The Rhetoric of the Father: A Rhetorical Analysis of the Father/Son Lectures in Proverbs 1-9

THE RHETORIC OF THE FATHER:

A RHETORICAL ANALYSIS OF THE FATHER/SON

LECTURES IN PROVERBS 1-9

A Dissertation

Presented to

the Faculties of The Iliff School of Theology and

The University of Denver (Colorado Seminary)

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Glenn D. Pemberton

June 1999

Denver, Colorado

used with permission

ABSTRACT

Proverbs 1-9 contains 10 instructions/lectures in which a "father" addresses

his "son(s)." These lectures are in many respects similar. They address a "son" or

"sons," urge the son(s) to listen, not forget or guard the father's teaching, and affirm

the value of this teaching. However, a curious diversity (which scholars have yet to

explain adequately) exists within these lectures. Despite their similarities, the appeals

and the argumentation of the lectures reflect differences in the father's rhetorical

objectives and strategies.

This dissertation uses rhetorical criticism to address the diversity within these

ten lectures. Analysis of the artistic proofs (logos, pathos, and ethos) of each lecture

reveals that the ten lectures may be classified into three groups or subsets on the basis

of their rhetoric: 1) calls to apprenticeship (1:8-19, 2:1-22, 4:1-9, 4:10-19), 2) calls

to remember and obey (3:1-12, 3:21-35, 4:20-27), and 3) warnings against illicit

sexual relations (5:1-23, 6:20-35, 7:1-27). Further, although the lectures of each

subset possess common features that distinguish them as a group, each lecture also

possesses unique features that distinguish it from other group members. One may

conclude that Proverbs 1-9 contain three distinct subsets of lectures with diverse

members, ten lectures with ten different rhetorical strategies. Put simply, the ten

lectures are a remarkable rhetorical anthology.

Scholars generally have assumed that these speeches were written, collected,

and edited to address important issues in the life of the community. This dissertation

proposes another option, namely, rhetorical education. The ten lectures provide

rhetorical models for different needs or situations. This hypothesis is congruent with

long standing theories regarding the composition of Proverbs 1-9 (the lectures are the

original core of these chapters) and the purpose of this composition (youth

education). The ten lectures of Proverbs 1-9 not only demonstrate the presence of

formal rhetorical interests in ancient Israel, but these lectures formed a book devised,

in part, to serve the purposes of rhetorical education.

THE ILIFF SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY

AND

THE UNIVERSITY OF DENVER (COLORADO SEMINARY)

Upon the recommendation of the Director

of the Joint PH.D. Program this dissertation

is hereby accepted in partial fulfillment

of the requirements for the degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

_____________________________

Dr. David L. Petersen

Dissertation Advisor

_____________________________

Dr. Larry Kent Graham

Director, Joint Ph.D. Program

______________________

Date

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

LIST OF TABLES viii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ix

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1

A. Proverbs 1-9 as Rhetoric 1

B. The Interpretive Web: Research on Proverbs 1-9 4

1. Form-Critical Studies 4

2. Traditio-Historical Studies 12

3. Studies of the Women of Proverbs 1-9 16

4. Literary Critical Studies 20

5. Rhetorical Analyses 29

C. Summary 36

CHAPTER TWO: RHETORICAL CRITICISM 38

A. A Brief Survey of the Emergence of Rhetoric in the Ancient West 39

B. Rhetorical Criticism in Biblical Studies 46

1. Early History to the Demise of Rhetoric in Twentieth

Century Biblical Studies 46

2. The Reemergence of Rhetoric in Late Twentieth Century

Biblical Studies 52

3. Rhetorical Methods in Twentieth Century Biblical Studies 55

a. The "Rhetorical Criticism" of James Muilenburg:

The Definition of Rhetoric 56

b. The "New Rhetoric" of the Postmodern Bible:

Rhetoric as Cultural Criticism 60

c. The "Socio-Rhetorical Criticism" of Vernon Robbins:

