"The Book of Proverbs Chapter 1-15" by Bruce K. Waltke
I often challenge Christians to tell me where in proverbs is the the well know saying "Cleanliness is next to godliness" they think for a moment and admit their ignorance. I will then reveal my trickery and they are surprised to learn that this well known adage is not a biblical precept. The majority of Christians today have little familiarity of the book of Proverbs. Sure we have a few verses in the quiver of our minds from this ancient text but when it comes to understanding the book as a whole how are we to grasp such bothersome texts written to a culture we can not relate to and which seem to teach health wealth and prosperity contrary to the instructions of the New Testament. A grammatical grasp of the teachings of Proverbs is also insufficient when the context of the book is written to an ancient time far removed from the culture of the expositor. We need a historical and grammatical understanding of this sacred writ to which I recommend to you, scholar, pastor, and bible lover this excellent commentary by Bruce Waltke. Few books of the bible prove more difficult to understand for the average reader and even more difficult for the scholar to interpret. As Americans we don't understand poetry which is absent of rhyme and proverbs relating to ancient Palestine but if 2 Timothy 3:16 is true (and it is) then surely we must be reading Proverbs and I can't recommend more highly that you let this commentary help you to better understand it.
A Word About the Introduction
If you are like me and prefer to jump into the heart of the book the temptation is to skip over the author's note or preface shoot past the introduction and get started with the meat of the text. To skip over the introduction of this book would land you 132 pages into this 2 volume commentary. NICOT commentaries are known for their extensive introductions and this commentary is no exception. Waltke begins in his author's preface exhorting us to read this misunderstood and largely neglected book. He discusses the misconception we have today with Proverbs and the difficulty for the commentator to explain this ancient text. He also explains his aim for the book he is writing and who he is writing to (scholar, pastor, and bible lover)
In the beginning of the introduction the author discusses the original text and gives an exhaustive (but worthy) explanation of the structure of Proverbs. There is included a section on Ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature relevant to understanding proverbs and a discussion on the Authorship. He concluded the introduction with the different types of Proverbs and the theology behind this bible book. In the introduction we learn about the different characters throughout the proverbs such as the sluggard or lady wisdom. My favorite is the discussion on the structure where the author shows how this seemingly random collection of proverbs is indeed ordered and not without purpose in the layout of this book. There is much to say about the introduction in this review because of the immense size and helpfulness for better understanding proverbs. Waltke does a great job throughout the commentary section with page references back to the sections of the introduction so that as one encounters something needing further discussion already mentioned in the introduction you can quickly look back and see what is mentioned. This is great for the one referencing back to what they previously read or to the one simply jumping ahead to the commentary and needing further information. My advice is to not skip the introduction but the author makes possible for those who choose not to to still have all the information they need.
Commentary
Waltke is a superb commentator and one quickly sees that his explanation of the text is both brilliant and clear. The structure of each section (discussed in the introduction) is briefly shown and then each verse is exposited individually adding comments at times of application and finishing each section recapping the message being expressed in the culmination of the unified verses. The author shows how the better understanding of the ancient culture of the original reader and the influence of ancient wisdom literature has on the understanding of the text. Though far removed from the day of this people Waltke shows how God's word is relevant to all generations and vital to our walking with Christ in our own culture today. This commentary is divided into two separate volumes and the 1st volume being reviewed here includes the introduction mentioned above and commentary on chapters 1-15. The remaining chapters are covered in volume 2
Whether a scholar, pastor or lover of the word if you are wanting to better understand the book of Proverbs I can't recommend more highly this wonderful work by Bruce Waltke and the New International Commentary on the Old Testament.
I bought this book and the 2nd volume on Amazon.com
No comments:
Post a Comment