HarperCollins Study Bible

by Harold W. Attridge

  steadfast, sure, free from anxiety,

  all-powerful, overseeing all,

  and penetrating through all spirits

  that are intelligent, pure, and altogether subtle.

  24For wisdom is more mobile than any motion;

  because of her pureness she pervades and penetrates all things.25For she is a breath of the power of God,

  and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty;

  therefore nothing defiled gains entrance into her.

  26For she is a reflection of eternal light,

  a spotless mirror of the working of God,

  and an image of his goodness.

  27Although she is but one, she can do all things,

  and while remaining in herself, she renews all things;

  in every generation she passes into holy souls

  and makes them friends of God, and prophets;

  28for God loves nothing so much as the person who lives with wisdom.

  29She is more beautiful than the sun,

  and excels every constellation of the stars.

  Compared with the light she is found to be superior,

  30for it is succeeded by the night,

  but against wisdom evil does not prevail.

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  a Or winds

  7.1–8.21 Solomon’s speech. Like 1.1–6. 21, this section has a chiastic, or concentric, structure: 7.1–6 (A) and 8.17–21 (Á) emphasize Solomon’s humanity; 7.7–14 (B) and 8.9–16 ($$$$$) emphasize the gifts that come with wisdom; 7.15–22a (C) and 8.2–8 (C) emphasize the connection between wisdom and knowledge; 7.22b–8.1 (D) is the central section emphasizing the cosmic characteristics of wisdom.

  7.1–6 The speaker is like other human beings (A; see note on 7.1–8.21). In keeping with the Jewish view, the author emphasizes the human side of the king, unlike pagan writers, who often treated the king as divine (cf. Letter of Aristeas 352–63; 282).

  7.1 First-formed, a standard epithet of Adam (cf. 1 Tim 2.13; Testament of Abraham A 11.9; Philo, Questions on Exodus 2.46; Ps.-Philo, Biblical Antiquities 13.8).

  7.2 A widespread view in the ancient world was that pregnancy lasted ten months. According to Roman law, ten lunar months made up the full period of gestation. Compacted with blood, better “curdled” cf. Job 10.10; Aristotle, Generation of Animals 739b 21. That the menstrual blood is the material from which the seminal fluid produces the embryo was a common concept in ancient Greek science. Pleasure, part of the author’s scientific description. See Aristotle, Generation of Animals 728a 10.

  7.3 Kindred, better “that suffers the same from all,” i.e., mother earth, which all both use and misuse.

  7.7–14 The speaker prays for wisdom (B; see note on 7.1–8.21). A passage reflecting Philo’s position in its more moderate mood: one should seek wisdom for its own sake, but all other goods will inevitably follow.

  7.7 Prayed. See 1 Kings 3.6–15; 8.12–53; Sir 51.13.

  7.11 Came to me along with her. Cf. 1 Kings 3.13; Mt 6.33; Song of Songs Rabbah 1.1.9.

  7.13 Without grudging. See Plato, Symposium 210A; Ps.-Aristotle, On the Cosmos 391a17; Xenophon, Symposium 4.43.

  7.15–22a The relationship of wisdom to other kinds of knowledge (C; see note on 7.1–8.21). Divine wisdom is here identified with the full range of human science and philosophy. Cf. Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 436–506 and the striking parallel in Ps.-Plato, Axiochus 370B, where it is argued that it is only through the divine breath in the soul that such knowledge can be attained and immortality be assured. The passage is inspired by the Greek philosophical argument from design, in which God’s works are seen as a manifestation of his existence and wise regime.

  7.15 God is the source of wisdom, and wisdom is subordinate to God.

  7.17–20 God is also the source of the human sciences and philosophy.

  7.18 Beginning and end and middle, a phrase deriving from the Orphic theogony and one that recurs in the Hellenistic-Jewish poem Orphica, v. 39.

  7.22a Fashioner. The Stoics defined nature as “an artistically working fire going on its way to create” (Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.156). Although clearly subordinate to God, wisdom as the “fashioner of all things” also seems to be a distinct divine reality.

