| Introduction | p. 1 |
| The Early Proverbial Wisdom of Israel | p. 1 |
| History of Research | p. 3 |
| Proverbial Statements | p. 6 |
| Proverbs of Observation and Experience | p. 6 |
| Observations about People | p. 6 |
| Contrasts | p. 11 |
| The Human Being and Its Social Standing, Work, and Possessions | p. 17 |
| The Human Being in Community and Family | p. 24 |
| The Human Being in Public Life | p. 28 |
| The King | p. 31 |
| The Messenger | p. 36 |
| Summary | p. 36 |
| Proverbs about Human Character | p. 38 |
| Form | p. 38 |
| The Relationship of the Proverbs to Old Testament Laws | p. 40 |
| Types of Character That Endanger the Community | p. 41 |
| Characterization of Behavior | p. 45 |
| Characterization of the Fool by Comparison | p. 46 |
| Characterization of the One Who Promotes the Community | p. 47 |
| Conclusion | p. 48 |
| Proverbs of Antithesis: The Foolish-The Wise | p. 50 |
| Originally Double-Verse Proverbs and Those Editorially Constructed | p. 50 |
| Proverbs Dealing Exclusively with the Foolish and the Wise | p. 52 |
| The Wisdom of the Wise in Transition | p. 56 |
| Comparisons | p. 58 |
| The Content of the Comparisons | p. 59 |
| The Form of the Comparisons | p. 61 |
| The Uniqueness of the Comparisons Exemplified | p. 63 |
| Proverbs of Value Judgment (Comparative Proverbs) | p. 68 |
| Numerical Proverbs: Commendations and Riddles | p. 72 |
| Proverbs of Antithesis: The Righteous-The Wicked | p. 75 |
| Basic Fourfold Thematic Structure | p. 75 |
| Proverbs of Antithesis: The Righteous-The Wicked in Chapters 25--29 | p. 79 |
| What Happens between the Righteous and the Wicked | p. 80 |
| The Righteous and the Wicked in the Psalms and Job | p. 81 |
| Comparisons in the Proverbs of Antithesis: The Righteous-The Wicked | p. 82 |
| Summary | p. 83 |
| Hortatory Proverbs (Imperative Sayings) | p. 85 |
| Two Types of Hortatory Proverbs | p. 85 |
| The Introduction in 22:17-21: The Summons to Listen | p. 86 |
| Exhortations concerning Instruction | p. 87 |
| General Exhortations | p. 87 |
| The Structure of 22:17-24:24 and Its Correspondence to the Teaching of Amenemope | p. 88 |
| Hortatory Words in Chapters 22--24: Summary | p. 89 |
| Scattered Proverbs in Chapters 22--24 | p. 91 |
| Hortatory Proverbs outside of 22:17-24:24 | p. 91 |
| The Farewell Exhortation in Tobit 4:3-19 | p. 93 |
| Poetry in the Book of Proverbs | p. 95 |
| Proverbs in the Old Testament Outside of Proverbs 10--31 | p. 99 |
| Proverbs in Proverbs 1--9 | p. 99 |
| Individual Proverbs in Qohelet | p. 99 |
| Proverbs in the Historical and Prophetic Books | p. 103 |
| Wisdom Sayings in the Psalms | p. 104 |
| Wisdom in the Book of Job | p. 105 |
| The Change From Proverbial Wisdom to Didactic Poetry | p. 108 |
| A Form-Critical Sketch of Wisdom | p. 109 |
| Wisdom Proverbs as Words of Jesus | p. 111 |
| Rudolf Bultmann | p. 111 |
| Max Kuchler | p. 113 |
| W. A. Beardslee | p. 115 |
| Summary | p. 115 |
| A Sketch of a Grouping of Proverbs in the Gospels | p. 116 |
| God and Humanity in Early Proverbial Wisdom | p. 118 |
| The Understanding of Humanity in Proverbial Wisdom | p. 118 |
| The Human Being; the Creature | p. 118 |
| The Human Being as a Creature among Creatures; the Environment | p. 120 |
| The Fruit of the Garden; Provisions | p. 120 |
| Work and Its Yield | p. 121 |
| The Human Being in Community | p. 122 |
| Discourse | p. 122 |
| The Work of God in Early Wisdom | p. 123 |
| Yahweh as the Creator of Humanity | p. 123 |
| God and His Work as the Limitation of Human Possibilities | p. 125 |
| God Chastises and Forgives in Mercy | p. 126 |
| Proverbs of Antithesis: God's Dealing with the Righteous and the Wicked | p. 127 |
| The Fear of Yahweh | p. 128 |
| Summary | p. 129 |
| Wisdom and Theology | p. 131 |
| Conclusion | p. 132 |
| The Significance of the Universal Aspects of the Proverbs | p. 132 |
| Humanity Comes of Age | p. 133 |
| Wisdom, Science, and Philosophy | p. 135 |
| Time and Place | p. 135 |
| Science and Wisdom | p. 136 |
| Wisdom and Philosophy | p. 136 |
| Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 (Luther's Translation): Humanity in Its Temporality | p. 138 |
| Appendix | p. 140 |
| Comparisons with Proverbial Sayings from Other Times and Places | p. 140 |
| African Proverbs | p. 141 |
| Hortatory Words of Tobatak of Sumatra | p. 148 |
| Form and Scope of Sumerian Proverbs | p. 150 |
| The Teaching of Amenemope | p. 155 |
| The Instruction of Onch-Sheshonqy | p. 159 |
| Conclusion | p. 162 |
| Epilogue | p. 164 |
| Abbreviations | p. 165 |
| Notes | p. 167 |
| A Select Chronological Bibliography | p. 175 |
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