In the Hebrew Bible, the expression “tree of life” (עֵץ חַיִּים) occurs only seven times and only in two different Old Testament books—Genesis (2:9; 3:22, 24) and Proverbs (3:18; 11:30; 13:12; 15:4). This phenomenon raises a question: Might there be a connection between עֵץ חַיִּים in the garden of Eden and עֵץ חַיִּים in the book of Proverbs? And if so, what precisely is the nature of that relationship? Within scholarship, many have denied such a relationship. Some argue that Proverbs’ four-fold employment of “tree of life” functions merely as a figure of speech painting a picture of the blessed life enjoyed by all who would heed these passages.1 Others maintain, on the basis of similarities shared between Proverbs and various ancient Near Eastern wisdom texts, that Proverbs’ usage of “tree of life” derives from an ancient Egyptian or Mesopotamian background, rather than from Genesis.2

I contend, however, that עֵץ חַיִּים is more than simply a stock metaphor employed for the purpose of portraying the good life through arboreal imagery. Furthermore, I would also maintain that Proverbs’ utilization of this expression draws influence, not primarily—if at all—from other ancient Near Eastern texts and beliefs, but instead from Solomon’s3 own familiarity with the Hebrew Scriptures.4 Consequently, I argue that the four instances of “tree of life” in Proverbs take their cue from the opening chapters of Genesis, with Solomon intentionally appropriating this phrase as a metaphorical allusion to teach his son that the way the Davidic king enjoys Edenic life in Yahweh’s covenant presence is by walking in wisdom.

I make this argument in two steps. First, I consider how Solomon, Israel’s king, was heavily influenced by the writings of the Torah, as well as by the Davidic Covenant—both factors that dramatically shaped his worldview. My goal is to demonstrate how natural it would have been for Solomon to draw upon this scriptural-covenantal framework, along with its various themes, images, and expressions—such as עֵץ חַיִּים—when addressing his son in proverbial discourse. Second, I examine all four occurrences of “tree of life” in Proverbs within their proper literary and structural contexts, establishing Proverbs 3:18’s usage of עֵץ חַיִּים as the foundation upon which the other three passages build and expand. Altogether, Proverbs’ four instances of “tree of life” are intended to transport the imagination of Solomon’s original audience back to the garden in Genesis and help weave together a comprehensive portrait of how the Davidic king might be able to re-enter the Adamic experience of covenant life with Yahweh.

1. Understanding and Embracing Solomon’s Worldview

How one makes sense of the four recurrences of עֵץ חַיִּים in Proverbs depends upon the framework with which one approaches this book. Across the landscape of Proverbs scholarship, most have categorized this corpus as Wisdom Literature.5 However, in his work, An Obituary for “Wisdom Literature”, Will Kynes convincingly unmasks this genre label as a nineteenth-century construct, weighed down by post-Enlightenment presuppositions, and imposed onto the biblical text.6 Particularly significant is Kynes’s trenchant observation that when we approach a text according to this framework, we tend to highlight its distinctiveness as Wisdom Literature to such an extent that we sever it from the rest of the biblical canon, resulting in an isolated reading or “canonical separation.”7 Consequently, the book of Proverbs is often “singled out from the canon as uniquely concerned with reason or philosophy and participating in ‘a different world of thought,’” in contrast to the rest of the Old Testament.8

It appears, therefore, that we need to adopt a different approach when it comes to reading Proverbs—not one that takes its cue from a modern, man-made construct influenced by the cultural setting in which it developed, but rather one that follows the worldview according to which Solomon himself seemed to operate. In other words, I believe the best way to account for Proverbs’ usage of עֵץ חַיִּים is by “understanding and embracing the interpretive perspective of the biblical authors.”9

The opening verse of Proverbs furnishes us with a helpful starting point for accomplishing this task. Proverbs 1:1 introduces Solomon as the principal author of this corpus,10 drawing attention to two crucial aspects regarding his identity: Solomon was (1) the son of David, and (2) the king of Israel. While it may be easy to overlook this as nothing more than a formality, could Proverbs 1:1 possess greater significance than it has often been credited with? Perhaps Solomon’s royal heritage as David’s descendant and successor to the throne should guide the way one reads the book of Proverbs? And if so, how might his identity as both Israel’s king and David’s son have informed his own interpretive perspective and worldview?

1.1. The King of Israel and the Law of Yahweh

Before the Israelites ever entered the Promised Land or were appointed a human king to rule over them, Yahweh had already provided his people with instructions in Deuteronomy 17:14–20 regarding the subject of kingship in the land. Jamie Grant parses out this passage into four thematic units: (1) the king must be chosen by Yahweh (v. 15); (2) the king must be a Hebrew (vv. 15, 20); (3) the king’s royal power and authority must be limited (vv. 16–17); and (4) the Torah must be a central part of the king’s daily life (vv. 18–19).11 Key to our discussion is the fourth component, which stipulates that Israel’s king must copy down the entire Torah, keep it with him at all times, and carefully immerse himself in its instruction through reading and recitation.12 Hence, these verses paint “an image of an individual whose whole world-and-life view is thoroughly shaped by and grounded in the teaching of Yahweh…. It is a powerful image of one who is committed to do more than learn from his ‘assigned text’—he seeks to shape and form his whole life and outlook based around that text.”13

It seems, therefore, logical to infer that Solomon, seeking to be a faithful king of Israel, would have taken the instructions of Deuteronomy 17:14–20 to heart and devoted himself to the daily copying, keeping, and reciting of the Torah. And it likely follows that this Torah—replete with all of its remarkable narratives, significant events, recurring themes, notable patterns, rich imagery, urgent warnings, and beautiful promises—would have functioned as Solomon’s primary source of worldview formation, shaping his moral imagination and coloring his poetic sensibilities. Consequently, assuming all of these things to be the case, it would be plausible to conclude that when Solomon delivered his proverbs under the Spirit’s inspiration, he did so by drawing from the deep spiritual well, bored through countless hours of immersion in the Torah.14

1.2. The Son of David and the Davidic Covenant

Not only does Proverbs 1:1 introduce Solomon as the king of Israel, it also highlights him as the son of David. Solomon’s Davidic lineage carries significant implications because it suggests that, in addition to being steeped in the Torah’s teachings, Solomon would have also been cognizant of the covenant Yahweh had made with his father in 2 Samuel 7.15 Here Yahweh promises to make David “a lasting dynasty, kingdom, and throne” (vv. 11b–13, 16) centered on a father-son relationship shared between Yahweh and a future king from David’s line of descent (vv. 14–15).16 This Davidic Covenant would go on to have a noticeable influence, not only upon future writings and prophecies such as Psalm 89 or Isaiah 55,17 but also upon the future trajectory of the lives of David’s offspring—including Solomon.

Indeed, we find ample evidence indicating that Solomon was both well-aware of and devoted to the Davidic Covenant. In 1 Kings 2:1–4, as David nears the end of his life and Solomon is poised to take the throne, David gives a charge to his successor, exhorting Solomon to keep the Torah, “so that Yahweh may carry out his promise which he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons are careful of their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel’” (v. 4).18 In this verse, David refers to Yahweh’s covenant promise from 2 Samuel 7, paraphrasing its content.19 By so doing, he has effectively grounded his charge to Solomon in verses 2–3 with an unmistakable allusion back to the Davidic Covenant in verse 4.20

Moreover, just a few chapters later in 1 Kings 8, Solomon himself recalls the Davidic Covenant during both an address he gives to the people of Israel (vv. 12–21), as well as a prayer of dedication he offers up to Yahweh (vv. 22–53; especially vv. 22–26). In fact, throughout verses 12–26, Solomon refers three times to Yahweh’s covenant promise to David (vv. 20, 24, 25). The resemblance is difficult to miss, particularly between Solomon’s quoted paraphrase in 1 Kings 8:25 and David’s earlier words from 2:4. The lexical similarities are highlighted in bold in Table 1.

