The Wisdom of Solomon

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- Chapter 11 -

Other benefits of wisdom to the people of God.

She directed their works in the hands of the holy prophet.(a)

They made a path through desolate areas, which were uninhabited, and set up their homes in remote places.

They stood firm against the enemy, and vindicated themselves from their adversaries.(b)

They thirsted, and they called upon you, and water was given them out of the deepest rock, and respite from thirst out of the hard stone.(c)

For through water, their enemies had been punished, by the corruption of their drinking water; and so, among them, when the sons of Israel lacked the abundance they would have had, their enemies rejoiced;(d)

(e)

yet through water, when they were in need, it turned out well for them.(f)

For instead of a fountain, even everlasting in flow, you gave human blood to the unjust,(g)

and while they would be crushed into disgrace because of the murdering of infants, you unexpectedly gave your own abundant water,(h)

revealing through the thirst, which occurred at that time, how you would exalt your own and would kill their adversaries.

For when they were being tested, and even when receiving merciful correction, they knew in what way, when your wrath judged the impious, they would suffer torments.

For these, advising like a father, you approved; but the others, interrogating like a severe king, you condemned.

For whether absent or present, they were tortured alike.

For they had received double: weariness and groaning in the remembrance of things past.

For when they paid attention to their punishments, to attend to their own benefit, they called to mind the Lord, admiring the end result.(i)

For though they showed scorn by throwing out distorted statements, in the end they were amazed at the result, but this is not the same as thirsting for justice.(j)

For according to the thinking of their irrational iniquity, because some, going astray, were worshiping mute serpents and worthless beasts, you sent upon them a multitude of mute beasts for vengeance,(k)

so that they might know that by whatever things a man sins, by the same also is he tormented.

For it was not impossible for your all-powerful hand, which created the world from unknown material, to send forth upon them a multitude of bears, or fierce lions,(l)

or, in anger, beasts of a new kind, massive and strange, either breathing out a fiery vapor, or sending forth an odorous smoke, or shooting horrible sparks from their eyes;(m)

whereby, not only wounds would be able to destroy them, but also the very sight would kill them through fear.

Yet, even without these, they could have been killed with one breath, suffering persecution of their own making and being scattered by your spirit of virtue; but you have ordered all things in size and number and weight.

Though many are strong, you alone always overcome. And who will withstand the strength of your arm?

For, like a tiny grain on a scale, just so is the world before you, and like a drop of dew before dawn, which descends upon the earth.(n)

But you are merciful to all, because you can do all, and you dismiss the sins of man because of repentance.

For you love all things that are, and you hate nothing of the things you have made; for you would not have created or established anything that you hated.

For how could anything endure, except by your will? Or what, having been called by you not to exist, would be preserved?

Yet you spare all things, because they are yours, O Lord, who loves souls.

Footnotes

(a)11:1 The holy prophet:Moses.(Challoner)

(b)11:3 Their enemies:The Amalecites.(Challoner)

(d)11:5 The corruption of the drinking water refers to one of the plagues God sent through Moses against the Egyptians (Exodus 7:16-21). The drinking water of the Egyptians was turned to blood and so became undrinkable. Then, then the Israelites were thirsty in the desert, their enemies, Egyptians, rejoiced at the lack of abundance of food and water which the Israelites would have had if they had remained in Egypt.(Conte)

(e)11:5 By what things, etc:The meaning is, that God, who wrought a miracle to punish the Egyptians by thirst, when he turned all their waters into blood, (at which time the Israelites, who were exempt from those plagues, had plenty of water,) wrought another miracle in favour of his own people in their thirst, by giving them water out of the rock.(Challoner)

(f)11:6 The Israelites had what they needed, even in the desert.(Conte)

(g)11:7 The blood given to the unjust is the water Moses turned to blood. But these passages could also have an eschatological meaning, concerning the future of the Church and the world.(Conte)

(h)11:8 The Egyptians tried to kill the newborn children of the Israelites, when they were in slavery.(Conte)

(i)11:14 By their punishments, etc:That is, that the Israelites had been benefited and miraculously favoured in the same kind, in which they had been punished.(Challoner)

(j)11:15 The phrase “non similiter iustis sitientes” clearly means that the unjust, even though they were amazed at the end result of the lives of the just, had not repented and were not thirsting for justice.(Conte)

(k)11:16 Dumb beasts:Viz., frogs, sciniphs, flies, and locusts.(Challoner)

(l)11:18 Invisa can be translated as unknown, or secret, or invisible. This passages tells us what God could possibly do, not necessarily what He has done.(Conte)

(m)11:19 In the phrase “novi generis ira plenas ignotas bestias,” note that “plenas ignotas bestias” are each plural, feminine, and in the accusative case, whereas “ira” is singular, feminine, ablative case. Therefore, the translation is that “in anger” God could send “massive, strange beasts,” rather than that the beasts are full of anger.(Conte)

(n)11:23 The word “momentum” does not literally mean “grain” but the less literal “grain on a scale” phrasing is more meaningful than saying “like a moment of a scale.”(Conte)

Other benefits of wisdom to the people of God.

Wisdom prospered their works in the hand of a holy prophet.

They traveled through a desert without inhabitant, and they pitched their tents in trackless regions.

They withstood enemies and repelled foes.

They thirsted, and they called upon you, and water was given to them out of the(a) flinty rock, and healing of their thirst out of the hard stone.

For by what things their foes were punished, by these they in their need were benefited.

When enemies were troubled with clotted blood instead of a river’s ever-flowing fountain,

to rebuke the decree for the slaying of babies, you gave them abundant water beyond all hope,

having shown by the thirst which they had suffered how you punished the adversaries.

For when they were tried, although chastened in mercy, they learned how the ungodly were tormented, being judged with wrath.

For you tested these as a father admonishing them; but you searched out those as a stern king condemning them.

Yes and whether they were far off or near, they were equally distressed;

for a double grief seized them, and a groaning at the memory of things past.

For when they heard that through their own punishments the others benefited, they recognized the Lord.

For him who long before was thrown out and exposed they stopped mocking. In the end of what happened, they marveled, having thirsted in another manner than the righteous.

But in return for the senseless imaginings of their unrighteousness, wherein they were led astray to worship irrational reptiles and wretched vermin, you sent upon them a multitude of irrational creatures to punish them,

that they might learn that by what things a man sins, by these he is punished.

For your all-powerful hand that created the world out of formless matter didn’t lack means to send upon them a multitude of bears, fierce lions,

or newly-created and unknown wild beasts, full of rage, either breathing out a blast of fiery breath, or belching out smoke, or flashing dreadful sparks from their eyes;

which had power not only to consume them by their violence, but to destroy them even by the terror of their sight.

Yes and without these they might have fallen by a single breath, being pursued by Justice, and scattered abroad by the breath of your power; but you arranged all things by measure, number, and weight.

For to be greatly strong is yours at all times. Who could withstand the might of your arm?

Because the whole world before you is as a grain in a balance, and as a drop of dew that comes down upon the earth in the morning.

But you have mercy on all men, because you have power to do all things, and you overlook the sins of men to the end that they may repent.

For you love all things that are, and abhor none of the things which you made; For you never would have formed anything if you hated it.

How would anything have endured unless you had willed it? Or that which was not called by you, how would it have been preserved?

But you spare all things, because they are yours, O Sovereign Lord, you who love the living.

Footnotes

(a)11:4 See Deuteronomy 8:15 ; Psalm 114:8 .