Texts in Conversation
Wisdom of Solomon 4 describes the righteous as entering peace and rest after death, a portrayal that clearly draws on Isaiah 57:2, where the upright are also described resting in death. Wisdom of Solomon likely adapts Isaiah’s language in order to depict itself in continuity with the traditions in the Hebrew Bible.
Share:
Isaiah 57:2
Hebrew Bible
1 The godly perish, but no one cares. Honest people disappear, when no one minds that the godly disappear because of evil. 2 Those who live uprightly enter a place of peace; they rest on their beds. 3 “But approach, you sons of omen readers, you offspring of adulteresses and prostitutes! 4 At whom are you laughing? At whom are you opening your mouth and sticking out your tongue? You are the children of rebels, the offspring of liars,
Date: 7th-5th Centuries B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Wisdom of Solomon 4:7
Deuterocanon
5 The branches will be broken off before they come to maturity, and their fruit will be useless, not ripe enough to eat, and good for nothing. 6 For children born of unlawful unions are witnesses of evil against their parents when God examines them. 7 But the righteous, though they die early, will be at rest. 8 For old age is not honored for length of time, or measured by number of years; 9 but understanding is gray hair for anyone, and a blameless life is ripe old age.
Date: 100-50 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Search:
Notes and References
"... Compare with Isaiah 57:2; 32:17, LXX; Parable of Jeremiah 5:32: 'I bless you, God of heaven and earth, the Rest (he anapausis; compare with Wisdom of Solomon 4:7) of the souls of the righteous in every place'; BR 9.5, Th. Alb. 7: 'Why was death decreed for the righteous? Since as long as they are alive, they are at war with their evil impulse, but when they die, they are given respite, and this is the meaning of the verse, 'and there the weary are at rest' (Job 3:19).' The usual custom in Palestine when mentioning a departed righteous person was to say (Jerusalem Erubin 3, Pesachim 4.1, 30d) 'whose soul is at rest,' as is clearly stated by Resh Lakish: 'Some are mentioned and blessed (with the word noach), others are mentioned and cursed' ..."
Winston, David
The Wisdom of Solomon: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary
(p. 126) Doubleday, 1979
* 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.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.