In The Intellectual Tradition in the Old Testament (1974) Whybray questioned the common scholarly assumption that there was in ancient Israel a class of 'wise men' or intellectuals who controlled affairs of state and to whose interests and outlook we owe the biblical 'wisdom literature'.
Dalam The Intellectual Tradition in the Old Testament (1974) Whybray mempertanyakan asumsi ilmiah umum bahwa pada zaman Israel kuno ada satu kelas "orang bijak" atau intelektual yang mengatur urusan negara dan berkat minat serta pandangan mereka muncullah "wisdom literature" (sastra hikmat) dalam Alkitab.