At a Glance
Proverbs at a Glance
Proverbs is a handbook for living, written to make simple people wise. Its short sayings reach into the workshop, the kitchen, the courtroom, and the heart.
- Author. Solomon wrote most of it (Proverbs 1:1; Proverbs 10:1). He spoke three thousand proverbs (1 Kings 4:32), and the Holy Spirit moved him to keep the ones we have. Other voices join him: the words of the wise (Proverbs 22:17), Agur (Proverbs 30:1), and King Lemuel, who passes on what his mother taught him (Proverbs 31:1). Some of Solomon's sayings were copied out by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah (Proverbs 25:1).
- Date. Solomon's proverbs come from about 970–930 BC. Hezekiah's men added their collection about 700 BC.
- Written To. First to a young man being prepared for life (Proverbs 1:4), and then to anyone who wants to live skillfully before God.
- Setting. The royal court of Israel at its height, and the home, where fathers and mothers taught their children.
- Key Verse. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7).
- Key Word or Theme. Wisdom. The Hebrew word, chokmah, means skill in living well under God.
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Further reading
For Deeper Study
- Be SkillfulAmazon Warren W. WiersbeA warm, practical walk through Proverbs for ordinary readers. Part of his Be series.
- ProverbsAmazon Derek KidnerA concise Anglican commentary (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries), well loved for its clear teaching on each theme.
- A Commentary on ProverbsAmazon Charles BridgesA nineteenth-century Anglican classic (Banner of Truth) that looks for Christ throughout. We differ where Reformed ideas about election appear.
- Foxe's Book of MartyrsAmazon John FoxeThe classic Protestant record of those who died for the faith, from the early church to the English Reformation.
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How the Bible Fits Together
The Bible is sixty-six books written by about forty men over some fifteen hundred years, yet it tells one story of God's redemption from creation to the new earth, and its center is Jesus Christ.
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