This collection of sententious sayings is divine wisdom applied to the earthly conditions of the people of God. That the Proverbs were Solomon's (1.1) implies no more than that he gathered into orderly arrangement sayings already current amongst the people, the wisdom of the Spirit, perhaps through many centuries (Eccl 12.9). Chapters 25.-29. Were current in Hezekiah's time (25.1). Chapters 30. And 31. Are by Agur and Lemuel.
The book is in six parts:
To sons, 1.-7. The praise of wisdom, 8.-9. The folly of sin, 10.-19. Warnings and instructions, 20.-29. The words of Agur, 30. The words of King Lemuel, 31.
