Proverbial poetry: its settings and syntax
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1-24 (Title/Preamble, 1:1-6; Prologue, 1:7-9:18; Sub-title, 10:1; Main Text, 10:2-24:34); (2) Proverbs 25:1-29:27 (Title, 25:1; Main Text, 25:2-29:27); (3) Proverbs 30:1-33 (Title, 30:1; Main Text 30:2-33); and (4) Proverbs 31:1-31 (Title 31:1; Main Text 31:2-31). These four collections reflect the two common proverbial structures present in the ancient world. Proverbs 1-24 manifests one type and the other three collections reflect the other.1 Kitchen then compares the form and content of each section of Proverbs with their counterparts in the ancient sources. He proffers that the prologue in chapters 1-9, by its great length, reflects a first millennium form, while its content--repeated calls of the "son" to attention and non-autobiographical character-- fits a second or third millennium prologue. Thus, he concludes that a Solomonic date at the entrance of the first millennium B.C. may reflect an intermediate ____________________ 1Kitchen, "Proverbs and Wisdom Books of the Ancient Near East: The Factual History of a Literary Form," p. 70. This article is fundamental reading if one is going to understand Proverbs. Kitchen acknowledges that the text may be taken as five compositions: a long one (1-24); a shorter one (25-29); and three brief compositions ("Words of Agur," "Words of Lemuel," and "The Good Wife") (p. 70).
millennium B.C. and the long form of the first millennium prologues.1 Kitchen's brilliant discussion relates to the ordering of chapters 10-15 in that it demonstrates that those who shaped the book of Proverbs were very conscious of and skillful with larger literary structures. Thus, if they expended great care in employing macro-structures involving twenty-four chapters, should one not expect that they were just as meticulous in the structuring of smaller units?
More standard is Skladny's division based simply on the titles supplied by the text: (1) 1-9; (2) 10-22:16; (3) 22:17-24:22; (4) 24:23-34; (5) 25-29; (6) 30:1-14; (7) 30:15-33; (8) 31:1-9; and (9) 31:10-31.2 Crenshaw suggests that there is an overarching topical connection in some of these sections. Proverbs 10-15 is about the righteous and the wicked; 16:1-22:16 is about Yahweh and the king; 25-27 treats nature and agricultural topics; and 28-29 has reference to kings or potential rulers.3 All would agree that Proverbs 31 is about the ideal wife. Others point out such structural distinctions ____________________ 1Ibid., pp. 84-85. 2Skladny, Die altesten Spruchsammlungen in Israel, p. 5. Cf. Bullock, An Introduction to the Old Testament Poetic Books, p. 161; Murphy, Wisdom Literature: Job, Proverbs, Ruth, Canticles, Ecclesiastes, Esther, p. 49. 3Crenshaw, Old Testament Wisdom, p. 76. between the various sections as: Proverbs 10-22, proverbial sayings; 22-24, admonitions; and 25-27, comparative proverbs.1 Thus the macro-structures of the book of Proverbs would indicate that there was a concerted effort on the part of the scribe(s) to structure the multi-chapter units of the book. Attention will now be turned to intermediate-sized structures, that is, those which are from approximately ten to thirty verses in length. Again the purpose is to show the craftsmanship of the author(s)/collector(s) in arranging not only the multi-chapter macro-structures which compose the book, but also the multi-verse units which make up the larger structures. No one would deny that Proverbs 31:10-31 is highly structured. Not only does the poem maintain a fine thematic cohesion around the topic of the ideal wife, but the acrostic present in the initial letter of each verse clearly demonstrates the wise man's conscious effort to structure this topic within a literary framework. Thus the sages of Israel, like those elsewhere in the ancient Near East, were very sensitive to the placement of single letters as well as words. Moreover, the cohesion does not stop with the acrostic or with the common theme. Lichtenstein has shown that, through catch-word ____________________
"Retributive Paradoxes in Proverbs 10-29," p. 154. repetitions, the whole poem is shaped into a stunningly symmetrical chiastic structure.1 The structure of various chapters in the prologue (Prov 1-9) has been frequently noted.2 Lang, for instance, has seen ten instructional units (weisheitliche
Proverbs 1-7. All of these are triggered by the address of the teacher to his "son" (1:8-19; 2:1-22; 3:1-12; 3:21-35; 4:1-9; 4:10-19; 4:20-27; 5:1-23; 6:20-35; and 7:1-27).3 These show a clear cognizance of intermediate level structuring. Particularly noticeable when one begins reading Proverbs are the four verses which begin with , which introduce the purpose of Proverbs (1:2-6). Trible, in a delightful article, has demonstrated the chiastic structuring of Proverbs 1:20-33.4 She notes that while Kayatz identifies this section as a wisdom-sermon (Weisheitspredigt), Kayatz's analysis is based largely on shifts in content and the introductory particles. Trible ____________________ 1Murray H. Lichtenstein, "Chiasm and Symmetry in Proverbs 31," CBQ 44 (1982):202-11. 2Kayatz, Studien zu Proverbien 1-9, passim; cf. Williamson, "The Form of Proverbs 1-9." passim. 3B. Lang, Die weisheitliche Lehrrede: eine Untersuchung von Spruche 1-7 (Stuttgart: KBW Verlag, 1972), pp. 29, 32-33. Cf. also Murphy, Wisdom Literature: Job, Proverbs, Ruth, Canticles, Ecclesiastes, Esther, p. 51.
