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1. A Look at the Book:

1. Name: Proverb = "saying"
2. Author(s):

1. Primarily — Solomon (1:1; 10:1; 25:1) — cf 1 Ki 4:32
2. Other contributors include:

1. "the wise" (22:17; 24:23)
2. Agur, son of Jakeh, the oracle (30:1)
3. King Lemuel, per instruction by his mother- (31:1)

3. Date: @ 300 years following the death of Solomon (25:1)
4. Major Divisions (per Harpers Bible Commentary):

1. Proverbs of Solomon — 1:1 - 22:16; 25:1 - 29:27 (1st section can be subdivided at 15:33 due to difference of style = antithesis vs parallelism)
2. Words of the wise — 22:17 - 24:34
3. Words of Agar — 30:1-14
4. Words of King Lemuel — 31:1-31. Incidentally, the last 22 verses of this chapter are an acrostic poem (cf Psalm 119).

5. Alternative division (from Frank J Dunn’s Know Your Bible):

1. Introduction 1:1-6
2. 1:7 - 9:18 — value of wisdom and how to attain it
3. 10:1 - 22:16 — proverbs of Solomon on practical morality
4. 22:17 - 24:34 — proverbs of the wise
5. 25 - 29 — selected proverbs of wisdom and contrast between the righteous and the wicked
6. 30 - 31 words of Agur and King Lemuel — lessons of God, men, and nature; praise of the virtuous woman.

2. Themes from the Book

1. Wisdom vs Foolishness — wisdom is equated with godliness while foolishness is equated with wickedness.
2. Social Relationships addressed

1. Father / Son — "my son" appears 23 times
2. Husband / Wife — 5:15-19; 18:22; 19:14 (21:9; 25:24)
3. Parent / Child — 22:6, 15
4. Neighbor — 3:28-29; 24:28-29
5. Rich / Poor — 22:2, 7
6. Ruler / Subject — 14:25; 28:15

3. Personal admonitions

1. Avoid sexual impurity — 2:10-19; 5:1-14; 6:20-35; 7:6-27
2. Watch your words:

1. what you say — 4:24
2. how you say it — 25:11-12
3. when you say it — 29:20
4. avoid gossip — 26:20-22

3. Avoid laziness — 6:6-15; 20:4; 22:13; 26:13-16; 24:30-34
4. Be honest in business — 11:1
5. Avoid the trap of instant gratification — 24:27

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