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Proverbs (Commentaries for Christian Formation
What Proverbs meant to its original audience—and what it means to Christians today. On one hand, Proverbs is perfectly straightforward—a collection of short statements on how to live wisely and well. On the other, the advice of Proverbs, written millennia ago, can seem disconnected from the realities of life today. John Goldingay’s fresh commentary untangles Proverbs with an eye toward Christian formation. Examining the text in English, Goldingay explains each verse in its original context without getting bogged down in technical detail. The commentary centers theological insights beneficial to preaching and pastoral work. The wisdom of Proverbs can’t be reduced to platitudes. It requires something of the thought, reflection, and openness to the Lord. The Commentaries for Christian Formation Proverbs guides us in the journey of faith seeking understanding.
495 pages, Hardcover
Published October 12, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 29, 2023
In the last 5 years I’ve reviewed 6 commentaries by Goldingay. The amazing thing is not that I reviewed them, but that he had that many I could review in that span. I recently learned that he has Ezekiel and Leviticus in the pipeline too. He will probably do the entire New Testament next year.
This one on Proverbs is slightly different than the others in a couple ways. First, this series, Commentaries for Faith Formation, is different. It’s new, it still wants exegesis, but some application too. I’m not suggesting it’s lightweight, just that its aims are wider.
Second, Proverbs does not have the same opportunities for going off the reservation that appears in spots with Goldingay that makes you want to strangle him. (Sorry, wild streaks of hyperbole come out of me when I encounter Goldingay). Strangely, still, is that despite his frustrating tendencies, I always want his next release. That either says something good about his writing or pathological about me.
To be more straightforward, the thing about Goldingay is that he writes well. Sometimes he’s provocative, sometimes even bombastic, but you want to read the next paragraph. I saw it over and over in these Proverbs. Perhaps I wouldn’t have thought that Proverbs best matched his skill set, but it sure turned out to match his writing style.
The Introduction is a little flimsy, but I suspect that’s by design for this series. Future volumes, I guess, will bear that out.
When I commend his writing style, I’m not even remotely saying its fluff. All the benchmarks of a seasoned, albeit hyperactive, commentator are on display here. This is a substantial volume as long as you understand the aims of the CCF. The advanced end of the spectrum will still appreciate it, but it might be more usable than some of his works on the other end. I’m that vein, I judge it a broad success.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
This one on Proverbs is slightly different than the others in a couple ways. First, this series, Commentaries for Faith Formation, is different. It’s new, it still wants exegesis, but some application too. I’m not suggesting it’s lightweight, just that its aims are wider.
Second, Proverbs does not have the same opportunities for going off the reservation that appears in spots with Goldingay that makes you want to strangle him. (Sorry, wild streaks of hyperbole come out of me when I encounter Goldingay). Strangely, still, is that despite his frustrating tendencies, I always want his next release. That either says something good about his writing or pathological about me.
To be more straightforward, the thing about Goldingay is that he writes well. Sometimes he’s provocative, sometimes even bombastic, but you want to read the next paragraph. I saw it over and over in these Proverbs. Perhaps I wouldn’t have thought that Proverbs best matched his skill set, but it sure turned out to match his writing style.
The Introduction is a little flimsy, but I suspect that’s by design for this series. Future volumes, I guess, will bear that out.
When I commend his writing style, I’m not even remotely saying its fluff. All the benchmarks of a seasoned, albeit hyperactive, commentator are on display here. This is a substantial volume as long as you understand the aims of the CCF. The advanced end of the spectrum will still appreciate it, but it might be more usable than some of his works on the other end. I’m that vein, I judge it a broad success.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
January 13, 2024
Many years ago, back when I was a youth minister I would gather with a group of students at the high school during lunch. I would bring with me a booklet with Proverbs in the Living Bible. We would read a selection each time and discuss it. (It was long ago and it was a rural high school so I had free access to the school). The idea behind using Proverbs is that they offer practical wisdom for the Christian life. I also took a class on the Proverbs in college, though I don't remember much (it's not Dr. Rhee's fault, it's just too long ago). In the intervening years, I've preached from Proverbs a handful of times. As for the Revised Common Lectionary it only offers seven occasions over three years on which Proverbs is offered as a possible text.
