13Being perfected in a short time, they fulfilled long years;
14for their souls were pleasing to the Lord,
therefore he took them quickly from the midst of wickedness.
15Yet the peoples saw and did not understand,
or take such a thing to heart,
that God’s grace and mercy are with his elect,
and that he watches over his holy ones.
The Triumph of the Righteous
16The righteous who have died will condemn the ungodly who are living,
and youth that is quickly perfectedd will condemn the prolonged old age of the unrighteous.
17For they will see the end of the wise,
and will not understand what the Lord purposed for them,
and for what he kept them safe.
18The unrighteouse will see, and will have contempt for them,
but the Lord will laugh them to scorn.
After this they will become dishonored corpses,
and an outrage among the dead forever;
19because he will dash them speechless to the ground,
and shake them from the foundations;
they will be left utterly dry and barren,
and they will suffer anguish,
and the memory of them will perish.
The Final Judgment
20They will come with dread when their sins are reckoned up,
and their lawless deeds will convict them to their face.
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a Gk it
b Other ancient authorities read honor
c Gk at their examination
d Or ended
e Gk They
4.1 Better…is childlessness with virtue strikes a Platonic note. The life of the soul is paramount, so that physical childlessness is of little moment, provided the soul is productive (Plato, Symposium 208E).
4.2 The sage’s contest for virtue is contrasted with unholy athletic contests (see 4 Macc 17.11–16; Plato, Phaedrus 256B; Philo, On Husbandry 113).
4.3 Strike a deep root. See Sir 23.25.
4.6 Witnesses…against their parents, a widespread motif (see Leviticus Rabbah 23.12; Ps.-Phocylides, The Sentences 178; Horace, Odes 4.5.23; Gospel of Philip 78).
4.7–19 The third contrast (see note on 3.1–4.19) shows the superiority of a short life marked by virtue (4.7–15) over a long life filled with wickedness (4.16–19). Premature death is justified by viewing it as a token of God’s care. The author employs the popular philosophical conceit that one’s true age is not measured chronologically, but by maturity of intellect and character (see Cicero, Tusculan Disputations 5.5; Seneca, Epistles 93.2), and further resorts to a Jewish tradition that Enoch had been removed by God early to forestall the imminent perversion of his character (Genesis Rabbah 25.1).
4.10 Some who…loved by him, lit. “being well pleasing to God he was dearly loved.” The reference is to Enoch (Gen 5.24). We have here the first example of the author’s deliberate avoidance of proper names, revealing his lack of interest in the historical differences among the biblical figures to whom he alludes; his concern is only for the manifestations of universal types such as the righteous and the wicked. The same technique is employed in Philo, On the Virtues 199–219, and the Testament of Orpheus 27–32, 41–42.
4.11 Seneca similarly consoles Marcia for the loss of her sons by noting that even noble natures do not maintain into old age the expectations of their youth (To Marcia 22).
4.12 Roving desire, a Greek expression, most likely a Stoic coinage (Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 2.7).
4.18 Laugh them to scorn. See Prov 1.26; Ps 2.4; 1 Enoch 94.10; Sifre Numbers 117.
4.20–5.23 A tableau of the final judgment, colored especially by the language and imagery of Isa 52.13–15; 59.16–17. This section ($$$$$; see note on 1.1–6.21) parallels 1.16–2.24 (B), and the speech of the wicked in 5.4–13 confesses the foolishness of their speech in 2.1–20. Although this section uses imagery found in apocalyptic literature, there is no mention of the resurrection of the dead, only the immortality of the soul.
WISDOM OF SOLOMON 5
1Then the righteous will stand with great confidence
in the presence of those who have oppressed them
and those who make light of their labors.
2When the unrighteousa see them, they will be shaken with dreadful fear,
and they will be amazed at the unexpected salvation of the righteous.
3They will speak to one another in repentance,
and in anguish of spirit they will groan, and say,
4“These are persons whom we once held in derision
and made a byword of reproach—fools that we were!
We thought that their lives were madness and that their end was without honor.
5Why have they been numbered among the children of God?
And why is their lot among the saints?
6So it was we who strayed from the way of truth,
and the light of righteousness did not shine on us,
and the sun did not rise upon us.
7We took our fill of the paths of lawlessness and destruction,
and we journeyed through trackless deserts,
but the way of the Lord we have not known.
8What has our arrogance profited us?
And what good has our boasted wealth brought us?
9“All those things have vanished like a shadow,
and like a rumor that passes by;
10like a ship that sails through the billowy water,
and when it has passed no trace can be found,
no track of its keel in the waves;
11or as, when a bird flies through the air,
no evidence of its passage is found;
the light air, lashed by the beat of its pinions
and pierced by the force of its rushing flight,
is traversed by the movement of its wings,
and afterward no sign of its coming is found there;
12or as, when an arrow is shot at a target,
the air, thus divided, comes together at once,
so that no one knows its pathway.
