Who Were the Original Readers of the Book of Proverbs?

The authorship question also gives direction to the setting and audience of the book. The prominence of Solomon, as well as the influence of Hezekiah’s men and King Lemuel make a royal court setting for the compilation of much of Proverbs evident. But the proverbs do not deal solely with court life. Indeed, in regard to the transmission of the wisdom in Proverbs, the setting of the book seems more attuned to the family—a father addressing his son (or a mother her son in chap. 31). “Solomon intended to transmit his wisdom to Israel’s youths by put- ting his proverbs in the mouths of godly parents (1:8-9), even as Moses disseminated the law in the home (cf. Dt 6:7-9)” (Bruce K. Waltke, The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 1–15, NICOT [Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2004], 63).