ABSTRACT
My conclusion will argue that provocative contradictions are plentiful in Proverbs; indeed that, since they are present in the topic of when to speak and when be silent, such contradictions inform the book’s understanding of its own objectives. Some objections are considered, but we shall see that many commentators, both ancient and modern, have been sensitive to the contradictions in Proverbs and have responded to them, often in creative and imaginative ways. My approach will also be distinguished from some other readings that make much of contradictions within texts, in particular from those that see texts as inevitably and involuntarily expressing the opposite of what their authors intend to express. I press for a more aware and subtle author for Proverbs than that implied in deconstructive models. While the provisional nature of all such judgements is a given, an attempt to place Proverbs in a Sitz im Leben will be offered. Further lines of enquiry opened up by this approach will be indicated.
