By Bruce K. Waltke
[Bruce K. Waltke is Professor of Old Testament, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, Florida.
This is the final article in a four-part series, delivered as the W. H. Griffith Thomas Lectureship at Dallas Theological Seminary, February 6-9, 2007.]
The preamble to Proverbs presents the code that opens the lock to the gated paradise of Proverbs. The previous two articles have discussed the first four numbers of the code: (1) understanding the literary genre of the Book of Proverbs, assuring the expositor that God’s authority is stamped on its coined and relevant proverbs; (2) understanding its human authors, especially Solomon, who shared his knowledge of God’s ways in witty words; (3) understanding its concept of wisdom, namely, social skills that produce an abundant life of health, wealth, and peace; and (4) understanding its intended audiences: the royal court, Israel’s youth, and all the people of God.[1]
The last two numbers of the code are understanding its words (1:6), and understanding the concept of “the fear of ‘I Am’ ” (v. 7).
Number Five: Understanding Its Words
The preamble’s summary statement of purpose includes the words, “for understanding words of insight” (1:2). In Hebrew, unlike English, “word” refers to an entire sentence—in this case a proverb or saying—not an isolated term within it. Moreover, understanding grammar is essential if one is to be literate. Knowledge of phonology (meaningful sounds), morphology (meaningful terms), and syntax (meaningful combinations of terms) is the means for all discernment. Without knowing grammar, the expositor cannot know the message. Knowledge of Hebrew grammar is essential for interpreting the Book of Proverbs accurately, for its sages play with sound and sense in that language.
However, the aphorisms of Proverbs require more than an understanding of Hebrew grammar. Verse 6 expands the summary statement with these words: “for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise” (v. 6).[2]
“Words” of the summary are now specified as “proverbs” and “sayings,” which refer to the many statements in the book’s seven collections. The proverbs and sayings are further specified as “parables” and “riddles.” The words for proverbs, parables, and riddles are used together in Habakkuk 2:6 to describe the same poem, suggesting that “parables” and “riddles” are coreferential terms for the synonyms “proverbs” and “sayings.”
The proverbs of Solomon and the sayings of the wise are parables and riddles because they demand the noetic and existential function to relate the proverb to one’s own situation. The book’s aphorisms call on audiences to make intuitive critical judgments about their own situations. An example is Agur’s numerical saying in 30:24–28. “Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer; hyraxes are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags; locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks; a lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings’ palaces.”
According to the superscript Agur’s inspired sayings were addressed to Ithiel, a court official (v. 1–2), whom he warned not to exalt himself above his superiors (vv. 32–33). Agur, a moral teacher and prophet, was not aiming to teach Ithiel zoology through this numerical proverb. Rather, the small animals represent a weak and vulnerable official such as Ithiel, who represents all God’s people. Yet the vulnerable creatures (lit., “people”) function as a parable, an allusion on survival. From the weak ant, one can learn to prepare for the future by making provision ahead of time. The ant also may suggest storing up these sayings to have them ready on one’s lips when needed (22:18), as Jesus did in having the Book of the Law on His lips to defeat the devil.
From the defenseless hyrax or rock badger one can learn to find protection in the crag of a rock, such as trusting God with all one’s heart (3:5; 22:19). And from the locust one can learn not to be a maverick but to prevail in community. And yes, wonder of wonders, a person, though nothing more than a lizard, may live in a royal palace, even the ivory palace of heaven.
This interpretation is not allegory; it is the intention of the riddle to be applied in these practical ways.
Whether the riddle refers also to rhetorical criticism is uncertain, but the expositor of Proverbs must master the book’s rhetoric. The first grouping of proverbs in Collection II (10:1–5) pertains to money. The second grouping of proverbs in Collection II (vv. 6–14) pertains to communication.
6 Blessings crown the head of the righteous,
but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked
[וּפִי רַשָׁעִים יַכַסֶּה חָמָס].
7 The name of the righteous is used in blessings,
but the name of the wicked will rot.
8 The wise in heart accept commands,
but a chattering [lit., “lippy”] fool comes to ruin.
9 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.
10 Whoever winks [lit., “winks the eye”] maliciously causes grief,
and a chattering [lit., “lippy”] fool comes to ruin.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence
[וּפִי רַשָׁעִים יַכַסֶּה חָמָס].
12 Hatred stirs up dissension,
but love covers over all wrongs.
13 Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,
but a rod is for the back of one who has no sense.
