Toward a Reading of Proverbs 30:1b: Tracing the Life of the Text in the Versions

Abstract Proverbs 30:1b presents one of the most intractable text-critical dilemmas in HB . Following Ronald Troxel’s suggestion that text criticism be reimagined as “a commentary on life text,” I suggest way forward reading Prov lies carefully engaging with versions a window its history. Emerging from this process, argue may have once read * לָאִיתִי וְלֹא אוּכָל , “I am weary and powerless.” Early on, however, was conflated another textual tradition proper name thus producing double reading. In time, scribes harmonized which then calcified MT The analogous biblical passages proposed text, while documented scribal practice lexical usage support it.