The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 15-31 (New International Commentary on the Old Testament

The New International Commentary on the Old Testament

by Bruce K. Waltke

Over twenty-five years in the making, this much-anticipated commentary promises to be the standard study of Proverbs for years to come. Written by eminent Old Testament scholar Bruce Waltke, this two-volume commentary is unquestionably the most comprehensive work on Proverbs available.

Grounded in the new literary criticism that has so strengthened biblical interpretation of late, Waltke's commentary on Proverbs demonstrates the profound, ongoing relevance of this Old Testament book for Christian faith and life. A thorough introduction addresses such issues as text and versions, structure, authorship, and theology. The detailed commentary itself explains and elucidates Proverbs as "theological literature." Waltke's highly readable style -- evident even in his original translation of the Hebrew text -- makes his scholarly work accessible to teachers, pastors, Bible students, and general readers alike.

Genres: Reference, Theology, Christian, Nonfiction, Biblical Studies, Christian Living, Christianity

624 pages, Hardcover

First published February 15, 2005

About the author

Bruce K. Waltke is Distinguished Professor of Old Testament at Knox Theological Seminary, Fort Lauderdale, and professor emeritus of biblical studies at Regent College, Vancouver.

Reviews

[Jonathan Ginn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is for both volumes of Waltke's commentary on Proverbs.

It's hard to give a Bible commentary a full five stars because every commentary is written for a slightly different audience, with its own particular approach, strengths, and weaknesses. But Waltke's work on Proverbs is simply magisterial. His treatment of the Hebrew text, his balanced analysis, his engagement with other scholarship, and his keen eye for literary structure and lexical, syntactical, and poetic connections - all of it is on masterful display in these two volumes. Proverbs is a notoriously difficult book to work through, but if I could suggest only one commentary to guide a careful study of its contents, Waltke's would hands down be the one.

[Cameron Barham]

“The way to wisdom is the fear of the Lord, and the way to honor is humility.”, p. 8

[Scott Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

"In a world bombarded by inane clichés, trivial catchwords, and godless sound bites, the expression of true wisdom is in short supply today" (p.xix, Author's Preface). This is the second volume in Dr. Bruce Waltke's Commentary on Proverbs, covering sections IIB (Proverbs of Solomon), III (30 Sayings of the Wise), IV (Further Sayings of the Wise), V (Hezekiah's Collection of Solomon), VI (Agur's Sayings), and VII (Lemuel's Sayings). The strength of this volume is its excellent technical Hebrew references and the informative historical-cultural background it provides. The weaknesses are that perhaps it is overly technical (i.e. not spiritual), lacks historic-redemptive insights (Luke 24:44f), and perhaps too much dependency on outside sources (apocryphal works, etc.). Overall, both volumes have provided an informative study of this fascinating portion of God's word, and to once again quote Dr. Waltke: "The church stands alone as the receptacle and repository of the inspired traditions that carry a mandate for a holy life from ancient sages, the greatest of whom was Solomon, and from the greater than Solomon, Jesus Christ" (p.xix).

[Andre]

I am using this while A'nia and I are reading through the Proverbs.