14 The wise store up knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.
On first reading these verses seem a willy-nilly lumping together of unrelated proverbs, but a knowledge of rhetorical criticism suggests that the unit falls into two equal halves, each having four antithetical proverbs (see the word “but” in vv. 6–9 and 11–14) around a janus pivot of synthetic parallels (introduced in Hebrew by “and” in v. 10).
The collection is unified and made more memorable by mentioning two body parts in the first verse of each quatrain. “Head” and “mouth” occur in verse 6, “heart” and “lips” occur twice in verse 11, and “lips” and “back” in verse 13.
Of these body parts the focus is on those involved in communication. The mouth is mentioned four times (vv. 6, 10 [twice], 14), lips three times (vv. 8, 10, 13), and the sinister eye once (v. 10). Six of the nine verses in the second grouping mention body parts and of the eleven mentioned body parts, eight refer to organs of communication. The key words “mouth” and “lip” point to the unit’s topic of “speech,” or more broadly, “communication.”
Thematically the first half of the unit (vv. 6–9) focuses on the effects of good and bad communication on oneself. And the second half of the unit (vv. 10–14) focuses on the effects of good and bad speech on others.
The center verse (v. 10) chiastically reverses the pattern, pointing to the pain to others of bad communication in the first line and its pain to oneself in the second line. This unexpected reversal is clearly signaled by repeating the second line of verse 8 in verse 10: “a chattering [lit., ‘lippy’] fool comes to ruin.” Then other patterns emerge. “Mouth” occurs in the two verses (vv. 6, 11) that introduce the unit’s two halves.
Moreover, each of these two verses juxtapose the “righteous” versus “the wicked.” Even more striking is the play in sound and sense in these introductions: “but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked” (v. 6) and “but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence” (v. 11). As noted on page 389, the Hebrew is the same in these two verses. The chiastic parallelism in verse 6 shows that “violence” is the subject, the verb means “cover,” and “the mouth of the wicked” is the object. But in verse 11 the chiastic parallelism shows that “violence” is the object (יְכַסֶּה again means “cover”), and “the mouth of the wicked” is the subject. The initial pun links the two halves and signals that the first pertains to the effects of communication on oneself (vv. 6–9), and the second pertains to its effects on others (vv. 11–14).
Moreover, “mouth,” a key word in the semantic domain of communication, frames the unit in verse 6 (“the mouth of the wicked”) and in verse 14 (“the mouth of a fool”).
Unless the expositor wears the glasses of rhetorical criticism in reading the Hebrew text, he cannot see clearly its meaning and its message. To coin a proverb, “To know what a text means, one must know how it means.”
The big idea of 10:6–14 may be stated this way: “Good communication heals; bad communication hurts.” Of course there is a pun in the thesis: good speech heals oneself and others, and bad speech hurts oneself and others. From that, the message becomes, Learn to speak well and heal a community; avoid bad speech that burns it down.
A sermonic outline can now be developed that faithfully represents the exegetical outline of the text.
I. The beneficial and baneful effects of speech on oneself (vv. 6–10)
A. Beneficial effects of good speech
1. People will crown you with blessings during your lifetime (v. 6a)
2. Your memory will bring blessings on others for generations (v. 7a)
3. You will walk securely and not be tripped up (v. 9a)
B. Baneful effects of bad speech
1. Your violent speech will boomerang (v. 6b)
2. Your memory will rot and stink (v. 7b)
3. You will come to ruin (vv. 8b, 10b)
An alternating parallelism exists between A.1 (crown you) and B.1 (come back on you); between A.2 (memory will bring a blessing) and B.2 (memory will stink); and between A.[3] (walking securely) and B.3 (come to ruin).
II. The beneficial and baneful effects of speech on others (vv. 11–14)
A. Beneficial effects of good speech on others
1. Your righteous speech will be a fountain of life (v. 11a)
2. Your discerning lips will yield wisdom (v. 13a)
3. Your wise speech will be a storehouse of knowledge (v. 14a)
B. Baneful effects of bad speech on others
1. Sinister speech causes grief (v. 10a)
2. Hateful speech causes quarrels (v. 12a)
3. Foolish speech is like a cherry bomb (v. 14b)
III. Conclusion
A. Accept these commands (v. 8a)
B. Live by them constantly (v. 9a)
C. It is a matter of the heart: hate versus love (v. 12)3
Number Six: Understanding the Fear of “I Am”
According to the preamble the final code number for unlocking Proverbs is the mastery of the concept of “the fear of ‘I Am.’ ” Preambles to Egyptian instructive literature contain a code similar to the first five numbers, but this sixth number, understanding “the fear of ‘I Am,’ ” is unique to the Bible. Many call this number the key to the Book of Proverbs. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (1:7).
