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10 0 5 INTR O D U CT I O N TO WI S D OM

INTRODUCTION

TO THE BOOK OF

WISDOM

Th e book en titled 'The Book o f Wisdom' by the Vul ga te is k nowrr in the

G reek man u scrip ts a s 'T he W isdom of So lo mon' . It s first sec tio n de fines th e

function o f wisdom in ma n' s d estiny and comp a res th e fat e o f th e go od a nd

t he bad d u ring life an d a ft e r, ch . 1-5. T he sec ond sect ion , 6-9 , treat s of the

o r igin an d nat ur e o f wisd om a nd o f how it is to be wo n. T he las t sec t ion,

ch. 10-1 9 , ce lebrates th e pa rt pla yed by W isdom a nd by G od in the h isto ry

of t he ch osen pe o pl e a nd , if we except a br ief in trod ucti on , in o ne s ing le bu t

cr itica l eve nt in th a t histo ry, th e deliverance from Egypt. T h is th ird sect ion

co ntains als o a long and ex haus tive d igressio n on idolatr y, ch . 13-15.

T he au thorsh ip is at t ribu ted to So lomo n who , t hough no t nam ed , is clearly

ind ica ted in 9 :7-8 ,12 . Th e speake r is re pr esent ed a s a king, 7:5: 8:9-15, add ressing

h is fell ow kings, 1:1 ; 6: 1-11,2 1. It is ev iden t , however, tha t thi s is a literar y

d evice ; as wit h Ecclesias tes an d the So ng of Songs, t his wisd om book isp ub lished unde r the patro nage of the name bo rne by Isra e l' s g reates t sage.

A nd indeed t he who le book is written in G ree k (including th e first sect ion,

ch . I-5 , wro ngly supposed by so me scho la r s to ha ve been o rigina lly w rit ten

in Hebrew ). T he un ity of a u thorship is apparent in the c losely knit co m position

o f th e bo ok a nd a lso in t he co nsistency o f a lite rary style which is supple an d

express ive a nd , whe n need a rises, or at orical.

T here is no doubt th a t the a ut ho r is a Jew : he is d e vot ed to ' t he Go d o f the

fa t h er s ', 9:1, and proud to belon g to 't he ho ly people', a 'b lam eless race', 10: 15.

But he is a hellen ised Je w. T hat he dwe lls on t he events o f the Exod us,

co nt ras ts Egypt ia ns wit h Isra elites a nd a ttacks a nima l wo rship shows th at he

lived in A lex and r ia, chief cit y o f th e he llenisti c wo rld und er th e Pto le rnies a nd

home of so many Jew s o f the D ispers io n . W he n the a utho r qu ot es Scripture

it is fro m th e Se pt uag in t, t he G reek versio n tha t cam e from these circles . Helived, therefore, a fter thi s versio n was mad e bu t befo re Phi lo of A lexand ria

(20 B.C.- 54 A .D.) of whose work he kn ow s noth ing : it seems that he wro te

to wa rds the m iddle o f th e Ist centu ry B.C.

T he a ut ho r is writ ing fo r h is fe llow Jews who se fait h is shak en by the attract ion

o f th e cu l tura l life o f A lexandria, its impo si ng philosophical systems, its ad vance

in the phys ica l sc iences, its fa scinating mystery religions, a strology, Hermet ic

do c t rines, it s sed uc tive pop u lar cults . Nevertheless, he ha s th e paga n s in mind

too, hop ing to lead them to G od the lover o f a ll men ; cer tain remarks and

tu rns of ph rase be tray th is int en t ion . But th e intent ion rem ai ns a sec o nd a ry

o ne ; t he book is very muc h mo re concerned wit h safegu arding Jews th an wit h

co nc ilia ti ng pagans.

G ive n th e author 's ci rcum sta nces, his cul ture an d his purpose, it is no t

su rp r is i ng tha t h is wo rk ha s mu ltiple co n t ac ts wi th G r ee k th oug h t. T he signi

fic a nc e of these, however , m us t no t be exa ggerated . His hellen istic ed ucation

provided him wit h a ran ge of abstract te rms a nd an ea sy fami liar ity wit h

pr ocesses o f a rgument bey on d the ca pac ity of the Hebrew vocabu lary a nd

syntax. To thi s same education he owes severa l philosoph ical te rms, ca tegor ies

o f cl a ss ifica tion an d acad emi c to p ics. But thi s re stricted a nd superficia l

dep enden ce does no t mean in tell ectua l co mmi tmen t: th e a ut ho r borrows only

to give expressio n to id ea s de r iving from th e O ld Te st ame n t itse lf. O f the va rio us

sch oo ls o f philosoph y an d of a str o log ica l spec ula t io ns he p ro ba bly knew no

mor e than the aver age cultured ma n of his own place and t ime .

T he a ut ho r is neither a phi losopher no r a theo logia n: he is a typ ica I sage of

Israel. Lik e the wisdom wr ite rs befor e him he commend s wisdo m, born o f G od ,

obta ined by pra ye r, mai n spring of a ll th e virtu es, so urce of eve ry good . But

he o ut strips h is predeces sor s, adding to the sum o f thi s wisdom th e most recen t

ac hieveme nt s of huma n knowledge, 7: 17-21 ; 8:8. Th e problem o f retri buti on ,

for so lo ng the st udy of the sages, ef. Introduction to Wi sd om Books, find s its

so lut io n in this book . T he a utho r ma kes use o f the Plat o nic dis tin ct io n of bod y

from so ul , c f. 9: 15, a nd o f th e doct r ine of th e immorta lit y of th e so ul to proc la im

tha t G od has made ma n imp er ishable, 2:23, and t ha t incor rupti on is th e rewa rd

o f wisd om a nd the wa y to Go d , 6: 18- 19 . T h is life is on ly a pr ep ar ation for

a not her in wh ic h th e vir tuo us live with G od an d the wicked ar e punished ,

3:9- 10.

l l rs d octr ine o f G od 's attrib ute, W isdom , is t radi t ional. Wisd om was act ive

in t he who le work o f c rea t io n a nd W isd om ca r ries h isto ry to its goa l. T hequ a liti es a ss igned to Wi sd om a re fro m ch . II onwa rd s attribu ted to Go d

him self, b ut thi s is bec a use W isdom a nd G od in h is fu nction or wo rld ruler ar e

th e same th ing . Wi sdom , howeve r, is 'an emana tio n or th e g lo ry o r the

A lmigh ty . . . a re flect ion of t he et ernal ligh t. . . a n image of hi s go od ness'

7:25 -26, a nd is ther efore di stinguish ed from Go d . T he a ut ho r, it see ms , go es

no fu rt her than t he o ther wisdo m writer s her e , cf. Intr odu ctio n to W isdom

Book s : it d oc s not a p pe ar that he g ives Wi sd om an existence o f its own: but

t he who le pa ssa ge o n the na ture or Wisdo m, 7:22-8:8 , is a ste p forward in th e

expression or the t rad it io n a l id ea s a nd a deepe r pe rce pt ion o r them. It is no t

su rp r i sing th at th e New Te sta ment d raw s upo n this passage lo r its theo lo gy

oft he Wo rd' Co l. 1:15-16 : Hcb 1:3, a nd espe cia lly St Jo hn,.I n I passim: 3:16-17:

5:20 .

T he au tho r was no t the first to make a su rvey of Israe l' s hi sto ry . Ben Sira

had been befor e him , Si 44-50 , c f. a lso Ps 78, 105 , 106, 135, 136; but h is o r igin

a lity em erge s in two way s. In the first place he look s for exp lan a t io ns o f the

fa ct s a nd o utline s a re ligiou s philo so ph y o f h isto ry beh ind whic h lies a fresh

in te rpr eta tion of the texts : so , for examp le, hi s d isqu isiti on on th e moder a t io n

tha t G od exe rc ised toward s Egy pt an d Ca naa n, 11:15- 12:27. Second ly, and

more signi fica nt ly, he manipula te s the bib lical nar rati ve in the int er est s o f hi s

the sis. In ch. I (1- 19. a susta ined con tra s t between th e fortun es or Egy pt ia n and

Isr ae lite , th e au t ho r fills o ut the na rrat ive wit h ima gin at ive e leme nts , d ra ws

toget her ep isodes which in e lTect were d iscon nec ted, makes the fac ts more th an

lifcsizc. A ll th is is an ex ce lle nt example of rnid rash, the exege t ical method

pr actised la ter by th e ra bbi s.

T astes have cha nged an d t he Boo k o f W isdom has lost its o rig ina l impact ,

but its first sect io n, ch . 1-9 , ha s much to o ffer the C hr ist ia n mind , a nd th e

litu rg y ha s mad e generous use of it.

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100 7 W I SDOM 2:5

CIl

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5:91 C h 29:15Jb 8:9 : 14:2Ps 39:6 :

144:4

006 : 12 :8:13

Ps 102:3

3b 18:17- 190 0 1:11: 2:

16 : 9:5f

Jb 7:9

2:9

Pr 8:36

Is 28:15

Si 14:12

J b 14:1-2+Ps 39:4-60 0 8:8

Jb 7:9 +

p, Th e 'god less ' here a re primari ly re negade and

nrc tltantc Jews who persecut e t heir fello ws and defy

God : t he naa ans. however , a re not excluded.II. Lit. ' to be long to his portion ', T he wicked are

t he 'por t io n' o f Dea th , as Israel is th e port ion o f God,Dt 32:9 : Zc 2:16-:2 M 1:26. a nd as G od is the 'p ort ion'

of th e fait hful SOUl. Ps 16:5 : 73:26 : 142:5.2 a , Pess imi stic verdi ct : the author ha s jus t comr a

d ieted i t, ~ b, O r poss ib ly 'who has re tu rned ' , in which case

Ha de s (Sheol ) wo uld mean . as in Rv 1:18, t he dwe lling

place of thc dea d , Nb 16:33-, fro m which there is no

re turn , J b 7:9 I ,a nd no lon ger t he powe r of per sonifiedDea th as in 1: 14 and Rv 6:8.

c. A llus ion to ancient t heo ries on the origin of

t hought. •

His view of the crea tion is basically onrimis tic. T he

uni verse as created by God was harm onio us. cf. G n l ,

ami co ntai ned ne ithe r dea th nor harmfu l anima ls. Thec rea tion enjoyed peace such as Isa iah saw renewed in

the mess ianic fu tu re , Is 11:6 + , Go d is t herefore no t

the ca use of ev il o r of dea th. whic h do no t howeverp roceed fro m any independent p rincip le. Ma n by his

s in has sp oi led the orde r of t he wor ld and int rod uced

the sup r em ed iso rder, death. as the nega tio n of Go d'screa tive ne t. cf'. G n But the only rea l and ir reparable

dea th is that o f t he wicked , that is to say, of tho se inwhom sin is nur sed and ca ll cont inue its fata l work . Thev irt u ou s man rema ining fai t h fu l to G od ' the lover of

life' , 11:26. suffers o nly an app arent dea th : immorta lityis in s tor e for him . S t Paul, Rm 5: 12-2 1.t-., cf. I Co 15:

35-37, will elabora te thi s doct rin c . intr odu cing theant ithes i s of t he o ld sinful Ad am an d the new sa ving

Adam : St Jo hn wil l speak of dee th' s de s tru ct ion on theda y of jud gemen t, si n' s agents being condemned to the

' seco nd deat h' , Rv 1 21:4,8,m. God , ' He-who-is' , Ex 3: 14 +, ca use d a l l thi ngs

10 "be ' ,n. ' il ad es' , the lI ebr. Sheol , N b 16:33 + , here

repre sen ts not t he dwe lling place of the dead but the

powe r o f nersonifled Death , cr. Rv 6:8: 20:14.0, T he man who pract ises ' virtue ', cr I: I+. is

ass u red o f immo rt a lity. Vet. La t. add s ' but injustice

(vice ) is t he obta ining of death ' ,

'Our life is shor t and drea ry, "

nor is there any relief when ma n' s end comes,

no r is anyone known who can give release" from Hades.

By chance wecame to birth,and after thi s life we shall be as if we had never been.

The breath in our nostrils is a puff of smoke,

reason a spark from the beating of our hea rts :«

put thi s out and our body turns to as hes,

and the spir it melts away like idle a ir.

In time, our nam e wi ll be forgotten,

nobody will remember what we have done;

our life will pass away like wisps of cloud ,

dissolve like the mist

that the sun 's rays dri ve away

and the hea t of it overw helms.

Yes, our days are the pass ing of a shadow,

from ou r death the re is no turning back,

the seal is set : no one returns .

