Professional Documents
Culture Documents
A Critical Analysis of The Figure of Wisdom in Proverbs 8
A Critical Analysis of The Figure of Wisdom in Proverbs 8
A Critical Analysis of The Figure of Wisdom in Proverbs 8
Proverbs 8
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................................................. 3
2. THE BOOK OF PROVERBS ........................................................................................................................... 5
2.1. PROVERBS 8................................................................................................................................................. 8
3. WISDOM AND CREATION ............................................................................................................................ 8
3.1. INSTRUMENT OF CREATION .................................................................................................................. 8
3.2. PERSONIFICATION OF THE WORLD ORDER ..................................................................................... 9
4. PERSONIFICATION OF VIRTUES ............................................................................................................ 10
4.1. WISDOM VERSUS FOLLY ....................................................................................................................... 11
4.2. SHAPING DESIRE ..................................................................................................................................... 12
5. WISDOM AND DIVINITY ........................................................................................................................... 14
5.1. DIVINE HYPOSTASIS............................................................................................................................... 14
5.2. GODDESS .................................................................................................................................................... 16
5.3. MA’AT .......................................................................................................................................................... 16
5.4. ASHERAH ................................................................................................................................................... 18
5.5. GODDESS WISDOM ................................................................................................................................. 18
5.6. CAN WISDOM BE A GODDESS? ............................................................................................................ 19
6. CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................................ 20
7. BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................................................... 24
2
1. Introduction
It would not be remiss to say that the Old Testament provides an account of a society that is
patriarchal patrilineal, patrilocal, and patrimonial,1 and that the positive and negative roles
carried out by women are considered from the perspective of how they contribute to the men
involved.2 Women are considered, in effect, to be second-class citizens, and their control and
influence is, at a first glance, very much confined to the domestic sphere. If these claims are true,
then the Book of Proverbs has relevance in the light of contemporary feminist movement due to
the female figures mentioned in the book. But it certainly has a significance that also transcends
the positive and negative comments referring to women in modern gender discussions. This is
because there is much diversity within the content of Proverbs with a wealth of choices and
advice aimed at helping people to navigate the path of wisdom. For this reason I briefly look at
the context of the Book of Proverbs and the emergence of Wisdom Literature.
wives and mothers in the society of ancient Israel. This makes the use of women as source and
epitome of wisdom stand out in the Book of Proverbs. Wisdom displays intelligence, strength,
prudence and good judgment. This female imagery is mentioned in chapters 1-9 and at the end of
the book in chapter 31. In Proverbs 8:22-31 Lady Wisdom is presented as a divine companion
and a source of order and success in life.3 I look at the origins of this personification of wisdom,
and the role it plays in Proverbs, particularly in chapter 8. The scholarly debate is quite heated
around the issues of Lady Wisdom understood as a goddess, and I bring these to light.
1
Camp, 1985, p.79.
2
Fontaine, 1992, p.146.
3
Coogan, 2009, p.377.
3
I also reflect on the implications of considering Lady Wisdom as a goddess from a pastoral point
of view. The roles of wife and mother give women a high status in this very context. Motherhood
in particular allowed them the exercise of some power, authority and influence in the ancient
Israelite community. The male fascination with femininity and fecundity inspired the emergence
of the figure of Wisdom, which is at times perceived as an intangible quality. This does not
necessarily mean that the author was necessarily driven by any intrinsic femininity of Wisdom,
Proverbs 8 is written as poetry, a dominant form found in the Bible, and where used it should be
read with sensitivity to the genre, purpose and context of a specific chapter/section. The use of
the literary tool of personification is a figure of speech that brings to life an abstract concept and
confers it a vivid illustration.4 It also establishes a contrast with the reverse side to this behavior,
present in the figure of ‘Lady Folly’. In the context of the Book of Proverbs both Lady Wisdom
and Lady Folly have a fairly highly developed characterization of personality and purpose. 5
To anticipate, this essay will propose that the main role of the personification of Lady Wisdom in
Proverbs 8 is to provide a safe, solid, nurturing and indeed wise path towards a close relationship
with God, whilst warning of the risks inherent in such journey. Viewed in this way, gender
should not be a hindrance but instead should be celebrated and acknowledged.6 The present
essay will bring together how the many facets of the figure of Lady Wisdom can enhance or
4
Koptak provides a good interpretation of personification: ‘Personification is a special form of
symbolic action, one that uses depictions of human speaking and acting to convey an emotion,
and idea or strategy for coming to terms with a situation in life. Biblical examples range from the
simple metaphor… to the extended monologues of Woman Wisdom… inviting readers to engage
them with their own responses.’
