I agree with Jimmy Reagan. I too have not been satisfied with newer exegetical commentaries on Proverbs. A few years back our church had a sermon series through the first six chapters of Proverbs. I got to teach a few times and so, naturally, I pulled out all of my Proverbs commentaries. Aside from Overland, Treier, and Waltke, I found many of the other volumes just plain unhelpful, at least from a sermon-writing POV. Does this volume offer something different?
Christopher Ansberry is Associate Professor of Biblical and Religious Studies at Grove City College.
How should we read the book of Proverbs? Are they promises? Happy suggestions? A smattering of Israel fortune cookies linked together? Is the book of Proverbs a coherent document with a “pedagogical and theological agenda” (53)? According to Ansberry, instead of searching for the historical setting of Proverbs (which seems impossible), we should interpret Proverbs within the discourse setting of the book. This is outlined for us in Proverbs 1:1–7, which introduces the book’s speaker(s), the addressees, and their social setting (57). These originally unrelated proverbs, no matter what their original context was, have been brought together in this book for the purpose of instilling virtue into God’s people so that they can image him rightly and walk the path of life.
Proverbs begins with a father (and mother) speaking to their son (or sons). This son is an uncommitted youth. He is is neither wise nor a fool. The world lies before him, and he has a choice over who he will become as he prepares “to enter the community as an independent adult” (57). His parents, particularly the father, seek to advise him in the path he should walk. The father does this through “a chorus of voices”: his own (1:8–21), the grandfather (4:4–9), sinners (1:11–14), Lady Wisdom (1:22–33; 8:4–36), the strange woman (7:14–20), and Woman Folly (9:16–17).
If you’ve read any of my reviews, you’ll know that the aim of this series is discourse analysis (also called macrosyntax). Discourse analysis (DA) is a tool used to understand the flow of thought and how words are built into clauses, clauses into sentences, and sentences into paragraphs which serve “as the basic unit of thought” (x). How does the content of Proverbs 10–29 work with DA? On the microlevel, it doesn’t work because the proverbs don’t build on one another. Each new verse brings a new proverb. However, on the macrolevel, following William Brown’s work, Ansberry sees Proverbs 10–29 as being “deliberately arranged to form the character and shape the moral vision of the reader” (60). The broader sections move from:
- elementary wisdom (10–15);
- to intermediate wisdom (16:1–22:16);
- to vocational wisdom (22:17–24:34);
- to advanced wisdom (25–29).
This leads to the final section (Prov 30–31), with Proverbs 30 sketching the limits of human wisdom and Proverbs 31 showing how to embody human wisdom. Proverbs 30–31 work as a frame to Proverbs 1–9, enveloping the content of Proverbs 10–29. Ansberry writes, “This movement [of the text] mirrors the progressive (trans)formation of the reader and contributes to the fundamental agenda of Proverbs, namely, the cultivation of character through the inculcation of wisdom and virtue” (61).
To accomplish this, Proverbs focuses on the “character and virtue” of its reader. The book gives us types of characters and their actions so that the reader can see how much better it is to imitate the wise rather than the fool, the scoffer, or the uncommitted youth. The righteous provokes desire “by showing what is desirable” (81). Whereas reading about the actions of the wicked ought to repulse you. It should repel you away from being like the wicked when you see that they go down into ruin. The righteous person fears the Lord—which is Proverbs’ “expression of faith”—understanding that we are limited creatures who are dependent upon the Lord and live under his governance (116).
Recommended?
This is a great commentary on a challenging book. Ansberry’s writing style as well can be challenging and difficult for the pastor to convert into the language of his congregants. It is difficult to do much with discourse analysis with Proverbs, although Ansberry does “focus on the poetic parts of each discourse and their relation to the whole” (93–94).
Not every chapter of Proverbs receives detailed comments. Some chapters, quite a few in fact, lack an Explanation of the Text section due to spatial constraints. These chapters are Proverbs 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 24:23–34, 26, and 28. This is very disappointing. When buyings a commentary, readers expect comments on all of the text, even if they are brief. Other chapters lack the Canonical and Theological significance section.
Ansberry considers and understands each chapter of Proverbs in light of the whole book, seeing the entire book of Proverbs as a work that shapes our integrity as followers of Christ. Pastors and teachers will benefit greatly from this volume.
Buy it on Amazon or from Zondervan Academic!
Other ZECOT reviews
- Leviticus — Jay Sklar
- Judges — Boda/Conway
- Ezra-Nehemiah — Gary Smith
- Hosea — Jerry Hwang
- Joel — Joel Barker
- Obadiah — Daniel Block
- Jonah — Kevin Youngblood
- Nahum — Daniel Timmer
- Habakkuk — Kenneth Turner
- Malachi — Dennis Tucker
Lagniappe
- Series: Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament
- Author: Christopher B. Ansberry
- Hardcover: 752 pages
- Publisher: Zondervan Academic (November 12, 2024)
Review Disclosure: I received this book free from Zondervan Academic. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html.
Amazon Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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