  7.22b–8.1 In this central section (D; see note on 7.1–8.21) the author lists the characteristics of wisdom, the relation of wisdom to God, and the relation of wisdom to creation. It is the most densely philosophical section of the Wisdom of Solomon.

  7.22b–24 The characteristics of wisdom are listed in a series of twenty-one epithets borrowed largely from Greek philosophy, especially Stoic philosophy. There are numerous parallels for such serial lists in the ancient world.

  7.22b Anaxagoras (Fragment 12) describes the cosmic mind as the most subtle of all things.

  7.24 Pervades and penetrates, technical Stoic phraseology reflecting the principle of “body going through body.”

  7.25–26 The author employs a fivefold metaphor to emphasize the notion that wisdom is an emanation from God’s power and glory—a bold move for one writing within the biblical tradition; even the more philosophically ambitious Philo backs off from such explicit terminology in describing the origin of the Logos. The use of these terms in Philo and in later Neo-Platonism may indicate that their use here reflects influence from early Middle Platonism.

  7.25 Emanation, the earliest attestation of the explicit application of this Greek term (aporroia) to Sophia as an effluence from God.

  7.26 Heb 1.3 refers to Christ as a reflection of God’s glory. Image, a favorite Platonic metaphor. Philo speaks of the Logos as the image of God.

  7.27–8.1 The relation of wisdom to creation and especially to holy souls.

  7.27 Remaining in herself. Anaxagoras’s cosmic mind similarly remains unmixed and motionless while moving all things (cf. Plato, Timaeus 42E).

  7.29 According to Philo, the sun is only an image of wisdom, and according to his precursor Aristobulus, “All light comes from wisdom.” In Ps. Philo’s Biblical Antiquities we read that Moses came down from the mountain covered with an invisible light that overcame the brightness of sun and moon (12.1–3).

  WISDOM OF SOLOMON 8

  1She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other,

  and she orders all things well.

  Solomon’s Love for Wisdom

  2I loved her and sought her from my youth;

  I desired to take her for my bride,

  and became enamored of her beauty.

  3She glorifies her noble birth by living with God,

  and the Lord of all loves her.

  4For she is an initiate in the knowledge of God,

  and an associate in his works.

  5If riches are a desirable possession in life,

  what is richer than wisdom, the active cause of all things?

  6And if understanding is effective,

  who more than she is fashioner of what exists?

  7And if anyone loves righteousness,

  her labors are virtues;

  for she teaches self-control and prudence,

  justice and courage;

  nothing in life is more profitable for mortals than these.

  8And if anyone longs for wide experience,

  she knows the things of old, and infers the things to come;

  she understands turns of speech and the solutions of riddles;

  she has foreknowledge of signs and wonders

  and of the outcome of seasons and times.

  Wisdom Indispensible to Rulers

  9Therefore I determined to take her to live with me,

  knowing that she would give me good counsel and

  encouragement in cares and grief.

  10Because of her I shall have glory among the multitudes

  and honor in the presence of the elders, though I am young.

  11I shall be found keen in judgment,

  and in the sight of rulers I sha
ll be admired.

  12When I am silent they will wait for me,

  and when I speak they will give heed;

  if I speak at greater length,

  they will put their hands on their mouths.

  13Because of her I shall have immortality,

  and leave an everlasting remembrance to those who come after me.

  14I shall govern peoples,

  and nations will be subject to me;

  15dread monarchs will be afraid of me when they hear of me;

  among the people I shall show myself capable, and courageous in war.

  16When I enter my house, I shall find rest with her;

  for companionship with her has no bitterness,

  and life with her has no pain, but gladness and joy.

  17When I considered these things inwardly,

  and pondered in my heart that in kinship with wisdom there is immortality,

  18and in friendship with her, pure delight,

  and in the labors of her hands, unfailing wealth,

  and in the experience of her company, understanding,

  and renown in sharing her words,

  I went about seeking how to get her for myself.

  19As a child I was naturally gifted,

  and a good soul fell to my lot;

  20or rather, being good, I entered an undefiled body.

