What is the Book of Proverbs about?

The Book of Proverbs is partly about Lady Wisdom, the spirit/goddess who was revered by the Jews from the time of the Babylonian Exile until around the end of the first century CE (see, for example Proverbs 1:20- ). It is also partly a compilation of various wisdom sayings from various sources, including Egypt.

A:The Book of Proverbs was completed after the Babylonian Exile, but includes a great deal of early pre-Exilic material. A personified 'Lady Wisdom' is found in 1:20-33 and chapters 8 and 9. It also contains of a series of short instructions, many of which are remarkably similar to those which form a large part of Egyptian wisdom literature.

B. Lang (Wisdom and the Book of Proverbs: An Israelite Goddess Redefined) believes that Wisdom was the pre-Exilic Israelite goddess of wisdom and the patroness of learning. Her continued veneration in the postExilic period, up to the end of the first century CE, appears to have been tolerated, although the worship of Asherah and other early goddesses was prohibited.