Skip to Content
intertextual.bible
Go to Related Reading
About this book

Psalms of Solomon

About this book

The Faithful as Trees of Life

Psalm 14

1 The Lord is faithful to those who truly love Him, to those who endure His discipline, 2 to those who walk in the righteousness of His commandments, In the law which He commanded us so that we might live. 3 The Lord’s faithful people shall live by it forever; The Paradise of the Lord, the trees of life, are His faithful people.⁠ 4 Their planting is rooted forever; They shall not be uprooted as long as the heavens last:⁠ 5 For Israel is God’s portion and inheritance.

6 But this is not true of sinners and those who break the law, who love (the brief) day (spent) in the company of their sin; 7 Their delight is in fleeting corruption, and they do not remember God. 8 For He knows people’s ways at all times, And He knows the secrets of the heart before they happen.⁠ 9 Therefore their inheritance is Sheol and darkness and destruction, and they shall not be found in the day when the righteous obtain mercy; 10 But the Lord’s faithful people shall inherit life in gladness.

Texts in conversation

Compare Psalms of Solomon 14:4 and Ephesians 3:17

Pseudepigrapha, Wisdom and Poetry · New Testament

Share:

Summary

Ephesians describes believers being rooted in love, echoing the Psalms of Solomon where the faithful are described as plants rooted forever, never to be pulled up. Both texts use language found throughout Jewish literary traditions.

Passages

Psalms of Solomon 14:4

Pseudepigrapha, Wisdom and Poetry
2 to those who walk in the righteousness of His commandments, In the law which He commanded us so that we might live. 3 The Lord’s faithful people shall live by it forever; The Paradise of the Lord, the trees of life, are His faithful people. 4 Their planting is rooted forever; They shall not be uprooted as long as the heavens last: 5 For Israel is God’s portion and inheritance. 6 But this is not true of sinners and those who break the law, who love (the brief) day (spent) in the company of their sin;
65–30 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Psalms of Solomon

Ephesians 3:17

New Testament
15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. 16 I pray that according to the wealth of his glory he will grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person, 17 that Christ will dwell in your hearts through faith, so that, because you have been rooted and grounded in love, 18 you will be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and thus to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you will be filled up to all the fullness of God.
90–100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Ephesians

References

"... The point is reinforced by a sequence of forceful metaphors. These traditions of Jesus as Christ and Lord provide for the new community both a root for the new plant and a foundation for the new building. The verb 'cause to take root,' only here and in Ephesians 3:17 in the New Testament) vividly images the preaching / teaching as an effective sowing that results in a well-rooted plant (perfect participle; compare Sirach 24:12 - of wisdom; Psalms of Solomon 14:4; Odes of Solomon 38:17-22). The importance of deep roots was well understood in Jewish tradition (e.g., Jeremiah 17:8; Ezekiel 31:7; Sirach 40:15). Naturally the image is complementary to the 'fruit-bearing' metaphor of 1:10, which allows the same emphasis on a 'walk' determined by reference to 'the Lord.' Equally it makes a natural partner in Jewish tradition ..."
James D. G. Dunn, The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon: A Commentary on the Greek Text, NIGTC (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996), 141–142.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

Your feedback

Psalms of Solomon 14:4 and Ephesians 3:17

Leave a comment

Your questions and comments are welcome!

Comments

Glossary

Search the Library