Outline of the Book of Proverbs

Overview of the book of Proverbs

The book of Proverbs is a book of instructions to the people on how to live a godly life on earth and how to receive the reward in their lives. They accord God’s wisdom. They should not be read as promises but they should be followed in our everyday life. The specific teachings in this book are instructions on sin, wealth, poverty, tongue, pride, humility, poverty, goodness, knowledge, justice, grief, love, gluttony, lust, laziness, friends, family, life, death.

The bible book of proverbs is a collection of poems, essays of ancient Israel. It is a collection of wise sayings that were attributed to Solomon. Proverbs wishes the readers to make their decisions based on wisdom, justice, and righteousness. Sometimes his sayings were direct instructions and sometimes they were general observations.

Our yesayya.com will help your understanding to aid in your Proverbs bible study of God’s word. We hope this overview, outline, and Book of proverbs Bible study are helpful to you.

• What does proverb mean: It is a Hebrew term and the meaning is a comparison.
• Who wrote the book of Proverbs: Solomon was the author of the book of proverbs.
• When were Proverbs written: the book was written around 900 B.C. It is the twentieth book of the old testament in the Bible.
• How many chapters in Proverbs: There were 31 chapters in the book of Proverbs.

Outline of Proverbs

I. Introduction, 1:1-7

A. The Author, 1:1
B. The Purpose, 1:2-6
C. The Theme, 1:7

II. The Precepts of Wisdom, 1:8-9:18

A. Avoid Bad Company, 1:8-19
B. Heed Wisdom’s Advice, 1:20-33
C. Avoid the Adulteress, 2:1-22
D. Trust and Honor God, 3:1-12
E. Consider the Value of Wisdom, 3:13-20
F. Be Kind and Generous to Others, 3:21-35
G. Acquire Wisdom, 4:1-9
H. Avoid Bad Company, 4:10-19
I. Watch Yourself, 4:20-27
J. Forsake Lust, 5:1-23
K. Avoid Surety, 6:1-5
L. Shun Laziness, 6:6-19
M. Avoid Adultery, 6:20-35
N. Avoid the Adulteress, 7:1-27

O. Wisdom and Folly Contrasted, 8:1-9:18
1. The qualities of wisdom, 8:1-21
2. The origin of wisdom, 8:22-31
3. The man of wisdom, 8:32-36
4. The woman of foolishness, 9:1-18

III. The Proverbs of Solomon, 10:1-24:34

A. Proverbs Contrasting Righteous and Wicked Lives, 10:1-15:33
B. Proverbs Encouraging Godly Lives, 16:1-22:16
C. Proverbs Concerning Various Practices, 22:17-23:35
D. Proverbs Concerning Various People, 24:1-3

IV. The Proverbs of Solomon Copied by Hezekiah’s Men, 25:1-29:27

A. Proverbs Concerning Relationships with Others, 25:1-26:28
1. With kings, 25:1-7
2. With neighbors, 25:8-20
3. With enemies, 25:21-24
4. With yourself, 25:25-26:2
5. With fools, 26:3-12
6. With sluggards, 26:13-16
7. With gossips, 26:17-2

B. Proverbs Concerning Actions, 27:1-29:27
1. In relation to life, 27:1-27
2. In relation to law, 28:1-10
3. In relation to wealth, 28:11-28
4. In relation to stubbornness, 29:1-27

V. The Words of Agur, 30:1-33

A. Personal Words, 30:1-14
B. Numerical Proverbs, 30:15-33

VI. The Words of Lemuel, 31:1-9
VII. The Capable Wife, 31:10-31

Proverbs role in the Bible

Proverbs in the Bible is a wisdom book and the third book of poetry in the old testament. There were several forms:

• Discourse: The first nine chapters poetically explains the advantages of wisdom.
• Two liners: Once you go through the nine chapters of the book, two lines dominate the book of proverbs. These sayings show similarity, contrast, and consequences which were easy to remember and apply.
• Lists: some sayings will bring a group of random observations and deeply expose something they have in common.
• Acrostics: proverbs 31 is an acrostic.
• Extended sayings: These are longer than two lines.

Key idea: The fear of the lord is found 14 times in the book of proverbs.

1. The beginning of knowledge 1:7
2. Brings answered prayers 1:29
3. Equated with knowledge 2:5
4. To hate evil 8:13
5. the beginning of wisdom 9:10
6. Prolong days 10:27
7. gives strong confidence 14:26
8. a fountain of life 14:27
9. Better than great treasure with trouble 15:16
10. the instruction of wisdom 15:33
11. leads to life 19:23
12. leads one from evil 16:6
13. brings riches, honor, and life
14. Rewards hope

What is the book of proverbs about

It simply follows numerous instructions for living an effective life. While the remaining books are profound theological truths, narratives of triumph and failure, or prophetic preaching to disobedient people. But the book of proverbs completely instructs the people in the path of wisdom.

The writers in this book recognized the varied circumstances of a human’s life and provided principles to apply in their situations rather than instructions to follow in their specific instances.

What lesson can be learned from the book of Proverbs

The book of Proverbs explained the most applicable nuggets of truth in all the bible. Most of the proverbs are pithy statements that bring over imagery from the real world. This approach allows us to see clearly how a particular proverb should be applied to everyday situations we face.

These will help to build a strong foundation in our relationships with others. We need to allow proverbs to refocus our attention on all the hidden moments of our life.

Why study the book of proverbs

• To attain wisdom and discipline
• To acquire a prudent life so that we do what is right and just
• let the wise men listen and add to their Learning
• To let the discerning get guidance
• To enjoy a successful and prosperous life
• To avoid the enticing temptations of sinners
• To avoid the unavoidable consequences of calamity and destruction
• To understand the fear of the lord and find His knowledge
• To win favor in the sight of God and man
• To bring health and nourishment to your body and bones
• To give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young

Book of proverbs summary

Proverbs and sayings are a collection of articles about wisdom. It teaches that we must respect God. This book teaches about the most important lesson about wisdom. The book of proverbs begins with Solomon’s advice to his son. Chapters 1-9 explains the choice between wise behavior and foolish behavior. The ones who are Good are wise but the one who is evil are fools. God will punish evil people.

So, king Solomon advised his son to learn wisdom. In chapters 10-22 there are 375 proverbs. These will teach us how to be wise in different situations. It is difficult to summarise the book of proverbs. Unlike many other books, there is no particular storyline and there are no principal characters in the book.