Speakers: Solomon, Agur, Lemuel

1. What wisdom is to be found in the book of Proverbs?

WHEN Solomon, the son of David, became king of Israel in 1037 B.C.E., he prayed to Jehovah for “wisdom and knowledge” to “judge this great people.” In response, Jehovah gave him ‘knowledge and wisdom and an understanding heart.’ (2 Chron. 1:10-12; 1 Ki. 3:12; 4:30, 31) As a result, Solomon came to “speak three thousand proverbs.” (1 Ki. 4:32) Some of this spoken wisdom was recorded in the Bible book of Proverbs. Since his wisdom was really that which “God had put in his heart,” then in studying Proverbs we are in fact studying the wisdom of Jehovah God. (1 Ki. 10:23, 24)

3. How did Proverbs come to be compiled?

³ The record does not say that Solomon wrote the Proverbs. However, it says that he ‘spoke’ proverbs, also that “he . . . made a thorough search, that he might arrange many proverbs in order,” thus showing that he had an interest in preserving proverbs for later use. (1 Ki. 4:32; Eccl. 12:9) In the time of David and Solomon, there were official secretaries in the lists of court officials. (2 Sam. 20:25; 2 Ki. 12:10) Whether these scribes in his court wrote and collected his proverbs, we do not know, but the expressions of any ruler of his caliber would be highly regarded and would normally be recorded. It is generally agreed that the book is a collection compiled from other collections.

4. (a) How is the book of Proverbs generally divided? (b) Who originated the bulk of the proverbs?

⁴ The book of Proverbs may be divided into five sections. These are: (1) Chapters 1-9, opening with the words, “The proverbs of Solomon the son of David”; (2) Chapters 10-24, described as the “Proverbs of Solomon”; (3) Chapters 25-29, which division begins: “These also are the proverbs of Solomon that the men of Hezekiah the king of Judah transcribed”; (4) Chapter 30, introduced as “The words of Agur the son of Jakeh”; and (5) Chapter 31, which comprises “The words of Lemuel the king, the weighty message that his mother gave to him in correction.” Solomon was thus the originator of the bulk of the proverbs. As to Agur and Lemuel, nothing definite is known about their identity. Some commentators suggest that Lemuel may have been another name for Solomon.