The Sayings Clusters in Proverbs: Towards an Associative Reading Strategy

Abstract

Some scholars argue that every proverb should be interpreted on its own, while others search for clusters of sayings and posit that such clusters should determine how one understands a proverb. The first half of this study argues that the solution lies somewhere in between: clusters are important for interpreting individual proverbs, but they do not completely fix the meaning of a saying. Instead, they allow for several possible meanings, and they invite the reader to construct creatively his/her own reading. The second half of this article seeks to demonstrate how this theory works in practice, by using the example of the first three verses of Proverbs 16. In accordance with the reading strategy advocated in this study, several possible readings of the section are proposed.