Wisdom of Solomon 8:2
Deuterocanon
1 She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other, and she orders all things well. 2 I loved her and sought her from my youth; I desired to take her for my bride, and became enamored of her beauty. 3 She glorifies her noble birth by living with God, and the Lord of all loves her. 4 For she is an initiate in the knowledge of God, and an associate in his works.
Date: 100-50 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Sirach 15:2
Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
Deuterocanon
1 Whoever fears the Lord will do this, and whoever holds to the law will obtain wisdom. 2 She will come to meet him like a mother, and like a young bride she will welcome him. 3 She will feed him with the bread of learning, and give him the water of wisdom to drink. 4 He will lean on her and not fall, and he will rely on her and not be put to shame.
Date: 195-175 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Notes and References
"... Sanders argues that the sexual aspects of 11Q5 21 should be understood in terms of the sapiential tradition of praising wisdom as a woman. This is an astute observation. The presentation of Lady Wisdom in Proverbs is not particularly sexual. The loose woman of Proverbs 7 is a much more erotic figure (e.g., verse 18). But Lady Wisdom does invite men to accept her wisdom and declares 'I love those who love me' (8:17). Later Jewish wisdom texts elaborate this trope. In the Wisdom of Solomon, Solomon declares: 'I loved her (wisdom) and sought her from my youth; I desired to take her for my bride, and became enamored of her beauty' (8:2; compare verse 18). In Sirach 14:20-15:10, she is also called a bride: 'Motherlike she will meet him, like a young bride she will embrace him' (15:2; compare 6:26-28) ..."
Goff, Matthew J.
Discerning Wisdom: The Sapiential Literature of the Dead Sea Scrolls
(pp. 255-256) Brill, 2007
* 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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