(Part 1)

JBTM Daniel I. Block
75
The Themes and Genres of Israelite Wisdom
While some of these have already been touched upon, it may be helpful at this point to
review some of the motifs that keep recurring in the wisdom writings of the Old Testament.
These have an important bearing on our understanding of the relationship between Hebrew
wisdom and theology. In Proverbs (and Ben Sirach [Ecclesiasticus]), which for the most
part represents normative “wisdom,” these themes tend to be reinforced; in Ecclesiastes
and Job, many of these are challenged. 6
1. The divinely ordained ordered nature of the universe. This notion, reflected in the
“Creation Odes” in Proverbs (e.g., 8:22–31), provides the basis for the “first principle of
wisdom”: “the fear of YHWH.”
2. The ambiguity of events and the meaning of life. While one may recognize in principle
the order in the universe, it is not always easy to see that order played out in human
experience. Thus tension may exist between “the fear of God” and “the knowledge of
God.”
3. The correlation between human behavior on the one hand and punishment and reward
on the other. The theological “deuteronomic principle” that obedience yields blessing
and dis-obedience results in the curse underlies the emphasis on retribution found in
many wisdom texts, but it is often presented in pragmatic and secular terms.
4. The supreme value of life. “Life,” defined as “long existence characterized by good health,
many friends, children, a good reputation, possessions, and wisdom, is presupposed in
texts like Prov 3:9–18.
5. The reliability of wisdom. While wisdom is difficult to acquire/find (Job 28), its
acquisition is not only open to all, but when it is found it will provide a sure guide for
life.
6. The personification of Wisdom (and Folly). This theme begins in a small way in
Proverbs (1:20–33; 3:13–18; 3:19–20; 8:1–36; 9:1–18) but it comes to full bloom in the
deuterocanonical (Apocryphal) Wisdom of Solomon. By the time this book was written
it pervaded all of wisdom thinking.
The biblical wisdom texts develop the themes identified above through a wide variety of
genres. The following represents a summary of their characteristic features and locations.
Simple Sayings (Proverbs, mĕšālîm). The proverb represents Hebrew wisdom at its
basic level. A proverb (māšāl) may be defined as “a short pithy statement in common use.”
Proverbs are often colorful word pictures designed to teach a lesson. Proverbial material
appears frequently in the Old Testament outside the wisdom writings, 7 but hundreds of
⁶Cf. Katherine J. Dell, The Book of Job as Skeptical Literature, BZAW 197 (Berlin: de Gruyter, 1991),
75–83.
⁷Gen 10:9; 1 Sam 10:12; 1 Sam 24:14; 2 Sam 5:8; Jer 23:28; Ezek 12:22; 16:44; 18:2.