Running to the Fountain

Here is another group of extremely concise sayings, mostly five to nine words in Hebrew (verse 10 is the one exception). The brevity is part of the richness. In English we have, for example, “Silence is golden,” “Waste not, want not!” and “All that glitters is not gold.” Sometimes there are verse pairs (5,6; 15,16), word links (1,2; 9,10) and wordplays (invisible in English: vs. 12,13). There are repetitions (12=22:3; 13=20:16; 15=19:13b) that do not surprise me: Hezekiah’s men found that wisdom hadn’t changed from the time of Solomon (Prov. 25:1)—wisdom spans time as well as cultures. The contradictions also (e.g., 10b versus 17:17) are superficial. I picture myself in an art gallery: some folks rush past the pictures in the attempt to get a feast; others stand and ponder. Later they come back to the same picture, in a different light—there are two different pictures—different subjects, different painters; each is subjected to their own, suited consideration.

I focus on friendship in this reading: the frank, calibrated rebuke versus a silent love which is morally useless (5); the trustworthy and trusted wounds versus smarmy kisses (6); the sweetness of soul-counsel perfectly timed and placed (9b); the nearby friend whose tested friendship is closer even than a brother’s (10). Verse 17 says, “A person sharpens his friend’s face—like iron on iron!” (my words). What is this exactly? Is it the sparkle of wits? Is it the way friends come to resemble each other, to sound like one another? I pray for constant friendships—that I may not be a rolling stone, a gyrovague (a wandering and often dissolute monk in the Middle Ages; 8). I relish the challenge to understand this chapter’s wisdom; the fragrance (9a) remains. I need to return frequently.

Which proverbs catch your attention? Consider why?