5
Koptak, 2008, p.518.
6
For the purpose of this essay I have used the NRSV version of the Bible.
4
impede a relationship with God.
It is difficult to offer precise dates for the composition of the Book of Proverbs, but it can be
described as the oldest of the Israelite works that are conventionally called ‘Wisdom literature’,7
which has two main types that represent different tendencies among post-exilic sages. The first is
more conservative, with a practical and didactic approach, presenting a worldly wise view, and it
is this that is contained in the Book of Proverbs (excluding 8:22-31 and 30:1-4). The second is
more critical, and is quite innovative regarding conventional beliefs, while being at the same
time speculative and individualistic, and this is contained in the Book of Job, Psalms,
Some commentators have interpreted the structure and general meaning contained in the Book of
Wisdom?’8. Others have described Proverbs as an anthology. The Book of Proverbs is not
unified and comprises several collections, with Proverbs 1-9 sometimes considered as a
prologue, although ‘this does not do justice… to the coherence and self-containment of the
section’.9 It functions as an introduction to the book and shapes the theological vision: “The
vision can be stated sharply: the book purports to offer ‘life’ or ‘salvation’ to the reader.10 It has
7
Fontaine, 1992, p.145.
8
Murphy, 2002, p.27.
9
Weeks, 2010, p.47.
10
Murphy, 2002, p.29.
5
Proverbs 22:17–24:22: The Words of the Wise’
Proverbs 25–29: "These are other proverbs of Solomon that the officials of King
Proverbs 31:1–9: "The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him”
The Book of Proverbs contains several genres typical in Wisdom literature. The proverb is the
most basic literary form of Wisdom. In Proverbs 1-9 we also find several references to parental
instructions.11 This literary form of ‘Instruction’ concerns a father speaking to a son, and its
origins can be traced back to instruction texts from the Egyptian court (2600-2175B.C.). The
Book of Proverbs also includes longer instructions that also find parallels from Egypt.12 Dell
recognizes that the materials on Semitic Wisdom are limited when compared with Egyptian
Wisdom, but are still enough to establish their sphere of influence over wisdom in Israel and in
the Book of Proverbs.13 The appropriation of Egyptian wisdom in the book of Proverbs has been
widely discussed, but the same cannot be said about Semitic influences.14 Hunter raises the
question: if there is any interdependence, how did it take place?15According to him there is
disagreement over the extent of influence: at one end there are those who are eager to recognise
influences from a professional translation from Egyptian or Akadian or Aramaic into Hebrew;
11
Weeks, 2010, p.25
12
Dell, 2000, p.16.
13
The most cited dependence is on the Instruction of Amenemope.
14
Day, 1997, p.64.
15
Hunter, 2006, p.47.
6
and at the other end we find the sceptics with a more cautious view.16 According to Hunter the
In terms of authorship, some scholars argue that a large amount of the material in Proverbs could
have originated in a family context, although a general lack of literacy would have made the
preservation in writing quite difficult. Another explanation is that an educated group of sages
could have been the scribes of Proverbs. We are not able to ascertain with precision when and
how the process of transiting from oral to literary composition took place. The authorship of the
book of Proverbs is also traditionally attributed to Solomon, which would place it at an early
date, or to ‘sages’ of the society of their time, based at court (e.g. 25:1). Fontaine proposes it
received its final editing during the early postexilic period in the last part of the sixth century
B.C.E.18 It would then echo the wisdom teaching from earlier monarchs as well as the specific
In terms of its message, the Book of Proverbs has several teachings that can also be found in the
book of Job and Ecclesiastes. Proverbs can also be considered as a moral handbook, a view that
One theme present in Proverbs is the punishment of those who are wicked and the rewarding of
those who are upright. There is a choice to be made between the path of wisdom that is straight
and leads to good things, or the path of folly that is difficult and leads to destruction. Another
theme is life as a supreme good, which in Proverbs means prosperity and good health, leading to
fulfilment. Wisdom in Proverbs is associated with a search for knowledge that leads to life
16
Ibid.