In many ways Proverbs is foreign to us. Some of its wise sayings are problematic because they suggest God blesses the rich and the poor get what they deserve, a form of retribution dogma. Nevertheless, it does offer interesting perspectives on the nature of wisdom, how wisdom relates to God, and how we might live virtuous lives. We might find the idea of the seductive woman/whore distasteful, but the author(s) of Proverbs want us to see the contrast between Wisdom, which is personified in feminine terms with its opposite. On the positive side, Proverbs us with a form of natural theology that values nature as an expression of God's creative impulses. In other words, there are many riches to be discovered in this book of wisdom.
While the lectionary may not offer many opportunities to preach from this book, it can still be studied by groups and individuals. This commentary by John Goldingay, the David Allan Hubbard Professor Emeritus of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary, is part of the Commentaries For Christian Formation Series. The purpose of this commentary series is to provide a resource for faith formation. That would include preaching (and you don't have to limit yourself to the lectionary), teaching, and application. it includes some exegesis, though it's not a technical commentary. We see this in the fact that the introductory section is less than twenty pages. Goldingay acknowledges that authorship and dating of composition is difficult but that need not keep us from finding value in the text.
The commentary includes both Goldingay's own translation and exposition of the text. The message it brings to us focuses on living faithfully by abiding God's wisdom. It is practical rather than theoretical. As such it offers contrasting visions of living a smart and skilled life as opposed to declining to learn (gain wisdom) and thus becoming wise, such that one ends up being an idiot whose life doesn't work out well.
Regarding the composition of the book, Goldingay sees it divided into three parts. The first part which runs from 1:1 to 9:18, speaks "of the nature and importance of wisdom and an exhortation to attend to wisdom. This is Proverbs A, passsaes that are attributed to Solomon. The second part, Proverbs B, runs from 10:1-22:16. For the most part this section is composed of brief one-sentence/one-verse sayings that are concrete. These might be what many envision Proverbs involving. Proverbs C includes both one-line sayings and longer ones (Proverbs 22:17-31:31). This third section includes the famed Proverbs 31, which speaks of the superwoman. Goldingay does a nice job expositing this passage, such that we can relax and not assume that this is a possible life of a woman.
The concluding chapter summarizes the message of Proverbs focusing on its role in teaching the virtuous life. The key to a virtuous life is faithfulness. That teaching on virtue often involves hyperbole, as seen in the description of the resourceful woman of Proverbs 31. But, as he writes: "The hyperbolic or cartoon nature of Proverbs works against people inferring that everyone is either wise or stupid, good or bad. But everyone is open to the possibility of moving one way or the other. People do not have moral characters fixed in one or other position." (p. 428). Proverbs is designed to push us toward a moral or virtuous life, and Goldingay does an excellent job of helping us discern how best to interpret this message.
In many ways Proverbs is foreign to us. Some of its wise sayings are problematic because they suggest God blesses the rich and the poor get what they deserve, a form of retribution dogma. Nevertheless, it does offer interesting perspectives on the nature of wisdom, how wisdom relates to God, and how we might live virtuous lives. We might find the idea of the seductive woman/whore distasteful, but the author(s) of Proverbs want us to see the contrast between Wisdom, which is personified in feminine terms with its opposite. On the positive side, Proverbs us with a form of natural theology that values nature as an expression of God's creative impulses. In other words, there are many riches to be discovered in this book of wisdom.
While the lectionary may not offer many opportunities to preach from this book, it can still be studied by groups and individuals. This commentary by John Goldingay, the David Allan Hubbard Professor Emeritus of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary, is part of the Commentaries For Christian Formation Series. The purpose of this commentary series is to provide a resource for faith formation. That would include preaching (and you don't have to limit yourself to the lectionary), teaching, and application. it includes some exegesis, though it's not a technical commentary. We see this in the fact that the introductory section is less than twenty pages. Goldingay acknowledges that authorship and dating of composition is difficult but that need not keep us from finding value in the text.
The commentary includes both Goldingay's own translation and exposition of the text. The message it brings to us focuses on living faithfully by abiding God's wisdom. It is practical rather than theoretical. As such it offers contrasting visions of living a smart and skilled life as opposed to declining to learn (gain wisdom) and thus becoming wise, such that one ends up being an idiot whose life doesn't work out well.