13So we also, as soon as we were born, ceased to be,
and we had no sign of virtue to show,
but were consumed in our wickedness.”
14Because the hope of the ungodly is like thistledownb carried by the wind,
and like a light frostc driven away by a storm;
it is dispersed like smoke before the wind,
and it passes like the remembrance of a guest who stays but a day.
The Reward of the Righteous
15But the righteous live forever,
and their reward is with the Lord;
the Most High takes care of them.
16Therefore they will receive a glorious crown
and a beautiful diadem from the hand of the Lord,
because with his right hand he will cover them,
and with his arm he will shield them.
17The Lordd will take his zeal as his whole armor,
and will arm all creation to repele his enemies;
18he will put on righteousness as a breastplate,
and wear impartial justice as a helmet;
19he will take holiness as an invincible shield,
20and sharpen stern wrath for a sword,
and creation will join with him to fight against his frenzied foes.
21Shafts of lightning will fly with true aim,
and will leap from the clouds to the target, as from a well-drawn bow,
22and hailstones full of wrath will be hurled as from a catapult;
the water of the sea will rage against them,
and rivers will relentlessly overwhelm them;
23a mighty wind will rise against them,
and like a tempest it will winnow them away.
Lawlessness will lay waste the whole earth,
and evildoing will overturn the
thrones of rulers.
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a Gk they
b Other ancient authorities read dust
c Other ancient authorities read spider’s web
d Gk He
e Or punish
5.1 The great confidence of the righteous contrasts with the speechlessness of the wicked (4.19).
5.5 Children of God, lit. “sons of God,” a reference to the angelic host.
5.9–14 Multiple similes illustrate the author’s point. Similarly, in 7.25–8.1 he employs five metaphors to describe wisdom’s origin.
5.10 Like a ship. The image is of a light skiff gliding over the water’s surface and leaving no impression, like the reed boats in Job 9.26.
5.14 Like…a guest who stays but a day, a vivid image of the transitoriness of the wicked (cf. Jer 14.8).
5.17–20 These verses are modeled on Isa 59.17, where God is presented as a warrior arming himself with his own attributes for chastisement of the wicked and deliverance of the godly. Similar imagery appears in Rom 13.12; 2 Cor 6.7; Eph 6.14–17; Testament of Levi 8.2.
5.20 Creation will join with him, a favorite thought of the author (see also 16.17, 24; 19.6). Similarly, in Judg 5.20 the stars join the battle against Sisera (cf. Sir 39.28–31).
5.23 Lawlessness and evildoing, like the elements of nature just mentioned, will be causes of great chaos and destruction.
WISDOM OF SOLOMON 6
Kings Should Seek Wisdom
1Listen therefore, O kings, and understand;
learn, O judges of the ends of the earth.
2Give ear, you that rule over multitudes,
and boast of many nations.
3For your dominion was given you from the Lord,
and your sovereignty from the Most High;
he will search out your works and inquire into your plans.
4Because as servants of his kingdom you did not rule rightly,
or keep the law,
or walk according to the purpose of God,
5he will come upon you terribly and swiftly,
because severe judgment falls on those in high places.
6For the lowliest may be pardoned in mercy,
but the mighty will be mightily tested.
7For the Lord of all will not stand in awe of anyone,
or show deference to greatness;
because he himself made both small and great,
and he takes thought for all alike.
8But a strict inquiry is in store for the mighty.
9To you then, O monarchs, my words are directed,
so that you may learn wisdom and not transgress.
10For they will be made holy who observe holy things in holiness,
and those who have been taught them will find a defense.
11Therefore set your desire on my words;
long for them, and you will be instructed.
Description of Wisdom
12Wisdom is radiant and unfading,
and she is easily discerned by those who love her,
and is found by those who seek her.
13She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her.
14One who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty,
for she will be found sitting at the gate.
15To fix one’s thought on her is perfect understanding,
and one who is vigilant on her account will soon be free from care,
16because she goes about seeking those worthy of her,
and she graciously appears to them in their paths,
and meets them in every thought.
17The beginning of wisdoma is the most sincere desire for instruction,
and concern for instruction is love of her,
18and love of her is the keeping of her laws,
and giving heed to her laws is assurance of immortality,
19and immortality brings one near to God;
20so the desire for wisdom leads to a kingdom.
21Therefore if you delight in thrones and scepters, O monarchs over the peoples,
honor wisdom, so that you may reign forever.