17
Ibid.
18
Fontaine, 1992, p.145.
19
Murphy, 2002, p.28.
7
instead of death (such as in 8:36).
2.1. Proverbs 8
Proverbs 8 can be divided in three parts, as suggested by Von Rad:20
In Proverbs 8 we witness God reaching out to humankind, who in turn respond in order to
encounter life:
This poem starts on the level of the cosmological God and finishes on the level of humanity.
God’s purpose is to reveal himself to human beings. Thus the purpose of wisdom is to teach
The divine and the human are intertwined, and Lady Wisdom enables revelation to humankind.
This contains deep theological content that is characteristic of Wisdom literature. To be saved is
to be restored to a full life in the present, and this is also central in Proverbs. Wisdom is
differentiated in the some of the main didactic poems such as Job 28, Proverbs 8, Sirach 24 and
in 8:22. There is a strong emphasis on affirming her origins as predating creation (8:23-26),
20
Von Rad, 1972, p.151.
21
Dell, 2000, p.21.
8
which culminates with Lady Wisdom describing her role during creation (8:27-31). Hunter also
agrees that Lady Wisdom is involved in creation but asks whether she is ‘God’s consort,
daughter, or simply a cosmic skilled worker’.22 The Hebrew amon word translated as ‘Master
Worker’ can also be translated as ‘little child’, signifying ‘one who is in a close, trusting
relationship’.23
The personification of wisdom and her immanence in creation is also mentioned in the didactic
poems of Job 28, Proverbs 8, Sirach 24 and Wisdom 7-9, but this is different from the ‘physical’
work of creation (sea, mountains, etc.). One possible interpretation is that Lady Wisdom is not
just a form of self-revelation by creation, but also the voice and revelation of God, which can be
heard by humankind. This revelation by creation is the revelation of a God who speaks through
Lady Wisdom, who turns toward human beings and speaks in the accents of God. Such is the
thrust of Prov. 8 (which can be witnessed specifically in Proverbs 8:31). Another possible
explanation is that during the postexilic era, when Proverbs might have been compiled, the
prevailing concept of suffering as the result of sin in Deuteronomistic history writing was being
Wisdom has also been considered as a personification of the world order, a view defended by
Von Rad. He believes this was a central thought in the development of sapiental thought.25
According to him Lady Wisdom ‘is not an attribute of God but an attribute of the world, namely
22
Hunter, 2006, p.103.
23
Ibid.
24
G. Baumann cited in Bells, 2007, p.175.
25
G. Von Rad cited in Murphy, 2002, p.137.
9
that mysterious attribute, by virtue of which she turns towards men to give order to their lives.’26
He further argues that Wisdom is a ‘self-revelation of creation’ and an attribute of the earth,
rather than a person who speaks confidently.27 Von Rad makes an interesting point in his idea of
giving the earth a voice, and it is quite topical, and strikes a cord with many people, but I find it
too vague and unhelpful in determining the identity of Lady Wisdom. Moreover the suggestion
of Lady Wisdom participating in creation as a discrete identity is not helpful, as it does not
4. Personification of virtues
Commentators have written much on the subject of the personification of the figure of Lady
Wisdom. Some scholars consider Lady Wisdom to be a personification of the attributes of God,
which would reflect ancient Israel’s propensity for anthropomorphism (such as Isaiah 58:8;
Psalm 85:11). The personification of wisdom as a woman confers a mythical nature on the
images of Proverbs, which could potentially relate to other ancient Near Eastern cultures, which
According to Day, the origins of the use of personification of Wisdom can be traced back to
West Semitic tradition, as seen in the Wisdom of Ahiqar.28 Thus the personification of Yahweh’s
wisdom in Proverbs would not have emerged in Israel, as traditionally accepted, but instead
26
Idem, p.138.