Rhetoric and Methodological Pluralism 63

d. The "Classical Rhetoric" of George Kennedy:

Western Rhetorical Theory and non-Western Texts 65

4. Summary 74

C. Rhetorical Method for Analysis of the Ten Lectures 75

1. Text and Translation 75

2. The Limits of the Rhetorical Unit 76

3. Analysis of the Artistic Proofs 77

a. Logos 78

b. Ethos 80

c. Pathos 81

4. Summary & Conclusions 81

D. Summary: Rhetorical Criticism 82

CHAPTER THREE: RHETORICAL ANALYSIS OF GROUP I: THE CALLS TO

APPRENTICESHIP 84

A. Proverbs 1:8-19 87

1. Text and Translation 87

2. The Limits of the Rhetorical Unit 89

3. Analysis of the Artistic Proofs 91

iii

a. Logos 91

b. Ethos 104

c. Pathos 107

4. Summary & Conclusions 108

B. Proverbs 2:1-22 109

1. Text and Translation 109

2. The Limits of the Rhetorical Unit 111

3. Analysis of the Artistic Proofs 112

a. Logos 113

b. Ethos 122

c. Pathos 125

4. Summary & Conclusions 130

C. Proverbs 4:1-9 132

1. Text and Translation 132

2. The Limits of the Rhetorical Unit 133

3. Analysis of the Artistic Proofs 134

a. Logos 135

b. Ethos 140

c. Pathos 142

4. Summary & Conclusions 145

D. Proverbs 4:10-19 147

1. Text and Translation 147

2. The Limits of the Rhetorical Unit 148

3. Analysis of the Artistic Proofs 148

a. Logos 149

b. Ethos 153

c. Pathos 154

4. Summary & Conclusions 155

E. Conclusions: The Rhetoric of the Calls to Apprenticeship 156

CHAPTER FOUR: RHETORICAL ANALYSIS OF GROUP II: THE CALLS

TO REMEMBER AND OBEY 158

A. Proverbs 3:1-12 159

1. Text and Translation 159

2. The Limits of the Rhetorical Unit 160

3. Analysis of the Artistic Proofs 161

a. Logos 161

b. Ethos 166

c. Pathos 168

4. Summary & Conclusions 170

B. Proverbs 3:21-35 171

1. Text and Translation 171

2. The Limits of the Rhetorical Unit 173

3. Analysis of the Artistic Proofs 176

a. Logos 176

b. Ethos 185

c. Pathos 189

4. Summary & Conclusions 190

C. Proverbs 4:20-27 192

1. Text and Translation 192

2. The Limits of the Rhetorical Unit 193

3. Analysis of the Artistic Proofs 194

a. Logos 195

b. Ethos 202

c. Pathos 204

4. Summary & Conclusions 205

D. Conclusions: The Rhetoric of the Calls to Remember and Obey 207

CHAPTER FIVE: RHETORICAL ANALYSIS OF GROUP III: WARNINGS

AGAINST ILLICIT SEXUAL RELATIONS 212

A Proverbs 5:1-23 213

1. Text and Translation 213

2. The Limits of the Rhetorical Unit 215

3. Analysis of the Artistic Proofs 218

a. Logos 219

b. Ethos 231

c. Pathos 232

4. Summary & Conclusions 233

B. Proverbs 6:20-35 234

1. Text and Translation 234

vi
2. The Limits of the Rhetorical Unit 237

3. Analysis of the Artistic Proofs 238

a. Logos 239

b. Ethos 246

c. Pathos 250

4. Summary & Conclusions 252

C. Proverbs 7:1-27 254

1. Text and Translation 254

2. The Limits of the Rhetorical Unit 256

3. Analysis of the Artistic Proofs 257

a. Logos 258

b. Ethos 270

c. Pathos 272

4. Summary & Conclusions 274

D. Conclusions: The Rhetoric of the Warnings Against Illicit

Sexual Relations 275

CHAPTER SIX: THE RHETORIC OF THE FATHER 278

A. Summary: The Father's Rhetoric in Proverbs 1-9 280

1. Rhetorical Subsets in the Ten Lectures 280

2. Rhetorical Variety with the Subsets of Lectures 285

B. Implications of Rhetorical Variety within Subsets 291

C. Areas for Further Research 295

BIBLIOGRAPHY 300

vii

LIST OF TABLES

Table Page

1. Concurrence of Verbs in the Propositions of the Ten Lectures 86

2. The Rhetoric of the Father: A Comparison of Subsets 282

3. The Rhetoric of Subset I: The Calls to Apprenticeship 286

4. The Rhetoric of Subset II: The Calls to Remember and Obey 288

5. The Rhetoric of Subset III: The Warnings Against Illicit Sexual

