Social Justice Advocacy in the book of Proverbs and Its Implications for Nation Building

Abstract

The concept and practices of social justice portray a divinely ordained principle for a balanced human society. The biblical perspective on social justice emphasizes the importance of treating others with fairness, compassion, and dignity, and working towards creating a more just and equitable society for all. Through a historical and grammatical textual analysis which is embedded in exegetical and contextual methods, this paper examined the book of Proverbs 14:31;19:17; 21:13; 22:9 and 31:8- 9 which contains the advice of King Lemuel’s mother, urging him to peak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Findings from the study showed that there is an imperative call for the betterment of the cases of those the Hebrew Old Testament in Proverbs 31:8 called bane chaloph “group of the vulnerable”, “those that are dying”, “and those that are destitute”, “the unfortunate ones”, “those that are down-trodden”. While the imperative “open your mouth” appeared twice in verses 8 and 9, the Greek version of the Old Testament, known as the Septuagint used some fascinating Greek terms to identify those that need attention, the peneta “the poor” the asthene “needy” are the same people in verse 8 who are referred to as “group of the vulnerable”, “those that are dying”, “those that are destitute”, “the unfortunate ones”, “those that are down-trodden”. The paper recommends the contemporary society should realize that social welfare and social justice are Yahweh’s command for an ideal community. Hence, there’s a great call with emphasis for practical, functional and lasting social justice and social welfare schemes and advocacy that are consistent and unbiased.

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