man of understanding,” but “even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips he is deemed intelligent” (Prov 17:27–28). Such sayings, therefore, remain open for further verification, even for limitation. They are essentially tied to the experience from which they derive, and to the tradition (handed down among those who found them meaningful) that gave them status and importance. It is the context of the collections in Proverbs that lends a didactic orientation to experiential