Summary of Proverbs

Chapter by Chapter:

Proverbs as the name describes, are a bunch of PROVERBS! Who would have thought? There are also some Parables and Poetry. This book was written mainly by Solomon, the wisest king ever to rule, however some of the later sections are written by Lemuel and Agur. It was written during Solomon’s reign 970-930 B.C. He asked God for wisdom to rule God’s nation and He granted the request.

The main purpose of this book is to teach wisdom to God’s people. Proverbs are short clever explanations, which are easy to remember. They contain truisms. These are things which are typically true however, not always. For example, “He who telleth his land shall be satisfied with bread…”(Proverbs 12:11), it is typically true that one who works his land will have bread but it is not a guarantee to always be true. They deal with life, principles, good judgment, and perception. They often draw distinctions between a wise man and a foolish man with parable type examples.

•    In chapters 1-9, Solomon writes about wisdom for younger people. He speaks of details of Godly living and heeding a parent’s advice, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…” (Proverbs 1:7). Salvation is through faith and trust in Jesus Christ and Proverbs directly teaches us to, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and do not lean unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

•    In chapters 10-24, there is wisdom that applies to average people covering various topics. Many of these parables contrast a righteous man and a wicked man, and urges us to commit our way to God, “There is a way which seemeth right unto man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12).

•    Chapters 25-31, give wisdom to leaders. It was these very proverbs that were transcribed by King Hezekiah’s people, and for good reason (Proverbs 25:1). They contain many warnings and instructions to assist in walking and seeking a Godly life. As would be understood by a leader of an army, Solomon writes in 27:17, “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” (Proverbs 27:17)