I JI . By ·..Irt ue' (G reek dikuiosune, Hcbr. svdea .

'rigbrc u usuess". ' justi ce") is to be: u nd er stoo d perfec taccord o f minJ anJ act wit h t he divi ne will as mani fes ted in the p recep ts o f the Law and the injunct io ns of

conscience.

b . To ' jwJ ge' is t he pr imar y fun criou of eovernmcnt.By a li tera ry fiction the author poses as So lomon ,

9:7-S,12, ad dr essinu hi s fel low kings ; in fac t he isadmonishing his Jewish cor nnat r to ts thre ..n cncd by their

puaa n surroundtuus.c , 'Sec k G od ' is a recur rent prescript ion in pro

phctic an d wisdo m literature, d . Am 5:4 + ,d , T he body is not evil i n i tself bu t may become

the ins t rum e nt of si n and t hu s dominate the so ul.Sr Pa ul. Rill 7:14-24, and St John, >- :34, give au t hor i

ruu ve express ion \0 thi s idea.e, Var. ' the ho ly spirit of Wisdom '. Reference to

the d ivine power d irecting man 's life : t he tex t finds its

hig hest a pp lica t ion , however , in the Hol v Spirit,

J n 14:26.r. Tex t o bscure , Lit. ' is co nfut ed ". ' th wart ed ' .

g. 'Wisdom is a spirit' ; va r. ' T he spi rit o f wisdo m'

h. Lit. ' kid neys'; co nside red the cent re of the emo-t ion s a nd of ins tinct ive impu lse , Pr 23:16 ; Ps 16:7 :

73:2 1; J b 19:27: in the ' hea rt' is locali sed co nsciousact ivity o f intel lect ami o f will. ' Hea r t" and ' kidneys'

arc frequent ly asso cia ted. Ps 7:9: 26:2 : Jr 11:20 ; 17:10 :20: 12; Rv 2:23, to ~ ' a ll man ' s inn er fo rces,

i , A phra se from the Stoic voca bu lary, emphas ising

the func tion o f the sp i ri t o f the Lor d which maintain st he cosmos in un ity (cr . the pa n as cr ibed to C hrist,

Co l I :17 : Heb I:3). The notion is new: t h e 0 ,'1' knewGo d as sole creator . G n I r ; Is 4-2:H r- . bu t h a d con s ide red his activit y i n t he universe onl y from the po int of

view of omniscience and ubiqui ty, Am 4:13: 9:2-3 :

Jr 23:24 : I K 8:27: Jb 34:21-23: Ps 139:7- 12 : Si 42 :18-20.i. Li t. ' ha s knowle dg e o f sounds ' , T he li tu rg y of

Pentecost applies th is text to the "gift of to ngues' ,

Ac 2:2-4.k . Wit h God a nd his providen ce .I. The au thor is th inkin g simulta neou sly of phys ical

and o f sp iri tu al dea th which ar e inte rco nnected ; s in isthe ca us e of dea th , and physi ca l d eat h fo r t he s inne r is

a lso spiri t ua l and ete rn al deat h. Th e thou ght of theauthor moves imperc epti bly from o ne to the o ther,

Life as the godless see it

But the god less" call with deed and word for Death ,

co unti ng him friend, they wear themselves out for him,

with him they ma ke a pact,

and arc fit to be his partners. q

Fo r they say to themselves, with their misguided reasoning:

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THE BOO K OF

W ISDOMI. W IS DOM AND MAN'S DE STI NY

seek ing God and rejecti ng evil

Love virt ue," yo u who are j udges on earth , "

let honesty prompt yo ur thinking about the Lor-d,

seck himr in simp licity of hea rt ;

since he is to be found by those who do not put him to the test,

he shows himself to those who do not distrust him.

But selfish inten tions d ivorce fro m God;

and Omnipotence, put to the test, con fou nds the fool ish.

No, Wisdom wi ll never make its way into a craft y sou l

no r stay in a body tha t is in deb t to sin ;,1the holy spir it of inst ruction " shu ns deceit,

it stands aloof from reck less pu rposes,

is ta ken aback/ when iniquity appears.

Wisdo m is a spirit, " a frie nd to man ,

though she will not par d on the wo rds of a blasphemer,

since God sees into the innermost parts of him,"

tru ly observes his heart ,

and listens to his ton gue .

The spirit o f the Lo rd , indeed , fills the who le wo rld.

and that which hold s all things toget her ! knows every word that is said )

The man who gives vo ice to injust ice wil l never go unnoticed,

nor sha ll avenging Just ice pass him by.For the god less man's de liberat ions will be examined,

and a repo rt o f his words will reac h the Lordto convict him of his crimes.

There is a jea lous ca r that overhea rs everyt hing,

no t so much as a murmur of complaint esca pes it.

Beware, then , of comp laining about no thing,

and keep your tongue from find ing fault ;"

since the mos t secret word will have repercussions,

and a lying mou th dea ls death to the soul.

Do not court deat h by the er rors of your ways ,

nor invite dest ruction through yo ur own actions.

Death' was not God 's doing,

he tak es no pleasu re in the extinction of the living.

To be-for this he created a ll ;m

the world's crea ted things have hea lth in them,

in them no fata l poiso n can be found,a nd Had es" holds no power on ea rth;

for virtue is undying . Q

PI' 22: 12S i . 9: 19

11:20J \IS 10: 1

7: 23Pr s:3 tI"t ~

lteb 4: lJ

J r 11:20 '

Jos 10: 1 1lfd 3

On

2 e ll 15:2P r ~ : 17

Dl 29: 19

Ps 5 1: 12R ill S; I-l-

PI' H 36

2:23-24 ;11:24 :

12: 1Ps 145:9

Ez k 18:32 :33:1111011 :9In 8:4'"

Ex 15:2..J Ps I X: 19

Ps lJ9 :7-12J r 23:2 4...1('2:4

3:4 ;- ; 3:15 :15:3

Rm 7:24 : H:2



2:6 WISDOM 10 0 8 10 09 WI S D O M 3:15

The destinies of good and bad men compared

The godless gravely mistaken

T his is th e way th ey reason, bu t they a rc misled ,

their mali ce makes them blind .

T hey do no t know t he hidde n thi ngs o f God ,

th ey have no hop e that holiness will be rewarded,

they ca n see no reward fo r blame less so uls.

Yet G od did mak e man imperish abl e,

he made him in the image of his ow n nature ; «

it was the dcv il' s envy tha t br ought de a th into the wo rld, "

as those who ar e his partner s will discover .

Better be barren than have godless children

Blessed the barren woma n ' if she be blameless,

she who ha s known no guil ty bed ;

her fruitfu lness will be see n at the scr uti ny of souls. '

Blesse d, too , the eunuch" whose ha nd has com mitted no crime ,

who has con templated no wrong agai nst the Lord;

fo r his loy alt y spec ial favour will be granted him ,

a most des i rab le portion in the temple of th e Lo rd .'

F o r t he fruit of hones t labou rs is glo rious ,

a nd th e roo t of understandi ng does not decay.

If they experienced punishment as men see it ,

the ir hope was r ich with imm or ta lity;"

sligh t was their affliction, great will thei r blessings be.

Go d ha s pu t th em to the testr

an d proved them wor thy to be wit h him ;

he has tested them like gold in a fu rnace,

an d accepted th em as a holoc aus t.

When the time comes for his visitat ion" t hey will shine out ;

as sp arks run th rough th e stubble, so wi ll they. '

They sha ll judge nati on s, rul e over peop les,

and the Lo rd will be thei r king for ever.T hey who t rust in him will und erstan d th e tr uth,

those who a re fa ithful will live with him in love;"

for grace an d mercy await those he has chosen."

But the godless wi ll be dul y puni shed for thei r reas oning,

for neglecting the virtuous man and deserting the Lo rd .

Yes, wretched are th ey who scorn wisdom a nd dis cipline:"

their hope is vo id,

their toil unavailing,

t heir ach ievements unprofitabl e ;

the ir wives a re reck less,

th eir ch ildren depraved,

th eir descendants accursed.

ow

1:15 :2 :23 + ;6:18

Rm 8:182 Co 4:17

Jb 23:10Ps 17:3 : 26:2Pr 17:3

6:20Dn 12:3M II 3:43

Ps 149:7fDn 7:27I Co 6:2

Rv ; :10: 20:4-6Pr 28:5I Co 13:121 I n 3:2

4: 1Is 54:1

Heb 13:4

Is56:3-7

Ps 16:5-6

1:15 : 2:23

12:1 IPs 109:9-10Si 4 1:5-6

b. This wor d , appearing here in th e O.T . for the

first time. gives p hi losophica l exp ression to the hope

of th e Psa lmis t who co uld no t res ig n h imse lf to the loss

of in t imacy with Go d th rough death. Ps 16: 10 + . Theresur recti on o f the body , 2 M 7:9 l- is not env isaged

here.c. So rrow tests and purifies the vir t uous . Ps 66:10:

119:75 : Pr 3 :1 1-IZ: Tb 12: 13; Z M 6:12- 17: 7:32-33:

I Co 11:32 : Heb 12:11.d. Lit . ' in the day of their visita tion' . cf. Ex 3:16 ';".e. Svmbol lslng t he rrturnnh of Israe l over all ene

mies . who perish like s tub ble in t he fire. Is 1:3 1 (LXX );

J r 5:14: z, 12:6 : MI 3: I9.C K nowledge and love together co ns t it u te the

happ iness of t he faithful . cr In 15:9f: 17:3,26 .g , ' thos e he has chosen' va r. 'sai nts ' . Add 'and for

his sa ints a reward' .h. T he wisdo m in Quest ion is prac tical : life dir ected

by wisdom. hence vir tuous. It is achieved by di scipline.

1:5: 2: 12: 6:17: 7:14.i. Steril ity was considered a dtser ace or a punish

men t. fe rtilit y was a s tgn of God's blcsslng : to the

barr en but virtuous woman is he re ascribed a spiritual

fr ui tfu lness.I . Lit. 'she will have fruit in the visltauon of so uls '.

' Yi sttut ion ' here. cf . 3:7-i-, mea ns the da y of Judgement,

ch 5.k . Eunuchs were excluded from the com munity of

Israel. D t 23:2.I. r.e. in heaven .

d vu lg. adds ' le i no meadow be f r ee of our excesses' .

e. Sa rcasm: the 'vi r tuous man' ( the faithful Jew) is

'poo r' despite the prom ises o f scr ipture. Ps 37:25:i 12:3 : Tb 4:21: Pr 3:9- 10 : 12:21. etc.

r. The very persons whom sc ripture bids us res pect

and defen d .g . Literary influence of Is 3:10(LXX) .

h. Boa st of t he fait hfu l Je w. cr. Rm 2:17-20.l . Echo of the opinio n of the ancient wor ld on the

Jewish peo ple as separ a ted fro m th e rest of mankind

by thei r be liefs and behaviour .J. Pos sibly alluding to the story o f Jo b. 42:12-15.

cr. Jm 5: II . On the ea rt hly reward o f the virtuous, see

Introduction to Wisdom Books .k . VUhL ' Let us observe wha t happens to him. and

we shall knowwh at sort of end he himse lf will have' .I. l .e . the loya l Alexandr ian Jew s derided and per

sec u ted by renegades and the ir pagan a l lie s. I n thispa ssage Chr istian trad it ion sees a foresh ad owing of the

Pass ion of Chris t, the esse ntially Virtuous. an d the

ta rget for the hat r ed o f s inners. Heb 12:3. cf . Mt 27:43 .m . ' na ture' : va r . 'etern ity'. ' likeness ' .

n. 'dev il" in t he LX)( rend ers the Hebr. Sa ta n.cf. J b 1:6+ . Here the aut hor is inter-pret ing G n J.d . Rv 12:9 : 20:2 : I n 8:44 : I I n 3:8 . Th e deat h in trodu ced by the devi l is sp irit ual. wi th physical deat h as

Its co nsequence. cf. 1:13+ : Rm 5:12f.

3 a, No t. as in Is 57:2 : Jb 3:I7-HI. freedom fro msu ffering but possession of all good in intimacy wit h

God, VV . 7-9.

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2 1

23

24

'C ome then, let us enjo y what good things there ar e,

use this crea tion wit h th e zest o f yo uth:

tak e our f ill of the dear es t w ines and per fum es,

let not one flower of spr ing t ime pas s us by,

before they wither crow n ourse lves with roses."

