Proverbs

685 Pages·1980·25.203 MB·English

by  William McKane

WILUAM M,XMlE
PROVERBS
© ""illiam Mc:Ka.u: '97()
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BIMingm/Jh..y Xl
Inl:uduction
A Proverbs 1-9 J
n The Sc:J1tCIICl~ r.it~ralllre ill the Book of Proverbs 10
c The Meaning of miiJtil ~2
D The Septuagint Text of Proverbs 33
PART O,N};
INTERNATIONAL WISDOM
I The Egyptian Instruction 51
A Ptah!UJkp 51
n Ka.r:emni 65
c Alerika" 67
D Form of Ptahhotep and Merikare 75
E AI1U1ltmhet '82
DuauJ 86
F
G For- of D,Ul,!! and IAIIJing go
Ani
;n 92
J Form of A1li 99
J Amennnope
102
It Form of Amenemope 110
I. OTICluhtshonq!J 117
Non-proverbial sentences
124-
Proverbial sentences 129
Instruction
139
I ( The 1\:'hylonian-AlI.~yri;m Instruction
A (.'o,uutls t!l Wist/"m
D AhikM
III Babylonian and A~yrian Proverbs
v
vi CONTENTS
PART TWO
THE BOOK OF PROVERBS
IV Translation 211
V The Instruction Genre in the Book of Proverbs 262
A Chapten J-9 262
B Chapter. 22"7-24.22 369
c Chapter 31.1-g 407
VI The Sentence Literature in the Book of Proverbs 413
A Chapters 10-22.16 413
B Chapter 24.23-34- 572
C Chapters 25-29 577
VII Poems and Numerical Sayings 643
A Chapter 30 643
B Chapter 31.10-31 665
PREFACE
IT IS with a sense of relief and yet inadequacy that I come to the
end of this study which has taken up much of my time and thought
in recent years. The thesis that Provo l-g, 22.17-24.22 and 3I.1-g
are a different literary kind from the sentences in 10.1-22.16 and
24.23-29.27 is one which is gaining recognition and which will stand
the test offurther enquiry. The argument that the history of the wis
dom tradition in Israel and the direction of its development are
mirrored in the book of Proverbs is more difficult to conduct, involv
ing as it does the division of the sentences into three classes. Although
I have reached considered conclusions here too, I am aware that I
have touched on more contentious matters. The analysis of the con
stituents of a 'proverb' is, so far as I am aware, an original contribu
tion which should serve to focus attention OIl the special concreteness
or organization of imagery which produces a ·proverb.'.
Alongside these lines of argument and in some measure indepen
dent of them, there is the exegetical work which I have done on the
sometimes difficult and often fhscinating text of Proverbs. My friend
and fonner teacher, Eric F. F. Bishop generously handed ovt'r to me
material on the I)alestinian background of the book of Proverbs.
Where I have used this, I have indicated the source with the abbrevia
tion EFFB.
Since the order of exposition does not follow the verse order in
10.1-22.16 and 24.23-29.27, the verse under discussion is given in
bold type and the same procedure is followed where necessary in the
other parts of Proverbs. In the translation I have used italics to
indicate an emended text or an uncertain translation. The related
discussion will be found in the body of the commentary and the page
number is given in the margin of the translation.
I am deeply grateful to my colleagues Mr P. W. Coxon and Mr
J. D. Martin Jor the careful and skilful way in whch they have read
the proofs of this work, and for having urged upon me the need for a
final reconsideration of a number of points.
