without belief. In other words, it teaches that faith seeks understanding. At the same time, Proverbs 2:5 states that the fear of Yahweh is also the consequence of the search for wisdom. The paradox which this suggests is more apparent than real. Taken together, the statements about the fear of Yahweh in Proverbs 1–9 teach that ‘it is wisdom in search of understanding that penetrates everything created, becomes acquainted with it and sees God as the Creator of it all’ (Nel 1982: 101). As Proverbs