Let non e of us forgo his par t in o ur o rgy ,

let us leave th e signs o f our revelry everywhere,

this is our por t io n , th is thc lo t assigned us.

' As for the virt uo us man who is poo r,' Ict us op press him ;

let us no t spa re th e widow ,

nor respect o ld age, white-ha ired wit h man y yca rsJLet our strengt h bc th e yar dstick of virtue,

since weak ness a rgues its own futility.

Let us lie in wa it for th e virtuous man , since he a nnoys US "

a nd o ppo ses our way of life,

reproaches us fo r our breaches of th e law

and acc uses us of playin g fa lse to our upbringing.

He cla ims to have kn owledge of G od,"

and ca lls himself a son of th e Lo rd .

Befo re us he sta nds, a rep roo f to ou r way of thinking,

th e very sight o f him weigh s our spirits down ;

his way o f life is not like other men 's,

th e pat hs he tr e ad s a rc un familiar .'

In his op inion we a re co unterfeit;

he holds a loo f fro m our doings as tho ugh from filth ;he proclaim s the fina l end of the virt uou s as ha ppy/

a nd boa st s of having Go d for his father.

Let us see if what he says is t rue,

let us o bserve wha t kind o f end he himse lf will ha ve"

If the v irt uo us ma n is G od's so n, God wi ll tak e his pa n

and rescue him from th e cl utches o f his enemies.

Let us test him with cruelty a nd with torture,

and thus ex plore this gent leness of his

and put his endurance to the proof.

Let us co n demn h im to a shamefu l deat h

si nce he wi ll be loo ked a rter-w e ha ve his word fo r it ."

But the so u ls o f the virt uous a re in the han ds of God,

no torme nt shall ever touch them .

In the eye s of the unwise, they d id a ppea r to di e,

th ei r going looked like a d isaster ,

th eir leaving us, like a nnihila tion;but they a re in peace."

3

Is Z2:13I Co 15:3Z

r l ? ~ 2 Is 5 1: 16JIl 1O2S

4:17

M l 5:1 1

I n 5: IH

Ps S:5

G n 1 26 I·2 P IA

5:4

5:INc 9:26

Ex 22:2/ j

Lv Z5:35-37

Lv 19:32

12:16Si 5:3

Is 52:13Jr I I : 19 ;

20:10- 13

M1 23: 26:3-4

I n 5: 16. 18

M1 I I:Z7

5:5

Lk 22:70

1:16Is 57:6

5:4Es t 3:H.13Jc

Ps 22:X.»Mt 27:43

Gn JIn H44Rm 5: 12

Is 57:2

Is 53:7MI26 :67

68 : 2 7:12f

Is 5:1I :Z2: I3



3:16 WISDOM 101 0 l O l l WI S D O M 5:12

m. 'Ad ultere rs' mea ns either renegade J ew s, o r

Jews married to pagans, or else ad u lterers in the litera lsense of the wor d, whether Jew or pa gan.4 a. Lit. ' they imit a t e' ; var. ' t h ey hon our ' .

b. The metap hor of the games an d the victo r's

crown is elabora t ed in the N.T ., I Co 9:24+.c. Lit . 'a t t heir exa mination ': e ither at t he j ud ge

ment or whe n they are pun ished on earth; whe therthe pro nou n refers to par ents, ch ild ren, o r bot h, is

uncert ai n.d . Happ iness a nd lon g life on ear th were considered

the reward of the virtuous, D t 5: 16; 30:20; Ps 21:4;23:6 : 91:16: Pr 3:2; Si 1: 12, etc . His ear ly dea th se t a

p robl em to wh ic h the aut ho r of Ws gives the fi na lanswer. Cf. Introduction to Wisdom Books.

e . Lit. ' the peo p les': var. ' others' .

12: IISi 16:4

3, 13Si 16:3

Pr 1 0,7

5, 16

Si 23:25:40,15

Ps 5M,9

3,3 ·Is 57:1-2Jh s:»Dn U :50

Si25:4-6

Pr 16:31

Gn 5:24Si 44: 1 (1Heb J 1 5

Is 57: I

is 57:1

3:2S i 4:12

Ps 37:1.\:5tJ xPr 1:26

4

The

But children of ad ulterers , m these shall have no future,

the o ffspring of an unlawful bed must vanish.

Even if they live lon g, they will count for nothing,

thei r o ld age will go unhonoured at the last ;

whil e if they die ea rly, they have neither hope

no r comfort on the day of doom .

Yes, harsh is the fa te of a race of evil-doers .

Bet te r to have no children yet to have vi rt ue,

since immorta lity perpetuates its memory

and God and men both think highly of it.

Present, we imitate i t,"abs ent , we long for it;

crowned, it hold s triumph thr ough eternity,

having st riven for blameless prizes and emerged the victor . «

But the swarming brood of the god less sha ll bring no advantage ;

offsp ring of basta rd stock, it will never strike deep roots,

never put dow n firm foundations.

Bran ch out for a t ime they may;

but , fra illy rooted , they will sway in the wind,

be torn up by the vio lence of the storm;

hard ly grown, their branches will be snapped off,

their fruit be useless,

too un ripe to ca t,

fit for nothing.

Fo r child ren begotten of un lawful intercou rsewit ness, when God ju dges them ,' t o the wrong the ir parents did .

premature death of the vi rtuous man"

The virtuous man, though he die before his time, will find rest.

Length of day s is not what makes age honourable,

nor number of years the true measure of life ;

underst and ing, this is man 's grey hairs,

untarnished li fe , th is is ripe old age.

He ha s sought to please God. so God has lo ved him ;

as he was living among sinners, he has been taken up.

He has been ca rried off so that evi l may not warp his understandi ngor t reachery seduce his sou l;

for the fasc inati on of evil throws good things into the shade,

and the whir lwind of desire corrupts a simple hea rt.

Coming to per fection in so short a whil e, he achieved long life ;

his so ul being pleas ing to the Lord ,

he has takcn him quick ly from the wickedness aro und him.

Yet peop le- lo ok on, uncomprehending ;

it docs not ent er their head s

that grace and merc y awa it the chosen of the Lord,

and protect ion , his holy ones.

T he virtuo us man who dies co ndemns the godless who survive,

and youth's untimely end the protracted age of the wicked.

T hese peopl e sec the wise man's ending

with out und erstanding what thc Lord ha s in sto re for him

or why he has taken him to sa fety;

they loo k on and sneer,

but the Lord will laugh at them .

Soon they wi ll be corpses without honour,!

16

17

1R

19

20

4

1010

11 II

12

13

14

12

15

16

17

1M

19

Virtuous

5

objects of scorn among the dead for ever.

The Lord will dash them down headlong, dumb.

He wil l tea r them from their foundations ,

t hey will be utterly laid waste,

anguish will be the irs,

and their memory shall perish.

men and godless at the judgements

They will come trembling to the reckoning of their sins,

and their crimes, confronting them, will accuse them .

Then the virtuous man stands up boldly

to face those who have oppressed him ,

those who thought so little of his sufferings.

And they, at the sight of him, will shake with cowards' fear,

amazed he should be s av ed so unexpectedly.

Stricken with remorse, each wi ll say to the other,

sa y wi th a groan and in distress of spi rit:

'T his is the man we used to laugh at o nce,

a butt for ou r sarcasm, fools tha t we were!

Hi s l ife we regarded as madness,

his ending as withou t honour.

How ha s he come to be counted as one of the sons of God?

How does he come to be a ss ig ned a p la ce among the saints?"

Clearly we have strayed from the way of truth ;

the l ight of justice has not shone for us,the sun b never rose on us.

We have left no path of lawlessness o r r ui n une xplored,

we have crossed deserts where there was no tra ck,

bu t the way of the Lo rd is on e we have never known.

Arrogance, what advantage has thi s brough t us?

Wealth and boasting, what have these conferred on us?

All those th ings have passed like a shadow,

pas sed l ike a fleet ing rumour.

Like a sh ip tha t cuts through heavi ng waves -

leav ing no trace to show wher e it has passed,

no wake from i ts kee l in the waves .

Or li ke a bird flying through the air

leaving no proo f o f its passing;

it wh ips the light air with the stroke of its pinions,

tears it ap ar t in its whirring rush ,drives its way onward with sweeping wing,

and afterwards no sign is seen of its passage.

Or like an arrow shot at a mark,

C T his verse , wh ich for th e mo st part d raws on

Is 14:4-21, describes the lo t of the wicke d after death,eit h e r i n t his wor ld or the next.

g. Description of t he un iversal Iudgement : un like

MI 2 5:31-46 , t he aut ho r is les s i n terested in the pro

nou nc lng o f the s en tence than in the sta te of sou l of

the sinners. T heir confessio n. Ws 5 :4-14, i s i n mar ked

co ntras t to wha t they used to say , 2:1·20. Their punishment is des cribed in ap oca lypt ic terms, 5:17-23 . In

5:15-16 the fa te of the virtuous. a lready described in3:1-9, is brie fty ment ioned.5 a . 'S onso f God' and 'sa ints' may mean t he angels,

Jb 1:6 t-: 2:1, but he re mo re probably the elect .ef. Ws 2,13.16.18.

b. The sun of vir tue, cr MI 3:20+ : I s59:9.

Ac 1:18

Mt 13:43

2:10-20

2' 15

2,20

2,13

Col 1:12

Pr 21:16

Ps 119:105

2:5J b 9:25-26

Pr 30:19

(J

W



I

5:13 WISDOM 1012 10 13 WI S D O M 6:23

The

12:8Dt 10:17

1:1 6Ps 2:10S;)3: 19

Ps 8:5

Pr 8:15-16

1 Ch 29:12Dn 2:21-27In 19:11Rm 13:1

ow

SI 14:9: 51:23f

Pr 4 :7

I n 14:15

3:4 +

Pr 1:20-21:8:2-3

S l 1 5:2I s65:1-2.24l Jn 4:10

3:7-8 : 5:16

7:13Jb 28

Pr 8:34Sl 6:36: 39:5

8:2Jr 29:13- 14

Pr 8:17S16:27MI7 :7-llpJn 14:21

J b 3 4:17-194S135:12f4

)b 31:15Pr 22:2

d . These Inillatlves on the part of Wisdom foreshadow 'prevenient grace, cr, In 6:44-46: 10:3.26-27;Ph 2:13; I In 4:19.

e . Love Impltes obe d ience. Ex 20:6 : Dt 5:10: 7:9 :

SI 2:15 : In 14:tS .21. etc,f . v v, 17- 20 a re a syllogism of linked propositions

(8 'sQltes') thou ghsomewha t freely sta ced.g. Vula:.ad ds 'Lo ve the l ight of Wisdom. a ll you

who govern neuone', v, 23.h. Who restricts the secrets o f mystery re ligions.

14:23. or the findingsof philosophy, to a few init iates.

of Sisera's soldiers.J 8 5:21. The unteashinKof noocs IS

a symbol of great disasters, P, 18:4+ .6 • • Y uh): begins this chapter with an addition:'Wisdom is bet ter chan strength, the prudent man bettertha n the mlllhty·. This add l lion Is v. 1 In VUIK.

b. Th li s Moees, Nb 20:12. Da vid . 2 S 24:1l).17.

Hezeklab.2 K 20: 16-19. etc,c. Or 'examined' .

he does not stand in awe of greatness,

since he himself has made small and great

and provides for all alike;

bu t strict scrutiny awaits those in power .

Yes, despots, my words are for you ,.

that you may learn wha t wisdom is and not transgress;for they who observe holy things holily will be adjudged holy,

and, accepting instruction from them, will find their defence in them.

Look forward, therefore, to my words;

yearn for them, and they willinstruct you.

sought is WiSdom found

Wisdom is bright, and does not grow dim.

By those who love her she is readily seen,

and found by those who look for her.Quick to ant icipate those who desire her, she makes herself

known to them."

Watch for her early and you will have no trouble ;

you willfind her sitting at your gates .Even to th ink about her is understanding fully grown;be on the alert fo r her and anxiety will quickly leave you.

She herself walks abou t looking for tho se who are worthy of her

and graciously shows herself to them as they go,

in every thought of theirs coming to meet them.

