The Suffering and Hope of the Righteous

Chapter 3

1 But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,⁠ and no torment will touch them.⁠ 2 In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died. Their departure was considered a disaster,⁠ 3 and their travel away from us ruin, but they are in peace.⁠ 4 For even if in the sight of men they are punished, their hope is full of immortality.⁠ 5 Having borne a little chastening, they will receive great good; because God tested them, and found them worthy of himself.⁠ 6 He tested them like gold in the furnace,⁠ and he accepted them as a whole burnt offering. 7 In the time of their visitation they will shine. They will run back and forth like sparks among stubble.⁠ 8 They will judge nations and have dominion over peoples. The Lord will reign over them forever.⁠ 9 Those who trust him will understand truth. The faithful will live with him in love, because grace and mercy are with his chosen ones. 10 But the ungodly will be punished even as their reasoning deserves, those who neglected righteousness and revolted from the Lord; 11 for he who despises wisdom and discipline is miserable.⁠ Their hope is void and their toils unprofitable. Their works are useless. 12 Their wives are foolish and their children are wicked.

Virtue, Childlessness, and Lasting Fruitfulness

13 Their descendants are cursed. For the barren woman who is undefiled is happy, she who has not conceived in transgression. She will have fruit when God examines souls.⁠ 14 So is the eunuch who has done no lawless deed with his hands, nor imagined wicked things against the Lord; for a precious gift will be given to him for his faithfulness, and a delightful inheritance in the Lord’s sanctuary. 15 For good labors have fruit of great renown. The root of understanding can’t fail. 16 But children of adulterers will not come to maturity. The seed of an unlawful union will vanish away. 17 For if they live long, they will not be esteemed, and in the end, their old age will be without honor. 18 If they die young, they will have no hope, nor consolation in the day of judgment. 19 For the end of an unrighteous generation is grievous.

Texts in conversation

Compare Wisdom of Solomon 3:4 and 1 Peter 1:5

Deuterocanon · New Testament

Summary

1 Peter uses language found in the Wisdom of Solomon and other Jewish texts, such as gold tested in fire, to depict suffering as a sign of faithfulness. It follows Jewish wisdom traditions in interpreting persecution as a meaningful test.

Passages

Wisdom of Solomon 3:4

Deuterocanon

2 In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died. Their departure was considered a disaster, 3 and their travel away from us ruin, but they are in peace. 4 For even if in the sight of men they are punished, their hope is full of immortality. 5 Having borne a little chastening, they will receive great good; because God tested them, and found them worthy of himself. 6 He tested them like gold in the furnace, and he accepted them as a whole burnt offering. 7 In the time of their visitation they will shine. They will run back and forth like sparks among stubble. 8 They will judge nations and have dominion over peoples. The Lord will reign over them forever.

50 BCE – 50 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Wisdom of Solomon

1 Peter 1:5

New Testament

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 that is, into an inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. It is reserved in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are protected through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 This brings you great joy, although you may have to suffer for a short time in various trials. 7 Such trials show the proven character of your faith, which is much more valuable than gold—gold that is tested by fire, even though it is passing away—and will bring praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 You have not seen him, but you love him. You do not see him now but you believe in him, and so you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, 9 because you are attaining the goal of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

80–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Peter

References

"... The possibility is there that these trials may test the integrity of their faith. It can seem as if he is telling the first audience that their suffering and trauma are brief and necessary and therefore it becomes more bearable. This can be a problematic statement to make, but in the light of the short expectancy of Christ’s second coming it is understandable. They are not experiencing suffering and trauma because their faith is inadequate. Rather it is evidence that their faith is genuine, otherwise they would not have chosen to be associated with a faith that would cause them trauma (Jobes, 2005: 79, 94). The authenticity of their faith, even if it is tested by fire (traumatic wounds that do not seem to want to heal), it is still more precious than gold. Yet again it points to future praise and glory in the second coming of Christ. This joy in suffering also reflects a Jewish background, specifically the Wisdom of Solomon 3:4; 2 Baruch 52:6-7 and Sirach 2:1-6 (Achtemeier, 1996: 99; Jobes, 2005: 95) ..."

Annemarie Susan de Kock-Malan, Suffering, Submission, Silence? Rereading 1 Peter through a Lens of Trauma (Stellenbosch University, 2019), 133–134.

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

The Suffering and Hope of the Righteous

Virtue, Childlessness, and Lasting Fruitfulness

Wisdom of Solomon19 chapters

Compare Wisdom of Solomon 3:4 and 1 Peter 1:5

Summary

Passages

Wisdom of Solomon 3:4

1 Peter 1:5

References

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