Q. Is there any comparison between the biblical proverbs with the extrabiblical materials? Did Solomon borrow some proverbs from his non-Israelite neighbors?
A. Do not rob the poor because they are poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate (
Guard yourself from robbing the poor, from being violent to the weak (Amenemope 4.4-5)
Ever since the publication of the Instructions of Amenemope by the Egyptologist E. A. W. Budge in 1923, scholars have recognized that Israelite proverbs have extensive analogues in ancient Near Eastern proverbial literature similar to the example above. Besides the Instruction of Amenemope (typically dated to 12th century B.C.E.), we have examples of Egyptian instructional literature that come from the Old Kingdom period (2715-2179 B.C.E.) down to the latest periods of Egyptian history. Sumerian, Akkadian, and Aramaic wisdom texts also contain proverbs worth comparing with Israelite proverbs.
That Israel knew and appreciated ancient Near Eastern wisdom may be observed in a passage that pays homage to Solomon’s prodigious wisdom: “God gave Solomon very great wisdom, discernment, and breadth of understanding as vast as the sand on the seashore, so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east, and all the wisdom of Egypt” (
The extensive comparison that can be made between biblical proverbs and extra-biblical instructional material makes it clear that Solomon and the other sages who produced the collection of didactic material that we know as the book of Proverbs was well aware of and learned from sources like the Instructions of Amenemope.
While the Israelite sages learn from their ancient Near Eastern counterparts, they differ on the ultimate source of their wisdom.