22I will tell you what wisdom is and how she came to be,
and I will hide no secrets from you,
but I will trace her course from the beginning of creation,
and make knowledge of her clear,
and I will not pass by the truth;
23nor will I travel in the company of sickly envy,
for envyb does not associate with wisdom.
24The multitude of the wise is the salvation of the world,
and a sensible king is the stability of any people.
25Therefore be instructed by my words, and you will profit.
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a Gk Her beginning
b Gk this
6.1–21 An exhortation to kings to seek wisdom with its gifts of immortality and sovereignty. This section (Á see note on 1.1–6.21) parallels the exhortation to righteousness in 1.1–15 (A).
6.1 Judges of the ends of the earth may refer to the spreading power of Roman rule.
6.3 Dominion translates a Greek term (kratesis) frequently used in papyri to date the capture of Alexandria by Augustus Caesar.
6.4–8 The mighty will be judged more severely than the lowly because they are God’s servants and their dominion has been given to them by God (vv. 3–4).
6.4 The law, not Mosaic law, but the natural principles of justice.
6.12–21 This praise of wisdom serves as an appropriate transition to the second part of the book (6.22–10.21).
6.17–20 A six-part chain syllogism (in Greek sorites) in which statements proceed step by step to a climactic conclusion, each successive statement picking up the last key word or phrase from the one before. This stylistic device is common in Greco-Roman, Indian, and Chinese literature and also occurs in ancient Egyptian and Semitic wisdom writings.
6.22–10.21 The central part of the book, written in the first-person singular (see Introduction). Although his name is never mentioned, the fictive speaker is clearly Solomon, and his speech in 7.1–8.21 has its roots in 1 Kings 3.3–15; 2 Chr 1.7–13. Wisdom is a much more prominent and complex figure in this part of the book than in either the preceding or the following part. See Prov 8.22–31; Sir 24.1–29.
6.22–25 The speaker’s intention is to reveal wisdom’s mysteries. In 1 Enoch 51.3 the Elect One is said to pour forth all the secrets of wisdom, and a favorite Qumran expression is “to give knowledge in the marvelous mysteries of God” (Dead Sea Scrolls Thanksgiving Hymns [1QH]4.27; 7.27; 11.9).
6.23 Envy is personified (as in Ovid, Metamorphoses 2.770–80). That envy does not associate with wisdom is a well-known Platonic motif (Phaedrus 247A; Timaeus 29E); it is also very prominent in Philo (Every Good Man Is Free 13).
6.24 This vocation of the wise to be the salvation of the world is frequently referred to by Philo and the rabbis.
WISDOM OF SOLOMON 7
Solomon Like Other Mortals
1I also am mortal, like everyone else,
a descendant of the first-formed child of earth;
and in the womb of a mother I was molded into flesh,
2within the period of ten months, compacted with blood,
from the seed of a man and the pleasure of marriage.
3And when I was born, I began to breathe the common air,
and fell upon the kindred earth;
my first sound was a cry, as is true of all.
4I was nursed with care in swaddling cloths.
5For no king has had a different beginning of existence;
6there is for all one entrance into life, and one way out.
Solomon’s Respect for Wisdom
7Therefore I prayed, and understanding was given me;
I called on God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.
8I preferred her to scepters and thrones,
and I accounted wealth as nothing in compariso
n with her.
9Neither did I liken to her any priceless gem,
because all gold is but a little sand in her sight,
and silver will be accounted as clay before her.
10I loved her more than health and beauty,
and I chose to have her rather than light,
because her radiance never ceases.
11All good things came to me along with her,
and in her hands uncounted wealth.
12I rejoiced in them all, because wisdom leads them;
but I did not know that she was their mother.
13I learned without guile and I impart without grudging;
I do not hide her wealth,
14for it is an unfailing treasure for mortals;
those who get it obtain friendship with God,
commended for the gifts that come from instruction.
Solomon Prays for Wisdom
15May God grant me to speak with judgment,
and to have thoughts worthy of what I have received;
for he is the guide even of wisdom and the corrector of the wise.
16For both we and our words are in his hand,
as are all understanding and skill in crafts.
17For it is he who gave me unerring knowledge of what exists,
to know the structure of the world and the activity of the elements;
18the beginning and end and middle of times,
the alternations of the solstices and the changes of the seasons,
19the cycles of the year and the constellations of the stars,
20the natures of animals and the tempers of wild animals,
the powers of spiritsa and the thoughts of human beings,
the varieties of plants and the virtues of roots;
21I learned both what is secret and what is manifest,
22for wisdom, the fashioner of all things, taught me.
The Nature of Wisdom
There is in her a spirit that is intelligent, holy,
unique, manifold, subtle,
mobile, clear, unpolluted,
distinct, invulnerable, loving the good, keen,
irresistible, 23beneficent, humane,
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