Of her the most sure beginning is the desire for discipline,

care for discipl ine means loving her,loving her means keeping her laws,'

obeying her laws guarantees incorruptibility,

incorruptibility brings near to God ;thus desire for Wisdom leads to sovereignty."If then, despots of nations , you delight in throne and sceptre,honour Wisdom, thus to reign for ever. g

c . Vulg . adds 't his is what the si nners say in hel l"

and counts this addition as v, 14.d. 'SDray' ; var. ' hoarfrost" or 'spider's web' ,e . Or 't he ir recompense is in the Lord' . who Is

the ir 'portion', Ps 6 S 73:26; cr.Ws 3: 14r. The fate of sinnersseems to be described interm s

of the great apoc a lyp t ic battle at the en d of lime,Ez k 38-39: Is 24-26 ; Rv 20:7-10. with its concomilantuniversal upheaval. cr, Am 8:9+ .

e . On the 'sword' of God . er, I s49:2: Ezk21:8-9:He b 4:12: Rv i:16: 19:15.

h. Storm Is the traditionali mage of divine Interventio n . c f. Ps 18:7-15 ; Ex19: 16 + .

I. As i n t he days of t he Exodus period. Ex 9:23-25,and Joshua. Jos 10:11 . and in the v arious judaemerttaor God foretol d b y the prophets. Is 28:17; Ezk 13 13;38:22 . cr Rv 8: .7 1 1:19: 16:21.

J. As at the crossing of the Reed sea. Ex 14:26-30,and in the theophany of Ps 18.

k , As the torrent Kishon carriedaway the corpses

Solomon sets out to describe Wisdom

What Wisdom is and how she came to be, I will now declare,

I will hide none of the secrets from you ;

I will trace her right from the beginningand set out know ledge of her, plainly,

no t swerving from the t ru th .Neither will I take blighting Envy as my travelling companion,"

WiSdom

2224

14I S

192020212122

17J8

232S

15J6

1617

18J9

12J3

I IJ2

10JJ

1314

89

910

19202021

13

15J6

222J

1718

1819

16J7

14JS

2122

2324

34

4S

the pierced air closing so quickly on itself,

there is no knowing which way the arrow has passed.

So with us: scarcely born, we have ceased to be;

of virtue not a trace have weto show,

we have spent ou rselves on wickedness instead.>

Yes, the hope of the godless is like chaff carried on the wind,

like fine spray" driven by the gale;

it d isperses like smoke before the wind,

goes like the memory of a one-day guest.

But the virtuous live for ever,their recompense lies with the Lord, '

the Most High takes care of them.

So they shall receive the royal crown of splendour,the diadem of beauty from the hand of the Lord ;

for he will shelter them with his right handand shield them with his arm.

/For armour he will tak e his jealous love,

he will a rm creation to punish his enemies;

he will put on ju stice as a breastplate,and for helmet wear his und issembling judgement ;

he will take up invincible holiness for shield,he will forge a biting sword- of his stern wrat h,

and the universe will march wit h him to fight the reckless.

Bol ts truly aimed, the shafts of lightning will leap,"and from the clouds, as f rom a full-drawn bow, fly to their mar k ;

and the catapult will hurl hailstones' charged with fury.The waters of the sea wi ll rage against them, 'the rivers engulf them without pity.«

The breath of Omnipotence will blow against themand winnow them like a hurricane .

So lawlessness will br ing the whole earth to ruin

and evil-doing bring the thrones of the mighty down.

duty of kings to cultivate wisdom

"Listen then, kings, and understand;

rulers of remotest lands, take warning;hear this , you who have thousands under you r rule,

who boast of you r hordes of subjects..

Fo r power is a gift to you from the Lord,

sovereignty is from the Most High;

he himself wil l probe you r acts and scrutinise your intentions.

If, as administrators of his kingdom , you have not governed justlynor observed the law,

nor behaved as God would have you behave,he wil l fall on you swiftly and terribly.

Ruthless judgement is reserved for the high and mighty; b

the lowly will becompassionately pardoned,

the mightywill be mightily puni shed."For the Lord of All does not cower befo re a personage,

II. THE O RIG IN , NAT URE AND EF FECTS OF WISDOM

HOW IT IS TO BE HAD

Is 30:27-28

I s62:11Jm 1:12

16:17

Ps 7: 12-13:18:14

Lv 17:1 +

J b 2 0:8Ps 1:4I s29:5

Ps 37:20 :68:3

6:20I Co 9:25 f-

4:2Pr 4:9Is 28:5

Ps 7:10

Is 59:16-17 +

16:24 : 19

Ep 6:15

}



6:24 W I SDO M 10 14 10 15 WI S DOM 8:1

Solomon a man like o th er men

frl

Ps 102:26.27: 104 :30

» In 1:9.»Co l 1:15. Heb 1:3

.In 1:5 :16:33

1:6-10

Ex 24:16 fS124:3

Heb 1:2-3

7:12: 8:4.6:9:9: 14:2

Pr 8:22 -31+

Jm 3:17

9:11

for t he theology o f t he T rin ity : they a re resum ed by

St Pau l and St Joh n a nd a pp lied 10 Christ. the Inca rnate

Wo rd and Wi sdom o f Go d; see the texts Quot ed

Pr 8:22 1 . It shou ld a lso be noted th at thi s doc trineof Wisd om Ri ve s r ise not on ly to a theology of t heWor d b ut to a theo logy of the Spi rit. cf . Is 11:2 -1.

of the sa nct ifying Spir i t . the inspira t i on o f the prop hets.

t he so urce of knowledge and unde rstand ing in the

world . The author ill time s seems even to identifyWis dom wit h the Sp irit. d. 1: 6: 9: 17 a nd the variant

in 7:22. He Rves them common a ttr ibutes: ubi nultv.d . 1:7: 12:1 wit h 7:24: 8: I : ho r ro r o f sin. cf. 1:4 with 1:5.

Mo re par ticular lv. he cr ed i ts Wisd om wit h fu nctions

th at many O.' !' . te xt s a tt ribute to the Sp iri t: (hegu idance of men. Jb 32 :H; Ps 51:10; 143:10. a nd of

kings . Is II :2. ar t ist ic, Ex 31:3. and p roph etic inspira

tion , I S 10:6 , etc . Even so. Wisdom. a nd not theSn irt t, holds the foreground of the a uthor's specula tions,

and from Ju sti n onwards Christ ia n tr adition in itsdevelopment of trtnltarian doctrine has a lmost a lways

iden tified the Wisdom of this passage w it h the Word .I . Var . ' she is with in herself'. The aut hor now

Ilsts twenty-one att ributes of Wisdom : the mo s t p erfect

of perfect num bers (3 X7).k . In the O.T. God is never called ' light',

d . 1 Jn 1:5 : Jm 1:17: but light accompa nies h im,

Ex 24:17. cf. Ex 24: 16 1- ; Ezk 1;27; Hab 3:4; Ps 50:3:

104:1-2: Is 60:19-20. S c J n 1 - I. Like Abraham, Is 4 1:8 : 2 Ch 20:7 : Jm 2:23.

c f. I n 15:14-15.

87 a. Te n lunar months.

b. LiL ' th a t suffers the sa me fa te' (from a ll) .

c. 'ure": var. ' th e wor ld'.d . Fam ilia r dictum of wisdom literature: Pr 3:

14- 15 : 4:7 : 8: 10.11.19: 16:16 : Ps 19:10 : 119:72.127:

J b 28:15-19.e . 'mother '; var. 'source',

f. 'ac quire it '; va r. 'ma k e use of i t ' .

g . To desc ribe . vv 17-21, Solomon's ex haustivekno wledge, cr. I K 5:9-14, the aut hor credits him wit h

maste r y of the p roblems investiga ted by the hetlenist lcschoo ls o f the a ut hor's own day.

h. Demo ns , t o wh om t he a ncients. Jew and pagan,

asc ribed cons iderable influence over the wor ld .

i. The pea k of D .T. specu la tion on Wisdom. hererep resen ted as a person , cf. Pr 8:22 + . T he au thor

excels his predecessors in th e ran ge of his vocabulary(he us es . t hough not techn ically. te rm s ta ken from

G reek phil osoph y). but more s ignific antly in his grea ter

emphasis on the divin e character of Wi sd om. Heror ig i n is descr ibed. vv. 25-26. by images ind icating th at

she has a share in what she pr oceeds from ; several ofhe r Quali ties. omnipo tence. vv, 23.27. sanctity and

immu tab il i ty. vv. 22.25. a re exclusive ly divi ne. Her

mission is to men. v.27.cf. 9:10 . ' pene trat ing a ll spir its'.v. 23. and 'passing Into holy souls'. v . 2 7. She has a part

in gove rning the un iverse. 8:I . as i n i ts creation. 7:12.21;8:6. She is lo ve d b y God as a br i de . 8 :3 . A ll these

attributes make thi s eulo gy of W isd om a prepa ration

In p ra ise of Wisdom'

Fo r within her is ; a spi ri t intelligent, holy,

unique, manifold, subtle,

active, incisive, unsullied,

lucid, invulnerable, benevolent, sharp,

irresistible, beneficent, loving to man,

stead fast, dependable, unperturbed,

almighty, all-surveying,penetrating all intell igent, pure

and most subtle spiri ts ;

for Wisdom is quicker to move than any motion ;

she is so pure, she pervades and permeates all things.

She is a breath of the power of Go d,

pure emanat ion of the glory of the Almighty ;

hence nothing impure can find a way int o her.

She is a reflection of the eternal light,"untarn ished mirror of God' s acti ve power,

image of his good ness.

Although alone, she can do all ;

herself unchanging, she makes all things new.

In each generation she passes into holy souls,she makes them friends of God' and prophets;for God loves only the man who lives with Wisdom .

She is indeed mo re splendid than the sun,

she outs hines al l the constellati ons;

compared with light, she takes first place,

for ligh t must yield to night ,

but over Wisdom evil can never triumph.

She deploys her strength from one end of the ear th to the oth er,

ordermg all things for good.

28

29

30

26

27

24

25

23

2 1 All that is hidden, all that is plain, I have come to know,

inst ructed by Wisdom who designed them all.

22

I I

10

14

17

16

13

12

19

20

2420

18

2527

4

15

for she has nothing in common with Wisdom.

In the greatest number of wise men lies the world's salvation,

in a sagacious king the stability of a people.

Learn, therefore, from my words; the gain will be yours.

Like all the others, I too am a mortal man,

descendant of the first being fashioned from the earth,

I was modelled in flesh within my mother's womb,

for ten months" taking shape in her b lood

by means of virile seed and pleasu re, sleep 's companion.I too, when I was born , drew in the common air,

I fell on the same ground that bears us all, b

a wail my first sound, as for a ll the rest.

I was nurtured in swaddling clothes, with every care.

No king has known any other beginning of existence;

for a ll there is one way only into life,' as out of i t.

7

Solomon's respect for Wisdom

And so I p rayed, and unde rstanding was given me;

I ent reated, and the sp irit of Wisdom came to me.

I esteemed her mo re tha n sceptres an d th rones;

compared with her, I held riches as nothing.

I recko ned no priceless stone to be her peer,

for com pared with her , a ll gold is a pinch of sand,and beside her silver ranks as mud."

I loved her mo re tha n health or beauty,

preferred he r to the light,

sinee her rad iance never sleeps.

In he r company a ll good things came to me,

at her hands riches not to be numbered.

All these I delighted in, since Wisdom brings them,

but as yet I did not know she was their mother.'

What I learned without self-interest, I pass on without reserve;

I do not intend to hide her riches.

For she is an inexhaustible treasure to men,

and those who acqui re it! win God's friendship,

commended as they are to him by the benefits of her teaching.

The appeal to divine inspiration

May God grant me to speak as he would wish

and exp ress thoughts worthy of his gifts,

since he himse lf is the guide of Wisdom,

since he directs the sages.

We are indeed in his hand, we ourselves and our words,

with all our understanding, too, and technical knowledge.

It was he who gave me true knowledge of all that is,"

who taug ht me the str uc tu re of the wor ld and the properties

of the elements,

the beginning, end and middle of the times,

the alternation of the solstices and the succession of the seasons,

the revoluti on of the year and the positions of the stars,

the na tu re s of an imals and the instincts of wild beast s,

the powers of spirits" and the mental processes of men,the var ieties of plants and the medical properties of roots.

