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Is the Selfish Man Wise?: Considerations of Context in Proverbs 10.1-22.16 With Special Regard To Surety, Bribery and Friendship

Evangelisch-Theologische Fakultät der Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, Gebäude GA 8/60, 44801 Bochum, Germany

Some verses within Prov. 10.1-22.16 that are concerned with the topics of offering surety, bribery and friendship seem to support a self-seeking and ruthless attitude towards life. However, the respective contexts of the verses in question contradict such an interpretation by stressing the great importance of responsible thought and action. On the one hand, a person has to cope with the challenges of daily life. Since one is in the first place responsible for one's own welfare and the welfare of the family, committed to one's care, one can afford no exaggerated scrupulosity. On the other hand, a person is equally obliged to the principles of righteousness, which imply loyalty to the poor and abstaining from unjust practices and wicked intentions.

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