Sages and Wisdom across Cultures: A Comparative Study of Tiv and Biblical Proverbs (Proverbs 1:8-33)

Abstract

God has given proverbs to every peoples of the earth to His glory, as a resource for acquiring wisdom. The Tiv people of North Central Nigeria too trained up their youth with words of the wise that they may shun evil and follow righteousness. Both Hebrews and Tiv proverbs aimed at training one to fear God and to love one’s fellow neighbor. This work as a literary study analyzed Proverbs 1:8-33 and was optimistic for the work of the sages in our contemporary societies as it alloyed the Hebrew sages and Tiv sages in training the youth to fear God and love his commandment. It also explained that wisdom is not given only to the Hebrew; hence, the Tiv sages also trained their youth with words of marble, admonishing them to hold onto truth and acquire knowledge that enrich the young in the fear of God. The research adopts “Oral Tradition as History” as its theoretical framework, since Tiv Proverbs were mostly oral wisdom literature. The research employed comparative and interpretive methods of research to get at its findings and came to the conclusion that all peoples of the earth have sages who with their wise sayings train up the child. Therefore, every works of the sages must cog towards training the child to fear God and love his neighbor. However, wise sayings without this end, no matter how good they are, may not lead one to a better life.