27
Ibid.
28
The Sayings of Ahikar, probably form Syrian origin, was found in an Aramaic papyrus in
Elephantine from 500 BCE.
10
influence.29
Proverbs 8 and 9 is the primary text for the portrayal of Lady Wisdom (also in 1:22-33 and 9:4-
6). There is openness in her speech and she upholds honesty and integrity, advocating truth and
justice (8:7-8). Murphy proposes that this honesty has a deeper meaning and is in fact associated
with qualities of the Lord as truthful and just.30 This would account for the importance of her
advice (8:10-11), which can be found throughout Wisdom literature. Lady Wisdom’s many
qualities include prudence, knowledge and upholding good over evil (8:12-16). She bases her
royal rule on counsel, strength and understanding, which in Isaiah 11:2 are mentioned as gifts
from the Lord. All who love her (not just royalty) are eligible for riches (8:17-21). Wisdom has a
kerygma and announces ‘security’ and ‘life’, thus playing a role as a prophet and seeking an
audience who will listen. 31 Also, her message is structured on truth and her royal connections
(8:15; 8:21), bringing wealth and honor to all who are willing to love her. The use of the word
‘delight‘ (8:30) provides an image of Lady Wisdom as having a happy and joyful interaction
with God. The ending of chapter 8 provides a firm command to listen, and reinforces that those
who are willing to listen and to follow Lady Wisdom’s will be rewarded (8:32-36). This is an
association between Wisdom and life, which later echoed in Proverbs 18:22. It contains an
appeal for people to pay attention to what she is saying (8:32 ‘Listen to me’). Proverbs 8 ends
with an astonishing promise of life for those who find her, and death for those who reject her
(8:35-36).
29
Day, 1996, p.70.
30
Murphy, 2002, p.135.
31
Murphy, 2002, p.29.
11
Bostrom considers the figure of Wisdom easier to understand when compared with ‘Lady Folly’,
temptress that uses speech to seduce. She is also mentioned as a ‘foreign’ and a ‘strange’ woman,
which in this context could mean a non-Israelite woman or as Bells mentions ‘her strangeness
may be ethnic, legal, social, or some combination of them’.33 Bells further observes that the
‘strange woman could be someone who falls outside the social norm. She is feared because she is
an outsider, possessing knowledge that is not known’.34 Lady Folly is perceived as ‘bad’,
offering stolen goods and nothing but death, whilst Lady Wisdom is good and offers legitimate
rewards and life.35 As mentioned previously, there is a stark contrast with the figure of Lady
Folly, who is as seductive as a strange woman and the opposite of Lady Wisdom. In chapter 8
Lady Wisdom speaks after the foreign woman seduced the youth by making promises of sex
without danger. According to Bostrom Lady Folly was a sacred prostitute, a view that Day
dismisses by saying it is not cultic prostitution but adultery.36 The topic of sexual deviation is an
important subject in ancient Israel’s life. During certain periods lack of virginity in a bride would
have been enough to invoke a death sentence. A young woman could only be an unmarried
virgin living with her family or a faithful child-bearing wife living with her husband. Otherwise
32
Bostrom cited in Day, 1997, p.69.
33
Bells, 2007, p.172.
34
Ibid.
35
Hunter, 2006, p.103.
36
Day, 1997, p.69.
37
Camp, 1985, p.113.