  21But I perceived that I would not possess wisdom unless God gave her to me—

  and it was a mark of insight to know whose gift she was—

  so I appealed to the Lord and implored him,

  and with my whole heart I said:

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  8.1 From one end of the earth to the other. Cf. the similar description in Sir 24.3–6.

  8.2–8 This section (C'; see note on 7.1–8.21) parallels 7.15–22a (C) in its emphasis on the connection of wisdom with other kinds of knowledge. Solomon sought to make wisdom his bride. In rabbinic literature, Torah is imaged as the daughter of God, a bride, and a mother. The bride image is based on a midrashic reading of the Hebrew word morashah, “possession,” in Deut 33.4 as me’orasah, “betrothed.” This feminine depiction is connected in some texts to the metaphorical depiction of the Sinai theophany as a wedding day. Cf. Prov 7.4; Sir 15.2. Similar sexual imagery is found in Philo’s On the Preliminary Studies, where he develops an allegory in which Abraham, the Soul, is married to Sarah, Wisdom.

  8.2 Sought her. Cf. Ps.-Plato, Epinomis 989A, “For I have sought this wisdom high and low.”

  8.3 Living with God. Philo similarly writes: “With his knowledge God had union, not as men have it, and begat created being” (On Sobriety 30).

  8.5–8 The four successive clauses beginning with if are an example of the author’s striving for rhetorical effect.

  8.7 Self-control and prudence, justice and courage. The four cardinal virtues go back to Plato (Phaedo 69C). Cf. 4 Macc 1.18.

  8.9–16 This section ($$$$$; see note on 7.1–8.21) parallels 7.7–14 (B). Both emphasize what comes with wisdom. Here the emphasis is on the capacity to rule nations wisely and well and the honor and glory among other rulers that come with it.

  8.16 Find rest, the same idea in Sir 6.28 and a central theme in Philo. Cf. Plato, Republic 490B.

  8.17–21 This section (Á see note on 7.1–8.21), which parallels 7.1–6 (A), is again concerned with Solomon’s humanity, but here especially with his natural endowments of soul and body. Yet even so, wisdom remains a sheer gift of God’s grace.

  8.17 Kinship with wisdom is a characteristic teaching of Plato (Timaeus 90A) and the Stoics. Philo takes up the theme with equal vigor.

  8.19 Moses too, according to Philo, had a naturally gifted soul (Life of Moses 1.9), and in general “God drops from above the ethereal wisdom upon minds that are naturally well endowed” (On Flight and Finding 138).

  8.20 I entered an undefiled body clearly implies the notion of the soul’s preexistence. Cf. 2 Enoch 23.4–5; 2 Apocalypse of Baruch 23.5; Philo, On Dreams 1.135–41. In Testament of Naphtali 2.2 it is said that God implants the spirit according to the capacity of the body.

  8.21 Unless God gave her to me. So too in Ps.-Plato, Epinomis 989D even those naturally gifted “cannot get this teaching either, unless God gives his guidance.”

  WISDOM OF SOLOMON 9

  Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom

  1“O God of my ancestors and Lord of mercy,

  who have made all things by your word,

  2and by your wisdom have formed humankind

  to have dominion over the creatures you have made,

  3and rule the world in holiness and righteousness,

  and pronounce judgment in uprightness of soul,

  4give me the wisdom that sits by your throne,

  and do not reject me from among your servants.

  5For I am your servanta the son of your serving girl,

  a man who is weak and short-lived,

  with little understanding of judgment and laws;

  6for even one who is perfect among human beings

  will be regarded as nothing without the wisdom that comes from you.

  7You have chosen me to be king of your people

  and to be judge over your sons and daughters.

  8You have given command to build a temple on your holy mountain,

  and an altar in the city of your habitation,

  a copy of the holy tent that you prepared from the beginning.

  9With you is wisdom, she who knows your works

  and was present when you made the world;

  she understands what is pleasing in your sight

  and what is right according to your commandments.