Table 1. Lexical Similarities between 1 Kings 2:4 and 8:2521

1 Kings 2:4b (my translation)	1 Kings 8:25b (my translation)
“If your sons guard their way, by walking before Me in truth, with all their heart and with all their soul,” saying, “a man shall not be cut off for you from upon the throne of Israel.” אִם־יִשְׁמְר֨וּ בָנֶ֜יךָ אֶת־דַּרְכָּ֗ם לָלֶ֤כֶת לְפָנַי֙ בֶּאֱמֶ֔ת בְּכָל־לְבָבָ֖ם וּבְכָל־נַפְשָׁ֑ם לֵאמֹ֕ר לֹֽא־יִכָּרֵ֤ת לְךָ֙ אִ֔ישׁ מֵעַ֖ל כִּסֵּ֥א יִשְׂרָאֵֽל	“A man shall not be cut off for you from before Me, to sit upon the throne of Israel, only if your sons guard their way, by walking before Me as you have walked before Me.” לֹא־יִכָּרֵ֨ת לְךָ֥ אִישׁ֙ מִלְּפָנַ֔י יֹשֵׁ֖ב עַל־כִּסֵּ֣א יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל רַ֠ק אִם־יִשְׁמְר֨וּ בָנֶ֤יךָ אֶת־דַּרְכָּם֙ לָלֶ֣כֶת לְפָנַ֔י כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר הָלַ֖כְתָּ לְפָנָֽי

Lastly, perhaps the most tell-tale sign that Solomon both knew about and was committed to the Davidic Covenant was his decision to build a temple for Yahweh. In 2 Samuel 7:12–13, Yahweh’s covenant with David had included a promise that, after David’s death, one of his descendants would arise and build a house for Yahweh’s name. This is precisely what Solomon—David’s descendant—does in 1 Kings 5–8.22 Solomon’s oversight of the building of a temple for Yahweh’s name would become his defining accomplishment as Israel’s king—an accomplishment stemming from his keen awareness of and regard for the Davidic Covenant. He himself makes this explicit in 1 Kings 5:5: “Behold, I intend to build a house for the name of Yahweh my God, as Yahweh spoke to David my father, saying, ‘Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he will build the house for my name.’” Thus, Solomon’s worldview was not only shaped by the Torah of Yahweh, which he spent his days as Israel’s king imbibing, but also by the promises of the Davidic Covenant, to which he was staunchly committed. As we have just seen, both his massive temple-building project in 1 Kings 5–8, as well as the multiple references he makes throughout these chapters to Yahweh’s covenant with David, clearly attest to this reality.23

1.3. Synthesis

Given these considerations, it appears that in the book of Proverbs, we find Solomon, a Davidic king, who, having deeply immersed himself in the Torah and taken to heart Yahweh’s promises in the Davidic Covenant—eternal dominion and dynasty,24 provided an obedient son sits upon the throne—now extols the covenantal values of this same Torah to his son and future successor through proverbial address.25 Here, I would draw three working conclusions that will prove relevant as we turn next to examine Solomon’s use of עֵץ חַיִּים in Proverbs. (1) Solomon’s Torah-shaped worldview likely would have included his concept of “life” (חַיִּים), a concept which, in the Torah, entails much more than merely the presence of a physical heartbeat, or even earthly, temporal prosperity. If this is the case, then for Solomon true life was defined in relation to the experience of Yahweh’s covenant presence.26 (2) Because Solomon’s poetic imagination and artistic sensibilities had been formed by the world of the Torah, his aim in the Proverbs is not simply to communicate the principles of the Torah, but to present these principles by creatively utilizing the language of the Torah.27 For this reason, his employment of “tree of life” is not just a common metaphor; it is a vehicle intended to transport readers back to Eden and the world of Genesis 1–3. (3) Solomon’s familiarity with the Torah suggests that he understood the Davidic Covenant not in a vacuum, but instead, against the backdrop of and in continuity with the various covenants Yahweh had previously made throughout Israel’s history.28 In other words, there may have been a covenantal dimension behind Solomon’s usage of עֵץ חַיִּים, such that he has cast the Davidic king in an Adamic light.29

2. Examining the Four Occurrences of “Tree of Life” in Proverbs Within Their Literary and Structural Context

The three working conclusions discussed above position us now to turn our attention to Proverbs and its four-fold usage of the expression עֵץ חַיִּים. As previously noted, עֵץ חַיִּים appears in the following verses: Proverbs 3:18, 11:30, 13:12, and 15:4. Before examining these texts, however, we must first consider their respective placement within the broader literary structure of the book. Most scholars agree that the general structure of Proverbs may be divided into several collections based on numerous introductory headings found throughout the book, as displayed in Table 2.

Table 2. The Structure of the Book of Proverbs30

Text	Heading
Proverbs 1:1–9:18 Solomonic Proverbs I	“The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel” (Prov 1:1)
Proverbs 10:1–22:16 Solomonic Proverbs II	“The proverbs of Solomon” (Prov 10:1a)
Proverbs 22:17–24:22 Words of the Wise I	“Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise” (Prov 22:17a)
Proverbs 24:23–34 Words of the Wise II	“These also are sayings of the wise” (Prov 24:23a)
Proverbs 25:1–29:27 Solomonic Proverbs III, transcribed by King Hezekiah	“These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, transcribed” (Prov 25:1)
Proverbs 30:1–33 Words of Agur	“The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the oracle” (Prov 30:1a)
Proverbs 31:1–31 Words of Lemuel	“The words of King Lemuel, the oracle which his mother taught him” (Prov 31:1)

According to this seven-part layout, the first iteration of עֵץ חַיִּים in Proverbs 3:18 occurs during Solomonic Proverbs I (1:1–9:18), whereas the remaining three instances—11:30; 13:12; and 15:4—are all found across Solomonic Proverbs II (10:1–22:16). This structural observation is significant because these two collections differ vastly from one another. The former features a series of lengthy lectures, whereas the second consists of a multitude of abbreviated, individual statements.31 This perceptible difference in form highlights a difference in function as well. As Christopher Ansberry explains, “Chapters 1–9 serve as the introduction to the work, providing a hermeneutical framework within which to read the document. This framework delineates the discourse setting in which the teaching is delivered and provides a lens through which to read and assess the litany of sayings in the sentence literature [Prov 10:1–22:17].”32

Given the unique relationship shared between these two sections, it seems best to allow the initial appearance of עֵץ חַיִּים in Solomonic Proverbs I to inform its three-fold recurrence throughout Solomonic Proverbs II.33 Therefore, as I begin working systematically through all four instances of עֵץ חַיִּים in the book of Proverbs, I will first examine the phrase’s foundational usage in 3:18 and then consider how its next three iterations in 11:30, 13:12, and 15:4 build upon the “hermeneutical framework” mentioned by Ansberry.

