Pastor Steve Paulus

Old Testament Poetry and Wisdom Literature

What is Wisdom

4. What is Wisdom?

“Like all Hebrew intellectual virtues, wisdom … is intensely practical, not theoretical. Basically, wisdom is the art of being successful, of forming the correct plan to gain the desired results. Its seat is the heart, the center of moral and intellectual decision” (“Wisdom,” D.A. Hubbard. The New Bible Dictionary, 3rd edition, Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1996, p. 1244)

Wisdom, primarily, interprets general revelation and applies universal principles. It works from creation upwards, rather than supernatural revelation descending from heaven.

The wisdom of the OT however is quite distinct from other ancient worldviews although the format of wisdom literature is similar to that of other cultures. Reflected in the OT wisdom is the teaching of a personal God who is holy and just and who expects those who know him to exhibit his character in the many practical affairs of life. This perfect blend of the revealed will of a holy God with the practical human experiences of life is also distinct from the speculative wisdom of the Greeks. The ethical dynamic of Greek philosophy lay in the intellect; if a person had perfect knowledge he could live a good life (Plato). Knowledge was virtue. The emphasis of OT wisdom was that the human will, in the realm of practical matters, was to be subject to divine causes. Therefore, Hebrew wisdom was not theoretical and speculative. It was practical based on revealed principles of right and wrong, to be lived out in daily life (R. Laird Harris, Gleason Archer, and Bruce Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Vol. I, Chicago Moody Press, 1980, p. 283).

4.1. Definitions

There are numerous Hebrew words which correspond to the English concept of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. These words are all used in the context of the wisdom literature.

4.1.1. Hokhmah: "Not theoretical knowledge or philosophy but a proper grasp of the basic issues of life and the relationship of God to man as a moral agent." (Archer, p.475).

“The essential idea of hakam represents a manner of thinking and attitude concerning life’s experiences; including matters of general interest and basic morality. These concerns relate to prudence in secular affairs, skills in the arts, moral sensitivity, and experience in the ways of the Lord’ (R. Laird Harris, Gleason Archer, and Bruce Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Vol. I, Chicago Moody Press, 1980, p. 282).

4.1.2. Binah: "Connotes the ability to discern intelligently the difference between sham and reality, between truth and error, between the specious attraction of the moment and the long-range values that govern a truly successful life." (Ibid.)

To distinguish or understand the difference. “Consider, discern, perceive” (HAW, 282).

4.1.3. Tushiyyah: "Authentic insight into ... spiritual or psychological truth." (Ibid.)

This is a kind of wisdom which brings one into practical success.

4.1.4. Sakal : “Wisdom and the success which is the effect of wisdom” (Haw, p.282). Prudence, good sense, practical insight of complex details leading to success.

4.2. Backgrounds (Ancient Near East)

Wisdom was valued in the cultures of the ancient Near East and was said to be possessed even by non-Israelites, though ultimately wisdom is associated with Yahweh, the God of the Israelites. (I Kings 4:29-34, Bezalel, Ex. 35:30ff.; Hiram I Kings 7:13-14. Is. 10:13, 29:14).

In I Kings 4:30 Solomon’s wisdom is compared to that of all the people of the east, and all the wisdom of Egypt. The wisdom of Mesopotamia and the wisdom of Egypt have become known in some detail only in the 20^th century (Ronald E. Murphy, Wisdom Literature and Psalms, Nashville, Abingdon Press, 1983, p. 21). In Mesopotamia there is evidence of a school and bi-lingual wisdom literature recorded in Akkadia and Sumeria. Some of the titles of later Babylonian and Sumerian wisdom literature are The Counsels of Wisdom, Dialogue of Pessimism, and A Dialogue about Human Misery. Mesopotamian wisdom literature dates from over 2 millennia B.C to about 1000 B.C.

