Wisdom Lecture #3-4
Proverbs 1-9: Woman Wisdom, Woman Folly;
and the Overall Context of Proverbs 1-9
[Finish With Discussion of Common Subject
Matter in Proverbs 10ff.
4. Women:
a.
The good wife 12:4;
b.
The nature of disagreement
11:22 Like
a gold ring in a pig
19:13 A
stupid child is ruin to a father, and a wife
21:9; 25:24 It is better to live in a corner of the housetop
than in a house shared with a
contentious wife.
21:19 It
is better to live in a desert land than with a contentious and fretful wife.
22:14 The
mouth of a loose woman is a deep pit; he with whom the LORD is angry falls into
it.
27:15-16 A
continual dripping on a rainy day and a contentious wife are alike;
to restrain her is to restrain
the wind or to grasp oil in the right hand.
12:4 A
good wife is the crown of her husband,
but she who brings shame is like
rottenness in his bones.
18:22 He
who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the LORD.
5.
Corporeal punishment: 13:24; 19:18, 25; 23:13‑14; 26:3; 29:15
a.
The nature of disagreement
b.
The question of authority: law vs. paradigm
13:24 Those
who spare the rod hate their children,
but those who love them are diligent to
discipline them.
19:18 Discipline
your children while there is hope; do not set your heart on their destruction.
19:25 Strike
a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence;
reprove the intelligent, and they will
gain knowledge.
23:13-14 Do
not withhold discipline from your children;
if you beat them with a rod, they
will not die.
If you beat them with the rod, you will save their lives from Sheol.
Proverbs 26:3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of
fools.
Proverbs 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a mother is disgraced by a neglected
child.]
I. A Look at the Prologue and Words for
Wisdom and Folly
II. Instruction (Christa Kayatz; Bernard
Lang; Claudia Camp)
A.
Found also in Proverbs 22:17‑24:22 // to Amenemope
B.
Characteristics ‑ direct address, admonition, prohibitions, motive
clauses ( yiK - clause),
aphorisms,
metaphors, anecdotes, vivid descriptions
C.
Province: school, home in post-exilic
III. Woman Wisdom: Proverbs 1-9
A.
First
Glance -- Proverbs 3:13-22
B.
Wisdom: Prophet of God -- Proverbs 1:20‑33
1.
Form and Motifs ‑ see Prov.1:26‑28 and laughing (Ez.23:32);
images
(Hos.2); calling and not hearing, seeking and not finding (Amos 5:4,14)
C. Wisdom: Order of the World,
Architect, and Child of God -- Proverbs 8
1.
2.
Canaan/Israel and the goddess Asherah
a. Wisdom
as Tree of life ‑ 3:18; 11:30: 13:12; 15:4; (12:12)
b.
Wisdom as Fountain of life ‑ 10:11; 13:14; 14:27; 16:22; (18:4; 25:26).
Excursis: Goddess See Bibliography. Some of the best discussions are by Tikva Frymer-Kensky, Judith M.Hadley, and
Othmar Keel/ Christopher Uehlinger.
D. Wisdom: Mother, Priest, Wife of
Worth, Lover, Wise Woman and Teacher -- Proverbs 9:1-6
IV. Broader
Context of Proverbs
A.
Comparison with liyax-te$")
B.
Context of the Titles (and Prologue) (Skehan, Brown)
C.
Voice of the Parent/ Father (Moss, Newsom)
D.
Symbol Systems: 2 ways, 2 hearts, 2 companions (Habel)
E.
The Other: dangerous men and Woman Stranger (Camp, Fontaine, Newsom)
F.
The Post-Exilic Situation (Camp, Perdue,
V.
Wisdom: Mystery of God -- Job 28
VI.
So Who is Woman Wisdom?
A.
Woman Wisdom as an attribute of the world; personified order
B.
Woman Wisdom as a literary personification that transforms proverbs
C.
Woman Wisdom as an attribute or part of God