Jb 12:10Ps 3 1:15Qo 9:11Si 10:5

7:21: 8:5-6

I K 5:13

I K 2:2

6:22

s: 6:19Lk 12:33

Is60; 19-20

I K 3:13:10:21fSi 47 :18M,6:3 3

Jb 2B:17

Ps 11:14

Pr 29:4Si 10:1-3

9IK3:6-9. 12:

5:9-14Si 47:12-17

Gn 2:7Ps 1 39:13-16

Si 17: IJh J():IO -r



11

8:2 WIS DOM 1016 10 1 7 WISDOM 9:12

A prayer for Wisdom"

but knowing I could not master Wisdom" but by the gift of God

-a mark itself of understandi ng, to know whose the bounty was-

I turned to the Lord and entreated him,

wit h al lmy heart I said:

ow

7:23

Ex 24 :16 1

2 S 7:1 31 K 5: 19Si 47: 13

Pr 2:6

Ba 3:38

Ps 86 :16:116:16

8:4

7:2 1Pr 8:22-31 I·

Pr 8:27. 305 i 1:1Ba 3:29

I K 3:6-9

SI 42:15 +

10:2

G n 1:28+

7:7

Si 1:1Jm 1:5

h. Vuln. wron gly transla tes ' I co u ld no t remai n

chaste".

9 a. Comp os ite p rayer: e lemen ts ta ken fr om the

h istoric pr aye r of So lomo n. I K 6 ~ 2 C h 1 ide a s commo n in the Wi sdom literatu re ; the author 's

own re nccuons . vv. Be 14- IH et c.

b. l .c. . a ll the ancesto rs of Isr -ael. espe cia lly the

pa tria rchs. G n 32:10 : 2 Ch 20:6, including Da vid ,

I K 3:6 : I Ch 28:9 : 2 Ch 1:9.

c . Or ' d ispense jus tice'.

d , In pr eference !O Abs a lom o r Ado nll uh. 2 S 3:2-5 :

1 K 1:5.28-31.

e. Eit her heaven. the t rue temple of God. Ps II :4 :18:6: Rv 3: 12, or a heaven ly pr o totype of th e Te mp le

in Jeru salem . He b 8:2.5 : 9:23; Rv 8:3-4; 11: 19 : 13:6 :

14:18: 15:5. o r else t he tabernacle bui lt by Mos es to

the snectncauons of Ya hweh , Ex 25:9.40 : 26:30.

r. I.e. by her powe r, cr . Rm 6:4. Or ' keep me inher glory'.

p re-emi nen ce to t he bod y, a nd emphasises the super

iorit y of t he sou l.

'For I am your servan t, son of your servi ng maid,

a feeble man , with l ittle time to live,

with small unders tanding of justice and the laws.

Indeed, were anyone perfect among the sons of men,if he lacked the Wisdom tha t comes from you. he would still

coun t for nothing.You yourself have chosen me" to be king over your peopl e,

to be judge of you r sons and daughters.

You have bidden me build a temple on your holy mount a in,

an alta r in the city where you have pitched your lent,

a copy of that sac red tabernacle' which you preparedfrom the beginnin g.

With you is Wisdom, she who knows your works,

she who was present when you ma de the world;

she understands what is pleasing in your eyes

and what agrees with your commandments.

Despatch her from the holy heavens,

send her fo rth from you r th rone of glory

to help me and to toil with me

and teach me what is pleas ing to you ,

since she knows and understa nds everything.

Shewill guide me prudently in my undertakings

and pro tect me by her glory."

Then a ll I do will be acceptable,

'G od of our ancestors, b Lord of mercy,

who by your word have ma de a ll th ings,

and in your wisdom have fit ted man

to rule the creatures tha t have come fro m you,

to govern the wor ld in holiness and justiceand in hones ty of soul to wield authority,'

gran t me Wisdom, consort of your throne,

and do not reject me from the number of your children.

8 a . T h e f o ur virt ues of th e G reek philo sophers . the

'ca rd inal virt ues' o f Christian theo lo gy , 'V i r tue ' at

th e begin ning of thi s ver se tra ns la tes dikutosune,

cr. I :1 + ; the sam e word is re nde red ' justice' later in

the verse.

b. ' Max ims ' a nd ' ridd les'; mor a l a phor isms in

deliberately ob scure term s. Cf. Pr 1:6 ; S l 39:2-3;

Ezk 17:2:,JR: 14:12. Solomon was a mas ter of this ar t ,

I K 5:12: 10: 1-3: 00 12:9 : Si 47:15-17.

c . Extraord inar y even ts by whic h God disp lays h is

power and declares h is will : m iracl es .

d . The co urse of his tory. Thi s description of

Wi sdom' s 'w ide expe r ience ' co mplete s th e p ic tur e of

7:17-2 1.

e. Vulg. adds 'a nd the face s of pr inc es will adm ire

me' .

r. Ge stu re indicating silence . Pr 30:32: Si 5:12,

especia lly respect ful, admirin g silenc e. M t 7:16 : Jb 2 1:5:

29:9; 40:4.

g. Th is text does not ass e rt th e pre-exist ence of the

sou l as it mi ght seem if iso lat ed fro m its context: itamends the phr as ing of v , 19. wh i ch seemed to give

9

10

11

12

21

4

II

10

12

13

16

14

15

17

18

19

20

From Wisdom comes all that is desirable

She it was I loved and searched for from my youth;

I reso lved to have her as my bride,

I fell in love with her beaut y.

Her closeness to God lends lust re to her noble birth ,

since the Lord of All has loved her.

Yes , she is an initiate in the mysteries of God ' s knowledge,

making choice of the work s he is to do .

If in th is life wealth be a des irable possession ,

what is more weal thy than Wisdom whose wor k is everywhere?

Or if it be the intellect that is at work,where is there a greater than Wisdom, designer of all?

Or if it be virtue you love,

why, vir tues a re the fru it of her labours,

since it is she who teaches temperance and pru dence,

justice and fortitude;«

nothing in life is more serviceable to men than these.

Or if you are eager for wide experience,

she knows the past, she forecasts the future;

she knows how to turn maxims, and solve ridd les;"

she has foreknowledge of signs and wonders ,'

of the unfolding of the ages and the times."

Wisdom indispensable to rulers

I therefore determined to ta ke her to share my life,

knowing she would be my counsellor in prosperity,my comfort in cares and sorrow.

Th rough her, r thought, r sha ll be acclai med where people gat her

and honoured, while still a youth, among the elders.

r sha ll be reckoned shrewd when r sit in judgement,in presence of the great I sha ll be admired. '

They will wait on my silences,

and pay attention when I speak;

if I s peak at some length , they will lay their hand on their lips '!

By means of her , immorta lity sha ll be mine,

I sha ll leave an ever lasting memory to my-successors.

I shall gove rn peop les and nations will be subject to me;

at the sound of my name fearsome despots wil l be af raid;

I sha ll show myself kind to my people and valia nt in battle.

When r go horne I shall ta ke my ease with her,fo r nothing is bitter in her company,

when life is shared wit h her there is no pai n,gladness only, and joy.

Solomon prepa res to ask for Wisdom

Inwardly revolving these thou ghts,

and consider ing in my heart

tha t immor tali ty is found in being kin to Wisdom

pure contentme nt in her friendship,

inexhaustible riches II I what she does,inte lligence in the cult ivation of her society,

and renown in the fellowshipo f her conversation ,

I went in all di rect ions seeking by wha t means I might make her mine.I was a boy of happ y disposition,

I had received a good soul as my lot ,or r at her, being goo d, I had entered an undefiled body; g

6:12-16

sr 15:2

Ps 112:6Si 39:9

I K 5: 1

9:9Pr 8:27·30

7:12

7:2 1+

Pr 3:17-18Qo 1: 18

Jb 29:9s: 15:5-6

1 K 3:7f

I K 3:16-28

1 K 5: 14 .2 1; 10:4-

9



III. WISDOM AND GOD IN HISTORY

Adam to Moses

The fat her of the world, the f irs t being to be fashioned,

created a lone," he had her for his protecto rand she de livered him from h is fault;"

she gave him the strength to subjugate all things.'

Bu t when a sinner" in his wrath deserted her ,he perished in his frat ricidal fury .

When because of him' the earth was drowned, it was Wisdom

again who saved it,piloting the virtuous man! on a pal try piece of wood .

Again, when, concurring in wickedness, the nations had been

thrown into confusion,

it was she who singled out" the virt uous man, preserved himblameless before God

and for tified him against pity for his child. .

It was she who, while the godless perished, saved the virtuous man"

as he fled from the fire raining down on the Five Cities,'in witness aga ins t whose evil ways

a desolate land st ill smokes,

where shrubs bear fruit that never ripens

and where, monument to an unbelieving soul, ther e stands a pillarof salt.

For, by neglecting the path of Wisdom,

not only we re they kept from knowledge of the good,

they actua lly left the world a memoria l of their folly,

so that their crimes might not escape not ice.

But Wisdom delivered her servants from their ordeals.

The virtuous man,! fleeing from the anger of his brother,was led by her along straight paths.

She showed him the kingdom of God

and taught him the knowledge of holy things.She brought him success in his toil

and gave him full retu rn for al l his efforts ;

she stood by him aga inst grasping and oppressive men

and she made him rich.

ow

Ex 7-12Ps 135:9-10

18:3Ex 3:2 1

Ex 13:21-22 +

DI18: 15.\8;34:10

Ho 12: 14Dr 32:JO

Ex \ 7:1-7N b 20:2-\3

Ps 105:17 -22

Ex 15

Ps 8:2M12 1:16

Ex 14:21-29

18:1Ex 19:6 +

Gn 4\ :40-44

Gn 37-39

Gn 32:25-3\Ho 12:4-5

G n 31:23-29 :32-33

11=4

Adrn ah . Zcboiim. Zoar, cr.Gn 19:25 + .I. Jacob.

k . Since she wins over God himself. Reference tothe 'wrestlin g wit h God ' o n the ban ks of t he Jabbok.

I. Josep h .m. ' holy and blamel ess' because the chosenpeop le.

cr. Ex 19:6 " , The author choo ses to d isregard Israel'sac ts of infid elity . un like Ps 106 : Ac 7:2453.

n. Moses. cf. E x 3 :12: 4:12;7: 1.

o . T h is plura l stands for the pharaoh.

n. T he aut hor artrtbutc s 10 Wisdom what Ex says

of God pres en t in the cloud .Q . Acco rdin g 10 Jew ish tradit ion the Israelites

despo i le d the dead Egyp tians of their weapons.

r . As God hud Ioowned Moses' roneu c for h im to

sp eak to Pharaoh . Ex4: 10; 6:12.30 . so he now loosens

the to ngues of the lsruelit es. for h is pra ise .11 a. Moses, Nb 12:7 + ; Dt 1l'l15+ ,

b. God. Hencefor th. Wisdom is not mentioned

(excep t in 14:2.5). yieldi ng pla ce to Go d. to his breath

(or sp irit ), 11:20 : 12:1 . t o h is word. 12:9 : 16: 12 : 18: 15.

to his ha nd. 11:17; 14:6: 16-15: 19:8 . t o h is ar m. 11:21:

16: 16.c . Th e author d oes not me nt ion the ' gr um bling ' o f

the peopl e . c f. 10:15+ . In the bib lica l narrative. it is

WISDOM

She guarded him closely from his enemies

and saved him from the traps they set for him.

In an arduous str uggle she awa rded him the prize,

to teach him that piety is stronger than all.k

She did not forsake the virtuous man when he was sold,'

but kept him free from sin;

she went down to the dungeon with him;

she wou ld not abandon him in his chains,

but procured for him the scep tr e of a kingdom

and authority over his despot ic masters,

thusexposing as lia rs those who had traduced him,and giving him honour everlast ing.

Exodus

A holy peo ple and a blameless race, m

th is she delivered from a nation of oppressors.

She entered the soul of a serva nt of the Lord,"

and withs tood fearsome kings" with wonders and signs.

To the saints she gave the wages of the ir labours;

she led them by a marvellous road;

she herse lf was the ir shelter by dayand their sta rlight through the night."

She brought them across the Red Sea,

led them thr ough that immensity of water,while she swallowed their enemies in the waves

then spat them out from the depths of the abyss.

So the virt uous despoiled' the godless; q

Lord, they exto lled your holy name,

and with one accord pra ised your pro tecting hand ,

for Wisdom ope ned the mouths of the dumb

and gave speech to the tongues of babes. r

At the ha nd of a holy prophet" she gave their actions success.

They jou rneyed through an unpcopled wildernessand pitched their tents in inaccessible places.

They stood firm aga inst their enemies, fought ofT their foes.

On you / they called ' when they were thirsty,

and from the rocky clifT water was given them ,

Da vid.

h. The ter ms arc remi niscent of Pla to bu t th e

met aph or is no less bi blica l . s ee Jb 4:19 (cf. 2 Co 4:7)

and Is 3H:12 (cf. 2 Co 5:1.4). T he ant ithesis betweenbody and SPirit is elabora ted lat er by Sr Pau l. Go. 5: 17;

Rm 7: 14-25 .-i. Vulg . joins the beginning of v, 18 ( 0 v . 17 ('if

I he pat hs , . had not been s traightened .. . and if

mcn . ' ). an d continues 's ince b y Wisdom . Lord . a ll

have b een saved who hav e pleased you from the

bc uinnina' .

