Veteran Old Testament scholar Tremper Longman combines a careful reading of Proverbs with theological insights.

"Can the Old Testament provide relevant principles for modern concepts of social justice? Today citing our human rights is used as recourse for anything and everything. Excessive use has corrupted a defining ideal of mankind. Williamson explores the meaning of Old Testament justice to discover its significance for us today. Concentrating on social justice he unearths the value and relevance of the phrase 'justice and righteousness'. Tracing this phrase and its context within and without the pages of Scripture Williamson elaborates an argument that passes from Abraham to Amos. He expounds a biblical ideal that he argues is not rooted in the legalistic Law of Moses, or necessarily an idealized history, but is a concept that is fluid, constructed in an organic appreciation for natural law. Williamson has written an engaging and highly articulate book that exposes the relevance of the Old Testament as a blueprint for a way of life; a mode of living that developed in accordance with the existence of the ancient Israelite. The ideal maintained a form, as derived from natural law that was applicable to all creeds and ranks, and therefore is potentially relevant for us today."

Western interpretations of poverty proverbs in the Old Testament Book of Proverbs have tended to see a status quo acceptance in the ancient texts, thus neglecting existential challenges of the poverty issue. In contrast, Lechion Peter Kimilike argues that African proverbial material on poverty may - when used comparatively to interpret the corresponding Old Testament poverty proverbs - create a more dynamic analysis. The author's new and thought-provoking interpretation suggests «an African transformational hermeneutic» that balances between the questions and methodology of the «global [i.e., western] guild» and the concerns of the African interpretative context.