Review of: Christine Roy Yoder, Proverbs (AOTC) Abingdon Press, 2009

Christine Roy Yoder, Proverbs (AOTC) Abingdon Press, 2009

Review in: The Expository Times 2010 121: 571

Review door: Katharine J. Dell
Gevonden op: http://ext.sagepub.com/content/121/11/571.full.pdf+html

Christine Roy Yoder, Proverbs, AOTC, (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2009. £25.99. pp. 315, ISBN: 978-1-426-70001-9).

The Abingdon commentary series caters for preachers and teachers in a fairly slim volume with an accessible approach to each text. This commentary on Proverbs follows the series format, with introduction, literary analysis, exegetical analysis and theological/ethical analysis for each major unit with reference to the Hebrew original where pertinent. One of the problems with writing on Proverbs is the piecemeal nature of the material, especially after chapter 10, but Yoder copes with this by treating larger units, as well as each proverb individually. She is not a fan of the view that sees highly purposeful arrangement in these chapters, rather she sees lack of arrangement being its keynote. However that does not mean that the book of Proverbs is without editorial arrangement – each section emphasizes different genres or themes and a significant frame is that of the two women (woman wisdom and the strange woman) in Proverbs 1-9 and the ‘woman of substance’ of Proverbs 31:10-31. She writes, “The implied reader begins as a silent youth urged to pursue and love wisdom, to accept the invitation to her household (chs. 1-9), and ends as an esteemed adult who resides in wisdom’s household (31:10-31)” (p. xxviii). Yoder is particularly interested in the way techniques of repetition (and yet subtle variation) and contradiction work in Proverbs and this emphasis comes out in her commentary. She gives an interesting analysis of how humans are portrayed in Proverbs – in relationship, embodied (note many references to the human body and mind in Proverbs), having choices and responsibility for the consequences of those  choices; and as creations of God who should ‘fear the Lord’ as a first priority. She presents a balanced view of passages in the book and of wider issues such as date, social context and development over time. The bibliography points to further reading for those wishing to pursue points further. A useful addition to the corpus, even if not rivetingly novel in its approach.

KATHARINE J. DELL

University of Cambridge

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