| ToC | Reading the Old Testament | . . . Chapter 15. Proverbs and Job | ToC |
C. International ConnectionsIsrael did not exist in political, religious, or intellectual isolation from its geographical neighbors. Intellectual and even direct literary contact is nowhere more evident than in Israel's book of Proverbs.
The book of Proverbs looks a great deal like the instruction literature that has survived from ancient Egypt. The Maxims of Ptahhotpe and The Teaching for Merikare are major Egyptian writings that contain the advice and instruction of a father to his son (see Simpson 1972). So also the book of Proverbs is addressed to the son. This literature gives practical advice on how to behave and act in business with different classes of people and how to be a good and effective public servant. The commonality of the book of Proverbs with Egyptian instruction literature suggests that it may have been the court wisdom that was used to train the next generation of Israel's leaders for effective public service.
The Instruction of Amenemope has the most direct bearing on the book of Proverbs. Written in thirty chapters and probably dating to 1200 B.C.E., it has close parallels to many verses in Proverbs 22:17-24:22.
Table 15.1 Proverbs and the Instruction of Amenemope
| Proverbs | Amenemope (from Simpson 1972) |
| Direct your ear and hear wise words. Set your heart to know them. For it is pleasant if you keep them in your inmost self. (22:17-18a) | Give your ears and hear what is said, give your mind over to their interpretation: It is profitable to put them in your heart. (3,10) |
| Have I not written for you thirty counsels and teachings to teach you what is right and true? (22:20) | Mark for your self these thirty chapters: They please, they instruct, they are the foremost of all books. (27,7) |
| Do not make friends with people prone to anger. With the hotheaded person do not associate. (22:24) | Do not fraternize with the hot-tempered man, nor approach him to converse. (11,12) |
| When you sit down to eat with a ruler, observe what is before you. Put a knife to your throat if you have a big appetite. (23:1-2) | Look at the cup in front of you, and let it suffice your need. (23,16) |
Bryce (1979) has done a thorough study of parallels between biblical and Egyptian wisdom literature. He notes that there are varying degrees of dependence, from direct literary borrowing to "thought" borrowing; the latter is barely recognizable because it has been so seamlessly integrated. Although there are differences in wording, proverbial parallels with Egyptian Instruction sayings seem quite close here in Proverbs. This could be evidence of direct literary borrowing, or it could signal that there was a common Middle Eastern wisdom culture with universal insights of which both literatures partook.
Babylonian Wisdom. Ancient Mesopotamia also had a tradition of proverbial wisdom. See Pritchard (1969: 425-27, 593-96) and Lambert (1960).
| ToC | Reading the Old Testament | . . . Chapter 15. Proverbs and Job | ToC |
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