“Beginning” means the foundation, on which all is built; it may be likened to the first step of a ladder on which the other steps are built, not to a starting block that the runner leaves behind. Elsewhere “the fear of ‘I Am’ ” is said to be founded on wisdom, not on its coreferential term “knowledge” as here (see 9:10). Probably the corelative term “knowledge” was used in 1:7 to make the pun and an inclusio with 1:2a, which reads, לָדַעַת חָכְמָה וּמוּסַר (“for gaining wisdom and instruction”). Verse 7a reads, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge [דָּעַת]; but fools despise wisdom and instruction [חָכְמָה וּמוּסַר].”
The expositor can gain mastery of the concept of “the fear of the Lord [‘I Am’]” by noting that the expression is a collocation of two Hebrew terms, by defining the collocation from its uses, and by exegeting 2:1–5, which analyzes the psychological-spiritual components of “the fear of ‘I Am.’ ”
“The Fear of ‘I Am’ ” is a collocation
“The fear of ‘I Am’ ” (יִרַאַת יְהוָה) is a collocation of two words, whose combination yields a distinct meaning. The formula H2O is not the same as the differentiated two parts of hydrogen and one part of oxygen, and concrete does not exist without mixing cement with water. Even as one will not understand “butterfly” by analyzing “butter” and “fly” independently, so also “the fear of ‘I Am’ ” cannot be understood by studying “fear” and “I Am” in isolation.
Uses of “the Fear of ‘I Am’ ”
From its uses one can deduce that this collocation involves both rational and nonrational aspects of the human psyche. On the one hand “the fear of ‘I Am’ ” includes a rational aspect, an involvement with words of an objective revelation that can be taught and memorized (cf. Ps. 34:11). In Psalm 19:7–9 “the fear of ‘I Am’ ” is equated with “law,” “statutes,” “precepts,” “commands,” and “ordinances.”
On the other hand “the fear of ‘I Am,’ ” also has a nonrational aspect, an emotional response of fear, love, and trust. The unified psychological poles of fear and love come prominently to the fore in a surprisingly uniform way. Deuteronomy treats “love of ‘I Am’ ” and “the fear of ‘I Am’ ” as coreferential terms (cf. 5:29 with 6:2; and 6:5 with Josh. 24:14; cf. Prov. 10:12, 20; 13:5). This emotional response finds expression in humility, a brokenness that obeys the Lord. “The fear of ‘I Am’ ” and humility are parallel terms in Proverbs 15:33. “Wisdom’s instruction is to fear ‘I Am,’ and humility comes before honor.” And 22:4 reads, literally, “The wages for humility—the fear of ‘I Am’ sort—are riches, honor, and life.” The New International Version glosses the awkward grammar by rendering the verse, “Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life.”
The emotional link connecting God’s objective revelation with meekness is “the fear of ‘I Am.’ ” The wise humble themselves before God’s revelation because they fear and stand in awe of “I Am,” who holds their lives in His hand. For the wise “the fear of ‘I Am’ ” and the love of “I Am” are coreferential terms for their spiritual disposition. Both aspects of their psyche are rooted in their faith; they believe He is, that He has spoken in the Bible, that He says what He means, and that He means what He says. They believe His promises and love Him; they believe His threats and fear Him. Bridges writes that the fear of the Lord is “that affectionate reverence, by which the child of God bends himself humbly and carefully to his Father’s law.”[4]
Exegesis of Proverbs 2:1-5
“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom, and applying your heart to understanding—indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”
Accepting the catechism. The first four verses discuss the condition for understanding “the fear of ‘I Am,’ ” and each verse mentions the objective revelation that the mind must engage either by its outward expression (“words,” “commands”) or by its content (“wisdom,” “understanding,” “insight”). The revelation in view is the seven collections of Proverbs, which may be referred to as “the catechism.”
The first requirement is to accept the catechism, thereby laying the foundation for the heaping up of other components for understanding “the fear of ‘I Am.’ ” “To accept” entails a faith commitment to the catechism. Science philosopher Michael Polanyi argues that true knowledge flows from personal commitment to a set of particulars, as tools or clues, to shape a skillful achievement. True knowledge, he says, does not come from mere detached observation of those tools. From a set of clues a scientist commits himself to a theory that leads to new knowledge. Somewhat analogously, a child knows, discovers, learns, and experiences the skill of riding a bicycle by risking and committing himself or herself to the ride and using skillful actions—not by acquiring facts about a bicycle. One understands “the fear of ‘I Am’ ” and knows God not merely by reading and/or hearing the catechism but by accepting it, that is, by entrusting one’s life and behavior to it. This commitment is counterintuitive because it calls on the catechumen to serve others, not self, with the faith that God rewards that lifestyle. In fact that commitment may involve taking up a cross, or even accepting death, to serve God and others.