Relations 290

viii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

AB Anchor Bible

ACW Ancient Christian Writers

AJP American Journal of Philology

AJSL American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures

ANET J.B. Pritchard (ed.), Ancient Near Eastern Texts

AOAT Alter Orient and Altes Testament

ATAbh Alttestamentliche Abhandlungen

ATD Das Alte Testament Deutsch

AV English Authorized Version (King James)

AzTh Arbeiten zur Theologie

BAGD W. Bauer, W.F. Arndt, F.W. Gingrich, and F.W. Danker, Greek-English

Lexicon of the New Testament.

BDB F. Brown, S.R. Driver, and C.A. Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon of

the Old Testament

BETL Bibliotheca ephemeridum theologicarum lovaniensium

BHS Biblia hebraica stuttgartensia

Bib Biblica

BN Biblische Notizen

BTB Biblical Theology Bulletin

BZAW Beihefte zur Zeitschrift fur die alttestamentliche Wissenshaft

CAD The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of

Chicago

CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly

CBQMS Catholic Biblical Monograph -- Monograph Series

ConBOT Coniectanea biblica, Old Testament

DSB Daily Study Bible

ExpTim Expository Times

FAT Forschungen zum Alten Testament

FOTL Forms of the Old Testament Literature

GBS Guides to Biblical Scholarship

GKC Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar, ed. E. Kautzsch, trans. A.E. Cowley

HAR Hebrew Annual Review

HS Hebrew Studies

HUCA Hebrew Union College Annual

ICC International Critical Commentary

Int Interpretation

ITC International Theological Commentary

JB Jerusalem Bible

JBL Journal of Biblical Literature

JETS Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

JNES Journal of Near Eastern Studies

JNSL Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages

JQR Jewish Quarterly Review

JSOT Journal for the Study of the Old Testament

JSOTSup Journal for the Study of the Old Testament - Supplement Series

JSS Journal of Semitic Studies

JTS Journal of Theological Studies

KB L. Koehler and W. Baumgartner, Lexicon in Veteris Testamenti libros

KBW Zentrales Komitee des Kommunistischen Bundes Westdeutschland

KHC Kurzer Hand-Commentar zum Alten Testament

LCL Loeb Classical Library

LD Lectio divina

LXX Septuagint

MT Massoretic Text

NCB New Century Bible

NIB New Interpreter's Bible

NIV New International Version

NJV New Jewish Version (Tanakh, 1985)

NRSV New Revised Standard Version

OBO Orbis biblicus et orientalis

OLP Orientalia lovaniensia periodica

OTE Old Testament Essays

OTG Old Testament Guides

OTL Old Testament Library

PEQ Palestine Exploration Quarterly

RB Revue biblique

REB Revised English Bible

ResQ Restoration Quarterly

RSV Revised Standard Version

SBFLA Studii Biblici Franciscani liber annus

SBLDS Society of Biblical Literature - Dissertation Series

SBLWAW Society of Biblical Literature - Writings from the Ancient World

SBS Stuttgarter Bibelstudien

SBT Studies in Biblical Theology

SJOT Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament

TynOTC Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries

VT Vetus Testamentum

VTSup Vetus Testamentum, Supplements

WMANT Wissenschaftliche Monographien zum Alten and Neuen Testament

ZAH Zeitschrift fur Althebraistik

ZAW Zeitschrift fur die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft

ZTK Zeitschrift fur Theologie und Kirche

xii

Chapter One

INTRODUCTION

Proverbs 1-9 as Rhetoric

Proverbs 1-9 is composed, almost exclusively, of speeches. Following a brief

introduction (1:1-7), these chapters consist of ten lectures by a "father" to his "son(s)."

