The Poor in Proverbs and Amos

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Jean Amos Lys Hebrew Bible II Dr. Uriah Kim The book of Proverbs’ attitude toward the poor VS Prophet Amos’s attitude toward the poor The book of Proverbs is generally described as belonging to a branch of Hebrew literature which has for its subject “Wisdom”. This kind of literature is very different from the Torah, the Prophets and the historical books. The book of Proverbs makes no mention of the salvation history of Israel, the exodus, and the law. There is also no reference to Israel’s great heroic and righteous figures such as: Moses, Abraham, and King David. Essentially, the book of Proverbs is a collection of comparisons based on observation and reflection that seeks to instruct people in right behavior. As part of the wisdom tradition, the book of proverbs subscribes to the idea of retribution theology. This paper will examine the attitude of the book of Proverbs toward the poor in light of that theology; and will compare it to Amos’s, an eight century prophet. One need not search long in the texts of Proverbs to find what is called “retribution theology,” the idea that good deeds are always rewarded and bad deeds are always punished. It is a theology that advocates that good and righteous people are blessed with wealth and prosperity, while wickedness leads to poverty. The book of Proverbs has a negative attitude toward the poor; it blames the poor for their poverty. A negative view of the poor is apparent when the text states that “the poor are dislike even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends”[1] (Proverbs 14:20). This same theme is reiterated in chapter 19: “Wealth brings many friends, but the poor are left friendless” (19:4). Expanded across two verses, it reads: “Many seek the favor of a generous, and everyone is a friend to a giver of gifts. If the poor are hated even by their kin, how much more are they shunned by
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