12
Yoder wrote an interesting article on the subject of shaping desire in Proverbs 1-9.38 She
describes how Proverbs 1-9 ‘engages erotic desire as a vital element to the moral life’.39 Desire is
aimed at knowledge for God, which ‘fuels lifelong love stories’.40 She further mentions that the
people mentioned in Proverbs 1-9 are people who have a passion, ‘captivated by beauty and
goodness, disgusted by wickedness, devoted to God, Wisdom and others… ushering us instead
into a landscape of towering loves, fidelities, and profound responsibilities - a landscape the
ancient sages deemed ripe for human flourishing’.41 The Song of Songs can help us to
The subject of erotic desire links with the subject of proper sexual conduct, which Murphy
affirms is the main concern of Proverbs 5-7.43 He describes how the discussions around the
subject of marital (in)fidelity are also relevant to Egyptian Wisdom literature. Egyptian and
Israelite love poetry can help to understand personified wisdom in the role of human lover.44
Murphy’s main argument rests on the treatment of sex in the context of the association between
Wisdom and Eros. Wisdom contains erotic language, which can be witnessed in the way “she is
to be found’ just as one ‘finds’ a good wife’ (8:35). The seeking and finding of wisdom has a
parallelism with reciprocity in love: ‘I love those who love me, and those who seek me
diligently find me’ (8:17). This seeking and finding can also be found in the Song of Songs, done
primarily by the woman, whilst in Proverbs the male-female roles are more interchangeable,
although Lady Wisdom does also call out for her lovers, and she retires to her house with her
38
Yoder, 2010, p.54-61
39
Idem, p.54.
40
Ibid.
41
Yoder, 2010, p.60.
42
Camp, 1985, p.98.
43
Murphy, 1988, pp.600-603.
44
Camp, 1985, p.103.
13
lover (8:34).
Personification is a remarkable literary device used in the Bible and it plays an important role in
Proverbs. Wisdom literature addresses the subject of character formation, and in Proverbs it
associates learning with ‘Torah piety’. This intellectual process of learning Torah is in itself a
demonstration of piety, and the process makes a contribution for the student of Torah to be more
pious. In this context Lady Wisdom is making the Torah-observance more attractive to young
men, and the sexual elements of her personification enhance this. The student of Torah
internalizes individual instructions and regulations, and this process helps to develop a character
trait, which can be called wisdom, as they do not possess all possible wisdom and need
instructions.
enough to describe her figure, and instead it might refer to a divine person or hypostasis.45
Albright helped to consolidate this view.46 He considered the personification of wisdom was
taken over from the hypostatization of wisdom of the Canaanite god El, but this view has been
recognizes that El is known at Ugarit for his wisdom, but there is not enough evidence to indicate
that his wisdom was hypostatized. Furthermore, Albright’s arguments based on linguistic
45
Separate entity from God, with angelic attributes.
46
Albright, 1955, p.7-9.
47
Murphy, 2002, p.133.
14
elements underpinning a Canaanite textual source in Proverbs 8 and 9 are exaggerated.48
Another scholar who has made a case for the hypostatization for divinity in Lady Wisdom is
Davidson.49 His argument states that in Proverbs (in particular 8:12-36), Lady Wisdom uses
prerogatives that are reserved for Yahweh as giver of life and death (8:35-36); the source of just
government (8:15-16); the one who is to be sought after, found and called (1:28; 8:17); security
(1:33); a source of revelation (8:6-10, 19, 32, 34; 30:3-5). Wisdom constructs a temple that
matches her status.50 This use of the rhetorical self-affirmative expression of ‘self-praise’ can be
found in other passages in the Old Testament as a reference to deity (Ezekiel 12:25; 35:12;
Several scholars have contested this theory of Lady Wisdom as divine hypostasis. Dell argues
that ‘while the figure of wisdom does become a hypostasis in later texts such as the Wisdom of
Solomon, this is not the case in Proverbs’.51 Murphy also suggests that hypostasis is too difficult
to define, and it has been wrongly used as an attribute of the Trinity.52 He further argues that it is
better to consider personification in a literary context, rather than in terms of a hypostasis. In this
context Wisdom represents a communication of God. Weeks also argues that ‘hypostasis’ is a far
too sophisticated concept to use in Proverbs 1-9, and instead should only be used ‘to provide a
secondary theological justification for the writer’s presentation of Wisdom as both a divine
attribute and a separate person’.53 Like Murphy, I believe the issue of hypostasis is a complex
notion, but that is not to say it should be dismissed altogether as it provides further insight into
48
Day, 1997, p.69.
49
Davidson, 2007, p.123.
50
Davidson, 2007, p.123.
51
Dell, 2000, p.20.
52
Murphy, 2002, p.133.
53
Weeks, 2010, p.40.