10 a, T he mean ing seems to be tha t Adam held a

unique pos i ti on in creation.

b . Hy rcncmancc and ato nement (the common

opinion of co ute rnporarv Juda ism).

c . After his sin. Adam is thus stilllord of creation

an d receives the power to be th is : a n ew development

on Gn 1-3.

d . Cai n.e. I .e . o f h is descendant s, Jewish tradi tio ns empha s

ised thei r wickedness.

f. Noah. cf. ( , n 6:9.

/.: UI "kn ew' . in the biblical se n se , I.e . thou ght

hiuhly of. loved : reference to the choosing of A braham,

h. Lot.i . The

five 'c i ties of the plain ', Sodorn

, G oma r rah ,

11

The

101 9

IX

zo

2 1

19

\ 5

16

17

14

13

12

15

16

14

13

18

17

4

I I

10

1018ISDOM

I sha ll govern your peop le justly

and shal l be wort hy of my father's" throne.

'W hat man indeed can know the intentions of God?

Who can divine the will of the Lord?

The reasonings of mor tals are unsureand our intentions unstable;

for a perishable body presses down the sou l,

and this t en t of clay weighs down the teeming mind ."

It is hard enough for us to work ou t what is on earth,

laborious to know what lies within our rea ch;

who, then, can discover what is in the heavens?As for your inte ntion, who could have lea rn t it, had you not

gra nted Wisdom

and sent your holy spirit f rom above?

Thus have the paths of those on ear th been straightenedand men been taught what pleases you,and saved, by Wisdom."

9: I 3

From

10

Gn 4:8- 13

Ps 51:12

14:6-7G n 6:9 ;11:1-9

9a 4:4

Rm 11:341 Co2 :16

Gn 19:1+

Is 55:9

In 3:12

MI II :27

0132:32

Gn 19:26

G n 27:43

(I n 12: 1-3

Jb 4:19Is 38:12Rm 7 :14.25 +2 P 1:13

9:2Gn 1:26.28

Gn ~ 1 P 3:20-21

G n 22:1-19

Gn l92 P 2:6-8

Gn 28: 10-22

G n 29:1 : 31:16



11:5 W I S D O M 102010 2 1 WISD OM 12 :1 2

cw

DI 12:31:18:lOf

14:23Lv 18:21+

11:17- 19

11:23 : 12:2

Am4:6

3:12 .19Gn 9:25

6:7: 11:23 "Ps78:39:103:14

Ex 23:28 -1

Jb 9: 12Is 29: 16Jr 49:19Rm 9:19-23

Nb 33:51-56D ' 20:16-18

Dt 11:12

Ezk 18:23+ :33:1 I

c«2:7 +

1\:23 : 12:101b 34:29

Am4:6 +

Lk 15:7

unp unished

H20. locusts ,1 0:12-15.n. Cr. 12:23 : 16:1 : 18:4 and Ps 7 :14-16: 57:6:

Pr 1:31 : 5:22.

0 , P latonic expression (Timaeus Sla) . bu t the idea

differs pro foundly . T he au t hor is no t tea c hi ng t hat

ma tt e r i s e ternal. bu t nresumablv think ing o f how the

world was organised Font chaos. (I n I .

P. O r ' lhat docs nor eve n li p t h e scales' ,

Q. T he thought IIf vv , 23f is no t new to Israel but

it had never before been expressed SII powc rfutlv . norso serenely or so !o j ically araucd as in vv . 25-26.

r . Lit. ' Inver of the soul".

12 a . The breat h o f life infused int o t he creat ures by

God. (i n 2:7+, not t he sp i ri t . t hc sou l o f the wor ldin Stoic philosophy, 'v ulg , trun slut cs inaccururcly'H ow gou d a nd kind , Lord . is you r sp i r i t in a ll bci nes':

b. There is no evidence M ca nnibal ism in Cu nnunthough it W;lS prucuscd by o ther ancient ncontcs.

c. T he au thor burrows churucterisucs or lhchcllents tic nwstcry rcli uions to describe the nructiccs

of the Cunaanu cs .

d . The au tho r c luborrucs the an ncn r exnfuunuon s(Jj : 2:6+ : . :20-2, ) (I f the dcl av uucnd tng tbc cxterrnin

uu on uf the Cu naani rca: God's cure for hisown people yields tt, his pa t i en t concern for the si nful

Ca naanites .

how be conserved if no t ca lled fo rt h by you?

You spa re all things because all things are yours, Lord, love r of life, r

you whose imperishable spiri t is in all."

Little by little, therefore, you co rrect those who offend,

you adm onish and remind them of how they have sinned,

so that they may abs tain from evil and tr ust in you, Lord.

forbearance with Canaan

The ancient h a i t a ~ t s of your holy landyou hated for their loathsome practices,

their deeds of sorcery and unholy rites,

ha ted as ruthless murderers of children,

as eaters of entrails at feasts of human flesh,"

initiated while the bloody orgy goes on:

as murderous parents of defenceless beings.

You determined to destroy them at our fathers' hands,

so tha t this land, dea rer to you than any other,

might receive a colony of God's childre n worthy of i t.

Even so, since these were men, you treated them leniently,

send ing hornets as fore runners of your army ,

to destroy them bit by bit."

Not that you cou ld not hand the god less over to the virtuous in

, pitched batt leo r destroy them at once by savage beasts or one stern wordfrom you;

but , by condemning them piece by piece, you gave them the chance

to repent ,

although you knew very well they were inherently evil,

innately wicked

and fixed in their cast of mind ;

for they were a race accursed from the beginning.

eit her Moses Of Aaro n who ca lls on Yahweh.

d. First of the seve n a ntit heses in the parallelbe twe en Eevmia ns a nd Israelites. T he remainina six

wi ll be elabora ted in ch 16 o; 'war ds.

c. Acco rdi ng to Ex 7:14 -2 5 Yahweh turned the

waters of the Nile into b lood t o c onstrain Pharaoh ( 0

let the Israelites so . The aut hor , however. represent s the

mi racle as a pun ishme nt for the decree of Ex 1: I Sr.

I. Vulu . adds ' how you exalted your own'.J:. Thirst, and possib ly including other ha rdsh ips

su ffered by Israel in the desert : these were intended tomake them unde rstand (he punishmen t o f the Egvm lan s.

h. 'Ncar' the ls rnclhcs. whi le the Euyptla ns were

end uring Ihe nlu uucs: 'far away' afle r t hc Israe lites had

lefl the m, whil e ( he Eavruians remembered the nlaaucsin co ntrast ttl the hapPY Int o f Israel. The a uthorsupposes. v . D , that t he Euynu ans kn e w ab o ut the

wonders perfo rmed i n t he de sert.I, Wate r. withheld from the Eevmluns. was miracu

lously sup plied 10Ihe Is raelite s . 11:4.I . v ute. adds ' marvclli ne at the ou tcome of these

events'.k . Moses . cxnoscd on the waters . Ex 1:22: 2:.\ :

rebuffed by Phuruoh. Ex 5:2-5 : 7: 1. ,22. etc.I. T he cult of animals: 'reptiles' (c rocodile. se rpent,

lizard. fro g), 'contcmruiblc beast s ' ( the sca rab) en joyedJ,:reat este em in Ptolemaic EI!Y Pt.

m. Fro es. Ex-&.1-2. mosqu i t oes . X IJ - I.1 audtlics,

This forbearance explained

Nor was it fro m awe of anyone that you left them

12 for their sins.

Who wou ld venture to say, 'What have you do ne?'

Who would da re to defy your sentence?

God 's

II

10

2627

: 1267

10II

55 ,6

111212J]

1314

1415

1516

1617

1718

1819

1920

2 122

2J24

2425

2526

from hard stone their thirst was quenched.

forbearance explained

For your great strength is always at your call;

who can withstand the might of your arm ?

Inyour sight the whole wor ld is lik e a grain of dust that tips thescales,> ~ like a dro p of mo rning dew falling on the ground.

Yet you are merc iful to all, q because you can do all things

and overlook men's sins so that they can repent.

Yes, you love all that exists , you hold not hing of what you havemade in abhorrence,

for had you hated anything, you wou ld not have formed it.And how, had you not willed it, could a thing persist,

How water proved the ruin of Egypt and the saving of Israel"

Thus, what served to puni sh their enemies

became a benefit for them in their distress.

You gave them not that ever-flowing source of r iver waterturbid with defiling floods,

stern answer for their decree of infanticide:

but, against all hope, water in abundance,

showing by the thirst that then was raging!

how.severely you punished their enemies.From their ordeals," which were no more than the reproofs of Mercy, ~ they learned wha t tor tures a sentence of wrath inflicts on the godless;you tested them indeed, correcting them like a father,

but the others you strictly examined, like a severe kingwho condemns.Near or far away, ' they were equal ly worn down,

double indeed was the grief that seized on them,

double the groan ing at the memory of the past;

hear ing that what pun ished them' had set the others rejoic ing,they saw the Lord in it,!

and for him whom long ago they had cast ou t, exposed, andlater mockingly rebuffed.v

they felt only amazementwhen all was don e ;

the thirs t of the virtuous and theirs had worked so differently.

God's forbearance with EgyptAs their foo lish and wicked notions led them astray

into worshipping mindless reptiles and contempt ible beasts;'

you sent hordes of mindless creatures» to puni sh them

and teach them that the instruments of sin are instrumentsof pu nishment."

And indeed your all-powerful hand did not lack means

- the hand that from form less matter create d the world o

to unleash a horde of bear s or savage lions on them

or unknown beas ts, newly created, full of rage,exhaling fiery breath ,

ejecting swirls of stinking smoke

or flashing fearful sparks from the ir eyes,

beasts not only able to crush them with a blow,

but also to des troy them by their terrifying app earance.But even without these, they could have dropped dead ata single breath, ~ pursued by your just ice,

whirled away by the breat h of your power.

But no, you ordered all things by measure, number, weight.

This

12:24-25.27 ;15:8; 16:

9Rm 1:21

12:23: 16:1;18:4

1:7Jb 4 :9Is 11:4

Ex 1:15·16

Ex 7:17-21;17:3-6

16:4

12:9

Jb 28:25Sl 1:9

1s40:12

12:22D t8:5 +

Jb 41: 10-13

Si 10:16

D t 8 :2-52 M 6:14

Is 40:15

Ho 6 :4: 1 3:3

Jb 34:29Si 18:12tr.z.to

Rm 2:4: 3:25

1:13-14;2 :23-24Go 1:31 +

Ps 145:9

Ex 1:22; 2:3



12 :13 W IS D OM 10 2 2 102 3 W I S D O M 13 :13

Wha t is to be learned from God's forbearance

Byact ing thus you have taught a lesson to your peop le 1<;

how the virt uous man must be kindly to his fellow men,'

and you have given your sons the good hope

that a fter sin you will gra nt repen tance,

If with such care and such indulgence- you have puni shed 20

the enemies of your children,

when deat h was wha t they deserved,and given them time and roo m to rid themse lves of wickedness."

with what exact a ttention have you not ju dged your so ns. 2 1

to whose ancestors you made such fair promises by oa ths

and covenants.

Thus, while you cor rec t us, yo u flog our enemies ten thousand 22

times ha rder,

to teach us, when we judge, to ref lect on your kindne ss

and when we are jud ged to look for mer cy.

ow

51 17:8Ac 14:17Rm 1:19-20

D '4:19; 17:3Jb 31:26-28

13:1+

Ac 17:27

15:7-13

15:6Rm 1:23

D14:282 K 19:18Is 40:18-20

Is 40:20 +;44:15

J r 10:3-5

13 a . Lit. ' va in ', 'empty' ; the epithet is of t en u se d of

fa lse Rods . The ma n who devo tes himsel f to such' vanit y' becomes 'vain' himse lf, J r 2 :5 : Rm 1:21.

b. A Gree k touch , cr vv , 5,7; Sl 43:9-12. The O.T.had prai sed the power and maje sty of the creat ing God,

Ps 19:1; J b 36:22-26 ; Is40 :12-14 , et c., bu t not the

beau ty of the wo rld co nceived as a work of a rt.c. Or 'fa milia r wi th his works '.d. Po lemic aga inst ido ls was a regula r fea ture of

Greek philos op hy, st ill more of Jew ish teachi ng ,

cf. Ba 6 : Is 40:20 -1- a nd the Sybllllne Oracles .e . Th e fo rces o f nat u re were a t least active a nd

prod uct ive, ido ls are dead things and impot en t . G odh imse lf is ' t h e L iving One' .

f . Description ca lcu la te d to make the Ido l appearridic ulous: t he wood is o f no specia l va lue , th eworker

an uncultu red woodcutt er , the work ca relessl y pe r

formed.g. Ironic. var . for t he preceding and th is line

'wit h pr ofessional concentration' and 'with a crafts

man's skill' .

or, by studying the works, have failed to recognise the Art ificer. b

F ire however, or wind , or the swift air ,

the sphere of the star s, impetuous water, heaven's lamps,

are what they have held to be the god s who govern the wor ld.