2.1. Tree of Life in Proverbs 3:18

A tree of life is she to those who take hold of her,
and those who grasp her are blessed. (Prov 3:18, my translation)

עֵץ־חַיִּ֣ים הִ֭יא לַמַּחֲזִיקִ֣ים בָּ֑הּוְֽתֹמְכֶ֥יהָ מְאֻשָּֽׁר׃

Proverbs 3:18 stands at the end of a literary subunit consisting of verses 13–18. The root אשׁר forms an inclusio around these verses, doubling as both the first word of verse 13 (אַשְׁרֵי, “blessed”), as well as the last word of verse 18 (מְאֻשָּׁר, “are blessed”). Strikingly, this same root occurs nowhere else in Proverbs 3. Within this אשׁר–inclusio of verses 13 and 18 we find further indicators of a unified subunit, as verses 14–17 further divide into two pairs that structurally parallel one another (vv. 14–15 and 16–17). In each pairing, the first three lines build up to a climactic fourth line, which opens with the only two instances of the phrase וְכָל in all of Proverbs 3 (וְכָל־חֲפָצֶיךָ, v. 15; וְכָל־נְתִיבֹותֶיהָ, v. 17).34 Additionally, after verse 13 explicitly introduces “wisdom” (חָכְמָה) and “understanding” (תְּבוּנָה) to the reader, the rest of the unit proceeds to detail an extended personification of this sapiential duo through repeated employment of the third-person feminine singular suffix and pronoun, neither of which is found anywhere else in this chapter.35

Moreover, Proverbs 3:13–18 is situated within a larger section extending from verses 13–20. Verse 19 again makes direct mention to “wisdom” (חָכְמָה) and “understanding” (תְּבוּנָה), just as verse 13 had, establishing a continuity that stitches verses 13–18 and 19–20 together as one thematically unified segment.36 Also, within the broader structure of Proverbs 3, the three-fold occurrence of the word “son” (בֵּן) in verses 1, 11, and 12, appears to mark off verses 1–12 as a unit distinct from verses 13–20. Strikingly, we find yet another reference to בֵּן in verse 21, which suggests that Solomon is now resuming his previous discussion from verses 1–12.37 Hence, Proverbs 3:13–20 forms a cohesive section centered on the personified subjects of חָכְמָה and תְּבוּנָה. At the same time, however, this section splits into two subunits, each of which addresses this תְּבוּנָה/חָכְמָה theme from differing perspectives: verses 13–18 highlight the “blessings” (אַשְׁרֵי, v. 13; מְאֻשָּׁר, v. 18) she offers to mankind, whereas verses 19–20 portray Yahweh’s utilization of her at creation.38

Our discussion of the literary and structural unity of Proverbs 3:13–20 primes us for a closer examination of this passage’s textual details, which are punctuated by a plethora of links to the opening chapters of Genesis. Verses 19–20 unmistakably refer to God’s act of creation in Genesis. The words “earth” (אָרֶץ) and “heavens” (שָׁמַיִם) in Proverbs 3:19 recall Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God created the heavens [הַשָׁמַיִם] and the earth [הָאָרֶץ].”39 Likewise, Proverbs 3:20’s use of “the deeps” (תְּהוֹמוֹת) harkens back to this same term’s original appearance in Genesis 1:2: “the earth was formless and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the deep [תְהֹום].”40

On a subtler note, the two-fold repetition of “man” (אָדָם) in Proverbs 3:13 may allude to God’s creation of אָדָם in Genesis 1–2,41 while the terms “good” (טֹוב) and “days” (יָמִים) found respectively in Proverbs 3:14 and 16 could be evoking the many occurrences of these two words throughout Genesis 1–3.42 Furthermore, the mention of valuable stones and jewels in Proverbs 3:14–15 may share a thematic association with Genesis 2:10–14’s description of the regions surrounding the garden of Eden—specifically the land of Havilah “where there is gold … bdellium and the onyx stone” (vv. 11–12).43

All of these lexical and thematic points of contact shared by Proverbs 3:13–20 and the Genesis creation account establish textual warrant favoring a purposeful connection between the presence of עֵץ חַיִּים in Proverbs 3:18 and in Genesis 2–3. But what precisely is that connection? To be sure, it cannot stand as a mere metaphor snagged from its garden context, emptied of its Edenic significance, and utilized simply to convey a flourishing earthly life.44 The clue is found both in Proverbs 3:18’s close proximity to verse 17, where Woman Wisdom’s “ways” (דְּרָכֶיהָ) and “paths” (נְתִיבֹותֶיהָ) are commended, and in the juxtaposition between דְּרָכֶיהָ דַרְכֵי—the first two words in verse 17—and עֵץ חַיִּים—the first two words in verse 18. Hurowitz’s analysis on this point is insightful:

Verse 17 starts דרכיה דרכי ‘Her ways are ways of’, … while v. 18 begins with עץ חיים ‘the Tree of Life’. Combining these words yields דרכיה דרכי עץ חיים ‘Her ways are the ways of/toward the Tree of Life’, echoing loudly דרך עץ החיים ‘the way to the Tree of Life’, which is the final locution, concluding the Garden of Eden story [Gen 3:24]. Only a reader so absent-minded that he would forget the content of one verse immediately upon reading the next would be deaf to the combination of words and obtuse to what they echo.45

If Hurowitz is correct, Proverbs 3:17–18 hints at the reversal of Genesis 3:24 and man’s exile from the presence of Yahweh in the garden. Whereas in Genesis 3:24, Yahweh had driven Adam out of the garden and placed cherubim and a flaming sword to guard “the way to the tree of life” (אֶת־דֶּרֶךְ עֵץ הַחַיִּים), here in Proverbs 3:17–18, Solomon identifies wisdom as a “tree of life” (עֵץ חַיִּים) and endorses “her ways” (דְּרָכֶיהָ) to his son. In other words, through wisdom’s paths, entrance into the garden—once barred—has now been reopened, so that the bliss of Eden may again be experienced. Covenant life in Yahweh’s presence, which Adam had forfeited, can now be re-entered by the Davidic king who traverses the way of wisdom. As James Hamilton explains, “The way of wisdom is the way to enjoy God’s presence, as if one walked with him in the cool of the day in the garden of Eden.”46

Our treatment of Proverbs 3:18 now sets the stage for us to examine the three occurrences of עֵץ חַיִּים in Solomonic Proverbs II. As noted earlier, Solomonic Proverbs I provides readers with “an interpretative canon for understanding the individual sayings that begin in chapter 10…. [It is] a hermeneutical prism or guide through which to read the rest of the book.”47 Thus, the interpretive conclusions we have arrived at concerning Proverbs 3:18 function like a stepping stone as we consider how 11:30, 13:12, and 15:4 work together to paint a more fully-orbed, three-dimensional picture of what this garden-bound way of wisdom actually entails.48

2.2. Tree of Life in Proverbs 11:30

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and he who takes souls is wise. (Prov 11:30, my translation)49

פְּֽרִי־צַ֭דִּיק עֵ֣ץ חַיִּ֑ים וְלֹקֵ֖חַ נְפָשֹׂ֣ות חָכָֽם׃

Proverbs 11:30 is situated within the literary unit comprised of verses 28–31, stitched together by three instances of the word “righteous” (צַדִּיק, vv. 28, 30, 31) and two instances of the term “wise” (חָכָם, vv. 29, 30).50 Furthermore, the use of nature and creation-related language throughout this passage (“leaf” [עָלֶה, v. 28], “wind” [רוּחַ, v. 29; translated “spirit” in Genesis 1:2], “fruit” [פְּרִי, v. 30], “tree of life” [עֵץ חַיִּים, v. 30], “earth” [אָרֶץ, v. 31]) gives the entire section an internal thematic coherence, while also linking it back to Genesis 1–3 in a manner not unlike that observed earlier in Proverbs 3:13–20.51 Relatedly, the terms לָקַח and נֶפֶשׁ in Proverbs 11:30 are both used on numerous occasions and in different ways throughout the creation account.52 Lastly, whereas verses 28 and 31 both feature antithetical parallelism contrasting a positive line with a negative line, verses 29 and 30 are both synthetic—the former containing negative synthetic parallelism, and the latter, positive. Thus, the poetic contours of these four verses establish a chiastic structure:53

A – v. 28: He who trusts in his wealth will fall,
but like a leaf, those who are righteous will flourish.

