This sheet offers a path exploring Jewish sociology by examining select social roles as described in the Jewish tradition. This project assumes that the prophets, poets, and scribes of Ancient Israel posessed a fine sense of sociology and anthropology as expressed through their observations of human life and interactions between different figures they encountered (evidence for the process of observation, assessment, and characterisation of human behaviour appears in Tanakh, see for example, Exodus 32:9, below). The specific focus in this sheet is to examine the role of the Mother in the Book of Proverbs and to draw a composite image of the role as a generalistic impression. To compile this sheet, I searched for every instance where the term 'mother' is used (this process thereby excludes the אֵֽשֶׁת־חַ֭יִל in Chapt. 31) and developed a composite sketch.
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר יהוה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה
רָאִ֙יתִי֙ אֶת־הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה
וְהִנֵּ֥ה
עַם־קְשֵׁה־עֹ֖רֶף הֽוּא׃
And the Lord said to Moses,
"I see this people
and, look,
it is a stiff-necked people."
The insight here is that the position of the Biblical observer (as a composite type, regardless of who is speaking in each specific passage) is akin to the sociologist or cultural anthropologist (see further by searching for "I observed" in Tanakh).
The Mother
The Mother of Proverbs is viewed as one who adores their child (4:3) (individual verses displayed further below) and is a primary provider of moral instruction (1:8, 6:20). She finds joy and pride in her child's success and disappointment and shame when they fail her expectations (10:1, 15:20, 19:26, 23:25, 29:15). The Mother deserves to have her children pay her special homage (30:17) and to respect her in her old age (23:22). In the setting of the royal court, the king's mother plays an important role in shaping and directing her son's behaviour toward his subjects (see Ch. 31:1-9 below).* Based on these passages, the Mother of Proverbs is viewed in relation to her only son rather than in relation to a daughter or to multiple children. Additionally, this son is either a king (as in Ch. 31) or at the very least, a man who requires training to function as an upstanding member of society (likely in a leadership role). From this we may characterise this role as The Leader's Mother (אמו של הגיבור) (see for example her appearance in the Song of Deborah, Judges 5:29-31, in the form of Sisera's mother). And with the exception of Proverbs 31:1-9, all the verses cited above concerning the Mother of Proverbs appears alongside the Father. But here we may suggest that the author observes a subtle division of labour being applied to moral instruction, i.e., a division of instruction. For example, in Proverbs 1:8 and 6:20, the instruction of the Father includes the terms mussar and mitzvah (disciplinary commands) while the Mother is described as offering torah (ethical instruction).
(א) דִּ֭בְרֵי לְמוּאֵ֣ל מֶ֑לֶךְ מַ֝שָּׂ֗א אֲֽשֶׁר־יִסְּרַ֥תּוּ אִמּֽוֹ׃
(ב) מַה־בְּ֭רִי וּמַֽה־בַּר־בִּטְנִ֑י וּ֝מֶ֗ה בַּר־נְדָרָֽי׃
(ג) אַל־תִּתֵּ֣ן לַנָּשִׁ֣ים חֵילֶ֑ךָ וּ֝דְרָכֶ֗יךָ לַֽמְח֥וֹת מְלָכִֽין׃
(ד) אַ֤ל לַֽמְלָכִ֨ים ׀ לְֽמוֹאֵ֗ל אַ֣ל לַֽמְלָכִ֣ים שְׁתוֹ־יָ֑יִן וּ֝לְרוֹזְנִ֗ים (או) [אֵ֣י] שֵׁכָֽר׃
(ה) פֶּן־יִ֭שְׁתֶּה וְיִשְׁכַּ֣ח מְחֻקָּ֑ק וִ֝ישַׁנֶּ֗ה דִּ֣ין כׇּל־בְּנֵי־עֹֽנִי׃
(ו) תְּנוּ־שֵׁכָ֥ר לְאוֹבֵ֑ד וְ֝יַ֗יִן לְמָ֣רֵי נָֽפֶשׁ׃
(ז) יִ֭שְׁתֶּה וְיִשְׁכַּ֣ח רִישׁ֑וֹ וַ֝עֲמָל֗וֹ לֹ֣א יִזְכׇּר־עֽוֹד׃ {פ}
(ח) פְּתַח־פִּ֥יךָ לְאִלֵּ֑ם אֶל־דִּ֝֗ין כׇּל־בְּנֵ֥י חֲלֽוֹף׃
(ט) פְּתַח־פִּ֥יךָ שְׁפׇט־צֶ֑דֶק וְ֝דִ֗ין עָנִ֥י וְאֶבְיֽוֹן׃ {פ}
1) The words of Lemuel, king of Massa, with which his mother reproved him:
2) No, my son. Oh, no, son of my womb, oh, no, son of my vows.
