Proverbs 28.1-11: A Small Poem?

Abstract

Disagreement has been expressed between scholars over the existence of poetic sub-units in Prov. 10.1—22.16 and 25.1—29.27. Some claim that there is evidence of poetic units in these chapters that go beyond the couplet, while others deny this, saying that most of the proverbs in these chapters are limited to the typical proverbial form, which is the two-line saying. Proponents of the latter view would not see any larger development beyond the poetic couplets in these two sections of Proverbs. This article proposes the identification of a small poem in Prov. 28.1-11, and also attempts to answer some of the objections posed by those who are skeptical of the existence of poetic units such as the one suggested here.