The Book of Proverbs and Inner-Biblical Exegesis at Qumran: The Evidence of Proverbs 24,23–29

Abstract

Proverbs has long been recognized as a composition attesting to many inner-biblical (re)formulations. Awareness of this feature of Proverbs is explicitly attested in rabbinic texts; it is also reflected in the positions and formulations of the Qumran community. The present essay addresses the structure of Prov 24,23–29 and its relationship to Lev 19,15–19, as understood by the Qumran community. The study thus uncovers another instance of the tendency to interpret Proverbs not merely as a collection of abstract »Wisdom« maxims but, moreover, as a source for deriving legal formulations.