The delimitation of these lectures is debated, but may tentatively be defined as 1:8-19,

2:1-22, 3:1-12, 3:21-35, 4:1-9, 4:10-19, 4:20-27, 5:1-23, 6:20-35, and 7:1-27.

Interspersed within these lectures are five interludes (1:20-33, 3:13-20, 6:1-19, 8:1-36,

and 9:1-18),¹ three of which are speeches by woman wisdom.² Further, four of the ten

father/son lectures cite speeches made by other persons or groups.³

Proverbs 1-9, however, is not only composed of speeches; these speeches

express vital concern for persuasive speech, i.e., rhetoric. On the one hand, each of

the ten father/son lectures attempts to persuade the reader to accept the father's counsel

and to pursue wisdom (e.g., 1:8, 4:10-11, 7:1-4).⁴ To this end, the father/rhetor

employs diverse rhetorical devices and strategies. On the other hand, the lectures

_______________________

¹ The terminology of "lectures" and "interludes" is adopted from Michael Fox ("Ideas of

Wisdom in Proverbs 1-9," JBL 116 [1997], 613-619).

² 1:20-33, 8:1-36, 9:1-12 (expanded by the speech of woman folly in vv. 13-18).

³ The speech of the sinners (1:10-14), the speech of the father's father (4:3-9), the speech

of the foolish son (5:12-14), and the speech of the adulteress (7:10-21).

⁴ See also 2:1-11, 3:1-2, 3:21-23, 4:1-2, 4:20-22, 5:1-2, 6:20-22.

caution the reader about the seductive rhetoric of the opposition. This warning occurs

in five of the ten father/son lectures (e.g., 5:3, 6::3-24, 7:13,21).⁵ So, interest in

rhetoric, both that of the father and the opposition, abounds in the ten lectures.

Several scholars (e.g., Aletti, Yee, Newsom, and Crenshaw; see below) have

noted the rhetorical nature and concern of Proverbs 1-9. There is, however, a lacuna

in present research. Although Proverbs 1-9 contains ten lectures, a sustained analysis

of these lectures as lectures, i.e., as rhetoric, does not exist. This dissertation seeks to

fill this lacuna by offering a fresh investigation of the ten father/son lectures from the

perspective of rhetorical criticism. More specifically, rhetorical analysis of the lectures

offers two types of contributions to present scholarship.

First, rhetorical analysis will contribute a new perspective and, thus, new

insights on old interpretive problems in the ten lectures of Proverbs 1-9. Several

interpretive cruxes continue to plague the study of these texts, e.g., the delimitation of

the lectures, the identity of the strange/foreign woman, the presence of textual

allusions, and the relationship denoted by the vocative ynib; ("my son"). Rhetorical

analysis will offer fresh testimony on these and other issues that may break present the

scholarly impasses. In addition, this dissertation will consider the rhetorical

implications of these interpretive problems and their proposed solutions.

Second and more significant, a rhetorical analysis that focuses on how each of

the ten lectures attempts to persuade its audience promises to uncover new data about

the ten lectures and the practice of rhetoric in ancient Israel. For example, rhetorical

_______________________

⁵ See also 1:10-19 and 2:16.

analysis will reveal that there are three types of lectures in Proverbs 1-9 (calls to

apprenticeship, calls to remember and obey, and warnings against illicit sexual

relations) and that the individual members of each subset employ different rhetorical

strategies. The implications of this finding may seem minimal, but, in fact, they reach

from revisions in our understanding of the lectures and the purpose of this collection

to the existence of self-conscious rhetorical reflection and, perhaps, rhetorical

education in ancient Israel.

