The first verses of Proverbs (1:1–7) introduce the first section of the book (chs. 1–9), but also the book as a whole. The preamble in 1:2–7 tells us who the book is aimed at, and what for, which will be explored as the rest of the book unfolds. The book of Proverbs presents itself as written for anyone to come and seek wisdom—wisdom that comes from, and is grounded in, the fear of the Lord (1:7).

The introduction (chs. 1–9) continues to explore what this looks like. The introduction is structured as a chiasm: A1/A2 invite the reader to pursue wisdom and avoid foolishness—to pursue the father’s teaching/Wisdom personified, and to avoid mixing with evil men/being seduced by the foolish woman. B1/B2 both have Wisdom herself calling out to people to pursue her, and to leave foolishness behind. C1/C2 function as transitions from what came before to what is to follow; both sections urge the reader to accept and pursue wisdom and flee folly and evil. At the centre, D1/D2 further exhort the reader to pursue wisdom, giving some more concrete examples of what that might entail (honouring the Lord with our wealth; maintaining good relationships with neighbours; etc.). Here the theme of two women—wisdom and folly—comes to the fore. Sandwiched between two sections on avoiding the adulterous woman is a more generic section on what wisdom doesn’t look like (being trapped by obligations to neighbours; laziness; dishonesty; etc.) This middle bit seems to come out of nowhere, but is deliberately placed where it is to show us that the avoiding the adulterous woman isn’t just about sex, but all of life.

The introduction begins and ends by stating: “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (1:7; 9:10). This frame around the introduction grounds wisdom in the Lord himself. Though Proverbs suggests that wisdom is discoverable in the world at large, true wisdom is to be found in relationship with the Lord.

The collections that follow mark a shift in the book to shorter sayings, gathered into a number of collections based on their source (more or less). These are miscellaneous sayings that cover various topics, but not in any particular order.

Grasping the use of imagery is particularly important to understanding Proverbs. The language is intended to stir the imagination, often making quite jarring comparisons (like women and pigs; see 11:22) to make the point. One implication is that Proverbs isn’t trying to be comprehensive. The imagery will push the imagination in many directions to see how a proverb can be applied to various situations.

The book ends with one last poem: the wife of noble character. Scholars have debated whether or not this is referring to an actual woman, or whether we should read it as Wisdom personified. There doesn’t seem to be any reason to read it only allegorically—in fact, in the way the Hebrew Bible is ordered (which is different to the order we have in our English Bibles), the book to come next is Ruth, who seems to be a real life example of what such a woman might look like. But while we shouldn’t only read the poem as talking about a literal woman, it’s surely right to also read it as a reprise of the introduction, where wisdom is personified as a woman. What this means, then, is that it isn’t only women who are to learn from the wife of noble character.