (vv. 2b, 6). He also wanted to impart moral insight (v. 3) and to identify the intended recipients of wisdom (v. 4).24
"The Book of Proverbs was not intended to be read as an exhaustive book of right actions but as a selective example of godly wisdom."25
This verse enjoys almost universal recognition as the key statement not only in Proverbs but in all the wisdom literature of the Bible (cf. 9:10; 15:33; Job 28:28; Ps. 111:10; Eccles. 12:13). Some people think of it as the motto of the book, others the foundational principle, others the major premise, or something similar. The verse contains a positive statement followed by its negative corollary.
The "fear of the Lord"occurs at least 18 times in Proverbs (1:7, 29; 2:5; 3:7; 8:13; 9:10; 10:27; 14:2, 26-27; 15:16, 33; 16:6; 19:23; 22:4; 23:17; 24:21; 31:30). "Fear"includes not only a correct way of thinking about God but a correct relationship with Yahweh. It is an affectionate reverence that results in humbly bowing to the Father's will. It is a desire not to sin against Him because His wrath is so awful and His love is so awesome.
"Beginning"does not mean that the fear of the Lord is where one starts learning wisdom, but then he or she can move away from it as from the starting line in a race. Rather the fear of the Lord is the controlling principle, the foundation, on which one must build a life of wisdom. "Knowledge"is a relationship that depends on revelation and is inseparable from character. Even though many unbelievers have acquired much information without the fear of God, true knowledge rests on a relationship to God that revelation supports. We can learn the really important lessons in life only this way.
Other ancient Near Eastern countries produced wisdom literature in addition to what we have in our Old Testament.26However the wisdom literature outside Israel did not contain advice to look to a personal relationship with a god as essential to obtaining wisdom. The references to fearing the Lord in Proverbs, including 1:7, are unique and make this book distinctive and theologically relevant. The demand for faith underlies the whole book. Only in a right relationship to the true and living God can one enter into God's foreordained, righteous order for life and find true success and happiness. The fool despises God's revealed order for life and the instruction that would lead him or her into it (v. 7b).
The Hebrews believed people could acquire knowledge in three ways. One way was through observing nature and human behavior. Another way was by drawing analogies between traditional beliefs (e.g., creeds) and reality. A third way was through encounter with the transcendent God.27
