Be Wise, My Son, and Make My Heart Glad: An Exploration of the Courtly Nature of the Book of Proverbs

In view of the various proposals concerning the nature and function of the book of Proverbs, the present study focuses on the social dimensions of the document within its distinct, literary context. That is, the study examines the nature and function of the sapiential material within its new performance context, viz., the discursive context, the Sitz im Buch. In the main, the investigation explores the discourse setting of the book of Proverbs as well as the formal and thematic features of the individual collections. More specifically, the study highlights the fundamental features of the book’s discursive context, the thematic development of the material, the ethos of the individual collections and their role within the book of Proverbs in order to ascertain the degree to which the book of Proverbs may be considered a courtly piece.