This book is a welcome addition to the increasing literature on the moral dimensions of wisdom books. Sandoval has previously focused more narrowly on economic issues (The Discourse on Wealth and Poverty in the Book of Proverbs, BIS 77 [Leiden: Brill, 2005]) but seeks in this volume to provide a fuller description of the moral thinking of Proverbs. It consists of two substantial parts: the case for seeing virtue ethics in Proverbs (chs. 1–9), and the implications of this for broader discussions (chs. 10–14).

The introduction carefully outlines the book’s approach: to analyze Proverbs “in the light of and in terms of virtue-oriented moral discourse” (p. 16).

He offers some helpful insights into why the ethical teaching of the book of Proverbs has been marginalized (pp. 24–28) but argues that Proverbs, with its robust creation theology, should not be regarded as “the theological outlier in the biblical canon that some have thought it to be” (p. 29). He provides succinct outlines of utilitarian, deontological, and virtue ethical theories (pp. 32–38) yet finds that many of the analyses of the ethical teaching of Proverbs are quite ambiguously expressed (pp. 38–46). While Sandoval is trying to explain the current neglect, I suspect that many readers will want to lightly flip through this material.

Sandoval rightly suggests that the prologue is the hermeneutical key for reading the book as a whole (e.g., p. 53). He undertakes a careful study of Proverbs 1:2–7 and finds here an outline of intellectual (wisdom, insight), practical (shrewdness, prudence), and especially social virtues (righteousness, justice, and equity). However, he also proposes that we need to develop some figurative modes of interpretation (as suggested by v. 6) and shows how the prologue informs the cause-and-effect rhetoric in the book (pp. 59–67). His treatment of the book’s anthropology explores what will lead to human flourishing, a very contemporary concern.

I found the most powerful chapter (ch. 4) argued for a focus on moral agents rather than actions. Here there is a very robust presentation of Proverbs’ emphasis on character types rather than isolated actions. The motif of the two ways is also significant here, as it concentrates on our fundamental life directions rather than our individual decisions. The negative characters in the book also alert the reader to the priority of virtue ethics (pp. 89–98). The overall goal is to create “virtuous agents, traveling desirable paths” (p. 98).

In chapter 5, Sandoval insists that there is room for discipline in our desires for wealth, sexuality, honor, and health, for the virtuous life is contented rather than insatiable (Prov 30:15–16). The concern of Proverbs is “that the desires of people who follow the paths of the wise and just be rightly tutored and trained into a life of virtue” (p. 143). Chapter 6 explores the connection between ethical and intellectual virtues, engaging here more overtly with Aristotelian virtues. While I found this less interesting, it did offer some useful insights on various proverbial figures.

At a popular level, many in today’s culture focus on the individual in the book of Proverbs. However, Proverbs makes it very clear that an individual cannot thrive apart from the community in which they are embedded. This is explored in detail in chapter 7, which highlights the importance of social virtues. Sandoval draws out the implications for social justice, with a focus on kindness to the poor, limiting strife, generosity, and friendship. Chapter 8 outlines the case for finding “practical wisdom” in Proverbs, often evident in our speech (but sometimes in our silence), while chapter 9 describes the limitations of the idea (it does not always work and provides no clear moral exemplar), especially in relation to justice.

Part 2 has a more diverse range of topics, exploring “several key texts and interpretive questions in the light of part 1’s claims” (p. 15). It includes a study of wisdom influence in Amos (or at least its intertextual connections with Proverbs). Chapters 11–12 argue in detail how the competing ideas of character and creation can be mediated by a notion of natural law (in a virtue ethic sense) in the cosmogony of Proverbs, followed by a worked example (Prov 8:22–31). I did not find the mythological reading of Proverbs 8, significantly dependent on the Amun tradition in Egypt, to be persuasive.

Chapters 13–14 rightly outline wisdom as a multi-faceted idea—whether as practical skill and know-how, as everyday shrewdness, as knowledge (or even esoteric understanding), or as morality. However, I am less convinced that the insights on practices from Alasdair MacIntyre help us in a major way. Sandoval argues that Proverbs was addressing young males in a position of privilege, and so some of its teachings should be reconsidered in our different context today (though he understands this in terms of trimming a few branches rather than chopping down the tree, p. 347).

In the conclusion, Sandoval argues for a refining of Proverbs so that women, slaves, and the poor are able to fully thrive. He finds the picture of the woman of Proverbs 31 to be partially fruitful but needing revision for our current context. Many evangelical readers of this journal may have reservations about some of the positions Sandoval outlines in his conclusion, but that should not prevent us from learning much from this valuable book.

I appreciated the occasional use of non-Western scholars (e.g., pp. 11–13) and the less-Eurocentric term, “ancient West Asia” (e.g., pp. 239–40). I especially appreciated part 1 and found that the more he focused on the text, the more compelling was his argument. However, I would like to have seen the motif of the heart explored in more detail in the description of the moral agent. I confess that my interest waned when he concentrated on MacIntyre and Aristotelian scholarship. Indeed, I wondered if it might have been an even more useful book if it only consisted of part 1. Part 2 dealt with more esoteric or boutique matters, of less interest to most readers, and could have been published in journals. Yet, that is a minor matter. The focus on virtue ethics in the books constitutes a clear and necessary challenge to OT ethicists who view their discipline as primarily concerned with teaching about actions and goals. Room must be made for Proverbs’ strong focus on the importance of character for OT ethics.