If, charmed by the ir beauty, they have taken things for god s,

let them know how much the Lord of these excels them,

since the very Author of beauty has created them.

And if they have been impressed by thei r power and energy,

let them deduce from these how much mightier is he that has

formed them,

since through the grandeur and beauty of the creatureswe may, by analogy, contemplate their Author.

Small blame, however , a ttaches to these men ,

for perhaps they only go astray

in the ir sea rch for God and their eagerness to find him;

living among his works,' they st rive to comprehend them

and fa ll v ic tim to appearances, seeing so much beauty.

Even so, they are not to be excused:

if they are capab le of acquiring enough knowledge

to be able to investigate the world,

how have they been so slow to find its Master?

The cult s of idols"

But wretched are they- in dead things' putting their hopes

who have given to thi ngs made by human hand s the title of gods,gold and silver, finely worked,

likenesses of animals,

or some useless stone, carved by some hand long ago .

Ta ke a woodcutter. " He fells a suitable tree,

neatly strips off the bark all over

and then with admirable skill

wor ks the wood into an object useful in dai ly life.

The bits left ove r from his work

he uses for cook ing his food, then cats his f ill.

The re is still a good-for-nothing bit left over,

a gnarled and knotted billet:

he picks it up, whittles it with the concentration of leisure,

he shapes it with the skill of relaxation, v

c. O r 'a ll men' ,

f. Power is used by the w ic ked to defeat lusrice,2: II , by Go d to tempe r it ; he i s ' p at ient beca use eterna l' .

s. 'wh o k now it ' (defyi ng it, however , like Pharaoh) ;var. 'w ho do no t know it ' ,

h. Not only Jews , but everyone.

I. Like Wisdom he rself, 1:6 ; 7:23. The kindness

enjoin ed by the Law on the Israelit e in dea ling withhis compa trio t is here extended into a universa l

obliga tion, in pr epara t ionfo r the N .T., d. Mt 5 4 ~ 4 8 .I. ' ind ulgence' : var . 'en treaty '.

k . T he idea that God tr ies to rescue his peo ple fromevil by means of ordeals and punishmen ts occu rs

freq uent ly in the Oi 'T,; cr Am 4:6 +, bu t it had neverbe fore been app lied to the pagans,

I. Bib lica l term fo r f alse gods .m. Var. 'mos t hostile'.n. Pha raoh, obs tina te a t first. Ex 7- 11, f inally

ac knowledged the han d of God , Ex 12:31-32,

o . Since, having acknowledged him, theyco nt inuedto defy him .

n. Exterm ina t i on o f the first -born , and des tructionof the Egyp tian army .

10

11

13

12

' '6

27

24

26

25

Who arraign you for des troying nat ions wh ic h you have created?

Wha t champion of guilty men da re come to confront you

and cha llenge you?

For there is no god , other than you, who cares for every thing,' I J

to whom you might have to prove that you never judged unj ustly ;

as for th ose you pun ished, no king, no d es po t, dare repr o ach you 14

with it to your face.

Being just yourself, you order all things justly, 15

holding it unworthy of you r power

to condemn a man who has not deserved to be puni shed.

Your j u stice has its source in strength,"16

your sovereignty over all makes you lenient to all.

You show your streng th when your sovereign powe r is quest ioned 17

and you expose the insolence of those who know it; "

but , d isposing of such strength, you are mild in judgement , IN

you govern us with grea t lenience,'

for you have on ly to will, and your power is there.

and nature cults

Yes, naturally stupid" are a ll men who have not known God

and who, from the goo d th ings that are seen , have not beenable to discover Him-who-is,

follows clemency with severity

This is why. aga inst tho se who were leading wicked and foolish lives, 23

you turned thcir own abominat ions' to tormen t them ;

they had indeed strayed too fa rI r om pa ths that st rayed already,

and came to regard the vilest, most co ntempt ible» an ima ls as gods,being deceived, like silly littleC 'hildren .

So, as to children with no sense,

you sent them a pun ishment to mock them,

but they who too k no warn ing f rom such moc king correction

were soo n to exper ience a punishment worthy of Go d.

Worn down by wha t they suffered f rom these beasts,

those beasts they had taken for gods, now the means of

their puni shment,

they saw stra ight , and acknowledged as t rue God

him they had hitherto refused to k now."

That is why" the ext reme pena lty" was inflicted on them.

13

God

Ast ral

16: 1

11: In

11: 15

Rm 1:23

II :23

Rm 9:22

13:5

2:11

Jb 9:19

11: 102 M 6:14

Gn 18:25

f' s 115:3 :1-35:6

Ex 3:14 I

(I n 12 7 I

r» 31:39J b 34:13 !

Mt 5:7: 7:2

II : 15 : 16: J,I n

I'



Is 46:7

Ba 6;25·2 7

Is 44 :17Jr 2:27

15:15

Ps 115:4- 7

147:21

17:2Tb 1) :-1Ps 77: 19Is 43:16

j

Ps 107 :29·) 0

10:-1Go 6 :1·5 I

s: 16:7Sa ):26· 28

Ga ): 13· 14

Dt 27:15

origin of the cult of idols

The invent ion of idols was the origin of fom ication,"

their discovery the cor rupting of life.'

They did not exist at the beginning; ' they will no t exist for ever ;

th rough human vanity they carne- into the world

and hen ce a sudden end has been designed for them.

A fat her afflicted by untimely mourning

makes an image of his child so swiftly taken,

2:5: 14:28Lv 18:21+

14:23

Ex 3: 14-j-

Rm 1:24·32

On 3:1· 7

14:28

k . va r. 'dea th en tered' .

I, Relig ious r i tes in hon our of th e newgod. C lass ical

an t iqu i t y has left reco rd s of suc h occ urrences.

m . T he wors hip of ru lers a nd eve n of important

personages dur fng their life t ime was a commo n feat ur e

of the hcllenis tic period , part icu lar ly in Egypt.

n. Or ' for m ank ind ' .

o . ' Misfor tu ne' , vv, ' pri nce ly pow er' ,

vv. 17-20 . T he whole passage , VV. 14-20. ass umes the

theory of Euh em e r us t hat t h e go ds we re o rt gtnally

me n subsc quenuv de ified .

n. In tern a l c o nflict, c f. 5:7 ,13 , sine : re lig io us error

has un leas hed pass ion. cf. 14:12 t- ; ex ternal co nflict

since the se passions d isrupt societ y.

q . A llusio n to th e Bacc ha nalia n orgies of the

Dionys fac Mysteries , or e lse to th e fre nzy and im

morali ty o f th e P hryg ian Mv ster tes .r , I.e . non-exis te n t. O r p os sib ly in terpret 'Whose

name sho uld not be used' , cr Ex 23 :13.

W I S D O M

14 a . The effigy of a tutelar y god at t h e p r ow or o n

th e poop .

b. The technical ski llof the a rtisan. fruit of Wisdom,

8 :6 : Ex 31:3 : is.n.c. T he term, appearing for the first time here in

LXX , is bor rowed fro m G reek philosophy and

li terature: th e ide a, however . is bi blical , PsI45:8 ,9 ,15. 16;

147 :9 . e tc.

d , Noa h's ark.

e . By serving the accomplishment of God's int en

t ion . Seve ra l o f t he Fa thers a pp ly th is text to the wood

of the cr oss.

f. The id ol of 13: 11f.

g . Lit. ' a visitation', cf . Ex 3:16 + .

h. Probably in the sense of religious infidelity,

cf. Ho 1:2 + .

I, The mind errs, an d co rrupt ion of mora ls fo llows

as a con sequ ence. c f. Rm J:24-32; Ep 4: 17-19.I. Mo notheism came 'before pol ytheism . G o says

th e same.

The consequences of idolatry

Soon it is not enough for them that their knowledge of God

should be at fault;in the great s truggle>to which ignorance condemns their lives

they next give such massive ills the name of peace.

With their child-murdering init iations, their secre t mysteries,

their orgies with outlandish ceremonies, q

they no longer retain any pur it y in t he ir lives or thei r marriages,

one treacherously murdering the next or doing him injury

by adultery.

Everywhere a welter of blood and murder, thef t and fraud,

corruption, treachery, riots, perjury,

disturbance of decent people, forgetfulne ss of favours,

pollution of souls, sins aga inst nature,

disorder in mar riage, adultery, debauchery.

For the worship of unnamed r idols

is the beginning, cause, and end of every evil.

Either that, or they rave in ecstasy,or utter false oracles,

and now he honours as a god what yesterday had only

been a dead man ,

bequeathing mysteries and initiations to his dependents.'

Then in the course of time the godless custom hardens, and is

observed as law

and , by command of princes, the carved images receive worship.

Of those who lived too far away to be honoured in person

men wou ld make a portrait from a distance

and produce a visible image of the king they honoured,

meaning, by such zeal , to f la tt er the absent as if he were with them. m

Even people who did no t know him

were stimulated into spreading his cul t by the idealism of the artist ;

for the latter, doubtless wishing to please the ruler,

exerted all his skill to make the likeness finer than reality

and the crowd, car ried away by the beaut y of the work,

acc or de d di vin e h onou rs to him whom only recently they

had honoured as a man .

And thi s became a pit fa ll for l ife,"

t ha t men, whether slaves to misfortune or princely power, 0

shou ld have bestowed the incommunicable name on st icks

and stones.

28

27

26

25

24

23

22

10

II

IS

12

1)

14

/ 0 2 5

14

161S

1716

17

18

18 19

20

19

21

10 24I S DOM

he gives it a human shape

or perhaps he makes it into some vile animal,

smears i t with ochre, pa ints its surface red,

coa ts over a ll its blemishes.

He next mak es a wor thy home for it,

lets it into the wall, fixes it with an i ron clamp .

Thus he makes sure that it will not fall down

he is well awa re it can no t help itself:

it is only an image , and it needs to be helped.

And yet, if he wishes to pray for his goods, for ma rriages,

for his children,

he does not blush to harangue this lifeless thing

for heal t h he invokes weakness,

for life he pleads with death ,

for help he goes begging to utter inexper ience,

for his travels, to something that cannot st ir a foot ;

fo r his profit s and plans and success in pursuing his craft ,

he asks skill from somet hing whose hands have no skill whatever.

Or someone else, taking sh ip to cro ss the rag ing sea,

invokes a log" even fra iler than the vessel that bears him .

No do ubt that sh ip is the product of a craving for gain,

its bui lding embod ies the wisdom" of the shipwr ight,

but you r providence,' Father, is what steers it,

you having opened a pathway even through the sea,

a sa fe way ove r the waves,

showing that you can save, whatever happens,so that even withou t skill a man may sa il abroad .

It is not your wil l that the work s of you r Wisdom lie idle,

and hence men entrust their lives to the sma llest piece of wood,

cros s the high seas on a raft and come sa fe to port.

Why, in the beginning v e while the proud giants were perishing,

the hop e o f the world to ok )efuge on a raft"

and, steered by your hand, 'Preserved the germ of a new

generation for the ages to come.

For blessed is the wood which serves the cause of virtue ,'

but accursed tha t hand-made thing! and i ts maker ,

he for having made it, the per ishable thing itself because it

has been ca lled god .

Yes, God holds the god less and his godle ssness in equal hat red ;

work and workman a like shall be punished.

Hence jud gement " shall fall on the idols themselves of the heathen,

since, alt ho ug h par t of Go d's creat ion , they hav e become

an abomination,

sna res for the souls of men,

a pitfal l for the feet of the reckless.

