Proverbs 1 is the first chapter of the Book of Proverbs in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.[1] The book is a compilation of several wisdom literature collections, with the heading in 1:1 may be intended to regard Solomon as the traditional author of the whole book, but the dates of the individual collections are difficult to determine, and the book probably obtained its final shape in the post-exilic period. This chapter is a part of the first collection of the book.
The following table shows the Hebrew text[2] [3] of Proverbs 1 with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).
| Verse | Hebrew | English translation (JPS 1917) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; | ||
| 2 | To know wisdom and instruction; To comprehend the words of understanding; | ||
| 3 | To receive the discipline of wisdom, Justice, and right, and equity; | ||
| 4 | To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion; | ||
| 5 | That the wise man may hear, and increase in learning, And the man of understanding may attain unto wise counsels; | ||
| 6 | To understand a proverb, and a figure; The words of the wise, and their dark sayings. | ||
| 7 | The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; But the foolish despise wisdom and discipline. | ||
| 8 | Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, And forsake not the teaching of thy mother; | ||
| 9 | For they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head, And chains about thy neck. | ||
| 10 | My son, if sinners entice thee, Consent thou not. | ||
| 11 | If they say: 'Come with us, Let us lie in wait for blood, Let us lurk for the innocent without cause; | ||
| 12 | Let us swallow them up alive as the grave, and whole, as those that go down into the pit; | ||
| 13 | We shall find all precious substance, We shall fill our houses with spoil; | ||
| 14 | Cast in thy lot among us; Let us all have one purse'— | ||
| 15 | My son, walk not thou in the way with them, restrain thy foot from their path; | ||
| 16 | For their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood. | ||
| 17 | For in vain the net is spread in the eyes of any bird; | ||
| 18 | And these lie in wait for their own blood, they lurk for their own lives. | ||
| 19 | So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; it taketh away the life of the owners thereof. | ||
| 20 | Wisdom crieth aloud in the streets, she uttereth her voice in the broad places; | ||
| 21 | She calleth at the head of the noisy streets, at the entrances of the gates, in the city, she uttereth her words: | ||
| 22 | 'How long, ye thoughtless, will ye love thoughtlessness? And how long will scorners delight them in scorning, And fools hate knowledge? | ||
| 23 | Turn you at my reproof; behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. | ||
| 24 | Because I have called, and ye refused, I have stretched out my hand, and no man attended, | ||
| 25 | But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof; | ||
| 26 | I also, in your calamity, will laugh, I will mock when your dread cometh; | ||
| 27 | When your dread cometh as a storm, and your calamity cometh on as a whirlwind; When trouble and distress come upon you. | ||
| 28 | Then will they call me, but I will not answer, they will seek me earnestly, but they shall not find me. | ||
| 29 | For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD; | ||
| 30 | They would none of my counsel, they despised all my reproof. | ||
| 31 | Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. | ||
| 32 | For the waywardness of the thoughtless shall slay them, and the confidence of fools shall destroy them. | ||
| 33 | But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell securely, and shall be quiet without fear of evil.' |
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text, which includes the Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008). Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls including 4Q102 (4QProv; 30 BCE – 30 CE) with extant verses 27–33.[4] [5]
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BC; some extant ancient manuscripts of this version include Codex Vaticanus (B;
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This chapter opens a section regarded as the first collection in the book of Proverbs (comprising Proverbs 1–9), known as "Didactic discourses". The Jerusalem Bible describes chapters 1–9 as a prologue of the chapters 10–22:16, the so-called "[actual] proverbs of Solomon", as "the body of the book".[6] The chapter has the following structure:
This section provides the purpose and value of the whole book, especially the basis of its teaching. The five purpose clauses of the collection of proverbs in general are listed in verses 1:2a, 2b, 3a, 4a, 6a of the opening section.[7]
The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:[8]
To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;[11]
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge:
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.[15]
This section contains the first of several instructions by "a father to his son" throughout the book of Proverbs. The characteristics of these instructions are:
In contrast to the common practice in the wisdom schools of Egypt and Babylonia, which has a similar setting of instruction by a teacher to the pupils, the parallelism between father and mother (cf. verse 8) indicates that the instructions in the book of Proverbs may have a less formal setting of parental instruction at home. Although bearing constant reminders of parental authority, the motivation clauses appeal more to one's good sense than a duty to obey the parents.
This form of appeal, My son, "is continually repeated throughout these opening chapters".[18] The medieval French rabbi Rashi suggested that the "father" refers to God, the father of mankind, and the "instruction" or "discipline" meant the law which God "gave Moses in writing and orally". Likewise, he suggested that "mother" refers to "your nation, the nation of Israel".[19] Theologian John Gill challenges this:
In this passage Wisdom is personified as a woman, who speaks with a divine authority (the basis of this authority is explained in Proverbs 8:22-31). Rejecting Wisdom would mean rejecting "the fear of the Lord" (verse 29), and is reproached with a language in close parallel to prophetic indictments (cf. Isaiah 65:1–2,12; Jeremiah 6:19). On the other hand, those who take heed to Wisdom would enjoy security and peace of mind enjoyed by those who pay heed to Wisdom (verse 33; cf. Proverbs 3:21–26).
. Michael D. Coogan . The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version, Issue 48 . Coogan . Michael David . Marc Zvi . Brettler . Carol Ann . Newsom . Pheme . Perkins . Augmented 3rd . Oxford University Press . 2007 . 9780195288810 .
. Joseph Fitzmyer . A Guide to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 2008. 9780802862419. Grand Rapids, MI .
. Michael V. Fox . Proverbs 10-31: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary . Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries . Yale University Press . 2009 . 978-0300155563.
. Henry Hampton Halley. Halley's Bible Handbook: an abbreviated Bible commentary . 24th (revised). Zondervan Publishing House . 1965 . 0-310-25720-4.