B – v. 29: He who troubles his own household will inherit the wind,
and a fool will be a servant to the wise of heart.

B′ – v. 30: The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and he who takes souls is wise.54

A′ – v. 31: Behold, the righteous will be rewarded on the earth,
how much more the wicked and the sinner?55

Significant for our purposes is the intimate association in Proverbs 11:30 between עֵץ

חַיִּים and the fruit of a righteous man. As Osborne duly notes, “Righteousness produces the metaphorical arboreal transformation into a picture of fruitfulness and blessing.”56 The proverb appears to build upon Proverbs 3:18 by showing that only the one characterized by righteousness will be able to produce the sort of fruitful wisdom that leads back to the garden. This connection between wisdom and righteousness is reinforced by the synthetic parallelism of the verse, which places the righteous man in the first line side by side with the wise man in the second.57 The wider literary and structural context of Proverbs 11:28–31 further establishes the wisdom-righteousness relationship, as evidenced by the various repetitions of “righteous” (צַדִּיק, vv. 28, 30, 31) and “wise” (חָכָם, vv. 29, 30) throughout these four verses, set in distinct contrast to references to “sin” (וְחֹוטֵא, v. 31), “wickedness” (רָשָׁע, v. 31), and “fool” (אֱוִיל, v. 29). Ultimately, the Davidic king who walks in wisdom doubles as a righteous ruler who faithfully models and leads his people into covenant life with Yahweh, unlike the fool of verse 29, who troubles his household.58

2.3. Tree of Life in Proverbs 13:12

A hope deferred makes sick the heart,
but a tree of life is a coming desire. (Prov 13:12, my translation)

תֹּוחֶ֣לֶת מְ֭מֻשָּׁכָה מַחֲלָה־לֵ֑ב וְעֵ֥ץ חַ֝יִּ֗ים תַּאֲוָ֥ה בָאָֽה׃

Proverbs 13:12 is also located within the context of a larger literary unit spanning verses 12–19. These verses are bracketed by an inclusio formed from the noun “desire” (תַּאֲוָה) immediately modified by a participle (תַּאֲוָה בָאָה, v. 12; תַּאֲוָה נִהְיָה, v. 19).59 The crux of this passage is verse 14, “the only proverb in this chapter that does not employ antithetical parallelism.”60 Furthermore, this is the only proverb in the unit that shares lexical links to both verses 12 and 19: “life” (חַיִּים) tethers verse 14 back to verse 12 (וְעֵץ חַיִּים, v. 12; מְקֹור חַיִּים, v. 14), while the verb “turn” (סוּר) connects verse 14 forward to verse 19 (לָסוּר מִמֹּקְשֵׁי מָוֶת, v. 14; סוּר מֵרָע, v. 19). In this way, verse 14 stands as the central tent pole of the passage, tied down on both sides by the outer, inclusio-forming proverbs at each end of the unit. Its placement divides the text into two subunits consisting of verses 12–14 and 14–19.

In Proverbs 13:14–19, the terms “evil” (רָע, vv. 17, 19; see also רָשָׁע, v. 17) and “fool” (כְּסִיל, vv. 16, 19), each occur twice. These two words demonstrate that folly and evil are part and parcel with one another, strengthening the conclusions drawn from our discussion of Proverbs 11:30 regarding the moral dimension of wisdom. Conversely, Proverbs 13:12–14 highlights the Torah dimension of wisdom. Verse 14’s opening phrase “the teaching of the wise” (תֹּורַת חָכָם) makes this plain by literally combining the Hebrew terms for “Torah” (תּוֹרָה) and “wise” (חָכָם) together.61 Verse 13, the central verse of the subunit, strengthens this idea by alluding to the Torah with its references to “word” (דָּבָר) and “commandment” (מִצְוָה). The verse’s placement in-between two proverbs featuring the term “life” (חַיִּים, vv. 12, 14) underscores the centrality of keeping the Torah if one would enjoy life with Yahweh.62 This gives us yet another perspective according to which we are to understand the way of wisdom that leads to Edenic life. Torah and wisdom are bound together, such that wisdom’s life-giving path can only be traversed by walking according to the Torah. Proverbs 13:12–19 thus brings the Torah (13:12–14) and the moral (13:14–19) dimensions of wisdom together. Where Proverbs 3:18 associated the tree of life with wisdom, and Proverbs 11:30 with both wisdom and righteousness, Proverbs 13:12–19 reaffirms these associations while also incorporating Torah into the equation.

These observations now position us to make sense of Proverbs 13:12’s reference to עֵץ חַיִּים. This proverb contrasts the heart-sickening experience of a delayed hope with the satisfaction that comes from the tree of life. However, is this fulfillment of desire offered to everyone? While verse 12 itself lacks any wisdom, moral, or Torah-related terms, its function, as part of an inclusio framing verses 13–18, effectively implies that the tree of life belongs only to him who righteously walks in wisdom according to the instructions of the Torah.63 Indeed, verse 12’s preceding position beside verse 13 intimates that the עֵץ חַיִּים is, in fact, the reward promised to the one “who fears the commandment.”64 In the end, only the Davidic king who “rule[s] in wisdom and righteousness by obeying the Torah” will find his hopes and longings met by the promised, life-giving presence of Yahweh.65

2.4. Tree of Life in Proverbs 15:4

A healing tongue is a tree of life,
but crookedness in it is a crushing of the spirit. (Prov 15:4, my translation)

מַרְפֵּ֣א לָ֭שֹׁון עֵ֣ץ חַיִּ֑ים וְסֶ֥לֶף בָּ֝֗הּ שֶׁ֣בֶר בְּרֽוּחַ׃

Like the previous three passages examined, we must first reckon with Proverbs 15:4’s literary and structural context, which pairs this verse alongside verse 5 as the centerpiece of a unit spanning verses 2–7. An inclusio in verses 2 and 7 may be discerned on the basis of syntactical, lexical, and thematic parallels. Syntactically and lexically speaking, the first line of each verse opens with a construct package featuring the plural noun “the wise” (חֲכָמִים), followed immediately by an imperfect verb taking “knowledge” (דָּעַת) as its direct object (לְשֹׁון חֲכָמִים תֵּיטִיב דָּעַת, v. 2; שִׂפְתֵי חֲכָמִים יְזָרוּ דָעַת, v. 7). Similarly, the second line of each verse begins with a vav (ו) attached to yet another construct package, this one containing the plural noun “fools” (וּפִי כְסִילִים, v. 2; וְלֵב כְּסִילִים, v. 7). Thematically, these two bracketing verses share an emphasis on the dual subjects of wisdom and folly in relation to one’s speech. Consequently, Proverbs 15:2–7 forms a chiasm:66

A – v. 2: The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable,
but the mouth of fools spouts folly.

B – v. 3: The eyes of Yahweh are in every place,
watching the evil and the good.

C – v. 4: A healing tongue is a tree of life,
but crookedness in it is a crushing of the spirit.

C′ – v. 5: A fool rejects his father’s discipline,
but he who regards reproof is prudent.

B′ – v. 6: Great wealth is in the house of the righteous,
but trouble is in the income of the wicked.

A′ – v. 7: The lips of the wise spread knowledge,
but the hearts of fools are not so.

