A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Proverbs (ICC)

by Crawford H. Toy

Publisher:

T&T Clark

, 1899

Overview

For over one hundred years, the International Critical Commentary series has held a special place among works on the Bible. It has sought to bring together all the relevant aids to exegesis—linguistic and textual no less than archaeological, historical, literary and theological—with a level of comprehension and quality of scholarship unmatched by any other series.

No attempt has been made to secure a uniform theological or critical approach to the biblical text: contributors have been invited for their scholarly distinction, not for their adherence to any one school of thought.

The depth of analysis found in the International Critical Commentary (ICC) Series has yet to be surpassed in any commentary collection. One of the best features of this series is the extensive amount of background information given in each volume's introduction, where all of the analysis is provided before the actual commentary begins. Each volume packs more information into the introduction than you will often find in the body of most commentaries! Also consider that with the electronic versions of each volume, you will never need to leaf through the hundreds of pages in each volume searching for the passage you are studying.

Contents

Top Highlights

“the idea seems to be that human wisdom and strength must be guided and sustained by God” (Page 60)

“the answer of the tongue = the final outcome of one’s reflections and purposes” (Page 320)

“ wisdom (= understanding, knowledge, insight, or discretion)” (Page 101)

“The proverb declares, in a simple and direct way, the principle (recognized everywhere in OT.) of the absoluteness of Yahweh’s government of the world, and it is added that every one of his acts has a definite purpose; since the wicked are punished, it is Yahweh who has created them to that end.” (Pages 320–321)

“Long life is considered in OT. to be one of the chief blessings of man’s lot (Ex. 20:12), including, as it does, the idea of happiness (so that the first line might be rendered: a long and happy life).” (Page 57)

Praise for the Print Edition

... the crown (for having most furthered understanding in the nineteenth century) belongs to Crawford H. Toy's voluminous interpretation of the book of Proverbs.

—Rudolf Smend, Wisdom in Ancient Israel, Cambridge.

This commentary demonstrates Toy's mastery of ancient languages, and exhibits his convictions about Israelite monotheism.

—Paul R. House, Southern Baptist Journal of Theology

Product Details

• Title: A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Proverbs
• Author: C. H. Toy
• Editors: Samuel Rolles Driver, Alfred Plummer, and Charles Augustus Briggs
• Publisher: T & T Clark
• Publication Date: 1899
• Pages: 554

About Crawford H. Toy

Crawford Howell Toy was an American biblical scholar from Norfolk, VA.. He received his M.A. from the University of Virginia before going on to Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Greenville, S.C.. His time at the seminary was brief as the Civil War broke out and he became an infantry chaplain for the Confederacy. He continued his studies in the States after the war, but eventually headed to Berlin where he studied theology, Sanskrit, and Semitics. In 1869, the trustees of Southern Seminary invited Toy back, this time to become Professor of Old Testament Interpretation and Oriental Languages. His resignation came after ten years with the seminary due to a theological controversy. From 1880, until his retirement in 1909, Toy was Hancock Professor of Hebrew and Other Oriental Languages at Harvard and from 1880-1903 was Dexter Lecturer on Biblical Literature. He was member of the editorial board of The Jewish Encyclopedia, and a contributor to learned journals. Apart from this ICC volume on Proverbs, his notable writings include, Judaism and Christianity, and Introduction to the History of Religions.