Proverbs 3:13-18

A Hymn to Wisdom (3:13–18)

3:13–18 This section is more a hymn than typical exhortation.

It has none of the imperatives generally associated with exhortation.

It personifies Wisdom, and its beginning (“Blessed …”) is elsewhere used in the instructional hymn.

On the other hand, nothing suggests that it does not belong with the present text.

In context it supports the general exhortation to pursue Wisdom.

The hymn is formally structured as an inclusio with “blessed” marking both its beginning and ending.

It includes an introductory beatitude (v. 13) and assertions of the high value of Wisdom (vv. 14–15), and it promises other benefits (vv. 16–18).

In effect, vv. 14–18 are arguments to prove the validity of v. 13.

Verses 14–15 make two claims.

First, Wisdom “yields better returns than” money (v. 14).

That is, Wisdom is a better investment than silver or gold because she never fails to pay interest.

Time spent in gaining her is never lost. Second, Wisdom is more precious than the most exquisite forms of wealth (v. 15).

People desire money in order to obtain rare and beautiful possessions, but the innate beauty of Wisdom surpasses all else.

The picture of Wisdom holding a bounty in both hands is particularly vivid (v. 16).

The personification intensifies the idea of Wisdom giving gifts to her followers.

Verse 17 promises that Wisdom can make life both joyful and wholesome and thus counters the image of dour sobriety that many have of following her.

The metaphor of the “tree of life” in v. 18 reinforces this.

Both the pleasure of eating fruit and its wholesomeness as a source of life are implied.

On the other hand, the eschatological implications of “tree of life” cannot be denied.

Genesis 3:24 states that separation from the tree means that man and woman have lost their chance for immortality.

The Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh speaks also of a plant of immortality (which Gilgamesh lost to a serpent).

With such an image not only as part of the biblical text but also as part of the common inheritance of ancient Near Eastern literature, it is unlikely that the highly literate court of Solomon would conceive of the tree of life merely as a metaphor of happiness.

The words hold the promise of escape from the curse of death.

[1]Duane A. Garrett, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, vol. 14, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1993), 81–82.

Wisdom and Creation (3:19–20)

3:19–20

vv. 19–20 assert Wisdom’s role in creation. It is a fitting appendix to the previous hymn.

The main point there is that whoever abandons wisdom runs against the very structure by which the world was made.

Verse 20, however, goes beyond this.

The phrase “the deeps were divided” alludes to the bursting forth of the flood of Noah (Gen 7:11).

It is a picture of the destructive power of nature.

But the image of clouds dropping dew on the crops of the land shows the gentle, beneficent side of creation.

The world is both nurturing and dangerous.

Yet creation itself is under the hand of God, and he governs according to wisdom.

Wisdom is therefore essential for survival.