Progressing inwardly along this chiasm, verses 3 and 6 correspond due to their shared use of moral terminology (“the evil and the good” [רָעִים וטֹובִים, v. 3], “the righteous” [צַדִּיק, v. 6], “the wicked” [רָשָׁע, v. 6]), thereby leaving verses 4–5 in the middle. This central pairing dovetails back to the two themes stressed by the inclusio verses. Verse 4 repeats the catchword “tongue” (לָשֹׁון), used earlier in verse 2, and returns to the theme of speech.67 Verse 5 opens with the word “fool” (אֱוִיל), linking back to its cognate, “folly” (אִוֶּלֶת), from verse 2, while also utilizing other wisdom and folly-related language such as “discipline” (מוּסַר), “reproof” (תֹּוכַחַת), and “prudent” (יַעְרִם).

Proverbs 15:4’s wider context is instructive in helping us understand how Solomon uses “tree of life” here. Both the inclusio of verses 2 and 7 as well as the chiastic placement of verses 4–5 intertwine the themes of wisdom and speech together, while verses 3 and 6 again weave the moral dimensions of wisdom and folly into this broader discourse. Thus, the “healing tongue,” which verse 4 compares to עֵץ חַיִּים, likely refers to the speech of an upright man who has traveled well the way of wisdom, tasted of the Edenic life, drunken in deeply of Yahweh’s covenant presence, and now “whets the appetite to restore Paradise in a broken world through healing speech that gives eternal life to those who ‘eat’ it.”68 Consequently, the Davidic king who has laid hold of עֵץ חַיִּים by grasping wisdom now himself become a branch-like extension, embodying the Torah through fruit-bearing righteous conduct and healing words of knowledge.

2.5. Synthesis

In the garden, Adam broke covenant with Yahweh when he partook of the forbidden fruit, resulting in his exile from the place of Yahweh’s life-giving presence, as represented by the barring of access to the עֵץחַיִּים tree of life. Through the Davidic Covenant, however, Yahweh has effectively passed on this Adamic role to the Davidic king, calling for faithful adherence to the Torah and promising an everlasting throne.69 In the book of Proverbs, we find one Davidic king seeking to inculcate a future Davidic king with the covenantal wisdom of the Torah in order to ensure continued love and faithfulness before Yahweh. And one of the ways Solomon does this is by commending wisdom as the “tree of life” to his son. This metaphorical allusion sheds light upon the path leading back to the heart of Eden and Adam’s pre-fall experience of covenant life in Yahweh’s presence. This way of wisdom is the fruit of a righteous life lived in accordance with the Torah. It is a way of seeing and being in the world that imparts life to others in both speech and conduct. To walk in this way is to truly live as Yahweh had originally created Adam to do; and as Solomon now summons his son to do.

3. Conclusion

Solomon’s four uses of “tree of life” in Proverbs 3:18, 11:30, 13:12, and 15:4 purposefully echo back to Genesis 1–3 and present the future Davidic king with the proper pathway towards re-entering the proverbial garden and walking with Yahweh once again. We see this both in the way that Solomon’s Torah-shaped worldview and covenantal framework deeply influenced his proverbial addresses to his son, as well as through the broader literary and structural contexts that surround and inform our interpretation of all four of the proverbs in which עֵץ חַיִּים occurs.

