Texts in Conversation
The Psalms of Solomon and 4 Ezra both use the image of God disciplining a firstborn child, comparing Israel’s struggle with being ruled by other nations with the discipline and guidance a parent gives a child.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Psalms of Solomon 18:4
Pseudepigrapha, Wisdom and Poetry
2 Your eyes watch over them, so that none of them lacks anything; Your ears listen to the hopeful prayer of the poor. 3 Your judgments (are executed) upon the whole earth in mercy; And Your love (is) toward Abraham’s descendants, the children of Israel. 4 Your discipline is upon us as (upon) a firstborn son, an only child, to turn back the obedient soul from foolishness (that is committed) in ignorance. 5 May God cleanse Israel in preparation for the day of mercy and blessing, in preparation for the day of choice when He brings back His anointed. 6 Blessed shall be those who live in those days, because they shall see the goodness of the Lord which He shall carry out for the generation that is to come,
Date: 65–30 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
4 Ezra 6:58
2 Esdras
Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
56 As for the other nations, which also come from Adam, you have said that they are nothing, and are like spittle. You have likened the abundance of them to a drop that falls from a bucket. 57 Now, O Lord, behold these nations, which are reputed as nothing, being rulers over us and devouring us. 58 But we your people, whom you have called your firstborn, your only children, and your fervent lover, are given into their hands. 59 Now if the world is made for our sakes, why don’t we possess our world for an inheritance? How long will this endure?”
Date: 70–132 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Compare 4 Ezra 6:58 ..."
Robert B. Wright, The Psalms of Solomon: A Critical Edition of the Greek Text (London: T&T Clark, 2007), 205.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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