Proverbs: A Commentary

by Richard J. Clifford

Publisher:

Westminster John Knox

, 1999

Overview

Through translation, technical notes, and insightful commentary, Richard Clifford sheds new understanding on Proverbs. By focusing on the rhetoric of Proverbs, Clifford demonstrates how the book fosters a lifelong search for wisdom, and enables readers to see how the instructions and sayings are concerned with contemporary issues.

Contents

Top Highlights

“colon A laughter and sadness coexist, whereas in B one emotion follows the other” (Page 145)

“Trust in Yahweh, however, is not easy. It means giving up trust in one’s own understanding exclusively. The perspective is dramatic: Place your full trust in Yahweh rather than in your own understanding. The metaphor of straight and crooked is employed to show that God makes the learner’s path of life straight, that is, righteous and safe.” (Page 52)

“The animal named in v. 28 (šĕmāmît) is unclear. Two manuscripts of the Targum (Z and W) have ’qmt‘, ‘spider,’ but the word is traditionally translated ‘lizard.’” (Page 267)

“‘To understand’ here means not only to comprehend the sayings but to apply them appropriately to particular situations” (Page 35)

“to instruct them how to live successfully, which means living in ‘fear of the Lord’ or revering Yahweh” (Page 34)

Product Details

• Title: Proverbs: A Commentary
• Author: Richard J. Clifford
• Edition: First edition
• Series: The Old Testament Library
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox
• Print Publication Date: 1999
• Logos Release Date: 2017
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subject: Bible. O.T. Proverbs › Commentaries
• ISBNs: 0664221319, 9780664221317
• Resource ID: LLS:OTL20PR
• Resource Type: Bible Commentary
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T20:33:23Z

About Richard J. Clifford

Richard J. Clifford, S.J., a native of Lewiston, Maine, is Dean of the Boston College, Department of Theology School of Theology and Ministry and Professor of Old Testament. Prior to becoming Dean, he taught biblical studies at Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge from 1970 to 2008. He was ordained as a Jesuit priest in 1966. He is a graduate of Boston College, Department of Theology (A.B., M.A.), Weston Jesuit School of Theology (S.T.L.) and Harvard University (Ph.D.). He was General Editor of the Catholic Biblical Quarterly and is a former President of the Catholic Biblical Association. As well as teaching and lecturing in scholarly circles, he also is active in adult education in various New England dioceses. The