Wisdom and the fear of YHWH: Rethinking their relationship in Proverbs 1–9

Abstract

The significance of the fear of YHWH for the theology of Proverbs 1–9 is incontrovertible. In the present essay it is argued firstly that, in light of numerous parallels between Proverbs 1–9 and Deuteronomy, the fear of YHWH in the former should be understood in light of the latter, denoting a response of exclusive allegiance to YHWH. This prompts a reconsideration of how Proverbs 1–9 presents the relationship between the fear of YHWH and wisdom. The scholarly consensus has been that wisdom follows from the fear of YHWH; in the present essay, this consensus is challenged. Following the pattern set out in Deuteronomy, where the fear of YHWH follows from YHWH’s instruction, it is argued that Proverbs 1–9 presents the fear of YHWH as the result, rather than the source of, wisdom. This would have been especially pertinent in the early post-exilic setting in which Proverbs 1–9 was most likely written.