Such rhetorical analysis of the ten lectures requires two preliminary steps.

First, it will be helpful to situate this dissertation within the history of scholarship on

Proverbs 1-9. Biblical criticism is a methodological jungle in which theoretical vines

are intricately interwoven and often intergrown. Any attempt to untangle a singly pure

methodological vine is impossible and detrimental to both the strength of the web and

the individual method. Therefore, in the remainder of this chapter, I will define the

relationship of my rhetorical analysis of the ten lectures to the existing interpretive

web of Proverbs 1-9. Second, the ambiguity of the term "rhetorical criticism"

demands clarification. While pursuit of one method alone is impossible, the lack of

methodological clarity and delimitation threatens confusion and dilution of focus.

Thus, in the second chapter I will define my rhetorical method and distinguish my

practice from other similarly titled methods. These first two chapters will be followed

by a sustained rhetorical analysis of the ten lectures. A summary and synthesis of the

contributions of this study, as well as proposals for further investigation, will comprise

the final chapter.

The Interpretive Web:

Research on Proverbs 1-9

Scholars writing in the twentieth century have attempted to understand four

features of Proverbs 1-9: its forms, the source(s) of its traditions, its striking references

to women, and literary concerns (e.g., unity and style). It is beyond the limits of this

study to present an exhaustive summary of this secondary literature.⁶ This survey is

limited to studies that provide significant stimuli or contributions to the rhetorical

analysis of the ten lectures. My goal is to situate this study within the existing

interpretive web of Proverbs 1-9. To this end, the four traditional categories of study

plus the recent emergence of rhetorical interest in Proverbs 1-9 provide the framework

for this discussion.⁷

Form-Critical Studies

Several scholars have utilized form-critical methodology to interpret Proverbs

1-9 within its ancient Near Eastern (especially Egyptian) setting.8 The most significant

_______________________

⁶ For a more comprehensive history of research, see Bernhard Lang, Die Weisheitliche

Lehrrede. Eine Untersuchung von Spruche 1-7, SBS, vol. 54 (Stuttgart: KBW, 1972), 11.26;

C. Westermann, Forschungsgeschichte zur Weisheitsliteratur 1950-1990, AzTh, vol. 71

(Stuttgart: Calwer Verlag, 1991); and Roger N. Whybray, The Book of Proverbs: A Survey of

Modern Study (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1995).

⁷Admittedly, some studies may be placed in multiple categories, e.g., I will discuss Christi

Maier's monograph (Die 'Fremde Frau' in Proverbien 1-9: Eine Exegetische and

Sozialgeschichtliche Studie, OBO, vol. 144 [Gottingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1995])

under both Tradition History and The Women of Proverbs 1-9. The use of these five

categories is simply a heuristic device for presenting diverse material.

⁸ Christa Kayatz, Studien zu Proverbien 1-9: Eine form- und motivgeschichtliche

Untersuchung unter Einbeziehung agyptischen Vergleichsmaterials, WMANT, vol. 22

(Netherlands: Neukirchen-Vluyn, 1966); Franz-Josef Steiert, Die Weisheit Israels: ein

Fremdkorper im Alten Testament? Eine Untersuchung zum Buch der Spruch auf dem

Hintergrund der agyptischen Weisheitslehren (Freiburg im Breisgau: Herder, 1990).

of these studies for rhetorical criticism are the works of Roger N. Whybray and

William McKane. Although Whybray's initial work preceded McKane's commentary

on Proverbs by several years, it is advantageous to begin with McKane's research

because his work established the foundation on which Whybray constructs his

arguments.

McKane's chief contribution to the study of Proverbs 1-9 is his clear distinction

between the instruction genre and the sentence literature.⁹ Prior to McKane's

commentary, many scholars argued that the longer instructions had evolved from the

sentence literature and, therefore, Proverbs 1-9 belonged to the latest stage of the

development of the book of Proverbs.¹⁰ According to McKane, the discovery of

comparative wisdom texts has overturned this form-critical consensus. These ancient

Near Eastern wisdom texts demonstrate that the longer units of Proverbs 1-9 are not

the result of formal evolution from the sentence literature, but an adaptation of an

international genre of instruction.