3) Do not give your vigor to women, nor your ways to destroyers of kings.
4) Not for kings, Lemuel, not for kings, the drinking of wine, nor for rulers, strong drink.
5) Lest he drink and forget inscribed law, and reverse the judgment of all wretched men.
6) Give strong drink to the perishing man and wine to those deeply embittered.
7) Let him drink and forget his privation, and his misery let him no more recall.
8) Open your mouth for the dumb, for the judgment of all fleeting folk.
9) Open your mouth, judge righteously, grant justice to the poor and the wretched.
* Translation from Robert Alter's (2018) The Hebrew Bible
Individual Verses
(ג) כִּֽי־בֵ֭ן הָיִ֣יתִי לְאָבִ֑י רַ֥ךְ וְ֝יָחִ֗יד לִפְנֵ֥י אִמִּֽי׃
(3) Once I was a son to my father, The tender darling of my mother.
(ח) שְׁמַ֣ע בְּ֭נִי מוּסַ֣ר אָבִ֑יךָ וְאַל־תִּ֝טֹּ֗שׁ תּוֹרַ֥ת אִמֶּֽךָ׃
(8) My son, heed the discipline of your father, And do not forsake the instruction of your mother;
(כ) נְצֹ֣ר בְּ֭נִי מִצְוַ֣ת אָבִ֑יךָ וְאַל־תִּ֝טֹּ֗שׁ תּוֹרַ֥ת אִמֶּֽךָ׃
(20) My son, keep your father’s commandment; Do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
(א) מִשְׁלֵ֗י שְׁלֹ֫מֹ֥ה בֵּ֣ן חָ֭כָם יְשַׂמַּח־אָ֑ב וּבֵ֥ן כְּ֝סִ֗יל תּוּגַ֥ת אִמּֽוֹ׃
(1) The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son brings joy to his father; A dull son is his mother’s sorrow.
(כ) בֵּ֣ן חָ֭כָם יְשַׂמַּח־אָ֑ב וּכְסִ֥יל אָ֝דָ֗ם בּוֹזֶ֥ה אִמּֽוֹ׃
(20) A wise son makes his father happy; A fool of a man humiliates his mother.
(כו) מְֽשַׁדֶּד־אָ֭ב יַבְרִ֣יחַ אֵ֑ם בֵּ֝֗ן מֵבִ֥ישׁ וּמַחְפִּֽיר׃
(26) A son who causes shame and disgrace; Plunders his father, puts his mother to flight.
(כה) יִֽשְׂמַח־אָבִ֥יךָ וְאִמֶּ֑ךָ וְ֝תָגֵ֗ל יוֹלַדְתֶּֽךָ׃
(25) Your father and mother will rejoice; She who bore you will exult.
(טו) שֵׁ֣בֶט וְ֭תוֹכַחַת יִתֵּ֣ן חׇכְמָ֑ה וְנַ֥עַר מְ֝שֻׁלָּ֗ח מֵבִ֥ישׁ אִמּֽוֹ׃
(15) Rod and reproof produce wisdom, But a lad out of control is a disgrace to his mother.
(יז) עַ֤יִן ׀ תִּ֥לְעַ֣ג לְאָב֮ וְתָבֻ֢ז לִֽיקְּהַ֫ת־אֵ֥ם יִקְּר֥וּהָ עֹֽרְבֵי־נַ֑חַל וְֽיֹאכְל֥וּהָ בְנֵי־נָֽשֶׁר׃ {פ}
(17) The eye that mocks a father and disdains the homage due a mother—The ravens of the brook will gouge it out, young eagles will devour it.
(כב) שְׁמַ֣ע לְ֭אָבִיךָ זֶ֣ה יְלָדֶ֑ךָ וְאַל־תָּ֝ב֗וּז כִּֽי־זָקְנָ֥ה אִמֶּֽךָ׃
(22) Listen to your father who begot you; Do not disdain your mother when she is old.
Leads for Further Research
- Consider the case of Samson's mother in the Book of Judges. Her wise advice is first demonstrated with her words spoken to her husband that God will not harm them (13:23). and later to her son (spoken jointly with her husband), directing Samson not to pursue the woman from Timnah (14:3), although in the second case, her advice is rejected.
- Mishnah Sotah 9:15: Speaking of social upheavel in the times before the Messiah’s arrival: ‘a daughter will rise up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.’ This is both an indication of social norms and roles (the Mother in position of authority over her daughter and daughter-in-law) and of potential for conflict in times of social change.
- Ezekiel 16:44 & Genesis Rabbah 80: The general saying: Like mother, like daughter. A casual view of the influence of mothers on their daughters (perhaps originally viewed as a statement of nature but from the biblical and rabbinic context it is about socialisation and behavioural choices?).