Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Commentaries: Proverbs

"The book of Proverbs invites us into an ancient and ongoing conversation about what is good and wise and true in life. Yoder explores the book through literary, exegetical, and theological-ethical analysis, paying particular attention to how Proverbs shapes the moral imagination of its readers. She highlights the poetics of each proverb, considers similarities and differences between the book’s sections, and ponders how the content, pedagogies, and arrangement of Proverbs contribute to its aim to form “fearers of the Lord.” - Abingdon Press

Unfortunately Yale University Press has not digitized the first volume of this set.

"This volume completes Bible scholar Michael V. Fox’s comprehensive commentary on the book of Proverbs. As in his previous volume on the early chapters of Proverbs, the author here translates and explains in accessible language the meaning and literary qualities of the sayings and poems that comprise the final chapters. He gives special attention to comparable sayings in other wisdom books, particularly from Egypt, and makes extensive use of medieval Hebrew commentaries, which have received scant attention in previous Proverb commentaries. In separate sections set in smaller type, the author addresses technical issues of text and language for interested scholars. The author’s essays at the end of the commentary view the book of Proverbs in its entirety and investigate its ideas of wisdom, ethics, revelation, and knowledge. Out of Proverbs’ great variety of sayings from different times, Fox shows, there emerges a unified vision of life, its obligations, and its potentials." - Yale University Press

With Proverbs, veteran Old Testament scholar Tremper Longman III offers an accessible commentary on one of Scripture's most frequently quoted and visited books. With his deft exegetical and expositional skill, the resulting work is full of fresh insight into the meaning of the text. In addition to the helpful translation and commentary, Proverbs considers theological implications of these wisdom texts, as well as their literary, historical, and grammatical dimensions. Footnotes deal with many of the technical matters, allowing readers of varying interest and training levels to read and profit from the commentary and to engage the biblical text at an appropriate level. This built-in versatility has application for both pastors and teachers.

"Treier's new commentary is a rare gift: rich theological reflection and wisdom from and on Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. It fills a serious gap in much Christian thought and practice by providing a biblically based creation theology that addresses ordinary human life in its God-related richness and complexity. Last but not least, it is readable and absorbing. May Treier's tribe increase!"--Raymond C. Van Leeuwen

"Katherine Hayes has written a truly accessible commentary on the book of Proverbs that will be of great benefit to biblical scholars and inquiring laity alike. This volume brings the biblical text alive, explaining its meaning in simple language without sacrificing depth of meaning and insight on every page. Hayes clearly establishes the context and then explains the content of the book's many sections. The extensive study and reflection questions are especially helpful in making this ancient text relevant for modern readers." - John L. McLaughlin

"Over twenty-five years in the making, this much-anticipated commentary promises to be the standard study of Proverbs for years to come. Written by eminent Old Testament scholar Bruce Waltke, this two-volume commentary is unquestionably the most comprehensive work on Proverbs available. Grounded in the new literary criticism that has so strengthened biblical interpretation of late, Waltke's commentary on Proverbs demonstrates the profound, ongoing relevance of this Old Testament book for Christian faith and life. A thorough introduction addresses such issues as text and versions, structure, authorship, and theology. The detailed commentary itself explains and elucidates Proverbs as "theological literature." Waltke's highly readable style -- evident even in his original translation of the Hebrew text -- makes his scholarly work accessible to teachers, pastors, Bible students, and general readers alike." - Eerdmans

"Over twenty-five years in the making, this much-anticipated commentary promises to be the standard study of Proverbs for years to come. Written by eminent Old Testament scholar Bruce Waltke, this two-volume commentary is unquestionably the most comprehensive work on Proverbs available. Grounded in the new literary criticism that has so strengthened biblical interpretation of late, Waltke's commentary on Proverbs demonstrates the profound, ongoing relevance of this Old Testament book for Christian faith and life. A thorough introduction addresses such issues as text and versions, structure, authorship, and theology. The detailed commentary itself explains and elucidates Proverbs as "theological literature." Waltke's highly readable style -- evident even in his original translation of the Hebrew text -- makes his scholarly work accessible to teachers, pastors, Bible students, and general readers alike." - Eerdmans

"This first volume of The Hebrew Bible: A Critical Edition series features a critical text of Proverbs with extensive text-critical introductions and commentaries. This and future HBCE volumes bring together a scholar's critical decisions into an eclectic text, drawing from many manuscripts or placing entirely variant texts side by side. A common approach for critical editions of other ancient books, including the New Testament, the eclectic approach and scope used in the HBCE is a first of its kind for the Hebrew Bible." - SBL Press

"In the Proverbs volume in the Septuagint Commentary Series Al Wolters gives a meticulous philological commentary on the text of Proverbs as found in the important fourth-century Codex Vaticanus, together with a careful transcription of the Vaticanus Greek text and a fresh English translation thereof. The focus of the commentary is on the semantic and grammatical aspects of the Greek, relying primarily on general Greek usage rather than on the underlying Hebrew, and drawing on a broad array of lexicographical and grammatical resources, as well as a detailed examination of twelve previous translations of LXX Proverbs. In the process, many new interpretations of the often difficult Greek are proposed." - Brill

"In many ways, Proverbs is similar to the wisdom literature of the wider ancient Near East. However, while the book initially appears to consist primarily of practical advice, wisdom is grounded in a relationship with God. In this replacement Tyndale Commentary, Lindsay Wilson shows how the first nine chapters provide a reading guide for the many proverbs in subsequent chapters; and how the fear of the Lord, choosing wisdom not folly, and having our characters formed by wisdom are crucial for understanding Proverbs as Christian Scripture and living out our faith in daily life.The Tyndale Commentaries are designed to help the reader of the Bible understand what the text says and what it means. The Introduction to each book gives a concise but thorough treatment of its authorship, date, original setting, and purpose. Following a structural Analysis, the Commentary takes the book section by section, drawing out its main themes, and also comments on individual verses and problems of interpretation. Additional Notes provide fuller discussion of particular difficulties. In the new Old Testament volumes, the commentary on each section of the text is structured under three headings: Context, Comment, and Meaning. The goal is to explain the true meaning of the Bible and make its message plain." - InterVarsity Press

"Proverbs--a book full of wisdom--and yet a book demanding all one's wisdom to understand. Derek Kidner not only has provided a running commentary on the whole of Proverbs but has also included two helpful study aids. The first is a set of subject guides that pull together teaching scattered throughout the book. The second is a short concordance that helps locate lost sayings (in territory notoriously hard to search) and encourages further subject studies. In short, this volume is a wise person's guide to wisdom. The original, unrevised text of this volume has been completely retypeset and printed in a larger, more attractive format with the new cover design for the series. These commentaries are designed to help the reader of the Bible understand what the text says and what it means. The Introduction to each book gives a concise but thorough treatment of its authorship, date, original setting and purpose. Following a structural Analysis, the Commentary takes the book section by section, drawing out its main themes, and also comments on individual verses and problems of interpretation. Additional Notes provide fuller discussion of particular difficulties. The goal throughout is to explain the true meaning of the Bible and make its message plain." - InterVarsity Press

"These books of the Bible, despite their differences, all treat the phenomenon of what it means to live wisely before God. In this readable commentary, Ellen Davis points out that the writers of these books considered wisdom--and the fruits of wisdom, a well-ordered life and a peaceful mind--to be within the grasp of anyone wholeheartedly desiring it." - WJK Press