who wrote proverbs in the bible

Most of the book of Proverbs is attributed to King Solomon, but several other named and unnamed sages also contributed sections over time.

Main traditional answer

• Proverbs opens with “The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel,” which presents Solomon as the primary voice and collector of the book’s wisdom.

• Solomon is traditionally said to have spoken thousands of proverbs, and the bulk of the book (especially chapters 1–24) is associated with him in both Jewish and Christian tradition.

Other contributors in Proverbs

• The book itself credits additional authors: “the sayings of the wise,” as well as sections attributed to Agur son of Jakeh (Proverbs 30) and King Lemuel , whose “mother taught him” (Proverbs 31:1).

• There are also editorial notes that some proverbs of Solomon in chapters 25–29 were copied and arranged later by the “men of Hezekiah king of Judah,” showing that later scribes helped shape the final form.

How scholars view authorship today

• Modern scholars see Proverbs as a collection or anthology of Israelite wisdom, brought together over centuries rather than written at one moment by a single author.

• Some passages closely resemble older Near Eastern wisdom texts (for example, the Egyptian “Instruction of Amenemope”), which suggests Israel’s sages adapted and incorporated earlier sayings into a biblical framework.

Simple takeaway

• If someone asks “who wrote Proverbs in the Bible?” a concise, traditional answer is: “Primarily King Solomon, with contributions and later editing by other wise teachers such as Agur, Lemuel, anonymous ‘wise men,’ and the scribes of King Hezekiah.”

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