The Wisdom of Solomon

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- Chapter 17 -

The Egyptian darkness.

For your judgments, O Lord, are great, and your words are indescribable. Therefore, undisciplined souls have wandered astray.

For, while they managed to convince the unjust, so as to obtain dominion over the holy nation, they themselves were fettered with chains of darkness and of endless night, enclosed in their houses, fugitives of everlasting providence, lying in ruins.(a)

And, while they thought to escape notice in their secret sins, they were scattered under a dark veil of oblivion, being horribly afraid, and having been disturbed with great astonishment.

For neither did the cave which enclosed them preserve them from fear, because descending noises disturbed them, and the sorrowful persons appearing to them intensified their fear.

And, indeed, even fire had no strength to provide them light, nor could the clear flames of the stars illuminate that horrible night.

Yet there appeared to them a sudden fire, filled with fear; and, having been struck with the fear of that face which is unseen, they considered those things which they did see to be worse,

and, having been ridiculed, the illusions were removed from their arts along with their contemptuous rebuke of glorious wisdom.(b)

Indeed, those who promised to drive away fears and disturbances from a languishing soul, though they were filled with derision, were themselves languishing in fear.(c)

And, even if nothing unnatural disturbed them, yet being agitated by the passing of animals and the hissing of snakes, they died of fear, denying what they themselves saw even in the air, which no one thinks to be able to escape.

For, while there may be apprehension with wickedness, it gives testimony to condemnation, for a troubled conscience always forecasts harshness.

For fear is nothing else but unfaithfulness to thinking helpful things.(d)

And, while expectation is driven from within, the cause of this is supposing that one is great in knowledge, and as a result, conflict excels.(e)

Yet those who were truly powerless that night, being overcome by both the vilest and the deepest hell, were sleeping the same sleep,

sometimes stirred up by the fear of unnatural things, other times sinking down in disgrace of soul, for a sudden and unexpected fear overcame them.

Then, if any among them had fallen away, he was kept in a prison without bars which had been left open.(f)

For if a farmer, or a shepherd, or a worker in a field of labor were suddenly overcome, he endured an inescapable necessity.(g)

For they were all bound together with one chain of darkness. Or if there were a whistling wind, or the sweet sound of birds among the thick tree branches, or the force of water rushing excessively,

or the strong noise of rocks crashing down, or the scattering of playful animals having been seen, or the strong voice of bellowing beasts, or the resounding of the highest mountain echo, these things made them sink down because of fear.(h)

For the whole world was enlightened with a clear light, and none were being hindered in their labors.

But then, the heavy night was placed over the sun for them, an image of that darkness which was about to overcome them. Yet they were more grievous to themselves than was the darkness.

Footnotes

(a)17:2 This chapter and subsequent verses about an extraordinary darkness refer both to the three days of darkness at the time of the plague God sent through Moses on the Egyptians and the predicted three days of darkness to occur during the future time described in the Book of Revelation.(Conte)

(b)17:7 The unjust are ridiculed by being struck with fear; the magic or illusions of their arts have been taken away from them along with the contempt the unjust have for wisdom. Here wisdom is not doing the rebuking. The unjust have contemptuously rebuked the truths of wisdom, but at this time the foolishness of the unjust is exposed.(Conte)

(c)17:8 Outwardly, the unjust made jokes at the situation, and promised that they could help those suffering from fear, but inwardly the unjust were themselves overcome with fear.(Conte)

(d)17:11 Or, nothing else but the betrayal of thinking about helpful things.(Conte)

(e)17:12 Here is an interesting translation problem. Ancient Latin had no punctuation and no spaces between the words. The original Sixti V et Clementis VIII Latin Vulgate text had “in scientiam” as two separate words, meaning “in knowledge.” Later editors, including Vercellone (1861 edition) and Hetzenauer (1914 edition) changed the text to “inscientiam” as one word, meaning “ignorance.” The editor’s interpretation of the text determines which word is correct. In this passage, fear is examined. The cause of fearful expectations is not ignorance, for in that case we would all always be afraid since even the most knowledgeable among us knows little. The cause of fearful expectations is “supposing (that one is) great in knowledge.”(Conte)

(f)17:15 The prison without bars, literally “without iron,” is hell. Hell has been left open at this time, meaning either that it is open to accept new residents, or it is open to send up fearful things to the unjust.(Conte)

(g)17:16 During both the future three days of darkness and the past one, during the time of Moses, anyone caught outdoors at that time, even if they are just and innocent, will nevertheless be overcome. It is in inescapable necessity.(Conte)

(h)17:18 Whether the sounds are soft or loud, pleasant or dreadful, those bound in darkness are overcome with fear. The playful animals are scattered because they have been startled by something, as when such animals realize they have been seen.(Conte)

The Egyptian darkness.

For your judgments are great, and hard to interpret; therefore undisciplined souls went astray.

For when lawless men had supposed that they held a holy nation in their power, they, prisoners of darkness, and bound in the fetters of a long night, kept close beneath their roofs, lay exiled from the eternal providence.

For while they thought that they were unseen in their secret sins, they were divided from one another by a dark curtain of forgetfulness, stricken with terrible awe, and very troubled by apparitions.

For neither did the dark recesses that held them guard them from fears, but terrifying sounds rang around them, and dismal phantoms appeared with unsmiling faces.

And no power of fire prevailed to give light, neither were the brightest flames of the stars strong enough to illuminate that gloomy night;

but only the glimmering of a self-kindled fire appeared to them, full of fear. In terror, they considered the things which they saw to be worse than that sight, on which they could not gaze.

The mockeries of their magic arts were powerless, now, and a shameful rebuke of their boasted understanding:

For those who promised to drive away terrors and disorders from a sick soul, these were sick with a ludicrous fearfulness.

For even if no troubling thing frighted them, yet, scared with the creeping of vermin and hissing of serpents,

they perished trembling in fear, refusing even to look at the air, which could not be escaped on any side.

For wickedness, condemned by a witness within, is a coward thing, and, being pressed hard by conscience, always has added forecasts of the worst.

For fear is nothing else but a surrender of the help which reason offers;

and from within, the expectation of being less prefers ignorance of the cause that brings the torment.

But they, all through the night which was powerless indeed, and which came upon them out of the recesses of powerless Hades, sleeping the same sleep,

now were haunted by monstrous apparitions, and now were paralyzed by their soul’s surrendering; for sudden and unexpected fear came upon them.

So then whoever it might be, sinking down in his place, was kept captive, shut up in that prison which was not barred with iron;

for whether he was a farmer, or a shepherd, or a laborer whose toils were in the wilderness, he was overtaken, and endured that inescapable sentence; for they were all bound with one chain of darkness.

Whether there was a whistling wind, or a melodious sound of birds among the spreading branches, or a measured fall of water running violently,

or a harsh crashing of rocks hurled down, or the swift course of animals bounding along unseen, or the voice of wild beasts harshly roaring, or an echo rebounding from the hollows of the mountains, all these things paralyzed them with terror.

For the whole world was illuminated with clear light, and was occupied with unhindered works,

while over them alone was spread a heavy night, an image of the darkness that should afterward receive them; but to themselves, they were heavier than darkness.