4Phyllis Trible, "Wisdom Builds a Poem: the Architecture of Proverbs 1:20-33," JBL 94 (1975):509-18. observes word, phrase and motif repetitions as indicative of structure. She presents the following tightly-knit structure:
B Address to the untutored, scoffers, and fools (v. 22) C Declaration of disclosure (v. 23) D Reason for the announcement (vs. 24-25)
E Announcement of derisive judgment (vs. 26-27) D' Result of the Announcement, with interruption (vs. 28-30) C' Declaration of retribution (v. 31) B' Address about the untutored and fools (v. 32) A' Conclusion: an appeal for a hearer (v. 33).µ1µ
2:12-15, 16-19 based on repeated words.2 Numerous writers have commented on the structural features in Proverbs 8.3 Bryce sees the patterning of the two sections of Proverbs 25 (2-5 introduce the two major subjects [king, wicked]; 6-15 has as its chief subject the king [cf. 25:6, 15]; and 16-26 is about the wicked [note the echo in ____________________ 1Ibid., p. 511. 2Chisholm, "Literary Genres and Structures in Proverbs," p. 9. 3J. N. Aletti, "Proverbs 8,22-31. Etude de structure," Biblica 57 (1976):25-37; M. J. Dahood, "Proverbs 8:22-31; translation and commentary," CBQ 30 (October 1968):512-20; M. Gilbert, "Le discours de la Sagesse en Proverbes 8. Structure et coherence," in La
"Structures in Poems on Wisdom: Proverbs 8 and Sirach 24," CBQ 41 (July 1979):365-79; and Gale Yee, "An Analysis of Proverbs 8:22-31 According to Style and Structure," ZAW 94 (1982):58-67. 25:16a and 25:27a]). He develops a chiastic structure at the beginning, middle and end of his "book."1
Honey (vs. 16) Glory (vs. 27b) Important for this study is Bryce's insight into how the "book" is bound together. He says, "Each verse is linked to its partner within the unit by similar subject-matter, by pronominal references, by rhyme or assonance, or even by means of the use of similar words or the same roots employed with different meanings."2 Others have observed that the collection of YHWH proverbs in Proverbs 16:1-9 is juxtaposed with a string of proverbs about the king (Prov 16:10-15).3 The function of this discussion is to demonstrate that, there was not only an intentional effort to structure large sections of Proverbs, but also the chapters themselves were considered as units to be arranged and crafted by the sages. There is no need to demonstrate the strength of cohesion within the bi-cola of the proverbial sentence itself, as that is recognized by all. The syntax, ____________________ 1Glendon E. Bryce, "Another Wisdom-'Book' in Proverbs," JBL 91 (June 1972):151-52. 2Ibid., p. 151. 3Gladson, "Retributive Paradoxes in Proverbs 10-29," pp. 228-29. Cf. also Kovacs, "Sociological- Structural Constraints," pp. 538-39 for outlining of Proverbs 15:28-22:16. semantics, and phonetics of the saying yield a strong bond welding each proverb into a balanced and complete unit. The compact stability of the saying as a base bi-colonic kernel provides a firm footing for the collectional growth of larger structures. Thus if the sages were skilled at crafting proverbial bi-cola and also gave great consideration to intermediate units, and if one can even demonstrate their sensitivity at a macro-structure level, then it would indeed be curious if such phenomena are not present in Proverbs 10-15. To suggest that Proverbs 10-15 is thrown together flies in the face of the rest of the book which is so carefully constructed. It seems most reasonable that, based on the analogy of the rest of the sages' work, haphazardness is out of the question. Hence, an effort should be made to scrutinize the text to see if there are cohesive principles. Three writers have made contributions in this direction: Skehan, Brown, and Bostrom. Skehan's work-- because it never proceeded beyond the stage of a suggestion--is usually incredulously mentioned as fantastic.1 Skehan's basic proposal was that the title in 10:1 is a clue to understanding the structure of Proverbs 10:1-22:16. If Solomon's name is taken as a number, it ____________________
section.1 He notes, similarly, that the section designated by Hezekiah's name (Prov 25:1), depending on the spelling, can yield the number 140, which is exactly the number of proverbs in this collection (chapters 25-29). Finally, and even more incredible, is his summing up of the numbers of the names in Proverbs 1:1 to yield 930. It is indeed spectacular that one observes 932 proverbs in the whole book. Skehan uses this to argue for a single author/collector for the whole book of Proverbs. He then uses a temple measurement to suggest that there are 15 columns of 25 lines which compose the section of Proverbs 10:1-22:16.2 He gives little literary support for establishing the accuracy of these twenty-five verse columns, other than citing duplicate proverbs (14:31 and 17:5; 15:8 and 21:27; 15:13-14 and 18:14-15; 15:22 and 11:14; 15:33 and 18:12; 10:1 and 15:20; 10:2 and 11:4).3 ____________________ 1Patrick Skehan, "A Single Editor for the Whole Book of Proverbs," in Studies in Israelite Poetry and Wisdom, The Catholic Biblical Quarterly Monograph Series, ed. Joseph Fitzmyer et al. (1971), p. 25. Cf. also his "Wisdom's House," in Studies in Israelite Poetry and
