The Book of Proverbs and inner-biblical exegesis at Qumran: The evidence of Proverbs 24,23-29

Proverbs has long been recognized as a composition attesting to many inner-biblical (re)formulations. Awareness of this feature of Proverbs is explicitly attested in rabbinic texts; it is also reflected in the positions and formulations of the Qumran community. The present essay addresses the structure of Prov 24,23-29 and its relationship to Lev 19,15-19, as understood by the Qumran community. The study thus uncovers another instance of the tendency to interpret Proverbs not merely as a collection of abstract »Wisdom« maxims but, moreover, as a source for deriving legal formulations.