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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 Proverbs 8:22 and Wisdom of Solomon 9:9

Hebrew Bible · Deuterocanon

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Summary

Proverbs presents Wisdom as a personified figure created before the world. The Wisdom of Solomon develops this idea further, portraying Wisdom as not only present at creation but as an active partner who lives with God and guides humanity.

Passages

Proverbs 8:22

Hebrew Bible
20 I walk in the path of righteousness, in the pathway of justice, 21 that I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth, and that I may fill their treasuries. 22 The Lord created me as the beginning of his works, before his deeds of long ago. 23 From eternity I have been fashioned, from the beginning, from before the world existed. 24 When there were no deep oceans I was born, when there were no springs overflowing with water;
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Proverbs

Wisdom of Solomon 9:9

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

References

"... Another book which links Wisdom and Spirit is the Wisdom of Solomon, an Apocryphal work (c. 100 BCE) that was written by an Alexandrian Jew. This Greek document introduces “Platonic, Stoic, and other forms of Hellenistic thought” to Jewish readers. Following the biblical Proverbs, it portrays a personified female Wisdom as God’s agent in creating the world. Wisdom fills creation: “For Wisdom is mobile beyond all motion, and she penetrates and pervades all things by reason of her purity” (Wisdom of Solomon, 7:22). This usage recalls the Stoic concept of the Logos. In chapter 9 of this influential work, the author advances dualistic ideas, praises Wisdom, and parallels her to God’s holy spirit ... More than any other ancient Jewish text, Wisdom of Solomon, “moves Wisdom closest to God” and introduces Spirit (pneuma) as their connection. The connections between Wisdom, Logos, and God’s holy spirit in Wisdom of Solomon are helpful in understanding the historical and theological background to Ruah ha-Kodesh ... From the time of these Apocryphal Wisdom books and throughout Rabbinic literature, Wisdom and Torah are inextricably linked, and this is very important to the development of the Rabbinic Ruah ha-Kodesh as the divine voice, the voice of wisdom speaking in the Torah ..."
Julie Hilton Danan, The Divine Voice in Scripture: Ruah Ha-Kodesh in Rabbinic Literature (University of Texas at Austin, 2009), 90.

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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