15
the personification of Wisdom.
5.2. Goddess
There are scholars who argue that Proverbs 1-9 contains a poetic personification of the female
aspect of God. This has originated a further line of thought by several scholars that favor the
argument of the personification of a separate goddess, who originally would have been a female
Amongst these scholars we find Kayatz who considers there are parallels between Proverbs 1-9
and the self-praise of some Egyptian texts, and Lang who affirms that ‘there is a pre-exilic
Israelite goddess imagery that has been demythologised’.55 Hunter also favors the idea of a
goddess figure to explain the role of Lady Wisdom in Proverbs 1-9. According to him
monotheistic Jewish and Christian thought removed any notions of a goddess from theological
thought. If we take into consideration the figures of Aphrodite and Diana, Isis, Ma’at, Asherah
shtar, Hera and Athena, the notion of a Jewish goddess would not be such an alien concept. Thus
Wisdom played a role as a goddess in partnership with Yahweh, whilst reflecting some of the
5.3. Ma’at
In Proverbs 8:1-21 Wisdom is a demure and orderly female figure and the originator of success
and wealth in the world, and several scholars such as Hunter see this as echoing Ma’at (meaning
order, justice and truth):‘who personified the fundamental order of the universe and who
guaranteed the regular cycles of the natural world and the proper reward for purity and
54
Dell, 2000, p.20.
55
Lang cited in Dell, 2000, p.20.
56
Hunter, 2006, p.99.
16
punishment for sin’.57 This would be explained by the strong links between personified Wisdom
and a Hebraized concept of Ma’at, which Dell describes as a principle of order, truth and justice
that obtained divine status as a goddess.58 Murphy also agrees that Ma’at might have influenced
Several scholars have contested this theory. Von Rad says that originally Ma’at would never
have addressed men, a concept which was essential in ancient Israel. Unlike Lady Wisdom,
Ma’at does not appeal directly to humankind. He considers that such a strange proposition must
have originated in more generic non-Israelite mythological ideas.59 There are parallels between
Lady Wisdom and Ma’at: Lady Wisdom plays a role as a beloved child to Yahweh and delights
being in his presence; Ma’at in the context of Egyptian wisdom teaching personifies law, world
order and justice.60 This shows a level of dependence of Israelite teachers on the individual
characteristics of Ma’at.
Day, however, states his disagreement with the idea of a personified goddess. According to him,
Ma’at is not mentioned in Egyptian Wisdom literature as being personified, and outside where
she is personified she never speaks in the first person, which contrasts with personified wisdom
in Proverbs 1-9.61 In terms of primeval order, the relationship between Ma’at and Amun is quite
Weeks also has doubts about identifying Wisdom with Ma’at, but recognizes why this view
would be appealing to those who consider that the prevailing Egyptian concept of order was used
57
Hunter, 2006, p.101.
58
Dell, 2000, p.20.
59
Von Rad, 1972, p.153.
60
Ibid.
61
Day, 1997, p.68.
17
more generally in Wisdom literature and beyond. He considers that any potential presentation of
Ma’at is more fitting within the sphere of art, and was a visual concept, not a divine
personhood.62 Notwithstanding, even when taking into account arguments provided from
different scholars, I think it is not straightforward to ascertain the influences of Ma’at when
5.4. Asherah
Mark Smith proposes that the personifications of Wisdom in Proverbs derive from the goddess
Asherah.63 According to him both are feminine divine figures providing life and nurture, and in
Israelite tradition the use of the metaphorical expression for Lady Wisdom is mentioned several
times in association with the ‘tree of life’, which can be compared with the Asherah stylized tree.
This view is contested by Day, who acknowledges that there is some creativity in this theory but
ultimately considers it to be doubtful. Asherah was never associated with wisdom, either in
given by Lang.65 He proposes that it derives from a Canaanite goddess called Wisdom, who was
the patroness of the scribal schools. Weeks also mentions that Proverbs 8 is a reflection of the
existence of a wider belief in the existence of a goddess Wisdom and observes that modern
scholarly debate has focused on the possibility of polytheistic influences, which goes against
62
Weeks, 2010, p.41.
