Texts in Conversation
Sirach 7 and Judith 16 draw on imagery from Isaiah 66, where fire and worms are used to describe the fate of the unrighteous, with each text then uniquely building upon the language for their own rhetorical purposes.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Sirach 7:17
Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
Deuterocanon
15 Don’t hate hard labor or farm work, which the Most High has created. 16 Don’t number yourself among the multitude of sinners. Remember that wrath will not wait. 17 Humble your soul greatly, for the punishment of the ungodly man is fire and the worm. 18 Don’t exchange a friend for something, neither a true brother for the gold of Ophir. 19 Don’t deprive yourself of a wise and good wife, for her grace is worth more than gold.
Date: 195–180 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Judith 16:17
Deuterocanon
16 For all sacrifice is little for a sweet savor, and all the fat is very little for a whole burnt offering to you; but he who fears the Lord is great continually. 17 “Woe to the nations who rise up against my race! The Lord Almighty will take vengeance on them in the day of judgment and put fire and worms in their flesh; and they will weep and feel their pain forever.” 18 Now when they came to Jerusalem, they worshiped God. When the people were purified, they offered their whole burnt offerings, their free will offerings, and their gifts.
Date: 100 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Search:
Notes and References
"... There is evidence that Isaiah 66:24 played a strong influence on Jewish views of the judgement around the turn of the era. In Judith 16:17 the writer warns that the Lord will take vengeance on the nations that rise up against Israel. He will give 'fire and worms' to their flesh. In contrast to Isaiah 66:24 where the fire and the worms are agents of destruction, here they become agents of torment; the wicked shall 'weep in pain forever' (Judith 16:17). Likewise Sirach 7:17 warns that the punishment of the ungodly will be 'fire and worms'. In contrast to Judith, Sirach does not clarify whether the punishment will result in destruction or prolonged torment. The Isaiah Targum oscillates between the two views. First the translator states that the breath of the wicked "will not die and their fire shall not be quenched" suggesting perhaps ongoing suffering. However, he adds that they will suffer only until the righteous say, 'we have seen enough' (Targum Isaiah 66:24) ..."
Kim Gary Papaioannou, “Places of Punishment in the Synoptic Gospels” (PhD diss., University of Durham, 2004), 56–57.
* 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.
User Comments
,