VOLUME 18

OLD TESTAMENT

THE

NEW COLLEGEVILLE BIBLE COMMENTARY

PROVERBS

Katherine M. Hayes

series editor

Daniel Durken, O.S.B.

LITURGICAL PRESS

Collegeville, Minnesota

www.litpress.org

Nihil Obstat: Reverend Robert Harren, Censor deputatus.

Imprimatur: ✠ Most Reverend John F. Kinney, J.C.D., D.D., Bishop of Saint Cloud, Minnesota. April 15, 2013.

Design by Ann Blattner.

Cover illustration: Detail of Seven Pillars of Wisdom by Donald Jackson. © 2007 The Saint John’s Bible, Order of Saint Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Photos: pages 19, 25, 38, 54, 70, 86, and 104, Thinkstock Photos.

Scripture texts used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

© 2013 by Order of Saint Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, microfilm, microfiche, mechanical recording, photocopying, translation, or by any other means, known or yet unknown, for any purpose except brief quotations in reviews, without the previous written permission of Liturgical Press, Saint John’s Abbey, PO Box 7500, Collegeville, Minnesota 56321-7500.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Hayes, Katherine Murphey.

Proverbs / Katherine M. Hayes ; series editor, Daniel Durken, O.S.B.

pages cm. — (New Collegeville Bible commentary. Old Testament ; volume 18)

ISBN 978-0-8146-2852-2

1. Bible. O.T. Proverbs—Commentaries. I. Durken, Daniel. II. Title.

BS1465.53.H39 2012

223'.7077—dc23

2012034886

CONTENTS

Abbreviations

THE BOOK OF PROVERBS

Introduction

Commentary

Prologue (1:1–7)

Introduction (1:8–9:18)

The Proverbs of Solomon (10:1–22:16)

Sayings of the Wise (22:17–24:22)

Other Sayings of the Wise (24:23–34)

Other Proverbs of Solomon (25:1–29:27)

The Words of Agur (30:1–33)

The Words of Lemuel (31:1–31)

Review Aids and Discussion Topics

ABBREVIATIONS

Books of the Bible

Acts—Acts of the Apostles

Amos—Amos

Bar—Baruch

1 Chr—1 Chronicles

2 Chr—2 Chronicles

Col—Colossians

1 Cor—1 Corinthians

2 Cor—2 Corinthians

Dan—Daniel

Deut—Deuteronomy

Eccl (or Qoh)—Ecclesiastes

Eph—Ephesians

Esth—Esther

Exod—Exodus

Ezek—Ezekiel

Ezra—Ezra

Gal—Galatians

Gen—Genesis

Hab—Habakkuk

Hag—Haggai

Heb—Hebrews

Hos—Hosea

Isa—Isaiah

Jas—James

Jdt—Judith

Jer—Jeremiah

Job—Job

Joel—Joel

John—John

1 John—1 John

2 John—2 John

3 John—3 John

Jonah—Jonah

Josh—Joshua

Jude—Jude

Judg—Judges

1 Kgs—1 Kings

2 Kgs—2 Kings

Lam—Lamentations

Lev—Leviticus

Luke—Luke

1 Macc—1 Maccabees

2 Macc—2 Maccabees

Mal—Malachi

Mark—Mark

Matt—Matthew

Mic—Micah

Nah—Nahum

Neh—Nehemiah

Num—Numbers

Obad—Obadiah

1 Pet—1 Peter

2 Pet—2 Peter

Phil—Philippians

Phlm...