columns are: Prov 10:1-25; 10:26-11:18; 11:19-12:12; 12:13-13:9; 13:10-14:9; 14:10-14:34; 14:35-15:24; 15:25-16:16; 16:17-17:8; 17:9-18:5; 18:6-19:6; 19:7-20:2; 20:3-27; 20:28-21:22; 21:23-22:16.
explanation for well over half of them [duplicates], in that the doublets were not the fruit of leisurely reflection and oral transmission, but were produced ad hoc, to round out this particular written work."1 From a literary perspective, the validity of this theory must be demonstrated. That is, do his twenty-five verse units actually materialize in the text? Brown has recently attempted to supply the proof which Skehan's proposal has begged for. Brown divides the 375 proverbs of Proverbs 10:1-22:16 into fifteen columns of twenty-five verses each. He then suggests that there are common words which occur in similar places between the columns.2 He observes, for example, that five columns end with a contrast between the righteous and the wicked. However, with the frequency of this antithesis in this section of Proverbs, one wonders whether this is significant, since a lottery selection of end verses would produce a comparable percentage of end ____________________ Proverbs," pp. 18-19.
Composition and Formation of Canonical Books: A Rhetorical Critical Analysis of Proverbs 10:1-22:16," A Paper presented to the Thirty-Fourth Annual National Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society, 1982, pp. 8f. His model was made more specific in a chart which was presented at that conference.
"Remarkably, key words or phrases stand at exactly or nearly the same level in various columns, most notably the phrase 'the fear of the Lord' in line 17 of cols. VI, VII, and XII and in line 18 of cols. V and VII."1 While five times it clusters in the same columnic location, he does not mention that three times it does not. Similarly, he very selectively tries to group the abomination sayings, which are even more diverse than the "fear of YHWH" statements. Rather than attempting to establish chimerical semantic relationships between columns, Brown's efforts would have been better spent proving the literary-linguistic existence and unity of the columns themselves. Since this study will examine the cohesiveness of Proverbs 10, a brief look at how Brown has handled this section will provide a needed contrast to the methodology adopted in this study. Brown's analysis of chapter 10 begins by noting the bifid structure (A'B'A"B") of Proverbs 10:1-11//10:12-25. He properly perceives the first unit as verses 1-5 marked by an inclusio formed by the word בֵּן. The repetition of two whole stichs clearly marks off verses 6-11 (B') as the next unit (cf. 6b and 11b; 8b and 10b). A" (10:12-21) provides a chiasm with ____________________
intermediate verses (10:15-16) about economic matters. He again perceptively sees an inclusio effect at the beginning (10:12-13) and end (10:18-21) of section A" (hatred 10:12, 18; transgressions 10:12, 19; lacking understanding 10:13, 21; lips 13, 18-21).1 These observations seem legitimate, but most will be unimpressed due to the selectiveness of his observations. He suggests that repeated words are how the author is structuring his work. This study will substantiate that there may be other factors which Brown's very spasmodic analysis of word repetitions has failed to discover. One of the faux pas of structuralism as practiced by biblical scholars has been the procrustean fascination with word repetition as a structuring technique. While ____________________ 1Ibid., p. 9. He presented the following structure during the lecture. Proverbs 10:1-11 // 10:12-25 1-5 A' Wealth and Poverty Ending: make rich (4) Frame: wise "son" (1,5) 6-11 B' The righteous/the Wicked Beginning: Blessings (6) Ending: a babbling fool (8, 10) Frame: mouth of wicked conceals (6, 11) 12-21 A" The Wealthy/the Poor Frame: hatred (12,18) transgressions (12, 19) lacking understanding (13, 21) lips (13, 18-21) 22-25 B" Righteousness/Wickedness Beginning: Blessing (22) Ending: make rich (22)
