Proverbs

CHAPTER 3

Confidence in God Leads to Prosperity^*

take to heart my commands;

and peace, will they bring you.

bind them around your neck;

write them on the tablet of your heart.

before God and human beings.

on your own intelligence do not rely;

and he will make straight your paths.

fear the LORD and turn away from evil;

and vigor for your bones.

with first fruits of all your produce;^c

with new wine your vats will overflow.

do not disdain his reproof;

as a father, the son he favors.^e

The Benefits of Finding Wisdom^*

the one who gains understanding!^f

and better than gold is her revenue;

and no treasure of yours can compare with her.^g

in her left are riches and honor;

and all her paths are peace;

and those who hold her fast are happy.^h

established the heavens by understanding;

and the clouds drop down dew.

Justice Toward One’s Neighbor Brings Blessing^*

hold to deliberation and planning;

and an adornment for your neck.

your foot will never stumble;

when you rest, your sleep will be sweet.

of the ruin of the wicked when it comes;

and will keep your foot from the snare.

when it is in your power to act.

and I will give it to you,” when all the while you have it.

when they live at peace with you.

with one who has done you no harm.

and choose none of their ways:ⁱ

but the upright are close to him.

but the dwelling of the just he blesses;

but the lowly he favors.

but fools will bear shame.

* [3:1–12] The instruction consists of a series of six four-line exhortations in which the second line of each exhortation mentions a reward or benefit. In the first five exhortations, the teacher promises a reward: long life, a good name, divine protection, health, abundant crops. The last exhortation, vv. 11–12, departs from the command-reward scheme, implying that being a disciple of the Lord does not guarantee unalloyed bliss: one must allow God freedom to “reprove” or educate. The process of education is like that described in chap. 2: the father first invites his son (or disciple) to memorize his teaching (v. 1), then to enter upon a relationship of trust with him (v. 3), and finally to place his trust in God, who takes up the parental task of education (v. 5). Education begun by the parent is brought to full completion by God.

* [3:1] Do not forget: this word and several others in the section such as “teaching,” “commands,” “years of life,” and the custom of affixing written teaching to one’s body, occur also in Deuteronomy. This vocabulary suggests that Proverbs and Deuteronomy had a common origin in the scribal class of Jerusalem. This section (and vv. 21–34) subtly elaborates Dt 6:5–9, “You shall love the LORD with all your heart (v. 5)…Take to heart these words (v. 1)…Recite them when you are at home and when you are away (v. 23)…when you lie down (v. 24)…Bind them (v. 3) on your arm as a sign and let them be a pendant on your forehead” (v. 21).

* [3:12] One might be tempted to judge the quality of one’s relationship to God by one’s prosperity. It is an inadequate criterion, for God as a teacher might go counter to student expectations. The discipline of God can involve suffering.

* [3:13–20] An encomium of Wisdom through the listing of her benefits to the human race and the depiction of her role in creation. Wisdom, or understanding, is more valuable than silver and gold. Its fruit is long life, riches, honor and happiness (vv. 13–18). Even the creation of the universe and its adornment (Gn 1) were not done without wisdom (vv. 19–20). The praise of Wisdom foreshadows the praise of a noble wife in the final poem (31:10–31), even to the singling out of the hands extended in a helpful way toward human beings.

* [3:18] A tree of life: in the Old Testament this phrase occurs only in Proverbs (11:30; 13:12; 15:4) and Genesis (2:9; 3:22, 24). The origins of the concept are obscure; there is no explicit mention of it in ancient Near Eastern literature, though on ancient seals trees are sometimes identified as trees of life. When the man and the woman were expelled from the garden, the tree of life was put off limits to them, lest they “eat of it and live forever” (Gn 3:22). The quest for wisdom gives access to the previously sequestered tree of life. The tree of life is mentioned also in the apocryphal work 1 Enoch 25:4–5. Rev 2 and 22 mention the tree of life as a source of eternal life.

* [3:20] Depths: for the Hebrews, the depths enclosed the great subterranean waters; the rain and dew descended from the waters above the firmament; cf. Gn 1:6–10; Jb 26:8, 12; Ps 18:15; 24:2. The cosmogony provides the reason why Wisdom offers such benefits to human beings: the world was created in wisdom so that all who live in accord with wisdom live in tune with the universe.

* [3:21–35] As in other instructions, the father in vv. 21–26 urges the son to seek wisdom, which in this case means practicing the virtues of “deliberation and planning,” a specification of wisdom. Practicing these virtues brings protection from violence (vv. 22–26) and friendship with God (vv. 32–35). The language is like Ps 91.

Verses 27–35 are arranged according to a clear order. Serving God requires serving one’s neighbor through kindness (vv. 27–28), maintaining peace with the good (vv. 29–31), having no envy of the wicked (v. 31), because the Lord’s friendship and kindness are with the just, not with the wicked. Matching the six exhortations of vv. 1–12, vv. 27–34 contain six prohibitions. The righteous/wicked contrast is progressively developed: in contrast to the wicked, the righteous are in God’s inner circle, their houses are blessed, they deal with a merciful God, and obtain honor.

* [3:22] Your soul: Heb. nephesh means “throat, esophagus; life; soul.” The meanings are connected. The throat area is the moist, breathing center of the body, which stands for life and for self. The figure of speech is called metonymy, in which one word is substituted for another on the basis of a causal relation, e.g., eye for sight, arm for power, or, as here, “throat area” for life. Proverbs sometimes plays on this concrete meaning of life (e.g., 21:23).

a. [3:2] Prv 4:10; 9:11; 10:27.

b. [3:7] Rom 11:25; 12:16.

c. [3:9] Ex 34:26; Lv 27:30; Dt 26:2; Sir 7:31; 35:7.

d. [3:11] Heb 12:5–6.

e. [3:12] Jdt 8:27; Rev 3:19.

f. [3:13] Prv 8:34–35.

g. [3:15] Prv 8:11, 19; Wis 7:8–11.

h. [3:18] Prv 4:13; 8:35; 11:30; Gn 2:9; 3:22.

i. [3:31] Prv 23:17; 24:1, 19; Ps 37:1.

j. [3:34] Prv 1:26.