Old Testament
Proverbs
31 chapters · World English Bible
Context
Context for this book is being written. A note appears here only once it names its sources.
AI explanation
About Proverbs as a whole · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader
This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.
What this book is about
Two voices call from the high places of a city, and both want the same passers-by. “Wisdom has built her house”, the ninth chapter says. She has set her table and sent out her maidens, and she calls the simple to leave their simple ways. Across the street, a loud and undisciplined woman, Folly, sits at her door and calls the very same crowd.
That picture captures the whole book. Proverbs gathers short sayings and longer poems about living wisely. Its starting point is that “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” It contrasts the wise and the foolish in speech, work, money, friendship, marriage and the raising of children.
In the opening chapters wisdom is pictured as a woman calling out in the streets. The book ends with a poem in praise of a capable wife.
Background
Most of the sayings are linked with Solomon. Others are credited to Agur, to King Lemuel and to unnamed wise teachers, and one section was copied by officials of King Hezekiah about two centuries after Solomon (25:1). Similar collections of wisdom are known from Egypt and Mesopotamia.
How Christians read it
A proverb states what is generally true, not a guarantee for every case. Reading the sayings as promises leads to disappointment, and the books of Job and Ecclesiastes show the exceptions. The New Testament speaks of Christ as the wisdom of God, and many Christians read the figure of wisdom in chapter 8 in that light.
About this explanation
Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 19 October 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.