Septuagint: Proverbs

Scriptural Research Institute

Mar 2020 · Septuagint Aklat 29 · Scriptural Research Institute

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The book of Proverbs is generally attributed to King Solomon, who is explicitly referred to as the author of some of the proverbs. A number proverbs are known to have been copied from older collections of proverbs, most notably the Instruction of Amenemope, which was apparently written by Amenemope son of Kanakht sometime during the Ramesside Period between 1300 and 1075 BC. The Instruction of Amenemope, also called the Wisdom of Amenemopet, was an Egyptian New Kingdom era piece of wisdom literature that is generally considered a masterpiece within the genre. The Instruction of Amenemope was rediscovered by Egyptologists in 1888, after being lost for around 2400 years. Subsequently, eight partial copies have been found, ranging in estimated dates ranging between 1069 and 500 BC.

The unnamed wife of Solomon who was the daughter of and Egyptian Pharoah, was likely the daughter of the last native Egyptian Pharaoh, Usermaatre Amenemope, who would have most likely carried a copy of the Instruction of Amenemope into Israel with her. The name Amenemope seems to have been quite common in ancient Egypt, and it is unlikely that the pharaoh was named after the scribe who wrote the Instruction, but, no doubt an Egyptian princess would have taken something to give her new barbarian husband, and a book called the Instruction of Amenemope, a name identical to her father's would have been a valuable gift, especially the part about not chasing after women other than his wife. Apparently, Solomon was selective in the parts of the Instruction that he chose to follow.