Can I just tell you that the Proverbs writer needed an editor. This is what Proverbs is like:
The wise man speaks pleasantly about his neighbors,
But the fool slanders them without remorse.
OK, fine. But three verses down:
Pleasant words about the neighbors issue forth from the mouth of the wise,
But the fool is good for nothing but slander.
And you're thinking, hmm. And then you come across:
The neighbors? If you're smart, your lips will drip honey about them;
But if you're a dumb guy, not so much.
On and on like this. Somebody was padding this thing out. I'm a writer, I know that trick. I'm just sayin'.
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Parallelism, characteristic of Hebrew poetry. Check out CS Lewis, "Reflections On The Psalms". Read the 119th psalm for an example at very, very great length.>
Apparently, Jesus ben Sirach got your point. His collection is top-ic-al.
But seriously, the point of proverbs is that they apply in differing situations with different contexts:
"Look before you leap" but also "He who hesitates is lost.">
Mr. Walker anticipated the very point I was about to make! Assyrian and Babylonian poetry has much the same convention.
It's actually a very elegant way of organizing both very and prose, and is very conducive to memorization (which is probably one of the reasons why it developed).
BTW, what translation is the school using? Just curious.>
Rereading this thread, I see a terrible typo. Of course, I mean to write that this was "a very elegant way of organizing both poetry and prose". Urk.>
Repetitio est mater memoriae/studiorum!>
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