(6) The words of Lemuel the king, the proph ecy that his mother taught him (Prov. xxxi :1 9). "Lemuel" is perhaps a symbolical name for Solomon—i. e., he who is turned to God.
On the whole subject of Proverbs, Rev. James M. Gray, D. D., says: "The book does not readily lend itself to any logical analysis, but has been divided into five parts, as follows: Part 1, superscription, chapter i, verses 1-6; part 2, chapter i :7 to chapter ix, forms 'a connected didactic poem in which wisdom is praised and youth exhorted to devote itself to her ;' part 3, chapters x-xxiv, is a collection of single proverbs and detached sentences illustrat ing principles of worldly prudence ; part 4 is dis tinguished from the rest of the book not so much by the character of its contents as the fact that it is a collection of Solomon's proverbs copied out or edited by the men or the court of Heze kiah's time; part 5 includes chapters xxx-xxxi, and contains 'Words of Agur,' and the 'Words of King Lemuel,' in the latter of which is found a remarkable acrostic in praise pf the virtuous woman. Who these last-named authors were is not known, and indeed some have assumed that their names were merely symbolical. It is im portant to note the sense in which the word 'wis dom' is used in Proverbs as distinguished from Ecclesiastes. In the last-named it means what we understand by science, hut here it signifies piety or religion. In one instance at least, chapter viii, Wisdom is personified, and evidently applies to Christ."
The value of the book fordevotional purposes is well expressed by Dr. Bridges in his commentary, who says, 'While other Scriptures show us our high calling, this instructs us minutely how to walk in it," or as the Bible Hand Book says, "This book is for practical ethics what the Psalms are for devotion." (6) Literature on Proverbs. The literature of the book of Proverbs is contained chiefly in the following works (besides the preliminary dis sertations in the various Commentaries) :—Mel anchthon, Explicatio Provv. 1555; Mercer, Com ment. in Provv. Salom.; Geiero, Provv. Salom. 1669; Schultens, Proverbia Salom. 1748; Hirtz, Vollst. Erklor. der Sfirtiche Salom. 1768; Hunt, Observations on the Book of Proverbs, 1775; Hodgson, On the Book of Proverbs, 1778; Jager, Obscrvatt. in Provv. Salons. Versionem Alexand. 1788; Lawson, Exposition of Proverbs, 1821; Umbreit, Philo!. Krit. u. Philosoph. Comm. it. d. Sfirriche Salom. 1826. There are also translations, mostly with note, by J. D. Michaelis, 1778; Doe derlein, 1786; Streunsee, 1783; Kleuker, 1786; Reichard, 179o; Ziegler, 1791 ; Muntinghe, 1800, 1802; Dallier, 181o; Holden, 1819; Gramberg, 1828; BOckel, 1829; and Ewald, in his Poetischen Bucker, vol. iv. (See also Conant, The Book of Proverbs, 1869; Muenscher, The Book of Prov erbs, 1866.) E. W. H.