The Book of Proverbs

The Hebrew term "mashal", translated "proverb", can mean "oracle", "parable" or "wise saying."  Most of the sayings are meant to teach practical lessons about attitudes, behaviors or life in general. There are some rather long addresses (oracles) in the book of Proverbs, as well as many short, to the point statements that are meant to inspire wise and honorable living. Proverbs teaches about a wisdom based on respect for God and His righteous standards for His people.


Solomon produced 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs in his lifetime.


The purpose of the book is stated in 1:2-7: "to provide and develop wisdom, discipline, understanding, insight and guidance aimed at inspiring right and reasonable living by God's standards. By applying this wisdom to life simple people become wise, youth gain knowledge and good judgment, and the wise become even wiser.


The unifying theme of Proverbs is "wisdom for right living." This kind of wisdom begins with humble submission to God as the authority of one's life. The wisdom of Proverbs relates to many subjects, including the family, youth, sexual purity, marital faithfulness, honesty, hard work, generosity, friendship, justice, righteousness and discipline; warns about the foolishness of sinful behavior, including rebellion, violence, division, careless speech, alcohol use, gluttony, lust, immorality, dishonesty, laziness and bad company; contrasts good judgment and irresponsibility, the righteous and the wicked, pride and humility, laziness and hard work, poverty and wealth, love and lust, right and wrong, and life and death.


Eight major features characterize Proverbs. 1. Wisdom is not defined as great intelligence or being full of knowledge. Rather, it is directly related to "the fear of the Lord." That means wisdom is a trait of those who truly know God and obey His commands. 2. Much of the wise counsel presented in Proverbs comes in the form of a father's godly advice to his young son. 3. It is the most practical book of the Old Testament. 4. Its practical wisdom, godly instructions and basic life principles are given in short but strong statements that the young can easily remember and even memorize. 5. The family is a most important subject in Proverbs. There is extensive use of vivid, figurative language. 7. The description of the wise wife and mother at the end of the book. 8. The words of wisdom in Proverbs are the Old Testament form of the practical challenges found throughout the New Testament letters.