63
Smith, 1990, p.133.
64
Day, 1997, p.69.
65
Lang, 1986.
18
Albright and Lang who defend the theory of Wisdom as an Iron Age Palestinian goddess.66
According to Lang, Israel had a polytheistic past whereas a goddess of Wisdom who became a
‘personification of a poetic type, representing ‘Wisdom teaching with its moral injunctions’ was
worshipped.67 This would have ensured she was included in biblical canon, but deprived of a
against Lady Wisdom as a personified goddess. There are a significant number of scholars who
do not consider the Israelite concept of Lady Wisdom as a separate personified goddess but
rather see it as poetic personification within a monotheistic framework.68 According to them the
use of mythological references should be seen as a literary device to describe the female aspect
of God. Weeks argues that Lady Wisdom’s femininity does not have to be attributed to a
goddess, as from a grammatical point of view Wisdom is already feminine. Martin shares the
same opinion, saying that the word for Wisdom is a feminine noun, but it can also be translated
in an impersonal way.69 He further observes that there is not enough evidence that accounts for
the Israelite personification of either Lady Wisdom or Folly in thought or literature before
containing recorded speech acts that were delivered by male teachers to male younger students
within a pedagogical framework. This explains the frequent use of the figure of a father teaching
66
Weeks, 2010, p.40.
67
Lang cited in Murphy, 2002, p.137.
68
Dell, 2000, p.20.
69
Martin, 1985, p.84.
19
his son. The use of female figures and metaphors such as woman, Lady Wisdom and Lady Folly
can be attributed to ambivalent male fascination with females and sex, harnessing this interest
with didactic purposes. This has had an influence on both feminist and non-feminist readings of
the text.70 This emphasis on female figures can be perceived from different angles, but both
suggestions offered for gender reading pose a valid approach. Applying too much weight to
gender motivation when dealing with positive and negative concepts of femininity, such as in
Proverbs 1-9, is not necessarily a positive contribution to the gender discussion. Passages that
mention Lady Folly can be seen as instructive, echoing the ‘internalization of cultural stereotypes
and the father/son teaching dynamic, we also find mother/daughter interaction, in which Lady
Wisdom displays maternal traits.72 This is not a mainstream view in biblical scholarship, because
of the criticism of the concepts of female personification and goddess imagery. I consider that
although the addressee is mainly male, the narrative can be read with male and female voices in
mind. Wisdom is symbolically representative of the positive traits displayed by wives and
mothers in the society of Israel. This makes the use of women as source and epitome of wisdom
6. Conclusion
In conclusion, the content of Proverbs is distinctive and its content covers a wide range of
isolation from Proverbs 1-9, and indeed the rest of Proverbs, and in order for it to be better
understood it is also important to keep in mind that it is a poetic text. Proverbs 8 makes a fairly
70
Brenner, 1995, pp.51-52.
71
Ibid.
72
Brenner, 1995, p.54.
20
heavy use of figurative speech, employing other characters with speeches in order to express key
In terms of gender, several scholars argue that although Wisdom is traditionally considered as a
feminine figure, and that there is not enough contextual evidence to ascertain this, and it is not
masculine either. I disagree with this view, as I consider there was an element of assimilation of
literary forms and theological concepts borrowed and modified from wisdom traditions of other
ancient Near Eastern cultures such as Mesopotamia and Egypt. Scholars argue that it is not
straightforward to prove or disprove that in Proverbs 8 there are direct or indirect influences of
applies to influences from Egyptian texts and ideas such as the love of Ma’at for men, a theme
that some scholars argue can be found throughout Proverbs. It is also difficult to prove the
influence of figures such as Asherah. Thus the personification of Wisdom as a goddess remains
open to interpretation, but it cannot rule be ruled out. In a polytheistic world, Israel’s
monotheistic model had to explain and integrate different stories, alongside its exclusive
patriarchalism. It also tries to address the character of the feminine nature and its role. Perhaps
they were not trying to establish strong distinctions between literary and mythical figures, but
provide more familiar religious imagery, such as a source of nurture, creation and comfort. It
could also be more symptomatic of a void left by the disappearance of female divinity in ancient
Israelite religion.