---

1 See, for instance, William McKane, Proverbs: A New Approach, OTL (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1970), 296; Roland E. Murphy, Proverbs, WBC 22 (Nashville: Nelson, 1998), 22; Michael V. Fox, Proverbs 1–9: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, AB 18a (New York: Doubleday, 2000), 159.
2 For a survey of sources discussing “tree of life” in the ancient Near East, see Victor Avigdor Hurowitz, “Paradise Regained: Proverbs 3:13–20 Reconsidered,” in Sefer Moshe: The Moshe Weinfeld Jubilee Volume: Studies in the Bible, Ancient Near East, Qumran, and Post-Biblical Judaism, ed. Moshe Weinfeld, Chaim Cohen, Avi Hurvitz, and Shalom Paul (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2004), 50 n. 2. For an overview of tree imagery in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Syria-Palestine, see William R. Osborne, Trees and Kings: A Comparative Analysis of Tree Imagery in Israel’s Prophetic Tradition and the Ancient Near East, BBRSup 18 (University Park: Pennsylvania State University, 2017), 31–87.
3 All four occurrences of עֵץ חַיִּים in Proverbs are found in sections authored by Solomon. Proverbs 3:18 occurs in the first Solomonic collection (1:1–9:18), which is introduced in 1:1 as “The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel.” Similarly, Proverbs 11:30, 13:12, and 15:4 all occur in the second Solomonic collection (10:1–22:16), which is likewise introduced in 10:1 by the phrase, “The proverbs of Solomon.” For a discussion of Solomonic authorship in Proverbs, see Bruce K. Waltke, The Book of Proverbs Chapters 1–15, NICOT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004), 31–36; Andrew E. Steinmann, Proverbs, Concordia Commentary (St. Louis: Concordia, 2009), 1–4, 16–19.
4 On this point, I agree with Katherine J. Dell, The Book of Proverbs in Social and Theological Context (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006), 14: “In my view, not enough attention has been given to hints within Proverbs itself of wider contextual links. This has been done in reference to the ancient Near East, but perhaps to the neglect of looking at certain integrating connections with other Old Testament texts and contexts.” Likewise, James M. Hamilton Jr., God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment: A Biblical Theology (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010), 290 n. 46, argues, “It seems to me that the dichotomizing tendency of critical scholarship works like a reverse magnetic force, preventing these kinds of [inner-biblical] connections, while the broader context of ancient Near Eastern parallels can easily distract interpreters from the nearer context of the Old Testament canon.”
5 For general discussions of the Wisdom Literature genre, see Waltke, Proverbs 1–15, 50–55; Fox, Proverbs 1–9, 17–27; Duane A. Garrett, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, NAC 14 (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1993), 21–28.
6 Will Kynes, An Obituary for “Wisdom Literature”: The Birth, Death, and Intertextual Reintegration of a Biblical Corpus (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019). Kynes argues that Wisdom Literature is “an unwieldy scholarly category developed in mid-nineteenth-century Germany to meet the ideological demands of that time and place” (p. 2). Elsewhere, he writes: “The diverse contents of the Wisdom corpus have consistently given attempts to define its distinctive features a certain instability, characterized by vague, abstract, and potentially all-encompassing definitions” (p. 42).
7 Kynes, Obituary for “Wisdom Literature”, 157–59, 188–90, 220. See the similar discussions in Dell, Proverbs in Social and Theological Context, 1–17, 126–30; Richard P. Belcher Jr., Finding Favour in the Sight of God: A Theology of Wisdom Literature, NSBT 46 (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2018), 1–10.
8 Kynes, Obituary for “Wisdom Literature”, 220. For an example of this type of “canonical separation,” see Michael V. Fox, Proverbs 10–31: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, AB 18B (New York: Doubleday, 2009), 946. Fox argues for “the autonomy of wisdom,” claiming “wisdom offers itself as a complete and self-contained moral system” and that “Proverbs shows no interest in Yahweh’s revealed Torah.”
9 James M. Hamilton Jr., Typology—Understanding the Bible’s Promise-Shaped Patterns: How Old Testament Expectations Are Fulfilled in Christ (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2022), 27. Elsewhere, Hamilton defines “interpretive perspective” as “the framework of assumptions and presuppositions, associations and identifications, truths and symbols that are taken for granted as an author or speaker describes the world and the events that take place in it.” James M. Hamilton Jr., What is Biblical Theology? A Guide to the Bible’s Story, Symbolism, and Patterns (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014), 15.
10 Waltke, Proverbs 1–15, 36–37, posits, “An anonymous final editor appended Collections V–VII [Prov 25:1–31:31] to Solomon’s Collections I–IV [Prov 1:1–24:34]. Judging by biblical analogues, he allowed the original heading attributing the work to Solomon (1:1) to stand as the title of his final composition because Solomon is the principal author of the sayings (chs. 1–29) and the most distinguished author of his anthology.”
11 Jamie A. Grant, The King as Exemplar: The Function of Deuteronomy’s Kingship Law in the Shaping of the Book of Psalms, SBLAB 17 (Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2004), 193. For an exegetical treatment of these verses, see Daniel I. Block, “The Burden of Leadership: The Mosaic Paradigm of Kingship (Deut. 17:14–20),” BSac 162.3 (2005): 259–78.
12 Jeffrey H. Tigay, Deuteronomy דברים: The Traditional Hebrew Text with the New JPS Translation Commentary, JPSTC (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1996), 169, comments, “Since reading in ancient times was normally done audibly (the Hebrew term for read, kara’ [קרא], literally means ‘call out’), reading included reciting.” Thus, whereas Deuteronomy 17:18 emphasizes the visual and tactile aspects of handwriting a copy of the Torah, 17:19 appears to emphasize the verbal and auditory aspects of reading and reciting it aloud.
13 Grant, King as Exemplar, 207. Similarly, Christopher B. Ansberry, Be Wise, My Son, and Make My Heart Glad: An Exploration of the Courtly Nature of the Book of Proverbs, BZAW 422 (New York: De Gruyter, 2010), 188, remarks, “Though the ideals of health, security, proficient rule, prosperity, and justice may be inherent in this paradigmatic model of righteous governance, Deuteronomy’s principal concern is the inculcation of the torah (Deut 17:18–20), that is, the cultivation and embodiment of the community’s covenantal values in its ruler.”
14 This is not to deny the role that Solomon’s wisdom played in his proverbial compositions. First Kings 4:29–34 draws explicit attention to the unparalleled nature of his wisdom and connects it to the thousands of proverbs he spoke. Nevertheless, when we consider the life of Solomon within the context of 1 Kings 1–11, we observe that the wisdom God had blessed Solomon with always went together with Solomon’s own devotion to the Torah. For instance, in 1 Kings 3:6–14, when God affirms Solomon’s prayer for wisdom, he gives this condition: “If you walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and commandments, as your father David walked, then I will prolong your days” (v. 14). Indeed, the very foundation undergirding Solomon’s wisdom was his commitment to knowing, trusting, and following the teachings of the Torah, such that when his faithfulness to the Torah waned, so too did his ability to discern and rule wisely (e.g., see 1 Kgs 11:1–13). Hence, Solomon’s wisdom in the Proverbs ultimately stems from and reflects his Torah-shaped worldview. As Thomas R. Schreiner, The King in His Beauty: A Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2013), 284, writes, “Wisdom is not a secular enterprise; rather, it is irrevocably tied to devotion to Yahweh and to the commands revealed in the Torah.”
15 Peter J. Gentry and Stephen J. Wellum, Kingdom through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants, 2nd ed. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2018), 447, points out that “while 2 Samuel 7 does not specifically call the arrangement a covenant, the term běrît is in fact used in 2 Samuel 23:5; Psalms 89:3, 28, 34, 39; 132:11; and 2 Chronicles 13:5. Moreover, hesed, the term used of the Davidic covenant in Isaiah 55:3, is used in 2 Samuel 7:15” (emphasis original).
16 Gentry and Wellum, Kingdom through Covenant, 449.
17 See Gentry’s thorough treatment of these two passages in Gentry and Wellum, Kingdom through Covenant, 459–79.
18 Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible 1995 translation.
