UNROLL
A clay oil lamp burns on a stone ledge in the first light, with a plain town gate small below it and a road going out, under a calm, empty sky.

The Book of

Proverbs Intro

A father, a calling voice, and short sayings for the life you actually live.

Before chapter 1≈ 2 min31 chapters

Images are artistic interpretations.

In 30 seconds

A father talks to his son.

Wisdom calls in the street.

Hundreds of sayings for ordinary days.

It closes on a woman who fears the LORD.

Tap to go deeper: meaning, history and related Scripture

What a proverb is

A true saying about how God’s world usually runs.

It isn’t a promise with a guarantee.

Wisdom is fitting the right one to the moment.

Who wrote it

Solomon

Son of David, king of Israel, and the book’s chief voice

  • He composed three thousand proverbs.1 Kings 4:32
  • His sayings make up most of the book.Proverbs 10:1
  • Hezekiah’s men copied out more of them, over two centuries later.Proverbs 25:1
  • The wise, Agur and King Lemuel’s mother add their words.Proverbs 30:1

How it’s built

The shape of the book

The father’stalks1–7: my son, listenWisdom calls8–9: two housesSolomon’ssayings10–22: two lines at atimeSayings of thewise22–24: thirty, andmoreHezekiah’scollection25–29: copied outlaterAgur30: numbered sayingsLemuel31: a mother, a noblewife

Whiteboard

Talks first, to set the heart. Then the sayings, to spend it on Monday.

Find it by theme

Twelve themes run through the book.

The LORD, wisdom, words, work, money, friends,

family, anger, pride, justice, temptation, kings.

Each has its own page in the Library.

Three things to carry

Hold on to these

How to read it

One chapter a day takes a month.

Or one saying a day, chewed well.

Ask where it fits today.

Watch for

Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God

1 Corinthians 1:30

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Question

Quick question

One thing to settle before you begin.

What is a proverb?

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