Scholars and readers prize biblical wisdom literature, yet often overlook the social context of proverbs. Professor Darr shows how collections of sayings may obscure the roles proverbs played in other contexts. Focusing on the coarse adage uttered by Rehoboam’s younger advisors in 1 Kings 12, she will argue that the proverb functions strategically for those who utter it and serves the narrator’s “balancing act” between divine retribution and the price of political folly.

Dr. Katheryn Darr is Professor of Hebrew Bible at the Boston University School of Theology. She is the 1989 winner of Boston University’s prestigious Metcalf Award for Excellence in Teaching. To date, her writings and research have focused espe-cially on the books of Isaiah and Ezekiel. Her most current research project is a close study of proverbs appearing in ancient Israel’s prophetic corpus. She is the author of three books, essays and articles, as well as educational materials for the United Methodist Publishing House.