Sl Mary'J' (,'011'1:",
U"ilJersiry of St Alldrews
VII
AHllREVIATIONS
ABL * R. F. Harper, .As~yrian and Babylonian Letters
A]SL American Journal ofS emitic Languages
ANET * J. B. Pritchard, Ancient NeaT Eastern Texts
An.Or. Analecta Orientalin
ATD Das Alte Testament Deutsch
AV Authorized Version
BASOR Bulletin oft he American Schools of Oriental Research
nOB * Brown-Driver-Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicnn
BEThL Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium
IU La llible de Jerusalem
Ill, * H. Bauer-P. Leander, Historische Grammatik
RWANT Beilriige zur Wissenschafl uom allen und neuen Testament
llWL * W. G. Lambert, Babylonian Wisdom Literature
nZAW Beihefte zur Zeitschrift fur die alttestamentliche Wissen
schafl
CAD Chicago Assyrian Dictionary
CML * G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends
E.F.F.B. t. Eric F. F. Bishop
ET English Translation
ET The Expository Times
EThL Ephemerides Theologicae Louanienses
EV
English Version
GK * Gesenius-KautZ$ch, Hebrew Grammar
HAT I-Iandbuch zum alten Testament
IITR Harvard Theological Review
lJ(!CA Ilebrew Union College Annual
ICC The International Critical Commentary
JBL Journal of Biblical Literature
JEA Journal of Egyptian Archaeology
JJS Jou'FJJIJl ofJ ewish Studies
]NES Journai of Near Eastern Studies
]POS Journal oft he Pales~ine Oriental Sociery
JQ,R Jewish Qparter(y Review
JRAS Journal of the Royal AsiaticSociery
JSS Journal ojS emitic Studies
tSee
Preface, p. vii.
ix
x ABBREVIATIONS
JTS Journal of Theological Studies
K.
K~tlb
KB • Koehler-Baumgartner
KD Kerygma und Dogma
KS • A. Alt, Kleine Schriften
LXX The Septuagint
MT Masoretic Text
MVAG Mitleillmgen der vorderasiatisch-iigyptischen Gesellschaft
NEB New English Bible
NTT Nieuw Theologisch Tijdschrift
OLZ Orientalistische Literatur ;:,eitung
Or. Orientalia
OTS Oudtestamentische Studien
PEQ, Palestine Exploration Q.uarterry
Pesh. Peshitta
PWM • W. McKane, Prophets and Wise Men
Q. Q!re
RB Revue Biblique
RSV Revised Standard Version
RV Revised Version
SBOT Sacred Books of the Old Testam~nt (editor, P. Haupt)
SBT Studies in Biblical Theology
SJT Scottish Journal of Theology
Targ. Targum
TGUOS Transactions oft he Glasgow University Oriental Society
ThLZ Theologische Literatur zeitung
ThZ Theologische Zeitschrift
TT Theologisch Tijdschrift
V Vulgate
VT Vetus Testamentum
VTS Supplements to Vetus Testamentum
WMANT Wissenschaftliche Monographien zum alien und neuen
Testament
ZA Zeitschriftfiir Assyriologie
,v4eS Zeitschriflfar /l!(Yptische Sprache und Altertum.rku1/de
ZAW Zeitsc/lriflfar die alUeslamentliclte Wi.rsenschnjl
ZDMG Zeitschrift der deutschen morgm[/lndischen Gesellsdzajt
ZThK Zeitschriftfar Theologie und Kirche
For full details of entries marked·, see llibliography
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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(1942),),P. d;nf.
'The MeallillR orHebrew dor considered', ]SS xiii (1968), pp. 3-10
Y. Aharoni, 'lkth-haccherem', Archaeology and Old Testament Study (ed.
D. Winton Thomas) (1967), pp. '71-4
J. Aistleitner (0. Eissfeldt), Worterbuch der ugaritischen Sprache3 (1967).
Berichte tiber die Verhandiungen der sachsischen Akademie der
Wissenschaften zu Leipzig, Phil.-hist. Klasse, Band 106, Heft 3
W. F. Albright, 'An archaic Hebrew Proverb in an Amarna Letter
from Central Palestine', BASOR 89 (1943), pp. 29-32
'A Prince of Taanach in the Fifteenth Century B.C.', BASOR 94-
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'Canaanite-Phoenician Sources of Hebrew Wisdom', Wisdom in
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A. Alt, 'Die UrspriinRe des israelitischen Rechts', Kleine Schnflen zur
Geschichte des Volkes Israel3, vol. i (1963), pp. 27B-332; ET (R. A.
