Who is credited with writing the majority of Proverbs?

• A. Solomon
• B. Hezekiah
• C. Agur
• D. Lemuel

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is that Solomon is the primary author behind the collection. The book of Proverbs opens with a direct designation: these are the proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel. Throughout the book, many sayings are attributed to Solomon, and those are the portion that forms the bulk of Proverbs. A couple of notable exceptions exist: a section attributed to Agur (Proverbs 30) and a portion attributed to Lemuel (Proverbs 31:1-9). Additionally, the line about Hezekiah’s scribes copying out Solomon’s proverbs shows that later editors preserved Solomon’s material, but did not write it themselves. Solomon’s reputation for wisdom is the reason his authorship dominates the book, with the non-Solomon sections clearly identified as separate contributors.