Word Finder - proverbs

definition

A phrase expressing a basic truth which may be applied to common situations.

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A striking or paradoxical assertion; an obscure saying; an enigma; a parable.

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A familiar illustration; a subject of contemptuous reference.

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A drama exemplifying a proverb.

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To write or utter proverbs.

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To name in, or as, a proverb.

definition

To provide with a proverb.

They were written in pithy and popular language, full of proverbs and colloquialisms. Plato is said to have introduced them into Athens and to have made use of them in his dialogues; according to Suidas, they were Plato's constant companions, and he even slept with them under his pillow.

In Proverbs there is a notable absence of this point of view.

He wrote on grammar (Sepher ha-galui and Sepher Zikkaron), commentaries on Proverbs and the Song of Solomon, an apologetic work, Sepher ha-berith, and a translation of Balhya's Ilobhoth ha-lebhabhoth.

A small nucleus of the proverbs may be Solomon's; but the great majority represent no doubt the generalizations of a long succession of " wise men."

Proceeding upon such lines as these, the Jews wove together their Midrashic homilies or sermons where, though we may find much that seems commonplace, there are illuminating parables and proverbs, metaphors and similes, the whole affording admirable examples of the contemporary thought and culture, both of the writers and - what is often overlooked - the level of their hearers or readers.

Moses Kimhi also composed commentaries to the biblical books; those on Proverbs, Ezra and Nehemiah are in the great rabbinical bibles falsely ascribed to Abraham ibn Ezra.

The high ethical conception of the kingly office in Proverbs is out of keeping with the despotic character of Solomon's government.

Among these last may be noted his argument against the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch, his views as to the manner in which the five books were composed, his opinions (singularly free for the time in which he lived) on the subject of inspiration in general, and particularly as to the inspiration of Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Canticles.

His collection of over five hundred Basque proverbs, Atsotizac edo Refravac, included in a volume of his poems O Ce " Gastaroa Nevrthizetan, printed in Paris in 1657, was supplemented by a second collection, Atsotizen Vrrhenquina.

Those on Proverbs and Job have been published.

Other of the Biblical Wisdom books (Job, Proverbs) are compilations - why not this ?

Examination of titles in the Prophets and the Psalms (to say nothing of Ecclesiastes and Wisdom of Solomon) makes it evident that these have been added by late editors who were governed by vague traditions or fanciful associations or caprice, and there is no reason to suppose the titles in Proverbs to be .exceptions to the general rule.

On Solomon's relation to philosophical and proverbial literature, see PROVERBS.

Agur's word, breathing the spirit of scepticism, falls into the category represented by Ecclesiastes, and we may probably set the year 200 (or possibly 150) B.C. as the lower limit of the Book of Proverbs; allowing a century for the collection and combination of the various parts, we shall have the year 300 B.C. as the date of its earliest section.

In its general ethical code Proverbs represents the best standard of the times; the sages are at one with the more enlightened moralists of the Western world.

But Proverbs seems not to go the length of identifying righteousness with almsgiving, as is done in Dan.

Indeed, throughout his writings he shows a constant wish to avail himself of what is true in the opinions of others, whether they are philosophers, or poets or ordinary people expressing their thoughts in sayings and proverbs.

In character and contents Ecclesiasticus resembles the book of Proverbs.

But to regard Hezekiah as a Jewish Pisistratus is to ascribe to the time a literary spirit of which the extant documents give no hint; the literature of the age was wholly occupied with the past history, the religious conditions and the political fortunes of the nation, subjects alien to the book of Proverbs.

In regard to punishment for the violation of a husband's rights Proverbs shows a marked advance on the old usage.

The experiences described in Proverbs belong especially to city life.

This little treatise stands almost alone in Proverbs; the great mass of its aphorisms relate to vices and faults which, though possible in any tolerably well-organized community, were specially prominent in the cities in which the Jews dwelt after the conquests of Alexander.

In this regard Ecclesiasticus agrees with Proverbs - it has no word of advice for women.

The temptress in Proverbs appears to be a married woman; she is certainly such in chs.

Proverbs is remarkable for the attention it gives to kings.

Proverbs treats the king, in a quite modern way, as a member of society.

The mingling of despotism and good-natured familiarity there described (and the spirit is doubtless correctly given by Josephus, whether or not his details are historical) agrees with the picture in Proverbs.

Finally, a late date for Proverbs is indicated by what may be called its philosophical element - a feature that it has in common with the other Wisdom books (see Wisdom Literature).