McKane established his thesis by extensive study of both Egyptian and

Babylonian-Assyrian instructions.¹¹ He documented the existence of an international

genre "with definable formal characteristics which can be described in syntactical "

_______________________

⁹ William McKane, Proverbs, OTL (London: SCM Press, 1970).

¹⁰ For example, J. Schmidt, Studien zur Stilistik der alttestamentlichen Spruchliteratur,

ATAbh 13/1, Munster: Aschendorfsche Verlag, 1936; Walther Zimmerli, "Concerning the

Structure of Old Testament Wisdom," trans. Brian W. Kovacs, in Studies in Ancient Israelite

Wisdom, ed. J. L. Crenshaw (New York: KTAV, 1976), 175-207.

¹¹ Ibid., 51-182.

terms.”¹² For example, the instruction form utilizes the imperative to exhort and gives

reasons why its commands should be obeyed, typically contained in subordinate

clauses (e.g., motive clauses with "for/because" as well as final and consecutive

clauses). McKane then demonstrated a formal correspondence between this

international instruction genre and texts in Proverbs. He concluded

that the formal structure of 1-9, 22.17-24.22 and 31.1-9 is that of an

international Instruction genre, and that it is not the consequence of a process

of form-critical evolution involving the agglomeration of wisdom sentences.

The Instruction is a separate genre from the wisdom sentence and the form-

critical argument for the lateness of these sections of the book of Proverbs,

involving as it does the assumption that their basic formal unit is the wisdom

sentence, falls to the ground.¹³

McKane's form-critical conclusion that the lectures represent a distinct genre,

rather than accumulated growth rings around a core sentence, provides a fundamental

starting point for this dissertation. He has established that the lectures (instructions)

are discrete compositions with characteristic features, and thus opened the way for

studies of the lectures as a discrete group or genre. My rhetorical analysis will build

on his conclusions in an attempt to understand further these texts as rhetorical

compositions.

In 1965, five years before McKane's commentary was published, Whybray

offered a monographic study of Proverbs 1-9 titled Wisdom in Proverbs: The Concept

_______________________

¹² Ibid., 6.

¹³ Ibid., 7. McKane further proposes (8-10) that the Instruction form was appropriated by

Israel during the reign of Solomon to serve the educational needs of government officials.

The Instruction form established itself in Israel during this period and was adapted over time

for a more broadly based educational function. See a critique of this proposal by Scott L.

Harris, Proverbs 1-9: A Study of Inner-Biblical Interpretation, SBLDS, vol. 150 (Atlanta:

Scholars Press, 1995), 26-35.

of Wisdom in Proverbs 1-9.¹⁴ This monograph provided a literary-historical

investigation into the evidence for the development of the idea of wisdom in ancient

Israel. Although Whybray's primary focus was the nature and purpose of the

personification of wisdom in 1:20-33, 8:1-35, and 9:1-6, his investigation included

brief consideration of the ten lectures.

Since his initial study, Whybray has offered numerous essays and monographs

that have strengthened and/or modified his original views.¹⁵ These studies offer four

fundamental insights or points of departure for my rhetorical analysis of the lectures.

First, study of formal features reveals the presence of ten "discourses" or lectures in

Proverbs 1-9.¹⁶ While the use of form-critical methodology in the interpretation of

Proverbs 1-9 and initial impetus for identifying lectures in these chapters came from

others,¹⁷ Whybray was the first to apply the form-critical method consistently and

identify ten instructions/lectures. The key feature that led him to this conclusion was

the characteristic introductory formula. According to Whybray, each of the lectures:

_______________________

¹⁴ Roger N. Whybray, Wisdom in Proverbs: The Concept of Wisdom in Proverbs 1-9, SBT,

vol. 45 (Chatham, Great Britain: SCM Press, 1965).

¹⁵ Roger N. Whybray, &