How does an individual biblical proverb attract the interest of a reader, or, in
other words, assert its authority? It often does so by skillful use of analogy,
drawinga memorable parallel between one area of reality and another, for example, a
king and a lion, wealth and friendship. Sayings further invite attention by their
formal features (e.g. alliteration, rhyme) and by their ideas. Among arresting ideas
can be listed ellipsis, paradox, irony, humor, and satire. A group of biblical
proverbs are analyzed in this article to demonstrate the thesis.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Behler, E.H.1993‘Paradox', in
A. Preminger
and
T .V.F. Brogan
(eds.), The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics(
Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press
): 876-877.
2.
Clifford, R.J.1999Proverbs: A Commentary(OTL;
Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press
).
3.
Murphy, R.E.1998Proverbs(WBC, 22;
Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson
).
4.
Rad, Gerhard von1972Wisdom in Israel(
Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press
).
5.
Tanner, T.1986Jane Austen(
Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press
).
6.
Van Leeuwen, R.C.1988Context and Meaning in Proverbs 25–27(SBLDS, 96;
Atlanta: Scholars Press
).
7.
Wilcke, Claus1991‘Göttliche und menschliche Weisheit im Alten
Orient', in
A. Assmann
(ed.), Weisheit: Archäologie der literarischen Kommunikation(
Munich: Fink
),III: 259-270.