19 The actual promise cited in 1 Kings 2:4 is not a direct quotation from any portion of 2 Samuel 7, so it is best to regard it as a general paraphrase of the Davidic Covenant. Interestingly, the verse that appears to be most akin to 1 Kings 2:4 is Psalm 132:12 (“If your sons will keep my covenant and my testimony which I will teach them, their sons also shall sit upon your throne forever”), which, within the broader context of this psalm, functions as a commentary on the Davidic Covenant by rehearsing the covenant oaths sworn by David and Yahweh. Adam D. Hensley, Covenant Relationships and the Editing of the Hebrew Psalter, LHBOTS 666 (London: T&T Clark, 2018), 108–10, argues that Psalm 132:12 functions as a positive way of expressing 2 Samuel 7:14 (and Ps 89:31–33).
20 Note also the considerable degree of lexical overlap shared between 1 Kings 2:3–4 and Deuteronomy 17:18–20: לִשְׁמֹר (Deut 17:19; 1 Kgs 2:3); חֻקֹּתָיו/הַחֻקִּים (Deut 17:19; 1 Kgs 2:3); מִצְוֹתָיו/הַמִּצְוָה (Deut 17:20; 1 Kgs 2:3); בְּתֹורַת/הַתֹּורָה (Deut 17:20; 1 Kgs 2:3); תַּעֲשֶׂה/לַעֲשֹׂתָם (Deut 17:19; 1 Kgs 2:3); בָנֶיךָ/וּבָנָיו (Deut 17:20; 1 Kgs 2:4); עַל כִּסֵּא (Deut 17:18; 1 Kgs 2:4). David has, as it were, brought together the Kingship Law of Deuteronomy 17:14–20 and the Davidic Covenant of 2 Samuel 7, such that “here we have, side-by-side, the promise to David and the law of Moses.” Dale Ralph Davis, 1 Kings: The Wisdom and the Folly, Focus on the Bible (Fearn, Ross-shire: Christian Focus, 2002), 27.
21 Hamilton, Typology, 84, briefly identifies three of the lexical links shared between these two verses: “the negative particle לֹא (‘not’), the verb for ‘cut off’ (כָּרַת), and the term ‘man’ (אִישׁ).” In this table, however, I have highlighted several additional connections.
22 Strikingly, when following the order of the MT from Genesis through Kings, the three lexemes בָּנָה (“build”), בַּיִת (“house”), and שֵׁם (“name”)—with שֵׁם referring specifically to Yahweh’s name—only occur together in the following passages: 2 Samuel 7:13; 1 Kings 3:2; 5:3, 5; 8:16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 43, 44, 48; 9:3; 2 Kings 21:4. Ten of these fourteen occurrences are found in 1 Kings 5–8, and the two before them (2 Sam 7:13 and 1 Kgs 3:2) each anticipate, in some manner, Solomon’s temple-building project.
23 Psalm 127 also corroborates the notion that Solomon’s interpretive perspective was influenced by the promises of the Davidic Covenant. This Solomonic psalm addresses the dual themes of house-building (vv. 1–2) and offspring (vv. 3–5). Both themes feature prominently in the Davidic Covenant, as Yahweh promises to build a house for David and make him a great name by raising up one of his future offspring and establishing his kingdom permanently. This offspring will build a house for Yahweh’s name, and Yahweh will establish his throne forever.
24 Here I draw from the title of Stephen G. Dempster’s work, Dominion and Dynasty: A Theology of the Hebrew Bible, NSBT 15 (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003).
25 Patrick Schreiner, The Kingdom of God and the Glory of the Cross, SSBT (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2018), 70, writes, “Solomon casts his proverbs as instructions from a father to a son, training him to be the ideal king who establishes David’s forever dynasty.” Similarly, Hamilton, Typology, 158, explains, “The book of Proverbs presents the son of David, whom God said would be a son to him, teaching the wisdom of Torah to his son.” While not discussed here, it is also important to note the influence that Deuteronomy 6’s instruction to parents has on the book of Proverbs. On this point, see Ansberry, Be Wise, My Son, 187–89; Belcher, Finding Favour, 45–46.
26 See L. Michael Morales, Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?: A Biblical Theology of the Book of Leviticus, NSBT 37 (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2015), 23. Morales’s thesis is that “the primary theme and theology of Leviticus (and of the Pentateuch as a whole) is YHWH’s opening a way for humanity to dwell in the divine Presence” (emphasis original). Consequently, he maintains that the Pentateuch presents fullness of life in parallel with nearness to Yahweh’s presence and, conversely, death in parallel with exile from Yahweh’s presence.
27 See Richard L. Schultz, “Unity or Diversity in Wisdom Theology? A Canonical and Covenantal Perspective,” TynBul 48 (1997): 295–99; Dell, Proverbs in Social and Theological Context, 167–78.
28 I have in mind here the Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic, and Mosaic Covenants. One text suggesting that Solomon understood the Davidic Covenant to be in continuity with these previous covenants is Psalm 72. This Solomonic psalm connects the Davidic Covenant back to the Abrahamic Covenant (so, Gentry and Wellum, Kingdom through Covenant, 482–85) and to the Adamic Covenant (so, Hamilton, Typology, 153–54). Thus, Christopher A. Beetham, “From Creation to New Creation: The Biblical Epic of King, Human Vicegerency, and Kingdom,” in From Creation to New Creation: Biblical Theology and Exegesis, ed. Benjamin L. Gladd and Daniel M. Gurtner (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2013), 249, notes, “Ps 72 begins to read like an entreaty for an Edenic kingdom, secured by Davidic vicegerency, in fulfillment of God’s original intentions for creation.”
29 For a discussion of Solomon as an Adamic figure, see John A. Davies, “‘Discerning Between Good and Evil’: Solomon as a New Adam in 1 Kings,” WTJ 73 (2011): 39–57; Hamilton, Typology, 154–65.
30 My structure largely adopts the demarcations identified by Waltke, Proverbs 1–15, 9–28; Garrett, Proverbs, 39, 43–46; Steinmann, Proverbs, 42–44; Fox, Proverbs 1–9, 5; Schreiner, King in His Beauty, 280; Hamilton, God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment, 290–91; Derek Kidner, Proverbs, TOTC 17 (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1964), 22; Paul R. House, Old Testament Theology (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998), 441–42. Note, however, the following distinctions: Waltke subdivides Proverbs 1:1–9:18 into 1:1–7, 1:8–8:36, and 9:1–18; Garrett, Steinmann, and Kidner each split Proverbs 31 into 31:1–9 and 31:10–31; Fox takes Proverbs 30–31 as a series of four appendices (30:1–14, 15–33; 31:1–9, and 10–31).
31 Waltke, Proverbs 1–15, 14, comments, “The prologue’s [Prov 1:1–9:18] extended poems now give way to the short, pithy, one-verse aphorisms composed almost exclusively of bicola (the two verset halves of a verse).”
32 Ansberry, Be Wise, My Son, 74. Similarly, Steinmann, Proverbs, 43, writes, “Proverbs 1–9 is the introduction to his work and is intended to set forth his wisdom in a more systematic way than could be accomplished in collections of shorter sayings. Therefore, one needs to understand well the wisdom of this introductory section and then read the shorter sayings that follow in light of this introduction” (emphasis mine). Kidner, Proverbs, 23, argues that “each cool, objective aphorism” in Proverbs 10:1–22:16 is “a miniature and particular outworking of the wisdom and folly whose whole course [the reader] has seen spread out before him in Section I [Prov 1:1–9:18].”
33 Contra Hurowitz, “Paradise Regained,” 50. Curiously, despite arguing that Prov 3:18’s usage of עֵץ חַיִּים “is to be associated … specifically with the famous, legendary ‘Tree of Life’ that stood at the center of the Garden of Eden,” Hurowitz nevertheless dismisses any Edenic significance behind the other three occurrences of עֵץ חַיִּים in Proverbs 11:30, 13:12, and 15:4: “In the last three of these cases, the ‘tree of life’ is clearly a metaphor, appearing in individual, one-line adages, and lacking any wider literary context.” See also Christine Roy Yoder, “Wisdom is the Tree of Life: A Study of Proverbs 3:13–20 and Genesis 2–3,” in Reading Proverbs Intertextually, ed. Katherine J. Dell and Will Kynes, LHBOTS 629 (New York: T&T Clark, 2019), 11–12. Yoder wrongly concurs with Hurowitz.
34 See Paul B. Overland, “Literary Structure in Proverbs 1–9” (PhD dissertation, Brandeis University, 1988), 310.
35 The third-person feminine singular pronoun הִיא occurs in vv. 15 and 18, while words containing a third-person feminine singular suffix include: סַחְרָהּ (v. 14), תְּבוּאָתָהּ (v. 14), בָה (vv. 15, 18), בִּימִינָהּ (v. 16), בִּשְׂמֹאולָהּ (v. 16), דְּרָכֶיהָ (v. 17), נְתִיבוֹתֶיהָ (v. 17), וְתֹמְכֶיהָ (v. 18).
36 Only in Proverbs 3:13 and 19 does either חָכְמָה or תְּבוּנָה appear; and in both instances, they occur together.
37 Hurowitz, “Paradise Regained,” 51, remarks: “Proverbs 3 is, on the whole, a collection of a dozen, mostly negative admonitions (the word אל ‘don’t’ appears 14 times [3:1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8, 11–12, 21–24, 25–26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31–32]), each one phrased in the 2d-person sing. and each with a motive. Verses 13–20 are exceptions to this.” Indeed, the absence of any imperatival verbs in vv. 13–20 is difficult to overlook.
38 See Steinmann, Proverbs, 117–18; Hurowitz, “Paradise Regained,” 52; Yoder, “Wisdom is the Tree of Life,” 13.
39 See also Genesis 2:1, 4, where אָרֶץ and שָׁמַיִם occur together again.
