Book Background and Proverbs 1:1-7 Preamble
Author and Purpose:
Proverbs tells us that King Solomon was not only the author, but more importantly the collector of the
wisdom contained in Proverbs. Because God used the most powerful man of the time, it’s accuracy and
completeness is ensured. It is also why the Book of Proverbs is generally attributed to him. Some of the
many sources that Solomon gathered from include Hezekiah’s men (25:1) as well as the collection of
sayings from those known as “the wise” (22:17-24:24) and from the oracles of Agur (30:1-33) as well as
Lemuel (31:10-31)
Solomon 1 :
Solomon, King of Israel (שְׁלֹמֹה, shelomoh). Son of David and Bathsheba. King of Israel. Reigned in the 10th century
bc (ca. 970/60–930/20).
Overview
Solomon was the third king of the Israelite monarchy, after Saul and David. His reign probably began in
approximately 960 bc (Sweeney, 1 & 2 Kings, 1). Second Samuel 12:24–25 indicates that he is the son of Bathsheba,
though she is not mentioned by this name in Chronicles (1 Chr 3:5 lists a Bathshua, who was likely the same person).
In 1 Chr 22:9, Solomon’s name is said to have derived from שָׁלוֹם (shalom), translated as “peace.” However, this is not
mentioned in the account of Solomon’s birth in 2 Sam. Solomon’s name may have derived instead from שִׁלֵּם (shillem),
meaning “to replace, restore,” indicating that Solomon is a replacement for the child David and Bathsheba lost
(McCarter, 2 Samuel, 303
Preamble: Proverbs 1:1-7
Proverbs 1:1–7 (ESV)
1 The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
2 To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight,
3 to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity;
4 to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth—
5 Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance,
6 to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles.
1 Grafius, B. (2016). Solomon, King of Israel. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W.
Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
What is Wisdom?
Wisdom is Royal 1:1
Wisdom is Correction & Understanding 1:2
Wisdom is knowledge of good and evil 1:3
Wisdom is discernment 1:4
Wisdom is obtaining guidance 1:5-6
How do you get Wisdom?
You get wisdom by reverent trust in the Lord (1:7)
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