“Again the topics are the problems of human existence and the ills of society: piety and its value , the reality and even the profit of crime . . . . What is common to all these works is the problem of the human condition . . .” (Murphy, 23). The Story of Ahikar, and Egyptian Sebayit or teachings are also among extant examples of ancient Near Eastern Wisdom Literature. Egyptian wisdom is translated as ma’at and carries the idea of truth, intelligence, justice, in which there was a single order in the whole universe.

4.2.1. Biblical Wisdom

Many aspects of wisdom are made clear in the biblical literature. First of all “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 1:7). Both wisdom and folly are depicted as women calling to potential followers in the open places of the public square (Proverbs 8 and 9)). Wisdom is personified and shown to pre-exist the created order (Prov. 8:22-31). Wisdom not only calls, but must be sought as well (Prov. 2:1-5). Wisdom is seen as unsearchable. (Job 28:23), and as the supreme good (Ecc. 12:13-14).

Wisdom (hokmah) Is used to designate the practical skill of an artisan, such as Bezalel, who works on the construction of the tabernacle (Ex. 35:30 – 36:1). Such skill can be applied to various trades, even to government officials such as Ahitophel, David’s counselor (2 Samuel 16-17). Wisdom is also cleverness in coping with a situation, such as is evidenced by small but wise animals (Prov. 30:24-28). Coping with life (tahbulot, or “steering”; Prov. 1:5) is the heart of the wise teaching given in the Book of Proverbs. This is experiential wisdom, which issues in practical commands and admonitions for human beings. Many times this is equivalent to a code of ethics. (Murphy, p.33-34).

According to another interpreter:

[W]isdom is ‘the ability to cope,’ ‘the art of steering’; it is ‘practical knowledge of the laws of life and of the world, based on experience’; wisdom constitutes ‘parents’ legacy to their children’; it is the quest for self-understanding and mastery of the world’ -- no single definition suffices because of the variety of phenomena that employ the Hebrew word hokma and similar ideas in the ancient Near East (James L. Crenshaw, Old Testament Wisdom: An Introduction, Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1998, p. 9).

4.2.2. Apocryphal Wisdom

Two additional books form the corpus of wisdom literature in the non-canonical books of the Old Testament known as the Apocrypha. They are Ecclesiasticus (or Sirach), and the Wisdom of Solomon. These books are dated later than the books of the Hebrew Canon. For instance, Sirach is about 180 B.C. and written in Greek.

4.2.3. Biblical Folly

Two Hebrew words are most often used to designate folly, they are aval and kasal. Folly, of course is often contrasted with wisdom and the way of wisdom. Folly implies “weakness, and applied to the mind, to include also confidence, fond expectation.” Another definition is fat, dull, heavy, or inactive. Essentially, it is false confidence.

A fool is one who is not prudent, without aim or counsel, regardless of the means or instruments he should use, most ready to form rash hopes, who carelessly commits everything to an uncertain issue; opposed to one who walks uprightly, or straightforward; is easily provoked ( William Wilson, Old Testament Word Studies, Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1978, p. 172).

Sources for Section 4

Gleason Archer, A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, Chicago: Moody Press, 1964.

William P. Brown. Character in Crisis: A Fresh Approach to the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1996.

C. Hassel Bullock, An Introduction to the Old Testament Poetic Books, Chicago: Moody Press, 1979.

R.E. Clements. Wisdom in Theology. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992.

Richard J. Clifford. The Wisdom Literature. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1998.

James L. Crenshaw, Old Testament Wisdom: An Introduction, Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1998

R. Laird Harris, Gleason Archer, and Bruce Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Vol. I, Chicago Moody Press, 1980, p. 282

D.A. Hubbard. “Wisdom,” The New Bible Dictionary, 3rd edition, Downers Grove: Inter Varsity Press, 1996.

Ronald E. Murphy, Wisdom Literature and Psalms, Nashville, Abingdon Press, 1983.

William Wilson, Old Testament Word Studies, Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1978

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