Wilson), Essays in Old Testament History and Religion (1966), pp.
79--132
'Die .weisheit Salomos', op. cit., vol. ii (1964), PP.90-99
R. Anthes; 'Lebensregeln und Lebensweisheit der alten Aegypter',
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P·5
D. H. Baneth, 'Bemerkungen zu den Achikarpapyri', OLZ '7 (1914),
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A. Barucq, Le Livre des Proverbes (Sources Bibliques, 1964)
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91f.
A. J. Baumgartner, Etude critique sur Ntat du texte du Livre des Proverbes
d' aprb les principales tmductions anciennes ( I 890)
II. Bauer, P. Leander, lIistorische. Grammatik deT hebr/iischen SprQchl
(1922 )
W. Baumgartner, IJraelitische und altorimtalische Weisheit (1933)
'Die literarischen Gattungen in der Weisheit des Jesus Siracl1',
ZAW:H (19'4.). pp. 161-98
XI
xu BIBLIOGRAPHY
A. Bentzen, Introduction to the Old Teslammt\ vols. i-ii (1959)
G. Bertram, 'Die religiose Umdeutung altoricntalischer L,'lwns
ZA
weisheit in· der griechischen tlbersctzung des AT', JV 5.1
(1936), pp. 153-67
J. Bewer, 'Two Suggestions on Provo 30.31 and Zech. 9.16', JBL
lxvii (1948), pp. 61r.
G. Bickell, 'Kritische Bearbeitung der Proverbien', Wiener Zeitschrift
fur die Kunde des Morgenlandes (1891), pp. 79-1()2, 191-214,271-99
A. M. Blackman and T. E. Peat, 'Papyrus Lansing: a translation
with notes',JEA xi (1925), pp. 284-98
P. A. H. deBoer, 'The Counsellor', VTSiii (1955), pp. 42-71
G. BostrBm, ProrJerbia Studien,' die Weisheit und das fremde Weib in
Spr. 1-9 (Lund, Universitets Arsskrift, N.F., Avd. I, Bel. 30, Nr.
3,1935) - .
F. Brown, S. R. Driver, C. A~ Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of
tke Old Testament (1966) ()
H. Brunner, Altagyptische Er ziehung (1957)
'Gerechtigkeit ai, Fundament des Thrones', VT viii (1958), pp.
426-8
A. de Buck, 'Het religieus karakter der oudste egyptische wijsheid',
NTTxxi (1932), pp. 322-49
'The Instruction of Amenemmes', Melanges Maspero I, Orient
Ancien, second fascicule, pp. 847-52. Memoires publics par les
membres de l'Institut Fran-;ais d' Archeologie Orientale du Caire,
sous la direction de M. Pierre Jougnet, tome lxvi, 1935-38
H.J. Byington, 'Hebrew Marginalia III', ]BL lxiv (1945), Pp.339-55
M. A. Canney, 'The Hebrewmeli;r', A]SLxl (1923-4), pp. 135-7
H. Cazelles, 'L'enfantcment de las Sagesse en Provo viii', Sacra Pagina
i (BEThLxii, 1~59), pp. 51 I-IS
G. Contenau, Trente TaUettesCappadociennes, 1919
F. C. Conybeare,J. Rendell Harris, A. S. Lewis, The Story oj Ahilcar2
(1913)
A. E. Cowley, Aramaic Papyri oft he Fifth Century BC (1923)
~ B. Crook, cThe Mllrringeable Maiden of piov. 31.10-3", ]NES
xiii (1954), pp. 137-40
M. Dahood, PrfRJerbs and Northwest Semitic Philology (J 963)
cImmortality in Proverbs 12.28', Biblita 41 (1960), pp. 176-81
'To pawn one'a cloak', Bihlica42 (1961), PP. 359-66
G.Dalman,Arblit rmd Silte in Pallistina, 1.1 (1926)
G'amm.tJlik du jildisch-pallislinisclren AramlJisch2, 1905