Regarding the composition of the book, Goldingay sees it divided into three parts. The first part which runs from 1:1 to 9:18, speaks "of the nature and importance of wisdom and an exhortation to attend to wisdom. This is Proverbs A, passsaes that are attributed to Solomon. The second part, Proverbs B, runs from 10:1-22:16. For the most part this section is composed of brief one-sentence/one-verse sayings that are concrete. These might be what many envision Proverbs involving. Proverbs C includes both one-line sayings and longer ones (Proverbs 22:17-31:31). This third section includes the famed Proverbs 31, which speaks of the superwoman. Goldingay does a nice job expositing this passage, such that we can relax and not assume that this is a possible life of a woman.
The concluding chapter summarizes the message of Proverbs focusing on its role in teaching the virtuous life. The key to a virtuous life is faithfulness. That teaching on virtue often involves hyperbole, as seen in the description of the resourceful woman of Proverbs 31. But, as he writes: "The hyperbolic or cartoon nature of Proverbs works against people inferring that everyone is either wise or stupid, good or bad. But everyone is open to the possibility of moving one way or the other. People do not have moral characters fixed in one or other position." (p. 428). Proverbs is designed to push us toward a moral or virtuous life, and Goldingay does an excellent job of helping us discern how best to interpret this message.
December 7, 2023
John Goldingay is a scholar whom I’ve come to describe as approachably academic in style. Goldingay does not sacrifice academic rigor for accessibility, but rather manages to blend the two together to make what other authors and books seem mundane come to life. I’ve been a fan of Goldingay’s writings ever since my introduction to him with the publication of his NICOT volume on Lamentations. Commentaries generally aren’t meant to be read as regular books, from cover to cover, but Goldingay should be the exception. It’s no different for this volume on Proverbs in the Commentaries for Christian Formation series.
This series is a relatively new commentary series coming from William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, the same company that publishes NICOT/NICNT and other excellent commentary sets. The first volume, on Galatians, released in 2021 headlined by the British theologian N.T. Wright. Goldingay’s Proverbs is the second volume and Hebrews, written by Amy Peeler, will be the third and release in 2024. The focus of the series in faith formation, “serving the church by showing how sound theological exegesis can underwrite preaching and teaching, which in turn forms believers in the faith.” It’s a semi-technical commentary, meaning that while it is geared toward being more academic, it is also accessible to those without much or any knowledge of biblical Hebrew or Greek.
Goldingay begins Proverbs: Commentaries for Christian Formation with a brief introduction to the book, its composition, and theological importance. Goldingay presents Proverbs as a book that encourages learning wisdom for a life lived in awe of Yahweh, emphasizing its practical aspect to make people smart, shrewd, and skilled. He argues that understanding Proverbs requires thought and reflection, as it contains an ethical dimension concerning everyday life. Goldingay also provides his own translation of the text, offering readers a fresh reading that looks and sounds different than what they might be used to—and that by itself invites deeper reflection, discussion, and analysis of the text.
The commentary proper is divided into three sections: Proverbs A (1:1-9:18), Proverbs B (10:1-22:16), and Proverbs C (22:17-31:31). This simple division is guided by his view that the proverbs are universal, independent of date and provenance. He hypothesizes that much of Proverbs B was collected during the monarchic period, Proverbs C in the Second Temple period, and Proverbs A as an introduction to the text in the same period. He suggests the fall of Jerusalem may have been a catalyst for the collection and adaptation of the text. For those steeped in the simple belief that Solomon wrote all of these proverbs during his tenure as king, this may come as a surprise, but almost all academic scholarship sees this book as a collection of texts, some of which may come from or been collected by Solmon, and gathered together in the Second Temple era.
Goldingay then looks at the proverbs chapter by chapter. His writing style makes the commentary accessible and enjoyable for both laypersons and scholars. The book refrains from over-complicating the origins of Proverbs, instead offering a perspective that appreciates the universality and practical wisdom of the book. Proverbs can be a difficult book to preach or learn from. It’s filled with pithy generalizations full of nuance and metaphor that assume the reader understands the culture and background of the saying. Goldingay is able to bring clarity and applicability to these texts. I wouldn’t preach on Proverbs without consulting this book first!
