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JBTM Daniel I. Block<br />

77<br />

to the top. The stories of Daniel and Esther may be understood similarly. However, caution<br />

is advised against treating these as wisdom writings in the technical sense. The primary<br />

agenda in each lies elsewhere.<br />

The Relationship between Hebrew Wisdom and International<br />

Wisdom<br />

Several First Testament writers allude to international wisdom. First Kgs 4:30 refers<br />

to the wisdom of the east and of Egypt, which seems to refer to clan and court wisdom<br />

respectively. Jeremiah 49:7 mentions Edomite wisdom. Job and his three “friends,” who<br />

represent wise men, are all portrayed as non-Israelites, easterners. This biblical awareness<br />

of wise persons outside Israel is confirmed by extra-biblical writings. For virtually every<br />

genre of Israelite wisdom we may find counterparts in the literature of other ancient<br />

peoples (Table 3). The connection between Israelite and extra-Israelite wisdom is not<br />

clear. In some instances the Israelite material seems to have been influenced by the foreign<br />

literature (e.g., Amenemope and Proverbs 22:17–24:22). Solomon’s interest in wisdom and<br />

the cosmopolitan atmosphere of his court suggest that during his reign this interest in<br />

foreign literature may have been fostered, along with other forms of art. On the other hand,<br />

since interaction between these cultures was a fact of life, and since this literature reflects<br />

the experiences of “every person” the influence should not be restricted to the Solomonic<br />

era, nor should the influence be viewed as having been unidirectional. At the same time,<br />

since wisdom texts are often cast in garb that seems strange to modern western readers,<br />

having read other similar texts from that world helps us understand some of its bizarre<br />

features.<br />

Table 3: Wisdom Texts in Extra-biblical Literature<br />

Category First Testament Extra-biblical Analogue Reference<br />

Proverbial Proverbs Instruction of Vizier Ptah-hotep ANET, 412–14<br />

Instruction of Meri-ka-Re ANET, 414–18<br />

Instruction of Amen-em-het ANET, 418–19<br />

Instruction of Ani ANET, 420–21<br />

Instruction of Amen-em-opet ANET, 421–25<br />

Akkadian Proverbs and Counsels ANET, 593–94<br />

Counsels of Wisdom ANET, 595–96<br />

The Words of Ahiqar ANET, 427–30<br />

Reflective Qoheleth The Dialogue of Pessimism ANET, 600–1<br />

A Dispute Over Suicide ANET, 405–7<br />

Protests of the Eloquent Peasant ANET, 407–10<br />

A Dialogue About Human Misery ANET, 438–40<br />

Theodical Job “I Will Praise YHWH of Wisdom”<br />

The Babylonian Theodicy<br />

ANET, 596–600<br />

ANET, 601–4<br />

Love Poems Song of Songs Dumuzi and Inanna Love Lyrics ANET, 637–45<br />

Egyptian Love Songs M. Fox, Song of Songs, 3–81<br />

8,<br />

9<br />

⁸ANET is the acronym for Ancient Near Eastern Texts Related to the Old Testament, ed. James B. Pritchard,<br />

3 rd ed. (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1969). Other anthologies are also available.<br />

⁹Michael Fox, The Song of Songs and the Ancient Egyptian Love Songs (Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin

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