Book Introduction - Proverbs

Writer: Various (Mainly Solomon)

This collection of sententious sayings is divine wisdom applied to the earthly conditions of the people of God. That the Proverbs were Solomon's (Proverbs 1:1) implies no more than that he gathered into orderly arrangement sayings already current amongst the people, the wisdom of the Spirit, perhaps through many centuries (Ecclesiastes 12:9). Chapters 25-29 were current in Hezekiah's time (Ecclesiastes 25:1). Chapters 30 and 31 are by Agur and Lemuel.

The book is in six parts:

1. To sons, 1-7.
2. The praise of wisdom, 8-9.
3. The folly of sin, 10-19.
4. Warnings and instructions, 20-29.
5. The words of Agur, 30. The words of King Lemuel, 31.