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About this book

Wisdom of Solomon

About this book

Prayer for Wisdom in Human Life

Chapter 9

1 “O God of my ancestors and Lord of mercy, who made all things by your word;⁠ 2 and by your wisdom you formed man, that he should have dominion over the creatures that were made by you, 3 and rule the world in holiness and righteousness, and execute judgment in uprightness of soul, 4 give me wisdom, her who sits by you on your thrones.⁠ Don’t reject me from among your servants,⁠ 5 because I am your servant and the son of your handmaid, a weak and short-lived man, with little power to understand judgment and laws. 6 For even if a man is perfect among the sons of men, if the wisdom that comes from you is not with him, he will count for nothing.⁠

A King’s Prayer for Wisdom

7 You chose me to be king of your people, and a judge for your sons and daughters. 8 You gave a command to build a sanctuary on your holy mountain, and an altar in the city where you live, a copy of the holy tent which you prepared from the beginning.⁠ 9 Wisdom is with you and knows your works, and was present when you were making the world,⁠ and understands what is pleasing in your eyes, and what is right according to your commandments.⁠ 10 Send her from the holy heavens, and ask her to come from the throne of your glory, that being present with me she may work, and I may learn what pleases you well. 11 For she knows all things and understands, and she will guide me prudently in my actions. She will guard me in her glory. 12 So my works will be acceptable. I will judge your people righteously, and I will be worthy of my father’s throne.

Human Limits and the Gift of Wisdom

13 For what man will know the counsel of God? Or who will conceive what the Lord wills?⁠ 14 For the thoughts of mortals are unstable, and our plans are prone to fail.⁠ 15 For a corruptible body weighs down the soul.⁠ The earthy tent burdens a mind that is full of cares.⁠ 16 We can hardly guess the things that are on earth, and we find the things that are close at hand with labor; but who has traced out the things that are in the heavens?⁠ 17 Who gained knowledge of your counsel, unless you gave wisdom, and sent your holy spirit from on high? 18 It was thus that the ways of those who are on earth were corrected, and men were taught the things that are pleasing to you. They were saved through wisdom.”

Texts in conversation

Compare Wisdom of Solomon 9:15 and Galatians 5:17

Deuterocanon · New Testament

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Summary

Wisdom of Solomon says the body is a weight that pulls the soul down, contrasting fragile bodies with higher spiritual life. In Galatians, Paul uses a similar contrast, describing flesh and spirit as rival forces shaping human behavior.

Passages

Wisdom of Solomon 9:15

Deuterocanon
13 For what man will know the counsel of God? Or who will conceive what the Lord wills? 14 For the thoughts of mortals are unstable, and our plans are prone to fail. 15 For a corruptible body weighs down the soul. The earthy tent burdens a mind that is full of cares. 16 We can hardly guess the things that are on earth, and we find the things that are close at hand with labor; but who has traced out the things that are in the heavens? 17 Who gained knowledge of your counsel, unless you gave wisdom, and sent your holy spirit from on high?
50 BCE – 50 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Wisdom of Solomon

Galatians 5:17

New Testament
15 However, if you continually bite and devour one another, beware that you are not consumed by one another. 16 But I say, live by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh has desires that are opposed to the Spirit, and the Spirit has desires that are opposed to the flesh, for these are in opposition to each other, so that you cannot do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, depravity,
48–55 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Galatians

References

"... Against common scholarly opinion, even early Jewish sources often distinguish soul from body. We might expect this distinction in Josephus and other Hellenized sources, but it also appears in many sources traditionally viewed as less Hellenized. Jewish sources, both those traditionally regarded as more Hellenized and other sources, also usually embraced the immortality of the soul. Some even used various forms of the Greek idea of the body as a tomb. (Wisdom of Solomon 9:15; Josephus, War 2.154-55) ... In Romans as in Galatians, the “flesh” offers an inadequate response to God’s righteous standard in the law (Romans 7:5, 14, 25; 8:3–4, 7; compare 2:28; 3:20); the Spirit, by contrast, empowers true righteousness, providing an internal rather than external law (Romans 8:2, 4; compare 7:6; Galatians 3:2, 5; 5:18, 23). The mind of the Spirit, then, is a mind led by righteousness such as embodied in the principles of the law (compare Romans 8:2), perhaps fulfilling the ideal of meditation on the law (Deuteronomy 6:6; Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2; 119:15, 23, 48, 78, 148) and providing obedience (Ezekiel 36:27; compare Deuteronomy 5:29; 30:6). This mind directed by the Spirit is undoubtedly at least part of what it means to be “led by the Spirit” (Romans 8:14; compare Galatians 5:16–23) ..."
Craig S. Keener, “'Fleshly' Versus Spirit Perspectives in Romans 8:5-8,” in Paul: Jew, Greek, and Roman, ed. Stanley E. Porter (Leiden: Brill, 2008), 211–229.

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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Wisdom of Solomon 9:15 and Galatians 5:17

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