Who Wrote This Book:  Solomon is the author of this book, which naturally pinpoints the time and place of origin of Proverbs.  Solomon reigned over Israel for forty years ­about 1015 -‑ 975 B.C. according to the common chronology.

Why Proverbs Was Written:  Proverbs are rules for living.  They are given so that the Lord might have dominion over your life.  The Proverbs have no grey areas.  They are black and white.  They show good and evil, and they force you to pass judgment upon yourself.

The purpose of the Proverbs (as stated in the first 6 verses of the book) is to know wisdom.

To know wisdom and instruction, to discern the sayings of understanding;
To receive righteousness, justice and equity;

To give prudence to the naïve, to the youth knowledge and discretion;

A wise man will hear and increase in learning,

And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel

To understand a proverb and a figure, the words of the wise and their riddles. (Proverbs 1:2-6)

The Proverbs give you guidelines on how to live skillfully.  The Bible is a handbook for running the Christian race.  It is your life's owner's manual.

For the most part, the Proverbs are given in the form of couplets.  The clauses of these couplets are related in terms of parallelism.  Most poetry in the Hebrew language was not made up of rhyming words, but of rhyming thoughts and ideas.  

There are three major types of parallelism used in the Proverbs.

 Relationship to Psalms                      

A man from antiquity states that Proverbs is a “mirror for us all”.  Bridges says “It is…a guide book and directory for godly conduct…..Thus if the Psalms bring the glow upon the heart, the Proverbs make the face to shine.”

On the basis of titles, subject matter, and poetic structure the Book of Proverbs may be divided as follows:

                      I.  Introduction: The Value of Wisdom (Proverbs 1:1-9:18)

                    II.   First Collection of the Proverbs of Solomon (Proverbs 10:1-22:16)

                   III.   Sayings of the Wise (Proverbs 22:17-24:22)

                  IV.   Other Sayings of the Wise (Proverbs 24:23-34)

                   V.   Second Collection of the Proverbs of Solomon (Proverbs 25:1-29:27)

                  VI.   The Words of Agur (Proverbs 30:1-6)

                 VII.    Numerical Proverbs (Proverbs 30:7-33)

               VIII.     The Words of Lemuel (Proverbs 31:1-9)

                  IX.   The Ideal Wife (Proverbs 31:10-31)

Key Verses:

Proverbs 1:7:  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 1:20-21:  Wisdom calls aloud outside; she raises her voice in the open squares.  She cries out in the chief concourses; at the openings of the gates in the city she speaks her words.  

Proverbs 3:1-2:  My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you.

Proverbs 9:10:  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Proverbs 20:23:   Differing weight are an abomination to the Lord, And a false scale is not good.