40 Yoder, “Wisdom is the Tree of Life,” 14, elaborating on Proverbs 3:20, comments, “‘The waters of the abyss burst forth’ (v. 20a)—that is, the subterranean seas ‘were split open’ (נבקעו) so that they might surge and rise through channels to nourish the rivers and oceans (cf. Gen 7:11; Job 38:8–11; Isa 35:6–7). The heavens begin to ‘drip dew’ like rain (v. 20b). Water rushing from below and above recalls similar imagery and emphasis on water in Genesis 2: an initial lack of rain (v. 5), a mist or stream (אד) that rises from the earth to water the ‘whole face of the ground’ (v. 6), the river that flows out of Eden and splits into four branches to saturate the world (vv. 11–13).”
41 Interestingly, the expression אַשְׁרֵי אָדָם, found in Proverbs 3:13, is later repeated in 8:34, where it occurs once more in close proximity to a discussion regarding Yahweh’s employment of personified wisdom at creation (Prov 8:22–31), and is immediately followed in v. 35 by the promise of חַיִּים for whomever finds her. See also the discussion on אַשְׁרֵי אָדָם in Hurowitz, “Paradise Regained,” 56–57.
42 טוֹב occurs 15x in Genesis 1–3: 1:4, 9, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31; 2:9 [2x], 12, 17, 18; 3:5, 6, 22. Various forms of יוֹם occur 20x in Genesis 1–3: 1:5 [2x], 8, 13, 14 [2x], 16, 18, 19, 23, 31; 2:2 [2x], 3, 4, 17; 3:5, 8, 14, 17.
43 See Yoder, “Wisdom is the Tree of Life,” 14–15; Hurowitz, “Paradise Regained,” 57–58. Both Yoder and Hurowitz cite Ezekiel 28:13, which refers explicitly to Eden and associates the garden with “every precious stone.” Yoder relates this idea back to Proverbs 3:14’s use of the term טוֹב: “Whereas Genesis declares that the land of Havilah’s gold is good (טוב, Gen 2:12), Prov 3:14–15 asserts that the profits of wisdom are ‘better than’ (טוב מן) and more precious than any fine metal or gemstone.”
44 Garrett, Proverbs, 82, posits, “With such an image not only as part of the biblical text but also as part of the common inheritance of ancient Near Eastern literature, it is unlikely that the highly literate court of Solomon would conceive of the tree of life merely as a metaphor of happiness. The words hold the promise of escape from the curse of death.” He proceeds to elaborate in a footnote, “It is doubtful that such a primary symbol could be so drained of its original larger implications in the minds of the ancient readers” (82 n. 61). See also Belcher, Finding Favour, 70–73.
45 Hurowitz, “Paradise Regained,” 60.
46 Hamilton, God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment, 295. Similarly, Yoder, “Wisdom is the Tree of Life,” 18, states, “Prov 3:13–20 evokes Genesis 2–3 to commend wisdom as that which restores what was lost long ago, namely, a flourishing life in Eden—an existence of tranquillity, delight, abundance, beauty, and well-being.”
47 Belcher, Finding Favour, 45.
48 My language of “fully-orbed” and “three-dimensional” is indebted to Peter Gentry’s discussion of the recursive nature of Hebrew literature in How to Read and Understand the Biblical Prophets (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017), 41–42. Gentry writes, “Normally a Hebrew writer would begin a discourse on a particular topic, develop it from a particular angle or perspective, and end by closing down that conversation. Then he would begin another conversation, taking up the same topic again from a different angle or point of view and considering it from a different perspective…. When two conversations or discourses on the same topic are heard or read in succession, they are meant to function like the left and right speakers of a stereo system…. In one sense the music from the left speaker is identical to that of the right, yet in another way it is slightly different so that when we hear the two together, the effect is stereo instead of just one-dimensional or monaural. In Hebrew literature the ideas presented can be experienced in a similar manner” (emphasis original).
49 Some interpret the second line of this verse (וְלֹקֵחַ נְפָשֹׂות חָכָם) negatively to refer to one who kills or commits murder. Subsequently, in order to make logical sense of this rendering, they emend חָכָם (“wise”) to חָמָס (“violent”). See, for instance, Garrett, Proverbs, 129; McKane, Proverbs, 432–33. I, however, do not hold to this alternative translation, along with its requisite emendation, for reasons which will become apparent during my analysis of this verse. For a discussion on this point, see Waltke, Proverbs 1–15, 510 n. 191.
50 Verses 29 and 30 mark the only two occurrences of חָכָם in Proverbs 11.
51 Osborne, Trees and Kings, 100.
52 Various forms of לָקַח are used in Genesis 2:15, 21, 22, 23; 3:6, 19, 22, and 23; נֶפֶשׁ is employed to describe the living creatures in Genesis 1:20, 21, 24, 30; 2:7, and 19.
53 In order to draw out the contrasts between the negative and positive lines of each verse, I have underlined the negative lines and bolded the positive lines. All of these verses are my own translation.
54 The two words פְּרִי and לָקַח in Proverbs 11:30 are also found together in Genesis 3:6: “she took [וַתִּקַּח] from its fruit [מִפִּרְיֹו] and ate.” It seems a contrast is being drawn between the righteous and wise man in Proverbs 11:30 and the foolish and sinful woman in Genesis 3:6. Whereas the woman gave up her soul in order to take from the forbidden fruit, he who follows the way of wisdom and righteousness gives life-bringing fruit to others and takes—that is, saves—souls. On this point, see Steinmann, Proverbs, 290, 296.
55 Although Proverbs 11:31 assumes the form of an a fortiori argument (see Waltke, Proverbs 1–15, 513–14), it still contains clear antithetical elements due to its mention of the “righteous” in the first line and “the wicked and the sinner” in the second. Note as well that while verse 28 begins with a negative line followed by a positive line, verse 31 reverses this order; it opens first with a positive line and then closes with a negative one.
56 Osborne, Trees and Kings, 100.
57 Note that verse 30 is the only proverb in this literary unit (and in the entire chapter) featuring both the words צַדִּיק and חָכָם.
58 Schreiner, Kingdom of God, 70, writes, “Through the leadership of the king … the people are planted as oaks of righteousness in their land. The way to the land is by mimicking the good king in wisdom and meditating, obeying, and following the Torah.” Elsewhere, he notes, “The ideal king was to lead the nation in a flourishing life full of wisdom, knowledge, and the fear of the Lord” (p. 66).
59 Waltke, Proverbs 1–15, 562.
60 Steinmann, Proverbs, 319.
61 One chapter later, Proverbs 14:27 will echo 13:14 word-for-word, the only difference being its replacement of the phrase תֹּורַת חָכָם (13:14) with יִרְאַת יְהוָה (14:27). Hence, “the fear of Yahweh” (יִרְאַת יְהוָה), which stands at the beginning of all true wisdom (Prov 1:7), likewise sits at the heart of the Torah; walking in wisdom and keeping the Torah share a common heartbeat in fearing Yahweh.
62 Osborne, Trees and Kings, 100–101, writes: “These two parallel ideas [the tree of life, v. 12; the fountain of life, v. 14] are divided by 13:13, which states that those who fear the commandment of YHWH will be rewarded.”
63 Waltke, Proverbs 1–15, 563.
64 Remarkably, in the book of Proverbs, the only two occurrences of יְשֻׁלָּם (the Pual imperfect 3ms form of the verb שָׁלַם) are in Proverbs 11:31 and 13:13. The former refers to a righteous man being rewarded, and the latter, to the rewarding of a man who keeps the Torah. Moreover, both verses immediately follow proverbs discussing עֵץ חַיִּים (11:30 and 13:12).
65 Schreiner, Kingdom of God, 70 (emphasis original).
66 In order to draw out the connections which establish this chiasm, I have underlined speech-related terms, bolded wisdom and folly-related terms, and italicized moral terms. All of these verses are my own translation.
67 The word סֶלֶף in verse 4 may also carry a moral sense, connecting it thematically to verses 3 and 6. This noun only occurs twice in the Hebrew Bible—here, and earlier, in Prov 11:3, where it is contrasted with “the integrity of the upright” (תֻּמַּת יְשָׁרִים). See Steinmann, Proverbs, 286, 292.
68 Waltke, Proverbs 1–15, 615. Throughout his commentary, Waltke consistently interprets עֵץ חַיִּים as a figurative representation of “perpetual healing insuring eternal life” (p. 105). While I do not necessarily disagree with this understanding, I would argue for a greater emphasis on the experience of Yahweh’s life-giving presence. Since Yahweh is the source and sustainer of all life, it is his covenant presence that imparts eternal life to those who would walk faithfully before him. Thus, Gordan J. Wenham, Genesis 1–15, WBC 1A (Waco, TX: Word, 1987), 62, argues, “The golden candlestick kept in the tabernacle was a stylized tree of life; the fall of its light on the twelve loaves of the presence symbolized God’s life sustaining the twelve tribes of Israel (Exod 25:31–35; Lev 24:1–9).” See also Morales, Who Shall Ascend the Mountain, 15–17.
69 Gentry and Wellum, Kingdom through Covenant, 455–56.

---