Memorizing the catechism with religious affection. In the second condition, “if you store up my commands within you,” “commands” escalates “words,” and “store up” escalates “accept.” “Store up” means to hide or conceal something for a definite purpose (cf. Ps. 119:11), in this case, to receive a religious and ethical education. The notion of storing up implies that one prizes and treats as a treasure what is being stored (see Prov. 2:4). The metaphor alludes to memorizing carefully the catechism. The prologue to the Thirty Sayings of the Wise reaffirms this second component of what it means to fear “I Am,” namely, to memorize the catechism with religious affection. “Pay attention and turn your ear to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach, for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips” (22:17–18).
Paying attention to the catechism. However, memorization is not enough. One must pay attention to what is memorized. Proverbs 2:2 breaks the syntax between the conditional clauses of verse 1 and verses 3–4 and the consequence in verses 5–19, and so verse 2 constitutes an aside. Literally verse 2 reads, “by making your ear attentive to wisdom you will incline your heart to understanding.” This aside has its own condition and consequence, for it implies, “If you pay attention to the wisdom taught in these sayings, you will incline your heart to understanding [piety, vv. 5–8, and ethics, vv. 9–11].”
“To make the ear attentive” is a vivid way of saying “to pay attention.” Simone Weil and others argue that moral improvement does not come about by the exercise of the will. “Moral change comes from an attention to the world whose natural result is a decrease in egoism through an increased sense of the reality of someone or something. . . . Change of behaving, metanoia, is not brought about by straining and ‘will-power,’ but a long deep process of unselfing.”[5] This psychological process “inclines the heart,” a metaphor meaning “to win over the heart.” When a student has an increased sense of the reality of the catechism, the truth of the catechism wins over the heart from self-absorption to experiencing the fear of “I Am.”
Passionately desiring the truths of the catechism. The fourth component in this heaping up of parallel terms to hear stereophonically what it means to fear “I Am” is to desire them passionately. “Call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding” (v. 3).
“Cry aloud” translates a Hebrew term that refers to a fervent and emotional situation, as when Joseph wept so loudly in his own chambers that Pharaoh’s whole household heard him (Gen. 45:2).
Earnestly studying the catechism. The fifth component achieves the desired extension of the conceptual range of what is meant by “the fear of ‘I Am.’ ” “And if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure” (Prov. 2:4). “To seek” means to search for something lost or missed, and when that something is silver and the crown jewels, the desire to fulfill a wish or realize a plan, that searching has an extreme emotional nuance, “to strive after something, to be busy, to be concerned.” The metaphor may also imply that a great deal of effort and sacrifice must be expended to get it. “Though it cost all you have, get understanding” (4:7).
Conclusion
The biblical expositor recognizes that the initial condition leading to “the fear of ‘I Am’ ” is to accept God’s good gift (James 1:17). In other words he depends on God’s grace to empower his preaching. Moreover, he takes note of the progress of revelation. In the Old Testament God encountered His people in the catechism of these seven collections, their memorizing it with religious affection, their “deselfing” themselves in their paying attention to it, and their passionate yearning and willingness to make sacrifices to realize its truth.
In the New Testament, however, God encounters His people in His own person, in His Son. “The fear of ‘I Am’ ” for the Church now involves their engaging these spiritual and psychological processes with reference to Jesus Christ and His teachings. His teachings extend those of the catechism to their fullest range. In Christ’s resurrection the abundant life promised in Proverbs reaches its full conceptual range. Jesus Christ brought the full light of the day, and so the expositor preaches the Book of Proverbs in the zenith of the day.
Notes
- Bruce K. Waltke, “Fundamentals of Preaching Proverbs, Part 2,” Bibliotheca Sacra 165 (April–June 2008): 131-44; and idem, “Fundamentals of Preaching Proverbs, Part 3,” Bibliotheca Sacra 165 (July–September 2008): 259-67.
- Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture quotations are from Today’s New International Version.
- For insights from rhetorical criticism see Bruce K. Waltke, The Book of Proverbs (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans 2004), 1:47–48.
- Charles Bridges, An Exposition of Proverbs (Evansville, IN: Sovereign Grace Book Club, 1959), 3–4.
- I. Murdoch, Metaphysics as a Guide to Morals (London: Penguin, 1993), 52–54.
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