Texts in Conversation
Genesis describes how Enoch lived 365 years, walked with God, and then vanished when God took him away. The Wisdom of Solomon uses this story to argue that an early death can still reflect a life of favor, using Enoch to contrast with other patriarchs that a long life is not the only sign of blessing.
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Genesis 5:24
Hebrew Bible
22 After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God for 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 23 The entire lifetime of Enoch was 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God, and then he disappeared because God took him away. 25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. 26 Methuselah lived 782 years after he became the father of Lamech, and he had other sons and daughters.
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Wisdom of Solomon 4:10
Deuterocanon
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. 10 There were some who pleased God and were loved by him, and while living among sinners were taken up. 11 They were caught up so that evil might not change their understanding or guile deceive their souls. 12 For the fascination of wickedness obscures what is good, and roving desire perverts the innocent mind.
Date: 100-50 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Here the delimitation of the switch from the positive evaluation of the lot of the righteous to the negative position of the wicked is less clearly marked than in 3:1–4:6. However, 4:16, with the introduction of the word “ungodly,” seems to mark the fulcrum of the unit. It also marks in advance the theme of chapter 5. Like 3:12–4:6, this unit is concerned to refute a deep-rooted Old Testament idea, namely, that to live to a ripe old age and to die “full of years” is a sure sign of God’s blessing, with the corollary that to die early would be a sign of God’s disapproval. To illustrate the thesis that early death need not be a disaster, or a sign of God’s disfavor, the author draws on the example of Enoch (Genesis 5:24). He depends on the LXX text which has “Enoch pleased God” where the Hebrew has “Enoch walked with God” (compare Sirach 44:16). The example of Enoch was an important influence on the development of belief in a worthwhile life after death in the late Second Temple period ..."
Hayman, A. Peter
Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible: Wisdom of Solomon
(p. 43) William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2019
* 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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