  10Send her forth from the holy heavens,

  and from the throne of your glory send her,

  that she may labor at my side,

  and that I may learn what is pleasing to you.

  11For she knows and understands all things,

  and she will guide me wisely in my actions

  and guard me with her glory.

  12Then my works will be acceptable,

  and I shall judge your people justly,

  and shall be worthy of the throneb of my father.

  13For who can learn the counsel of God?

  Or who can discern what the Lord wills?

  14For the reasoning of mortals is worthless,

  and our designs are likely to fail;

  15for a perishable body weighs down the soul,

  and this earthy tent burdens the thoughtfulc mind.

  16We can hardly guess at what is on earth,

  and what is at hand we find with labor;

  but who has traced out what is in the heavens?

  17Who has learned your counsel,

  unless you have given wisdom

  and sent your holy spirit from on high?

  18And thus the paths of those on earth were set right,

  and people were taught what pleases you,

  and were saved by wisdom.”

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  a Gk slave

  b Gk thrones

  c Or anxious

  9.1–18 The prayer consists of three strophes (vv. 1–6, 7–12, 13–18) chiastically arranged. The author presents his own version of Solomon’s prayer (1 Kings 3.6–9; 2 Chr 1.8–10).

  9.1 By your word. Cf. Ps 33.6; Sir 39.17; Sibylline Oracles 3.20.

  9.2 By your wisdom, an emphatic theme in the Dead Sea Scrolls (cf. 2 Enoch A 30.8).

  9.4 Wisdom…sits by your throne. In Greek literature Justice is pictured as sitting with Zeus, and the same image is frequent in Philo.

  9.5 Weak and short-lived. Cf. 1 Chr 29.15; Philo, Who Is the Heir 58.

  9.6 Philo also never tires of insisting that without divine help we could accomplish nothing.

  9.8 Your holy mountain, Mount Moriah, which became identified with the place where Abraham was commanded to sacrifice Isaac; see 2 Chr 3.1. According to rabbinic tradition even before the creat
ion of the world there already existed a supernal temple of which the earthly temple is a copy. The same notion is found in the Dead Sea Scrolls and in Heb 8–10 and is also widespread in the Pseudepigrapha. Philo too tells us that the tabernacle is a representation and copy of wisdom (Who Is the Heir 112).

  9.9 When you made the world. Cf. Prov 8.22, a verse cited both by Aristobulus and Philo.

  9.10 In his famous Hymn to Zeus, the Stoic philosopher Cleanthes prays that Zeus bestow the wisdom by which he steers all things in justice.

  9.13 For who can learn. Cf. Prov 30.2–4; Isa 40.13–14; Sir 1.1–10; Bar 3.29–37; 2 Esd 4; 1 Enoch 93.11–14. A similar note is already found in the Babylonian poem I Will Praise the Lord of Wisdom 36–38.

  9.15 The adverse influence of the body on the soul is emphatically taught by Plato in Phaedo (66B). That the body weighs down the soul is another widespread Platonic motif (Phaedo 81C) and fairly common in Philo and the Roman Stoics. Earthy tent, a Greek expression for the body, very frequent in Neo-Pythagorean writings.

  9.16 This verse expresses a widespread literary conceit (Jdt 8.14; 2 Esd 4.11; Jn 3.12; Testament of Job 38.5; Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 39a).

  WISDOM OF SOLOMON 10

  The Work of Wisdom from Adam to Moses

  1Wisdoma protected the first-formed father of the world, when he alone had been created;

  she delivered him from his transgression,

  2and gave him strength to rule all things.

  3But when an unrighteous man departed from her in his anger,

  he perished because in rage he killed his brother.

  4When the earth was flooded because of him, wisdom again saved it,

  steering the righteous man by a paltry piece of wood.

  5Wisdomb also, when the nations in wicked agreement had been put to confusion,

  recognized the righteous man and preserved him blameless before God,

  and kept him strong in the face of his compassion for his child.

  6Wisdomc rescued a righteous man when the ungodly were perishing;

  he escaped the fire that descended on the

  Five Cities.d

  7Evidence of their wickedness still remains: