The Gender and Motives of the Wisdom Teacher in Proverbs 7 -- By: Alice Ogden Bellis

Journal: Bulletin for Biblical Research
Volume: BBR 06:1 (NA 1996)
Article: The Gender and Motives of the Wisdom Teacher in Proverbs 7
Author: Alice Ogden Bellis


The Gender and Motives
of the Wisdom Teacher
in Proverbs 7

Alice Ogden Bellis

Howard University School Of Divinity

The assumption that objectivity is an illusion is often asserted as if it were objectively true. Nevertheless, it is true that male and female commentators sometimes allow gender based biases to hinder their attempts to understand biblical texts in their original contexts. Both gender based and western culture derived assumptions have adversely colored interpreters’ understanding of the gender and motives of the wisdom teacher in Proverbs 7. This paper takes a fresh look at the issues and concludes that the teacher is a F(emale) voice whose strategy of changing men’s sexual behavior is consistent with high female self esteem and, if successful, would have strengthened the entire community.

Key Words: Proverbs, wisdom, gender

One of the givens of much contemporary biblical scholarship is that there is no such thing as an objective reading of a text. This conviction is akin to the often dogmatically held view that truth is never absolute. Both of these precepts are propounded as if they were objective, absolute truths. If this were true, however, the dogmas themselves would be proven false. If it is not true, then the validity of these views is also undercut.

Feminist biblical scholars, including myself, are often quick to point out the subtle and sometimes not so subtle androcentric, even sexist biases of our male colleagues. These biases sometimes hinder the commentator’s attempts to hear the text unencumbered by twentieth century perspectives and issues.

In a similar way the subtle and sometimes not so subtle gynocentric, even sexist biases, of feminist interpreters sometimes adversely affect interpretive work. In addition, contemporary western values shared by both male and female scholars color the way we read, eroding our ability to understand texts in their own historical, cultural,

and sociological context and ultimately to consider their implications for today. These problems are illustrated in recent work on the gender and motives of the wisdom teacher in Proverbs 7.

Biblical commentators have generally assumed that the implied voice of the wisdom teacher who instructs son(s) to avoid the ‘iššâ zārâ, the “strange” woman,1 in Proverbs 7 is male.2 Feminist interpreters have for the most part agreed with this consensus, t...

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