The book of Proverbs, a treasure trove of wisdom literature in the Old Testament, is largely credited to the legendary King Solomon, who reigned over Israel from around 971 to 931 B.C. (1:1; 10:1). Solomon was renowned for his God-given wisdom. However, the book of Proverbs is not solely the work of Solomon; it also contains additional wisdom from various sources spanning several centuries.
In addition to Solomon's contributions, the book includes a collection of proverbs transcribed by the scribes of King Hezekiah, who ruled Judah from approximately 715 to 686 B.C. (25:1). The book also features two distinct sets of sayings attributed to a group known as "the wise" (22:17–24:22; 24:23–34). Furthermore, the book of Proverbs contains "oracles" or prophetic utterances from two enigmatic figures: Agur (30:1–33) and Lemuel (31:1–9). The book concludes with an acrostic poem extolling the virtues of a noble wife (31:10–31).
While the foundation of Proverbs was laid during Solomon's reign, it appears that the book reached its final form during the time of King Hezekiah. This suggests that the wisdom contained in Proverbs was carefully preserved, compiled, and crafted, reflecting the timeless nature of its insights and the enduring value placed on wisdom in ancient Israelite society.
I. Title and Purpose (1:1-7)
II. A Father’s Invitation to Wisdom (1:8-9:18)
III. Proverbs of Solomon (10:1-22:16)
IV. Thirty Sayings of “the Wise” (22:17-24:22)
V. More Sayings of “the Wise” (24:23-34)
VI. Hezekiah’s Solomonic Proverbs (25:1-29:27)
VII. Sayings of Agur (30:1-33)
VIII. Sayings of King Lemuel (31:1-9)
IX. An Alphabet of Womanly Excellence (31:10-31)
Daniel J Estes, Handbook on the Wisdom Books and Psalms, (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2010).
Lee M. Fields, Proverbs 11:30: Soul-Winning or Wise Living?, JETS 50/3 (Sep. 2007) 517-35.
Paul D. Wegner, Discipine in the Book of Proverbs: "To Spank or not to Spank?", JETS 48/4 (Dec. 2005) 715-32.
Ted Hildebrandt, Motivation and Antithetic Parallelism in Proverbs 10-15, JETS 35/4 (Dec. 1992) 433-44. Provides a very good introduction to the literature on motivation and relates it to the way Proverbs utilizes motivation in both structure and content.
August Konkel, Dr. August Konkel – Proverbs.
Jared Longshore, Proverbs with Jared Longshore.
Knut Heim, Dr. Knut Heim, Proverbs (20 lectures).