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Wisdom of Solomon

About this book

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 Daniel 7:27 and Wisdom of Solomon 3:8

Hebrew Bible · Deuterocanon

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Summary

Daniel pictures a future where God’s faithful people will be given authority over all nations and share in his eternal rule. The Wisdom of Solomon builds on this by saying the righteous will shine with glory and take part in judging the nations.

Passages

Daniel 7:27

Hebrew Bible
25 He will speak words against the Most High. He will harass the holy ones of the Most High continually. His intention will be to change times established by law. The holy ones will be delivered into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. 26 But the court will convene, and his ruling authority will be removed—destroyed and abolished forever! 27 Then the kingdom, authority, and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be delivered to the people of the holy ones of the Most High. His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; all authorities will serve him and obey him.’ 28 “This is the conclusion of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts troubled me greatly, and the color drained from my face. But I kept the matter to myself.”
200–101 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Daniel

Wisdom of Solomon 3:8

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

References

"... the author makes use of the idea of the immortality of the soul; there is no trace of the concept of the resurrection of the body in the Wisdom of Solomon. Clarke’s attempt to deny the presence of a body/soul dualism in the text is unconvincing. 3:4–6 are a direct refutation of the Deuteronomic and earlier wisdom view that one could deduce people’s “state of grace” from the suffering they were undergoing or the material blessing they were enjoying. 3:4a appears to attribute to the author’s opponents the conservative dogmatic note of Job’s comforters. However, by the time that the Wisdom of Solomon was written Judaism had taken the point made by the book of Job and by Qohelet and adopted on a widespread basis the explanation for suffering which we see here (compare Sirach 2:1–5; 2 Maccabees 6:12–16; and 1 Enoch 108:9). This “vale of soul making” theodicy is adumbrated in the Old Testament (see Job 5:17–19; Proverbs 3:11–12; Daniel 11:35). However, the same explanation for suffering can be found in Greco-Roman philosophy. In 3:7–9 we get the traditional apocalyptic imagery of the day of the Lord (compare Sirach 36:1–22). The righteous join the host of heaven and become the holy ones/sons of God/stars. Israel rules over the other nations, with God as their king (compare Daniel 7:27; 12:3; and 1 Enoch 104:2–6) ..."
A. Peter Hayman, Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible: Wisdom of Solomon (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2019), 41.

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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Daniel 7:27 and Wisdom of Solomon 3:8

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