mentioning the writings where Jewish proverbs are to be found, and giving somewhat fuller information regarding the dates and composition of the two works from which the material of the following chapters will chiefly be derived. THE SOURCES OF JEWISH PROVERBS I. OCCASIONAL PROVERBS. In the historical and prophetical Books of the Old Testament there are to be found some popular sayings current in early Israel. Though few in number, they possess considerable interest, and will therefore be discussed in Chapter IV. II. THE BOOK OF PROVERBS. This Book is the principal “source” of the proverbs considered in this volume. Unlike modern writings, which are usually the work of one author and will rarely require a longer period than five or ten years for their composition, many of the Books of the Bible have reached their _present form_ as the outcome of a protracted process of compilation and revision perhaps extending over many generations and involving the work of numerous writers. The words of earlier authors were utilised again and again in later times by others who, having somewhat similar ideas and purposes in view, exercised complete liberty in reproducing, or modifying, or adding to the material they found to hand.[12] Such a book is _Proverbs_. The consequence is that the question of date and authorship cannot be answered in a sentence. The problem of the _structure_ of the Book rises as a preliminary subject.[13] (a) _Structure._ The _Book of Proverbs_ in its present form represents the combination of five originally independent collections of the single proverbs which are of course the ultimate material of the Book. There is some evidence that these five collections were themselves built out of still smaller groups of proverbs, but such subdivisions cannot be traced with certainty, and for our purpose may be neglected. The five main sections are as follows:--(_a_) In chs. 1-9, a number of epigrams, sonnets, and discourses in praise of wisdom. (_b_) In chs. 10^{1}-22^{16}, a collection of two-line (“unit”) proverbs. (_c_) In chs. 22^{17}-24^{22} and 24^{23-34}, two very similar collections of four-line (“quatrain”) proverbs. (_d_) In chs. 25-29, a collection of two-line proverbs. (_e_) In chs. 30, 31, epigrams, sonnets, and an acrostic poem. (b) _Date and Authorship._ Both in its component parts and as a composite whole the _Book of Proverbs_ is an anonymous work. It is true that titles, such as “The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel” (Pr. 1^{1}), are prefixed to several portions of the Book[14], but they do not imply authorship, although to those unacquainted with the nature of ancient books that may seem the necessary meaning. Their significance will be considered later, on p. 71.