ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the view that the sayings material in the Book of Proverbs consistently assumes that there is a simple relationship between human actions and their consequences. It seeks to show that – in spite of its axiomatic status for many scholars – this view ignores those elements within the book that deliberately problematize such a relationship. The impact of these elements is out of proportion to their small number in relation to the other sayings in Proverbs. They give the book the character of a lively debate, one whose issue is not determined within the text but remains to be decided by the reader.
