Journey Through Proverbs, Ecclesiastes & JobSample

Proverbs: Sayings of Sages: Behind the Text

Israel wasn’t the only culture with Wisdom Literature. The forms and content were common. But biblical Wisdom has one unique feature that can’t be missed.

Proverbs & Ancient Near Eastern Parallels (Duane A. Garrett*)

Both the forms of Proverbs and their messages have many ancient parallels. These are often apparent at a glance, as is the case with the Ugaritic poem below, which has a similar form and rhythm to biblical proverbs.

For two kinds of banquets Baal hates,

Three the Rider of the Clouds:

A banquet of shamelessness,

A banquet of baseness,

And a banquet of handmaids’ lewdness.

The name “Baal” in the opening line gives away the fact that it isn’t biblical. Apart from that, the poem sounds a lot like a biblical maxim. Notice the similarities in Proverbs 30:18-19, given in the table below for comparison.

At times ancient parallels to biblical proverbs will sound almost like they belong in the Bible. See another example below.**

Many biblical proverbs have multiple ancient parallels: (John Ruffle**)

The role of Proverbs in the Bible is not primarily to distinguish it from other traditions, but to endorse and enhance traditions of wisdom and common sense with revelation from YHWH. Remember the refrain: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov 9:10, NIV).

Proverbs is distinctive most importantly by being connected with YHWH and his vision for his people. In the ancient world, and still today, one of the primary values of Proverbs is not to overthrow wisdom but to use wisdom, and universal truths, to introduce people to the God of the Bible.

Instruction of Amenemope

The best-known and most obvious ancient parallel to the book of Proverbs is the Egyptian Instruction of Amenemope (dated to the century before Solomon). Most of Amenemope’s connections with the book of Proverbs appear between chapters 22 and 23. While the relationship between these two works is debated, they clearly have much in common. It may be that Proverbs drew on Amenemope and adapted it as a source, but it’s just as possible that the two books simply share a frequency and focus typical of ancient Wisdom Literature. Either way, the content in Proverbs is elevated and distinguished through its place in Israel’s story, and its relationship to YHWH. Note the similarities between Proverbs and Amenemope given in the table below.

*Source: Duane A. Garrett, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, 1993, p. 45.

**Source: John Ruffle, “The Teaching of Amenemope and Its Connection with the Book of Proverbs,” Learning from the Sages: Selected Studies on the Book of Proverbs, edited by Roy Zuck, 1995, pp. 303-304.