When was Proverbs written?
Proverbs carries Solomon's name in its opening line, yet the book itself points to more than one hand and more than one century. The question of "when" therefore has two answers: when the sayings were spoken, and when the collection we now read was finished.
Solomon's name over the collection
The book divides into sections, and Solomon's name heads each of the main ones. One writer ties the sayings back to the wisdom Solomon asked for when he came to the throne, and to the three thousand proverbs he is said to have spoken.
Walter ScottAll these proverbs were spoken by Solomon, except those in the last two chapters. We may regard these wise principles and maxims as part of the three thousand spoken by the famous king of Israel (1 Kings 4:32), and as the fruit of that wisdom he asked from the Lord at the start of his reign (1 Kings 3:12). His name appears at the beginning of each of the three divisions of the book (see chapters 1, 10, 25), and these were selected and arranged here by the inspiration of God.
Where in Solomon's life
Commentators differ on the stage of life. Some place the writing early, linking it to the gift of wisdom at the start of the reign:
L M GrantAt the beginning of Solomon's reign, God gave him wisdom and knowledge such as no one before or after was given (2 Chron. 1:7-12), and for this reason no doubt Solomon was chosen by God to write the major part of this book of Proverbs. Very likely this was written rather early in his history, and the book of Ecclesiastes later (Eccl. 1:12-18).
Others read the three books of Solomon as a sequence across his lifetime, and place Proverbs in the middle of it:
W. W. FeredayThree books of Scripture have come down to us from the pen of king Solomon — Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs. The character of their contents suggests that these books were written at different periods in his life… Proverbs was probably written in the days of his maturity; and Ecclesiastes, with its language of chastened disappointment, was almost certainly Solomon's last work.
Spoken by Solomon, assembled later
There is a distinction between Solomon writing proverbs and the book of Proverbs existing as a book. One writer draws the line sharply.
Arno Clemens GaebeleinAs already stated in our introduction, the book of Proverbs, as a book, was not in existence in the days of Solomon; it was completed through the interest — no doubt inspired interest — of King Hezekiah. That Solomon wrote the proverbs attributed to him is beyond question.
Hezekiah's scribes
Chapter 25 opens by telling us who copied out what follows. That single line explains how material still uncollected in Solomon's day reached the book.
Arno Clemens GaebeleinChapter 25 begins with the statement: "These are also proverbs which the men of Hezekiah, King of Judah, copied out." This devout king must have had a great interest in compiling and preserving certain portions of the Word of God. According to this statement in Proverbs, he must have commissioned certain scribes to add to the earlier collection of proverbs by Solomon other proverbs which up to that time had remained uncollected.
Two reigns fix the window
The two names in the book — Solomon and Hezekiah — give the outer limits, and their reigns can be dated.
Arend RemmersOnly around a thousand of Solomon's proverbs are collected in the book of Proverbs… King Hezekiah's men collected some of Solomon's proverbs only 200 years later (compare Proverbs 25:1)… Solomon reigned around 970 to 931 BC, and Hezekiah (in whose time many ancient things came back into honour) around 716 to 687 BC. This fixes the beginning and the end of the book's origin.
A shorter estimate puts the compiling work at a specific point in that later reign: "probably collected and compiled in the days of Hezekiah (Prov. 25:1) about 726 B.C." (Walter Scott).
The closing chapters
The last two chapters carry other names, and the writers admit the limits of what can be known about them. Agur and Lemuel are named in chapters 30 and 31, but "we do not know anything, however, about their identity" (Arend Remmers). One writer traces how they were likely attached to the rest:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinIt seems clear that in chapters 1-24 we have the proverbs of Solomon; chapter 25 to the end also contains proverbs by the king, except the last two chapters. In all probability the scribes of Hezekiah who copied out the proverbs of chapters 25-29 added the last two chapters. The claim of critics that "the later chapters of this book point to the second or third century before Christ" is only an assertion.
Summary
- Given — the wisdom behind the book was granted to Solomon at the start of his reign, and the proverbs are its fruit.
- Spoken — Solomon uttered three thousand proverbs; only about a thousand were kept in this book by God's preserving hand.
- Copied — some 200 years later, Hezekiah's scribes copied out further proverbs of Solomon, adding chapters 25 onward.
- Completed — the book as a book did not exist in Solomon's lifetime; it was finished in Hezekiah's day, with the last two chapters most likely added then.
- Dated — the two reigns set the window: Solomon around 970–931 BC at one end, Hezekiah around 716–687 BC at the other.