critics, it seems that there has been a recent fixation on this trope as a fail-safe method for determining structure. One cannot deny the importance of repetition in structure; however, it is only one technique among many. Furthermore, repetition may have other purposes, besides merely marking structural divisions, which such "structural" approaches may willingly ignore (e.g., emphasis). Brown next draws the whole column together on the basis of the placement of the verb "makes rich" (10:4b, 22a). Similarly, B' (10:6-11) and B" (10:22-25) are united via the repetition of the word "blessing" (10:6, 22). However, there is an inconsistency even in Brown's observance of repeated words. Those words which support his proposed structure he mentions, but others, which would argue against his alleged structure, he conveniently fails to report. Specifically, "mouth of the wicked" (10:6, 11 (cf. 31); "life" (10:11; 17); the conceptual repetition of the sluggard motif (10:4, 5; and 26); "destruction" (10:15, 29); the juxtaposition of the divine name and the verb "to add" (10:22, 27); and the verb "to cover" (10:11, 12) are just a few that he has left unaccounted. The critical problem is one of methodology. It is wiser to begin with the sentential kernels and work from those stable units up to larger units. One should attempt to discover how the sage connected proverb with proverb, along with asking the harder question of how the sections were formulated. Meticulous analysis at each level with the various tropes and cohesional devices must be performed as each strata is built up. One may jump in at the top (discourse) and work down, but such analysis needs to be heuristically checked by a bottoms-up approach. Brown's analysis fails at several points. He fixates on a "word-repetition equals structural-marker" approach. Then he fails to note repetitions which do not fit his prefabricated structures. Perhaps the onus of improper methodology should be shared with many who are jumping on the biblical structuralism band-wagon and who often simplistically employ this word repetition technique as a singular tool for discovering structure. Its simplicity is attractive but may prove mis-leading to the novice at semiotic analysis. It appears that a linguistically sophisticated structuralism which examines all cohesive features--one of which is indeed word repetition--is the best way to establish structure. Another problem involves the semantic designations of his sections. In attempting to get a bifid structure, Brown correctly perceives 10:1-5 to be about "Wealth and Poverty," but one wonders if such a title is appropriate for 10:12-21. Indeed, one should note that there are two verses (10:15, 16) which do address the topic of wealth. However, there are six verses (10:13, 14, 18-21) whose message is clearly the control of one's speech. Likewise, it is a bit queer that 10:22-25 is labeled Righteousness/ Wickedness when in two of the four verses these very common words are not found (10:22,23; contrast 10:2, 3). Finally, Brown does not seem to be aware of other ancient Near Eastern scribal attempts to pattern proverbial collections. Such techniques, as suggested above, will be conspicuously present in the text of Proverbs and extremely helpful in determining whether or not Proverbs 10-15 is ordered. Thus, in conclusion of the discussion of the Skehan-Brown model of fifteen columns of twenty-five verse units each, it seems that the theory has not been generated via the building up of stable units into larger units, but has been injected onto the text ob extra. This refutation of Brown's support for Skehan's theory is intuitively obvious to any one who has studied the text. It is also clear that Skehan's theory explaining why there are 375 proverbs on the basis of Solomon's name is still in need of proof. Perhaps the comments here have been overly censorious in that Skehan and Brown have done much to support the idea that Proverbs 10-15 was structured. Brown's method of proof, however, has left the theory open for criticism. This study, while accepting their major premise that order exists, will define the structural units by a more linguistically-satisfying methodology. Ordering Principles It should be clear from the above discussion that methodology is determinative regarding what types of structures will be perceived. An attempt will be made here to list the types of ordering principles which have been observed in both canonical and non-canonical proverbial texts. Having enumerated the principles which have been verified elsewhere, they will then be applied to the text of Proverbs 10 to discover if they have been employed. As one reads the text, he should also feel free Yüklə 6,58 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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