Readers are warned against thinking that they are wise (Prov. 26:12; Prov. 28:11, 26) and instead are urged to trust God (Prov. 3:7). A failure to note this teaching has led many to perceive a tension in the wisdom corpus, if not an irreconcilable conflict between Job-Ecclesiastes on one side and Proverbs on the other; however, Proverbs, like the other two books, candidly warns of the limitations of human wisdom.⁶

Human Cleverness vs. Wisdom

The placing of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job in close proximity in various canons is an indicator that Job and Ecclesiastes are not to be viewed as “wisdom in revolt,”¹ nor as “protest wisdom.”² Their authors are not seeking to correct or counter Proverbs, for the placing of the books side by side more likely assumes or asserts their compatibility. This reading is supported by the “epilogue” of Ecclesiastes (Eccl. 12:9–14), closing as it does with the exhortation to “fear God,” which might easily serve as a summary of the teaching of the book of Proverbs.³ Likewise, the ethic of the fear of God stressed in Proverbs is exemplified by Job himself (Job 1:1, 8; 2:3).⁴ Moreover, Proverbs is insistent that human cleverness cannot give certainty to decisions and their consequences, for they are always subordinate to God’s will (e.g., Prov. 16:1, 2, 9; 19:14, 21; 20:24; 21:30–31). The essential mystery of life is not denied or dispelled by Proverbs, and it is a misreading to view it as naïvely optimistic about the temporal prospects of the godly.⁵ Readers are warned against thinking that they are wise (Prov. 26:12; Prov. 28:11, 26) and instead are urged to trust God (Prov. 3:7). A failure to note this teaching has led many to perceive a tension in the wisdom corpus, if not an irreconcilable conflict between Job-Ecclesiastes on one side and Proverbs on the other; however, Proverbs, like the other two books, candidly warns of the limitations of human wisdom.⁶

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