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About this book

Psalms of Solomon

About this book

The Righteous and the Sinner

Psalm 3

1 Why are you sleeping, my soul, and not blessing the Lord? Sing a new song to God who is worthy to be praised.⁠ 2 Sing and stay awake to watch for His awakening, for a psalm (sung) to God from a joyful heart is good.

3 The righteous remember the Lord at all times, with thanksgiving and by declaring that the Lord’s judgments are righteous. 4 The righteous person does not despise the Lord’s discipline; His desire is always in the Lord’s presence.

5 The righteous person stumbles and acknowledges that the Lord is righteous: He falls and watches for what God will do to him; He searches for where his rescue will come from. 6 The firm resolve of the righteous is from God their deliverer; Sin does not pile up in the righteous person’s house. 7 The righteous person continually searches his house, to remove completely (all) wrongdoing (done) by him unintentionally.⁠ 8 He makes atonement for (sins of) ignorance by fasting and humbling himself, and the Lord counts every faithful man and his household as free from guilt.⁠

9 The sinner stumbles and curses his life, the day he was born, and his mother's labor pains. 10 He adds sin to sin while he lives (?); He falls, his fall is truly terrible, and he never rises again. 11 The destruction of the sinner is forever, and he will not be remembered when God attends to the righteous person.

12 This is the fate of sinners forever. But those who fear the Lord shall rise to eternal life,⁠ And their life (shall be) in the light of the Lord, and will never end.⁠

Texts in conversation

Compare 4Q521 2 ii+4 12 and Psalms of Solomon 3:12

Dead Sea Scrolls, Apocalyptic and Eschatological Texts · Pseudepigrapha, Wisdom and Poetry

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Summary

The Dead Sea Scroll 4Q521 and the Psalms of Solomon include resurrection in their hopes for messianic renewal, shaped by Isaiah. Both link the resurrection to justice and healing, describing a future where the righteous are upheld and the poor restored.

Passages

4Q521 2 ii+4 12

Dead Sea Scrolls, Apocalyptic and Eschatological Texts · A Messianic Apocalypse
5 For the Lord seeks out the faithful and calls the righteous by name. 6 Over the humble his spirit hovers, and the faithful he renews with his strength. 7 For he will honor the faithful on the throne of an everlasting kingdom, 8 setting prisoners free, opening the eyes of the blind, raising up those who are bowed down. 9 And forever I will cling to those who hope, and in his kindness … 10 and the fruit of a good [deed] will not be delayed for anyone. 11 And the Lord will do glorious things that have not been, as he [said]. 12 For he will heal the wounded and give life to the dead; he will bring good news to the humble, 13 and the [poor] he will satisfy, the uprooted he will lead, and the hungry he will make rich, 14 and the [discerning …] … and all of them like the [holy ones]
100–50 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in 4Q521

Psalms of Solomon 3:12

Pseudepigrapha, Wisdom and Poetry
9 The sinner stumbles and curses his life, the day he was born, and his mother's labor pains. 10 He adds sin to sin while he lives (?); He falls, his fall is truly terrible, and he never rises again. 11 The destruction of the sinner is forever, and he will not be remembered when God attends to the righteous person. 12 This is the fate of sinners forever. But those who fear the Lord shall rise to eternal life, And their life (shall be) in the light of the Lord, and will never end.
65–30 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Psalms of Solomon

References

"... On the resurrection of Israel or the 'righteous' on the last day, see Daniel 12:1-2; 2 Maccabees 7; 4Q521 2.11; 1 Enoch 92:3-4; Psalms of Solomon 3:12; Testament of Judah 25:1 ..."
Michael F. Bird, An Anomalous Jew: Paul among Jews, Greeks, and Romans (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2016), 126.

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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4Q521 2 ii+4 12 and Psalms of Solomon 3:12

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