A PROVERB ATTRIBUTED to Joseph Joubert says, “The one who teaches learns twice.” I know that has been true for me. As I have taught from the book of Proverbs in person and now here in print, I have come to a stronger sense of appreciation for those who have handed down this tradition of wisdom from one generation to the next. So much of who we are grows out of what we have been given. Therefore, I am grateful to the scholars, students, and pastors who have been my teachers and conversation partners as I have studied and spoken. Whatever is helpful in the book can in some way be traced to them.
I am also thankful for the generous support of the board, administration, and faculty of North Park Theological Seminary, particularly for sabbatical time dedicated to this project. I would often begin a day’s work with a prayer of thanks for the opportunity to spend it in study and reflection. The friendship and encouragement of my former teachers Fredrick Carlson Holmgren and C. John Weborg have meant a great deal, especially for our conversations about biblical wisdom.
The editors of the series—Robert Hubbard, Tremper Longman III, Terry Muck, and John Walton—read the first pages and made helpful comments. Tremper also read the entire first draft and proved that “iron sharpens iron,” graciously using his own expertise in Proverbs to help me clarify my position on a number of interpretive issues. Klyne Snodgrass offered valuable feedback on the introduction, and Ken Litwak did the same for selected chapters. Thanks go to the staff at the Brandel Library and student assistants Mark Carlson, Jennifer Dunahoo, Cheryl Green, Denise Johnson, and Dennis White. Brian Simpson proofread the entire manuscript and checked the Scripture references. Conversations with psychologists Sam Alibrando, Jeffrey Slutsky, and Patrick Thyne kept the discussions on marriage and family grounded in reality. A special word of thanks goes to the editors at Zondervan, especially to Verlyn Verbrugge for his help in making the writing more direct and clear.
Above all my wife, Linda, added to the joy of our life together with her constant encouragement, often asking what I had learned about Proverbs that day, sometimes saying that she could tell I was enjoying myself. Thankful for her laughter and wisdom, this husband stands up to call her blessed. On the occasion of our twentieth wedding anniversary, this book is dedicated to her.
Paul E. Koptak
North Park Theological Seminary