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Psalms of Solomon

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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.

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Texts in conversation

Compare Jesus Ben Sira, Sirach 40:15 and Psalms of Solomon 14:4

Deuterocanon · Pseudepigrapha, Wisdom and Poetry

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Summary

The Psalms of Solomon use the image of the children of the unrighteous as unhealthy roots on rock, echoing Sirach where the offspring of the unrighteous are compared to shallow roots that cannot endure.

Passages

Jesus Ben Sira, Sirach 40:15

Deuterocanon · Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
13 The goods of the unjust will be dried up like a river,
and will vanish noisily like loud thunder in rain. 14 A man will be made glad when he opens his hands,
and so lawbreakers will utterly fail. 15 The children of the ungodly won’t grow many branches,
and are like unhealthy roots on a sheer rock. 16 The reeds by every water or river bank
will be pulled up before all grass. 17 Kindness is like a garden of blessings.
Giving to the poor endures forever.
195–175 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Jesus Ben Sira, Sirach

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

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.

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Jesus Ben Sira, Sirach 40:15 and Psalms of Solomon 14:4

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