Footnotes

1. Proverbs 10:1 This section makes up the oldest part of the Book of Proverbs, and there is a probability that some of its sayings go back to Solomon or even earlier. They represent an ancient fund of rural, familial, social, or human wisdom. The collection unrolls a long series of isolated maxims; they are rarely brought together around a single theme, but they resemble one another by their brief, rhythmic, and thought-provoking form. It is difficult to remain attentive while attempting a continuous reading; it is better to concentrate on random phrases here and there. Some sayings stand out by their picturesqueness: concerning laziness (Prov 10:26) or concerning an insupportable woman (Prov 11:22; 12:4; 21:9). Others are characterized by their teaching about the spirit of justice (Prov 11:26), by their humanity (Prov 10:12), and by their religious sense: about the poor (Prov 14:31, 34; 17:5); about God who sees everything (Prov 15:3, 11); and about sincere offering (Prov 15:8; 21:3, 27).
   Any attempt to systematize the sayings is likely to be artificial. To stimulate the imagination, we highlight simply one or another theme.
2. Proverbs 10:1 In these scattered elements, we might note the idea that one has of justice in his human relations, the aversion to laziness, the cost of the true word, the horror of lying (vv. 19-21), and finally the certitude that God takes in hand the cause of the righteous.