Comparison of Proverbs with Ecclesiasticus, Ecclesiastes and Wisdom of Solomon shows that it belongs, in its main features, in the same category as these.

Proverbs does not offer the good of society as an aim of action, though it takes for granted that good conduct will promote the happiness of all.

Of the ancient versions the Septuagint is the only one that is of great service for the criticism of the Hebrew text of Proverbs.

Among his many theological works may be mentioned An Exposition of the Epistles to the Seven Churches of Asia (1877), The Spirits in Prison (1884), "The Book of Proverbs" (which he annotated in the Speaker's Commentary), the "Synoptic Gospels, Acts, and II.

The Moral Proverbs of Christyne de Pise, translated by Earl Rivers, was printed in 1478 by Caxton, who himself translated, by order of Henry VII., her Livre des faitz d'armes, et de chevalerie, a treatise on the art of war, based chiefly on Vegetius.

These are easily recognized as " Popular Rhymes," a form of folk-lore to be met with in most countries, treasured by the people as a kind of proverbs.

Of this distinguished band the most memorable names are those of Bishop Richard Davies (c. 1501-1581) and of William Salesbury, the squire-scholar of Llanrwst (c. 1520-c. 1600) in Denbighshire, who is commonly credited with the honour of having produced the first printed book in the Welsh language, a small volume of proverbs published in London about the year 1545.

To this succeeded the Moral Proverbs of Christine de Pisan, in verse, in 1478, and a Cordial, in prose, in 1479.

He translated and edited Gesenius's Hebrew Grammar (1839; 1877), and published revised versions with notes of Job (1856), Genesis (1868), Psalms (1871), Proverbs (1872), Isaiah i.

To this must be added the doctrine of Wisdom, given in the books of Job and Proverbs.

He speaks of Wisdom in a way reminding us of the book of Proverbs.

In Rumanian it rests on an older Greek-Slavonic text, and owes its great popularity to the wise and witty proverbs it contains.

Besides his edition of the Rumanian Church service-books with musical notation, he published a series of tales, proverbs and songs either from older texts or from oral information; and he made the first collection' of popular songs, Spitalul amorului, " The Hospital of Love " (1850-53), with tunes either composed by himself or obtained from the gipsy musicians who alone performed them.

The Fabule, si istorioare (2 vols., 1839-41) is a collection of short popular stories in rhyme; SezVoarea la tarci (1852-53) is a description of the Rumanian Spinnstube, for which the peasants gather in one of their houses on a winter's night, the girls and women spinning and working, the young men telling tales, proverbs, riddles, singing songs, &c. Pann also collected the jokes of the Turkish jester, Nasreddin, under the title of Neisdraveiniile lui Nastratin Hogea (1853), also in rhyme.

In 1584 Bishop Gudbrand, who had brought over a splendid fount of type from Denmark in 1575 (which he completed with his own hands), printed a translation of the whole Bible at Holar, incorporating Odd's versions and some books (Proverbs and the Son of Sirach, 1580) translated by Bishop Gizar, but supplying most of the Old Testament himself.

Iceland is emphatically a land of proverbs, while of folk-tales, those other keys to the poeple's heart, there is plentiful store.

Besides collecting national songs and poems, folk-lore, proverbs, &c., he wrote a grammar of the Servian language (Vienna, 1814) and the first Servian lexicon, with explanations in German and Latin (Vienna, 1818).

Besides these there are several valuable papers by Dahle in the yearly numbers of The Antananarivo Annual (ante) (1876-1877); Richardson, A New Malagasy-English Dictionary (Antananarivo, 1885); Cousins and Parrett, Malagasy Proverbs (Antananarivo, 1885); Causseque, Grammaire malgache (Antananarivo, 1886); Abinal et 1Vlalzac, Dictionnaire malgache frangais (Antananarivo, 1889); Brandstetter, " Die Beziehungen des Malagasy zum Malaiischen," Malaio-polynesische Forschungen, pt.

Its verses are everywhere, in this region, popular proverbs; an apt quotation from them by a stranger has an immediate effect in producing interest and confidence in the hearers.

He always used the dialect of Piedmont when conversing with natives of that country, and he had a vast fund of humorous anecdotes and proverbs with which to illustrate his arguments.

Proverbs aims to show a person how to become adroit at the greatest skill of all, the skill of living.

Cox used to quote proverbs like "The Devil makes work for idle hands to do."