Texts in Conversation
The Wisdom of Solomon draws on Isaiah’s mockery of idol makers, echoing its criticism that those who make idols create nothing of value. Isaiah portrays the craftsman as a professional, while Wisdom describes a carpenter tinkering in his spare time.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Isaiah 44:9
Hebrew Bible
7 Who is like me? Let him make his claim! Let him announce it and explain it to me—since I established an ancient people— let them announce future events. 8 Don’t panic! Don’t be afraid! Did I not tell you beforehand and decree it? You are my witnesses! Is there any God but me? There is no other sheltering rock; I know of none. 9 All who form idols are nothing; the things in which they delight are worthless. Their witnesses cannot see; they recognize nothing, so they are put to shame. 10 Who forms a god and casts an idol that will prove worthless? 11 Look, all his associates will be put to shame; the craftsmen are mere humans. Let them all assemble and take their stand. They will panic and be put to shame.
Date: 740–450 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Wisdom of Solomon 13:14
Deuterocanon
12 Burning the scraps from his handiwork to cook his food, he eats his fill. 13 Taking a discarded scrap which served no purpose, a crooked piece of wood and full of knots, he carves it with the diligence of his idleness, and shapes it by the skill of his idleness. He shapes it in the image of a man, 14 or makes it like some worthless animal, smearing it with something red, painting it red, and smearing over every stain in it. 15 Having made a worthy chamber for it, he sets it in a wall, securing it with iron. 16 He plans for it that it may not fall down, knowing that it is unable to help itself (for truly it is an image, and needs help).
Date: 50 BCE – 50 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Wisdom of Solomon 13:10-14:2 ... The description of the carpenter constructing wooden idols is based on Isaiah 44:9–20 supplemented by a few other Old Testament references such as Jeremiah 10:1–16. As in the Old Testament polemics against idolatry, the material is for internal consumption only, reinforcing a Jewish sense of superiority over the Gentiles. It cannot be addressed to non-Jews since it takes no account of Gentile explanations of what they thought they were doing when worshiping images. The point of 13:13 seems to be that the idol maker is not a professional sculptor. He is doing this in his spare time, in contrast to the picture presented in Isaiah 44:13. Less well attested readings for the words “leisure” and “idleness” make him seem more of a professional. 14:1 obviously draws on Jonah 1:5, though the point being made in 14:1–2 is not immediately clear. Verse 2 emphasizes the professional intent and high level of skill which goes into shipbuilding, so much so that the author “apparently credits Sophia (like Isis) with the invention of the maritime trades”. Yet, by contrast, sailors in distress call upon a wooden idol made from offcasts in the carpenter’s spare time! ..."
A. Peter Hayman, Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible: Wisdom of Solomon (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2019), 62.
* 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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