Wisdom - Solomon's or Bathshebas?

Bible readers!
I was reading the book of Proverbs - a favourite of mine, and now going through another devotional thats based on it - there's so many.

Now many people assume that Solomon wrote it, and he's saying to his son all those wise proverbs that he learned.
But then I thought no hold on who actually was giving wisdom to Solomon? As you know David was Solomon's dad, but it can't have been from him if you read the Bible, because David did some pretty foolish things. Solomon didn't make them up, he got them from somewhere and wrote them down.

Most of the proverbs start with 'my son' and then tell him all the sorts of things to be wary of. And then, it's advised that wisdom is the thing you must seek, and wisdom is actually personified as a woman in chapter 2. And chapter 3.

So who is telling the proverbs? Solomon may have written them all down, but who is the author? I'm thinking it must be Bathsheba, his mother.
And then when you get to Proverbs 31, you get this: The words of Kind Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.

His MOTHER! Not God. Not his dad. Not his (male) pastor...lol. Not even his wife.
So um.. when people say you need wisdom, where are you going to be getting it all from? I suggest ask your mother!

yes

♥

Hmmmmmmm.

You forgot to include apple pie. As to your fanciful interpretations, let's hope no one takes them seriously.

catchy tune tho

I'm thinking God spoke through Bathesheba.

Mothers are always dispensing wisdom, even when we dont ask for it. lol
I mean sometimes God is over-liberal with the wisdom our mothers dish out...every day!

also, it doesnt seem Solomon wasnt that wise cos he didnt practice what he preached and married a foreign woman who worshipped idols. Rehoboam also wasnt that wise....

And why would God personify wisdom as a woman? Who would that woman be...I wonder. Notice how the book of Proverbs ends....31:26

She openeth her mouth with wisdom, and in her tongue is the law of kindness...

Doesnt this describes a loving mother to you?

it is not a 'given' that Lemuel is a code name for Solomon. in fact that may be way off base.
the Jews do not read Proverbs 31:1 the same way that English translations put it --


דִּבְרֵי לְמוּאֵל מֶלֶךְ מַשָּׂא אֲ‍שֶׁר־יִסְּרַתּוּ אִמּוֹ׃

the word translated to English as 'prophecy' or 'oracle' etc. is the word massa, which is the name of a clan of Ishmaelites ((see Genesis 25:14)). there's no comma in the original text, so it could be read 'the words of king Lemuel of Massa that his mother taught him' with no punctuation, or by carefully adding commas, the meaning can be changed to 'the words of king Lemuel, the massa that his mother taught him'

here is a blog by a scholar making this case:
https://claudemariottini.com/2009/05/18/who-was-king-lemuel/

Interesting thing about James letter is the verse about patience prior to asking God for wisdom mentions 'her' ...who is she?

James 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.