The structure of the book of Proverbs has been approached in a number of ways87.
However, there is reasonable consensus among scholars that Proverbs 1-9 can be regarded as the introduction or what Fox (1997:613) calls “a hermeneutical preamble” to the rest of the book of Proverbs88. Scholars even appear to be on surer grounds when it comes to the unity of Proverbs 1-9. The views on the composition and structure of the book of Proverbs show clearly that the first nine chapters are commonly accepted as a single composition89. In a variety of ways, wisdom scholars have proffered interesting arguments to prove the unity of the section whether from a form critical, structural,
87
Boström (1990:1-5) divides the book of Proverbs into seven sections (1-9; 10:1-22:16; 22:17-24:22; 24:23-34; 25- 29; 30 and 31), while Perdue (2007:47) and Waltke (2004:9) also claim that the book can be divided into seven, in line with the headings or superscripts that begin the collections in 1:1; 10:1; 22:17; 24:23; 25:1; 30:1 and 31:1. For Shupak (1993:12-14), however, Proverbs comprises of nine collections (1-9; 10-22:16; 22:17-24:22; 24:32-34; 25- 29; 30:1-14; 30:15-33; 31:1-9 and 31:10-31), and Whybray (1994:6-7) claims that the book contains five sections (1-9; 10:1-22:16 and 25-29; 22:17-24:34; 30-31). Perdue (1994:77ff) divides the literary structure of Proverbs into eight collections. He notes that each collection is introduced by a superscription except the last one (1:1; 10:1; 22:17; 24:23; 25:1; 30:1; 31:1 and 31:10).
88
Further clarifications on Proverbs 1-9 as an introduction to the book are provided by Murphy (1981:49); Clements (1992:18); Shupak (1993:14); Whybray (1995:70); Baumann (1998:48, 56) and Dell (2006:18). Whybray (1995:70) concurs with Claudia Camp, T P McCreesh and A Meinhold that Proverbs 1-9 and 31:10-31 were intended editorially to serve as a framework for the whole book of Proverbs.
89
Burns (1990:1-3) notes that the unity of Proverbs 1-9 has been recognized as early as 1899 by Crawford Toy (A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Proverbs. Edinburgh: Clark).
66
thematic or theological perspective. We shall provide a brief overview of some of them in what follows.
In a 1971 study, Patrick Skehan opts for a single authorship not just for Proverbs 1-9 but also for the entire book of Proverbs. His claim is based on what he regards as the internal witness of the book’s literary units (Skehan 1971:26). He argues that chapters 1-9 represent a literary edifice with seven columns, which are the seven poems of uniform length extending from Proverbs 2 to 7. Each of the poems contains a deliberate pattern of 22 lines. Further, he sees Proverbs 1 and 8-9 as the framework or setting within which the seven columns stand. For Skehan, the book of Proverbs is the house of wisdom (wisdom is the architect) and it can be compared with Solomon’s Temple. In chapters 1-9, therefore, are found the seven columns90 on which the edifice is built
(Skehan 1971:9-43). The concept of wisdom as an architect/builder is salient to our discussion in this study and we shall explore the notion further in Chapter 5 below.
For his part, Habel (1972:135-137) points out that what holds Proverbs 1-9 together is the use of symbolism. He claims that the way or path, ‘derek’, is a nuclear symbol that is used along with a satellite system of images to create unity in the particular text. In that symbolic system, a series of binary opposites are employed to create contrast, colour and depth. The polar contrasts include two ways (i.e. of Yahweh and of destruction); two hearts (i.e. the instructed heart and the devious or malicious heart); two companions (i.e. wisdom teacher and the strange woman); and two houses (i.e. wisdom’s sacred house and the house of the strange woman). However, the two ways’ symbol underlies the other opposites.
In the same way, Burns (1990:5ff) considers Proverbs 1-9 as a composite material but she analyses it from the perspective of the categories of the mythic journey of a heroine, i.e. personified wisdom, who embarks on an archetypal journey and invites others to join her on that journey of wisdom. She points out the prevalence of words that are
90
Skehan’s seven columns are Proverbs 2; 3:1-12; 3:13-4:9; 4:10-27 (5:21-23 are supplementary lines); 5:1-20 (including 6:22 which is being transposed after 5:19); 6:20-7:6 and 7:7-27. He excludes from the analysis, 6:1-19, which is considered an intrusion because its external form is different and it interrupts the context.
67
associated with a journey such as ‘way’ or ‘path’ and argues that the unit is a call to adventure, to a mythic journey, by the teacher of wisdom.
Weeks (2007:2-3) considers the unity of Proverbs 1-9 from the viewpoints of genre and imagery, that is, figurative language or metaphors. He notes that, for the main part, the chapters are written as an instruction91 but more importantly, they contain elaborate and extensive metaphors, which often take the form of personification. For example, a pervasive and principal imagery in the first half of the composition is the path imagery (2007:73-77). Weeks’ central argument here is that although formal criteria provide some support for the unity of Proverbs 1-9, it is the extensive use of imagery in a distinct and persuasive manner to present the characters and their speeches, which primarily gives Proverbs 1-9 its unity92 (2007:90-91, 94).
According to Camp (1985:185-188, 227, 255), the intentional use of female imagery, not just as a compositional but also as a hermeneutical device, can be evidenced throughout the book of Proverbs. She sees the personification of wisdom as a unifying focus for the composition and message of the book. Whybray (1994:158) also confirms that:
Another persistent feature is a preoccupation with female figures; estimable wives, disgraceful wives, the queen mother, mothers who share the teaching of their children with their husbands, the personified figures of Wisdom and Folly, the prostitute and the adulteress. All these features combine to give the book a kind of unity which can hardly be accidental…
From the foregoing, therefore, perhaps what could be regarded as more salient for our discussion in this chapter is the use of imagery, specifically, female imagery, as a compositional device in Proverbs 1-9. We shall return to this matter later in this chapter. However, it is important to point out also that, apart from instructions noted above, various other genres have been recognized in Proverbs 1-9. Baumann (1998:46) notes that various other genres are recognizable within the unit, e.g. prophetic elements in
91
For other views of Proverbs 1-9 as instruction, see McKane (1970:6-7); Shupak (1993:12); Whybray (1994:11-12) and Dell (2009a:229-230). However, that is not to say that instruction is the only genre present in the corpus. 92
For other analyses of 1-9 as a unity, see Whybray (1995:12). For Crenshaw (1981), the theological concept, the fear of the Lord, is the unifying motif in Proverbs 1-9.
68
1:22-33 or the hymn in 8:22-31 (cf. Dell 2009a:240). In fact, the instructions in chapters 1-9 are often interspersed by lengthy poems, which are generally associated with the Woman Wisdom (Dell 2006:92). Note should be taken also that Fox (1997:613ff) uses the terms lectures and interludes to identify what he refers to as the two main strata in Proverbs 1-9 (the lectures and the interludes being equivalent to what others call instructions and poems, respectively).