There is also relevance for feminist theology, although care must be taken when considering the
context of early Jewish understandings of femininity and divinity. Although there is a strong
male-centered approach to life in Proverbs, the thought process undergone by Lady Wisdom can
73
Weeks, 2010, p.42.
21
also be valuable for women readers, and both agendas and concerns are legitimate. This will help
with the comprehension of many texts. From a pastoral point of view the potential of such an
approach is invaluable, and can help with the explanation of the personification of wisdom as
woman in a patriarchal society, as a loving spouse, a mother and a daughter. At a deep spiritual
level it can help to heal a relationship with God, not usually ingrained in gender imagery and
language.
We must avoid talking in the realm of the abstract, of disembodied ideas and principles
associated with the God, and the argument that as a divine being Wisdom is gender neutral, and
that ‘As God it exceeds all sexual activity’.74 Rather, female imagery, both positive and negative
‘begins and ends in the book’,75 and it works as a focus for men’s and women’s attention to what
The figure of Wisdom in Proverbs 8 ‘stands at the meeting point of the heavenly and the earthly
and forms a link between the created order and the practical quest for Wisdom’.76 Wisdom is not
in the safety of the sanctuary but in the public places. Her message now has a moral function,
aimed at attracting people to the right path. They ought to listen to her as she leads them out of
mundane things towards the enlightenment of intelligence and truth. The truth she speaks
strength, wealth and honor’.77 Just like in Israel, the personification of Lady Wisdom as symbolic
action provides a face and a voice to a wide range of life experiences, produced with skill to
22
23
7. Bibliography
Albright, W.F. (1969) 'Some Canaanite-Phoenician sources of Hebrew Wisdom', in Noth, M. and
Thomas, D.W. Wisdom in Israel and in the Ancient Near East: Presented to Harold Henry
Alder, R. (2010) The Wisdom Books: Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes: A Translation with
Bells, A.O. (2007) Helpmates, Harlots, and Heroes: Women's Stories in the Hebrew Bible,
Brenner, A. (1995) 'Some Observations on the Figuration of Wisdom and Wisdom Literature', in
Camp, C.V. (1985) Wisdom and the Feminine in the Book of Proverbs, Decatur: The Almond
Press.
Coogan, M.D. (2009) A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament, New York: OUP.
Davidson, R. (2007) The Flame of Yahweh: Sexuality in the Old Testament, Peabody:
Hendrickson.
Day, J. (1997) 'Foreign Semitic Influence on the Wisdom of Israel and its Appropriation in the
Book of Proverbs', in Day, J., Gordon, J. and Williamson, H.G.M. Wisdom in Ancient Israel,
Cambridge: CUP.
Dell, K.J. (2000) Get Wisdom, Get Insight': An Introduction to Israel's Wisdom Literature,
London: DLT.
Fontaine, C.R. (1992) 'Proverbs', in Newsom, C.A. and Ringe, S.H. (ed.) The Women's Bible
24
Hunter, A. (2006) Wisdom Literature, London: SCM.
Koptak, P.E. (2008) 'Personification', in Longman, T. and Enns, P. (ed.) Dictionary of the Old
Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings, Downers Grove, IL: IVP USA.
Laffey, A. (1988) Wives, Harlot and Concubines: The Old Testament in Feminine Perspective,
London: SPCK.
Lang, B. (1986) Wisdom and the Bool of Proverbs: A Hebrew Goddess Redefined, New York:
Pilgrim.
Murphy, R.E. (1988) 'Wisdom and Eros in Proverbs 1-9', Catholic Biblical Quarterly 50 no 4.
Murphy, R.E. (2002) The Tree of Life: An Exploration of Biblical Wisdom, Grand Rapids:
Eerdmans.
Smith, M.S. (1990) The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel,
Weeks, S. (2010) An Introduction to the Study of Wisdom Literature, London; New York: T&T
Clark.
Yoder, C.R. (2010) 'Shaping Desire: A Parent's Attempt, Proverbs 1-9', Journal for Preachers 33
no 4.
25