Deuteronomy 33:3
Hebrew Bible
1 This is the blessing Moses the man of God pronounced upon the Israelites before his death. 2 He said: “The Lord came from Sinai and revealed himself to Israel from Seir. He appeared in splendor from Mount Paran, and came forth with ten thousand holy ones. With his right hand he gave a fiery law to them. 3 Surely he loves the people; all your holy ones are in your power. And they sit at your feet, each receiving your words. 4 Moses delivered to us a law, an inheritance for the assembly of Jacob. 5 The Lord was king over Jeshurun, when the leaders of the people assembled, the tribes of Israel together.
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Wisdom of Solomon 3:1
Deuterocanon
1 But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them. 2 In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their departure was thought to be a disaster, 3 and their going from us to be their destruction; but they are at peace. 4 For though in the sight of others they were punished, their hope is full of immortality. 5 Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good, because God tested them and found them worthy of himself;
Date: 100-50 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Notes and References
"... Fourth Maccabees 17:19 recites a line from LXX Deuteronomy 33:3 as a piece of evidence from ancient authority for the author’s claims concerning the destiny and current location of the martyrs (17:5, 18). Being located “under (ὑπό) God’s hands” (or “in God’s hands,” in the Hebrew text) is an image of protection. The author of Deuteronomy 33 wrote these words as part of a remembrance of God’s leadership and protection of the Hebrews through their wilderness journey. The author of 4 Maccabees, however, reads this typologically as an indication of God’s protection of God’s faithful ones - those who consecrate themselves to God through obedience to Torah, such as the martyrs - on their journey to their eternal home in God’s presence and as an affirmation of their arrival there in God’s presence. In other words, he reads the text much more in keeping with the sentiments of Wisdom of Solomon 3:1 (“the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God”) than with the original story of the exodus generation ..."
DeSilva, David A.
4 Maccabees: Introduction and Commentary on the Greek Text in Codex Sinaiticus
(pp. 248-249) Brill, 2006
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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