This series is a relatively new commentary series coming from William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, the same company that publishes NICOT/NICNT and other excellent commentary sets. The first volume, on Galatians, released in 2021 headlined by the British theologian N.T. Wright. Goldingay’s Proverbs is the second volume and Hebrews, written by Amy Peeler, will be the third and release in 2024. The focus of the series in faith formation, “serving the church by showing how sound theological exegesis can underwrite preaching and teaching, which in turn forms believers in the faith.” It’s a semi-technical commentary, meaning that while it is geared toward being more academic, it is also accessible to those without much or any knowledge of biblical Hebrew or Greek.
Goldingay begins Proverbs: Commentaries for Christian Formation with a brief introduction to the book, its composition, and theological importance. Goldingay presents Proverbs as a book that encourages learning wisdom for a life lived in awe of Yahweh, emphasizing its practical aspect to make people smart, shrewd, and skilled. He argues that understanding Proverbs requires thought and reflection, as it contains an ethical dimension concerning everyday life. Goldingay also provides his own translation of the text, offering readers a fresh reading that looks and sounds different than what they might be used to—and that by itself invites deeper reflection, discussion, and analysis of the text.
The commentary proper is divided into three sections: Proverbs A (1:1-9:18), Proverbs B (10:1-22:16), and Proverbs C (22:17-31:31). This simple division is guided by his view that the proverbs are universal, independent of date and provenance. He hypothesizes that much of Proverbs B was collected during the monarchic period, Proverbs C in the Second Temple period, and Proverbs A as an introduction to the text in the same period. He suggests the fall of Jerusalem may have been a catalyst for the collection and adaptation of the text. For those steeped in the simple belief that Solomon wrote all of these proverbs during his tenure as king, this may come as a surprise, but almost all academic scholarship sees this book as a collection of texts, some of which may come from or been collected by Solmon, and gathered together in the Second Temple era.
Goldingay then looks at the proverbs chapter by chapter. His writing style makes the commentary accessible and enjoyable for both laypersons and scholars. The book refrains from over-complicating the origins of Proverbs, instead offering a perspective that appreciates the universality and practical wisdom of the book. Proverbs can be a difficult book to preach or learn from. It’s filled with pithy generalizations full of nuance and metaphor that assume the reader understands the culture and background of the saying. Goldingay is able to bring clarity and applicability to these texts. I wouldn’t preach on Proverbs without consulting this book first!
September 9, 2024
I always enjoy starting to read a commentary by John Goldingay - he is a prolific author, with a sense of humour, and a way of saying things well. That said, I'm starting to wonder if I need to put a cap on the number of Goldingay commentaries I read a year. But I digress. I was interested to pick up this - the first Old Testament volume in Eerdmans' new Commentaries for Christian Formation series (I reviewed the inaugural volume, by N.T. Wright on Galatians, here). I was also interested to read it as I think Proverbs is one of those books of the Bible that many of us Christians know snippets of (or at least think we do), but it is not one that is regularly preached, and certainly not preached or worked straight through. I have been spoilt recently by working on Paul Overland's superb AOTC Volume on Proverbs - on reflection that AOTC is probably closer to one of Eerdmans' NICOT volumes, than this CCF. But I digress.
At xvii+478 pages, this is a substantial book - reflecting the length and complexity of Proverbs as a book of the canon. A relatively short introduction (less than 15 pages, all in) leads in to just under 400 pages of commentary proper, a short conclusion ('Actions and Consequences', 'Proverbs in the Context of the Scriptures' and 'Virtue') of less than 10 pages, and then around 40 pages of end matter (Selected Bibliography, indices of Subjects/Authors/Scripture and Other Ancient Sources).
Read the full review here - https://www.thomascreedy.co.uk/book-r...
At xvii+478 pages, this is a substantial book - reflecting the length and complexity of Proverbs as a book of the canon. A relatively short introduction (less than 15 pages, all in) leads in to just under 400 pages of commentary proper, a short conclusion ('Actions and Consequences', 'Proverbs in the Context of the Scriptures' and 'Virtue') of less than 10 pages, and then around 40 pages of end matter (Selected Bibliography, indices of Subjects/Authors/Scripture and Other Ancient Sources).
Read the full review here - https://www.thomascreedy.co.uk/book-r...
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