Engaging Hebrew Wisdom From a ‘Whole of Life’ Samoan Indigenous Perspective

A Reading of Proverbs 27:19

Abstract

The aim of this essay is primarily to show how the indigenous wisdom of Samoa, as part of the wider tradition of Pasifika indigenous wisdom, provides a valuable and transformative conceptual framework for understanding Wisdom in the Hebrew Bible. For the purposes of this essay, my key text is Proverbs 27:19, a proverb whose text appears to be deliberately ambiguous in form and content, which thus presents an interpretative conundrum for its readers. I argue that this interpretative problem can be resolved in a positive and life affirming manner when the proverb is approached by means of the ‘whole of life’ framework of Samoan indigenous wisdom. In conclusion, I suggest that this ‘whole of life’ framework, offers a viable and critical approach not only to reading biblical Wisdom texts but also texts of the Hebrew Bible as a whole.