A Proverb in the Hand Is Worth Two in the Bush: A Hermeneutical Proposal for Handling Biblical Proverbs
This Viewpoint blog post is a companion to the May 5 episode of the Theologically Speaking podcast featuring BJU Seminary Professor Layton Talbert and hosted by Dr. Ken Casillas. Dr. Talbert’s recently presented this paper at the Seminary’s Spring Theological Research Symposium.
Takeaways:
- Biblical proverbs must be interpreted with the same hermeneutical principles as other Scripture to ensure their correct handling and avoid misuse.
- Biblical “wisdom” refers to skill as opposed to intellectual aptitude: in this case, the skill to live life as God intends.
- Biblical wisdom literature must be distinguished from its ancient Near Eastern counterparts and divided between reflective literature, prosaic discourses exploring life in a fallen world and humankind’s relationship to God, and the pithy aphoristic wisdom that makes up much of the Book of Proverbs.
- Aphoristic wisdom’s components include its portable and poetic natures, its conveyance of general observations, and its reflection of a particular worldview—in this case, a biblical worldview.
* * *
Why would Christians need to apply hermeneutical principles to the Proverbs—such as authorial intent, historical and cultural context, literary structure, theological focus, and relation to the reader? They seem to be pretty straightforward teachings.
For the same reason you apply those principles to any Scripture, as discussed in 2 Timothy 2:15: that the Christian might be “a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (or handling) the word of truth.”
And in fact, Solomon teaches in Proverbs 26:7, “Like a lame man’s legs, which hang useless, is a proverb in the mouth of fools;” and in verse 9, “Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of fools.”
In other words, even a biblical proverb that is not interpreted correctly can end up not only being useless but actually damaging.
“Wisdom” in the Bible: Skill over Intellect
Diving into Proverbs underscores that proper understanding is not as simple as it seems. Beginning with a key word: wisdom.
We usually think of wisdom as referring to intellectual aptitude, but the Hebrew term used in the Old Testament has more to do with practical aptitude: textile, metal and gem craftsmanship (Bezalel and Oholiab in Exodus 31), tactical warfare (Isaiah 10:13), snake-charming (Psalm 58:5), ship-caulking (Ezekiel 27:9), and even skill in committing evil.
In the context of Proverbs, wisdom is about skill in living life as God intends. Professor Bruce Waltke has written, “A person could memorize the book of Proverbs and still lack wisdom if it had not affected his or her heart, which informs behavior.” Christians can harbor the false mentality that God lays out His laws or His commands, and living for Him is just a matter of going through the list and checking things off. Biblical wisdom, rather, is developing the skill to take Scriptural input and apply it to situations that may not come up explicitly in the Bible.
Wisdom Literature: Dual Distinctives
A second issue is the handling of wisdom literature. Again, paying close attention to literary genre is a key principle of biblical hermeneutics. One cannot, for example, interpret Old Testament narrative books in the same way as New Testament epistles, which lay out doctrine.
Wisdom literature as a genre must be distinguished in two ways. The first is separating biblical wisdom literature—which also includes Job, Psalms, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs—from similar writings common to the ancient Near East. The difference, clearly, is a worldview steeped in authoritative, divinely inspired revelation, particularly the Pentateuch and its description of who God is and what He is like.
Wisdom literature, in turn, can be divided into two major sub-genres, both represented in the Book of Proverbs:
- Reflective literature is largely made up of discursive, prosaic discourses that explore the enigmas and anomalies of life in a fallen world and the nature of humankind’s relationship to God. These discourses can include dialogues between human characters as in Job, as well as monologues as in Ecclesiastes and the first nine and last two chapters of Proverbs.
- Aphoristic wisdom represents the isolated, pithy sayings one generally thinks of when we used the term “proverbs.” A collection of such proverbs comprises chapters 10 to 29 of the Book of Proverbs.
Four Components of “Small-P” Proverbs
These aphoristic, “small-p” proverbs share four components:
- They are portable: Concise and compact, they are made memorable by employing vivid and sometimes stark images and metaphors. An example (and excuse us for this one, ladies): “Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman without discretion.” (Proverbs 11:22 ESV)
- They are poetic: Small-p proverbs typically consist of a single sentence in two lines in parallel structure. The second line may repeat and expand on the principle in the first or may contrast it and be antithetical.
Frequently, these proverbs present theology and directives from the Book of Deuteronomy in poetic form. For example, in Deuteronomy 32:15 (ESV), God states:
Vengeance is mine, and recompense
for the time when their foot shall slip;
for the day of their calamity is at hand,
and their doom comes swiftly.
The “poetic” restatement is found in Proverbs 20:22 (ESV):
Do not say, “I will repay evil”;
Wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.
A similar pairing, relating to honest weights, is found in Deuteronomy 25:13 and Proverbs 11:1.
- They convey a general life observation in a directive or a form of advice, either explicit or implicit. The word “general” is critical in this context: these proverbs are not intended as all-encompassing universal statements or promises, but frequently admit exceptions. Again, an example from Proverbs 13:25 (ESV):
The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, but the belly of the wicked suffers want.
Clearly, many wicked people have all the food they want, so the aphorism presents a general observation that is not always the case.
- They reflect a particular culture or worldview—in this case, the most foundational theological truths of a biblical worldview. God’s identification as the Creator of the cosmos and Maker of all people, poor and wealthy, are affirmed in Proverbs 3:19-20 and 22:2, respectively.
A final principle—especially valued and advanced at BJU Seminary—is how the principles drawn from proper interpretation of a verse, passage, or entire book fit into the entire narrative of Scripture—a subject the next Theologically Speaking podcast and Viewpoint will delve into.
Resources:
- Layton Talbert, “A Proverb in the Hand Is Worth Two in the Bush: A Hermeneutical Proposal for Handling Biblical Proverbs,” the full paper as presented at BJU Seminary’s Theological Research Symposium April 22, 2025
- Andreas Köstenberger and Ken Casillas, “Making God’s Word Accessible: Hermeneutics and The Theological Book Club,” Viewpoint blog and Theologically Speaking podcast
- Bruce Waltke, “What Is Wisdom and How to Gain It”
