The Instructions of Amenemope (2)

I have informed you today, even you.  Have I not written for you thirty things in good counsel and knowledge?  Proverbs 22:20  Robert Alter

Thirty things – “The Masoretic Text has shalishim (‘captains’?) in the ketiv (consonantal text) and shelishim (‘threes’?) in the qeri (marginal gloss).  Neither makes sense, and the translation [here] adopts Michael V. Fox’s persuasive emendation to sheloshim.  Amenemope has thirty maxims, and there are thirty maxim in this subunit, if one counts the exordium as the first maxim.”[1]  Robert Alter’s explanation means that no standard English Bible follows the Masoretic text or its marginal note because it doesn’t make any sense at all!  Divine inspiration had to wait for Egyptian assimilation.

Let’s examine this a bit more closely.  Alter notes that the written Masoretic text (ketiv) yields a completely nonsensical translation, but so does the text when it’s read (qere).  Fox emends the text.  That means he corrects what is in the MT in order for it to be understandable.  So much for the idea that the MT is a reliable source of God’s intention.  What’s even more interesting is that this text (and the following verses) parallels the Aramaic version of Egyptian wisdom literature.  You can easily consult the Instructions of Amenemope on the web (CLICK HERE or HERE). You might find it familiar since Proverbs contains the same instructions, sometimes nearly word for word.  A single citation from the wisdom literature of ancient Egypt seems quite relevant today:

To whom can I speak today? Brothers are evil,
And the friends of today unlovable.

To whom can I speak today?
Gentleness has perished,
And the violent man has come down on everyone.[2]

Wisdom literature often has a universal perspective, and since it addresses humanity’s concerns, we discover that ethical and moral issues (and human behavior about those issues) haven’t changed much in the last 5,000 years.  We shouldn’t be surprised when thinkers of any generation and any ethnic group suggest common solutions.  In fact, the Genesis perspective about the creation of Man anticipates this, and had we done a proper job of exegesis from the beginning, we would celebrate the fact that God didn’t abandon any people simply because most of His story is with Israel.  Perhaps you’ll want to read Egyptian, Assyrian, and Babylonian thinkers along with Moses.

Topical Index: Amenemope, wisdom literature, sheloshim, Proverbs 22:20

[1] Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible: Vol. 3 The Writings, p. 421.

[2] William Kelly Simpson, The Literature of Ancient Egypt, p. 6

ADDED NOTE: VIDEO

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