He notes the importance of understanding the linguistic system used in a text in order to appreciate what kinds of meaning and representations of human and divine reality were made possible by the particular rhetorical vehicle (cf. McKane ( 1990:167) stated that 'what is said' could not be detached from 'how it is said' since the force of any discourse arises out of a blending of form and content separating the two would neutralise that force.Īlter (1985:4) perceives the necessity of the question as to the kind of language craft one encounters in a text for the heuristic process. It became apparent to him that the form in which a message was encoded and the content that the message communicated were inextricably interwoven.

In his hermeneutical thoughts, Ricoeur (1977:15) cautioned against the separation of the form and content of a discourse. 1 But should the book be read as prose or poetry, considering that the form of the language craft is vital in a hermeneutical inquiry into the biblical book of Proverbs? 2 On reading the biblical book of Proverbs one instinctively tends to regard the proverbs as a language craft. Five suppositions to support the presupposition that Proverbs is best read as poetry were considered. Should Proverbs be read as prose or poetry? Considering the language craft is of essential significance for a hermeneutical enquiry into the biblical book of Proverbs. Department of Old Testament Studies, Faculty of Theology, University of Pretoria, South Africa

What are pro verbs