I J:14

The

15:-1

14: 11

Ex 34:16D l 3 1:16

Ex 2 ):33

14: 14I s 2: I l{·2 0

J r 10: 11-15ze13:2



17:8 W I SDOM 1°3 ° 1° 31 W I S D O M 18: I 8

II

15

12

ow

19:3

Ex 4:22Ho 11:1

Rv 19:15

Jb 4:13-15

Nb 33:4

Ex 11:5: 12:29

Ex 11:4; 12:29

Is 55:1 1

Rv 19:11-13

Ex 11:6; 12:30

Ex 1:22-2:10

Ex 12:29,30

Ex J4:26-28

r. T he destr uction of the fi rst-born of Egyp t, theceleb ra tion o f the Passover , the Exodu s itself, iden tified

Israe l once and for a ll as the people of Go d. cf . D t 7 :6+.g . The Passover is ca lled a sa crifice. Ex 12:27 ;

Nb 9:7 : Dt 16:5. This sac r ifice is ca lled 'sec ret ' sinceit was celebrat ed inside the ho uses . Ex 12:46.

h. 'd ivine' : var. ' ho ly .i. T he au thor rep resent s the firs t Passover in te rms

of la ter Passovers at which the Hallel was chanted.

Ps 113-118.I. O r ' for a lo ng tim e' , cf. Ex7 :11- 13.22: 8:3, 11.k . T he Word of God is personifie d as the executant

of di vine judgement, cf. a lso Ho 6:5: Is 55: II : J r 23:29;Ps 33:6: 147:15,IK: 148:8. And see Heb 2:2. TheC hri s tmas litur-gy applies th is text to the inca rna tio n

of the Word.I. What fo llows has no re la ti on to the narrative

oft he

Exodus .m. The firs t-born.

d . To establish a co nnec tion betwe en Pharaoh'sinfan ticidal decree . Ex 1:16,22, a nd the des t ruction of

the firs t-born. the a uthor has poss ibly d rawn on

Ex 4:22-23.e. Either t he Israelite s a t the lime of the Ex odus .

Ex I I 4 7. or mo re p rob ably the patr iarchs to whom

Go d had promised tha t he would free their descendant sfrom slavery in Egypt . G n 15:13-14 ; 46:3-4.

r. T he imaginar y causes of fe ar a re dispelled by

reflection wh ich. however . is imped ed an d fru strated

by a guilty conscience.g . Th e darkness of Sheo!.

18 a . Li t. ' th ey' ,b. ' beca use they had not suffered' ; var , 'despite

their past sufferin gs'.c. Or ' asked themas a f avo ur to leave' , cf. Ex 11:8 :

12:33.

Egypt and Israel: the Destroyer

As they had resolved to kil l the infant s of the holy ones,

and as of those exposed only one child had been saved,"to punish them, you made away with thousands of their children,

and destroyed them all together in the wild waves.

That night had been foretold to our ancestors,'

so that, once they saw what kind of oat hs they had put theirtrust in, they would joyfully take courage.

This was t he expectation of you r people,the saving of the virtuous and the ruin of their enemies;

for by the same act with which you took vengeance on our foes

you made us glorious by calling us to you.!The devout children of wor thy men offered sacrifice" in secret

and this divine- pact they struck with one accord:that the saint s would share the same blessings and dangers alike;

and forthwith they had begun to chant the hymns of the fathers.'

In echo camethe discordant cries of their enemiesand the pitiful sound rang out of those lamenting their children.

The same punishment struck slave and master alike,

commoner and king suffered the selfsame loss.

All had innumerable dead alike,

struck by the same death .There were not enough living left to bury them,

for in a moment the f lower of thei r race had perished.They who, thanks to their sorceries, had been wholly! incredulous,

at the destruction of their first-born now acknowledgedthi s people to beson of God .

When peaceful silence lay over all,and night had run the half of her swift course,

down from the heavens, from the royal th rone, leapt your

all-powerful Word ;"into the hea rt of a doomed land the stern warrior leapt.Carrying your unambiguous command like a sharp sword,

he stood, and filled the universe with death ;

he touched the sky, yet t rod the earth.Immediately,' dreams and gruesome visions overwhelmed

thern« wi th terror.

unexpected fears assailed them.Hurled down, some here, some there, half dead,

they proclaimed why it was they were dying;

9

17

18

15

14

13

12

16

I I

10

17

18

10

19

14

20

16

13

their boasted cunning was ignominiously confounded ;

for those who professed to drive out fea rs and disorders fromsick souls,

themselves fell sick of a ridiculous terror.

Even when there was not hing frightful to scare them,

the prowling of beast s a nd the hissing of reptiles terr ified them ;they died convulsed wi th fright,

refusing so much as to look at the air, which cannot be eluded anyhow!Wickedness is confessedly very cowardly, and it condemns itself:

under pressure from conscience it a lways assumes the worst.'

Fear, indeed, is nothing other

than the aba ndonment of the supports offered by reason ;the less you rely within yourself on these,

the more alarming i t is not to know the cause of your suffering.

And they, all locked i n the same sleep,while that darkness lasted, which was in fact quite powerless

and had issued from the depths of equally powerless Hades,

were now chased by monstrous spect res,now paralysed by fainting of their souls;

for a sudden, unexpected terror had swept over them.

And thus, whoev,r i t might be that fel l therestayed clamped to the/spot in this prison without bars.

Whet her he was ploughman or shepherd,

or someone working by himself,

he was sti ll overtaken and suffered the inevitable fate,

for all ha d been bound by the one same chain of darkness.The sough ing of the wind,

the tuneful noise of birds in the spreading branches,

the measured beat of water in its powerful course,the harsh din of the rocky ava lanche,

the invisible, swift cou rse of bounding animals,

the roaring of the savagest wild beasts,

the echo rebounding from the clefts in the mountains,all held them paralysed with fear.

The whole world was shining with brilliant light

and, unhindered, went on wit h its work ;

over them alone there spread a heavy dar kness,image of the dark" that would receive them.

But heavier than the darkness, the burden they were to themselves.

But for your hol y ones all was great light.The Egypt ians" who could hear their voices, though not see

their shapes,

called them fortunate because they had not suffered too ;"

they than ked them for doing no inju ry in return for previous 2

wrongs

an d asked forgiveness for thei r pa st ill-will."In contrast to the darkness, you gave your people a pillar of

blazing fire,

to guide them on their unknown journey,

a mild sun for their ambitious migration.

But well they deserved, those ot hers, to be deprived of light 4

and imprisoned in dar kness,for having kept in cap tivity your children,

by whom the imperishable light of the Law was to be givento t he world.

18

Is 2:3.5

J b 18:11

10:17Ps 121:6

11:16

10:15Ex 10:23

Lv 26:3 6

19:5Ex 13:2122+



for the dr eams t ha t had t roub led them had warne d themwhy beforehand,

so that they might not perish without knowing why they hadbeen struck down.

But the virtuous, too, felt the touch of dea th ;"a multitude was st ruck down in the wilderness.

But the wrath did not last long,

for a blameless man >hastened to champion their cause.

Wielding the weapons of his sacred office,

prayer and atoning lncense,>

he took his stand against the Anger and put an end to the calamity,showing that he was indeed your servant.

He conquered the bitter plague, not by physical strength,no t by force of arms ;

but by word q he prevailed over the Punisher,

by recalling the oaths made to the Fathers , and the covenants.Already the d r p s e lay piled in heaps,

when he interposed and beat back the wrath

and cut offits approach to the living.

Fo r the whole world wa so n his flowing robe, r

the glorious names of the Fathers- on the four rows of stones,and your Majesty ' on thediadem on his head.

Fr om these the Destroyer recoiled," he was afraid of these;"a mere taste of the wra th had been enough.

Egypt and Israel: the Red Sea

19But the godless were assa i led by merciless anger to the very end,for God knew beforehand what they would do,

how, af ter letting his people leave and hastening their departure,

they would change their minds and set out in pursu it.

They were act ually st ill conducting their mourning ritesand lamenting at the tom bs of their dead,

when ano ther mad scheme entered their heads,

and they set out to pursue as fugitives the very people they hadbegged to go away.

A well-deserved fate urged them to this extreme

and made them forget what had already happened,

so that to all their to rments they might add the one penaltystill out standing

and, while your people accomplished" a miraculous journey,

themselves meet an extraordinary death .

Fo r, to keep your children from all harm,

the whole creation, obedient to your commands,

was once more, and newly, fashioned in its nature.b

Overshadowing the camp there was the cloud ,

where water ha d been, dry land was seen to rise,

the Red Sea became an unimpeded way,the tempestuous flood a green plain ;

sheltered by your hand, the whole nat ion passed across,gazing at these amaz ingm iracles.

They were like horses at pasture,they skipped like lambs,

singing your praises, Lord, their deliverer.

Natur e refashioned for Israel

They still remembered the events of their exile,

Is 45:17.25

19:2 2

c. The aut ho r take s Nb t 1:31 l ite r al ly ; the Quallrcameou t of th e sea (as th emosquit oes came out of theea rth).

d , The inhabitants of Sodcm, Gn 19, commonlyregarded as the worst of criminals: the author, byattenuating theirsin. mean s to s howthat the Egyptiansoutdid them in criminality.

e. The author apparently means to exculpate thepeopl e of Sodc m, But an alterna tive rende ring ispossible "and they will be ca l ed to account fo r this'

t , Oratoricald escription of the plague of da rkness.

e. Lot , 10:6.h. The Israelites an d t heir cattlewh ile crossing th e

Red Sea: or po ssibly the horses of t he Egyptian arm yengulfed in th e waves.

I . T he frogs. Ex 8;2.

what might be called a change of nature .

W I SDOM°33

n. A pen alty fo r t he r ev ol t fol lowing the punish-

ment of Ko rah, Da thanand Abiram .

o. Aaro n.p. Lit. ' the atonement sacrifice of incense' .Q. Le. prayer.

r . On t he long robe of t he h ig h p ri est in the

author's day the en t ir e uni ver se was represented in

sym bolic des igns.

s . The twelve son s of Jacob who gave their nameto th e twelve tri bes.

t . The gold. plat e on the high prie st's head-dressbore the inscription 'Sacred to Yahweh".

u. Possibly an angellike the one in 1 Ch 1 ~ 6 cr, 12:23 and 1 C o 10:10.

Y. Var. '(h eywere afraid of these'.19 a , Vat. 4experfenced'.

b .The author willnow show how, by divineIntervention on beh alf ofIsra e l. t hevery elements underwent

Conclusion

Yes, Lord, in every way you have made yo ur people great and glorious;

you have never disdained them, but stood by them always

and everywhere.

22

19 how the land, not bearing animals, had bred mosquitoes instead, Ex 8:12-15

how, instead of fish, the river had disgorged innumerable frogs. Ex 8:2

II Later they saw a new method of b ir th for b ird s Nb 11:31

when, goaded by hunger, they asked for food they could relish,

20 12 and quails came out of the sea to satisfy them .' Ex 16:13

Egypt more blameworthy than Sodom

21 13 On the sinners, howeve r, punishments rained down

not without violent thunder as earlywarning;

and deservedly they suffered fo r the ir crimes,

since they evinced such bitter hatred towards strangers.14 Others" had refused to welcome unknown men on their arrival,

22 but these had made slaves of guests and benefactors.15 The former, moreover- and this will be to their credit'-

had shown the foreigners hostility from the start ;16 not so the lat ter: these welcomed your people with feasting Gn45:17-20 :

47:1-12

23 and after granting them equal rights with themselves

then afflicted them with forced labour. Ex 1:8-14;5:4-18

17 Thus they were struck with blindness!

24 like the former at the door of the virtuous man,"when, yawning darknes s all aro und them,

each had to g rope his way through his own door. Go 19:11

25Nature refashioned at the Exodus 16:17-22

18 Thus the elements interchanged their qualities, 16:25

as on a ha rp the notes may change their rhythm,though all the while preserving their to ne;

this clearly appears from a scru tiny of the events. ow

19 Creatures that live on land became aquatic,"

and those that swim' emerged on land.20 Fire increased its own virtue in the water,

water forgot its proper ty of extinguishing.21 Flames, on the other hand, would not scorch the flesh 16:18

of animals , however frail, that ventured into them;nor would they melt tha t h eavenly food 16:22

like hoa rfrost, and as easily melted.

10

1°3 2I SDOM8:19

Is 63:10-14M13:20

Ps 114:4

Ex 1 5

3:1

Nb 17:6-151 Co 10:8

18:3

Ex 1 4:5-9

18:12

Ex 32:1 1-13

5:17 : 16:24

Nb 17:11 .12

Ex 14:19-22

Ex 28:17·21.29

Ex 28:36

27 book of wisdom

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