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Bible Insights

Recurring Words from Proverbs

There are several words that appear with disproportionate frequency in the book of Proverbs—and with minimal representation in the rest of the Bible. They are:

  • Sluggard occurs 14 times in Proverbs and nowhere else in the Bible.
  • Prudent occurs 10 times in Proverbs and only twice elsewhere.
  • Simple is found 14 times in Proverbs and only six other times in the entire Bible.
  • Folly occurs 23 times in Proverbs and 16 times in the rest of the Bible.
  • Quarrelsome occurs 6 times in Proverbs and only one other time in the rest of the Bible.
  • Adulteress is mentioned 7 times in Proverbs and only 5 times elsewhere in the Bible.

Plus, there are some additional words that appear with surprising regularity in Proverbs:

  • Wisdom occurs 54 times in proverbs.
  • Path and paths are mentioned 29 times in Proverbs.

In upcoming posts, we will look at each of these words.

[The 1984 NIV version of the Bible was used in determining the number of occurrences.]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

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