Wisdom of Solomon 10

She guarded the first-formed father of the world, who was created alone, and she brought him out of his own wrongdoing,

1She preserved the first formed father of the world, that was created alone, and brought him out of his fall,

NoteThis chapter retells the book of Genesis and the start of Exodus without naming a single person. Each figure is identified only by a description, and the original readers were expected to recognize them. "She" throughout is Wisdom, spoken of as a woman because the Greek word for wisdom, sophia, is a feminine noun. The "first formed father of the world" is Adam, called "created alone" because he was made before there was any other human being; his "fall" is his eating of the forbidden fruit in Genesis 3.

2and she gave him the strength to rule over all things.

2And gave him power to rule all things.

NoteA reference to Genesis 1:28, where the first humans are told to rule over the fish, the birds and every living thing that moves on the earth.

3But when the unrighteous man turned away from her in his anger, he died himself in the same rage with which he murdered his brother.

3But when the unrighteous went away from her in his anger, he perished also in the fury wherewith he murdered his brother.

NoteCain, who killed his brother Abel in Genesis 4. The line packs two deaths together: the anger that made him a murderer is also the thing that destroyed him.

4When the earth was being drowned by the flood because of him, wisdom saved it again, steering the course of the righteous man by a cheap piece of wood.

4For whose cause the earth being drowned with the flood, wisdom again preserved it, and directed the course of the righteous in a piece of wood of small value.

NoteNoah and the flood of Genesis 6 to 8. The "piece of wood of small value" is the ark. The Greek word is deliberately dismissive, a cheap plank or a bit of timber, setting a flimsy wooden box against a whole drowned world.

5Also, when nations agreed together in wickedness and were thrown into confusion, wisdom recognized the righteous man and kept him blameless before God, and kept him strong against his tender feelings for his son.

5Moreover, the nations in their wicked conspiracy being confounded, she found out the righteous, and preserved him blameless unto God, and kept him strong against his tender compassion toward his son.

NoteTwo stories in one sentence. The "nations in their wicked conspiracy being confounded" is the tower of Babel in Genesis 11, where a single human project was broken up by the confusing of languages. The "righteous" man found in the middle of it is Abraham. The last clause refers to Genesis 22, where Abraham is told to sacrifice his son Isaac: "kept him strong against his tender compassion toward his son" means wisdom held him steady against his own father's feelings.

6While the ungodly were dying, she rescued the righteous man, who fled from the fire that fell down on the five cities.

6When the ungodly perished, she delivered the righteous man, who fled from the fire which fell down upon the five cities.

NoteLot, escaping the destruction of Sodom in Genesis 19. The "five cities" are the five towns of the plain listed in Genesis 14:2: Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim and Zoar.

7Their wickedness is still shown, even today, by a smoking wasteland, and by plants that carry fruit which never ripens; and a pillar of salt standing there is a memorial of a soul that would not believe.

7Of whose wickedness even to this day the waste land that smoketh is a testimony, and plants bearing fruit that never come to ripeness: and a standing pillar of salt is a monument of an unbelieving soul.

NoteThe region south of the Dead Sea, still barren and sulfurous in the author's day, was pointed to as physical evidence of the story. The fruit "that never come to ripeness" refers to a plant of that area, described by ancient writers as looking edible but collapsing into ash and smoke when touched. The "standing pillar of salt" is Lot's wife, who in Genesis 19:26 looked back at the burning cities and became a pillar of salt; the Dead Sea shore has salt formations that were shown to travelers as the pillar itself.

8Because they paid no attention to wisdom, they suffered more than the harm of not knowing what was good. They also left behind them for the world a memorial of their foolishness, so that in the very things where they did wrong they could not even stay hidden.

8For regarding not wisdom, they gat not only this hurt, that they knew not the things which were good; but also left behind them to the world a memorial of their foolishness: so that in the things wherein they offended they could not so much as be hid.

Note"Gat" is simply the old past tense of get: they got this harm. "The things wherein they offended" uses offend in its older sense of stumbling or tripping, not of giving insult. The point of the sentence is that their punishment is a landmark, so the place where they went wrong is permanently on display.

9But wisdom rescued from their troubles those who waited on her.

9But wisdom delivered from pain those that attended upon her.

Note"Attended upon her" means served her and stayed close to her, the way a servant waits on a household.

10When the righteous man fled from his brother's anger, she guided him along straight paths. She showed him the kingdom of God and gave him knowledge of holy things. She made him prosper in his hard work and increased what his labor produced.

10When the righteous fled from his brother’s wrath she guided him in right paths, shewed him the kingdom of God, and gave him knowledge of holy things, made him rich in his travels, and multiplied the fruit of his labours.

NoteJacob, who fled to Haran to escape his brother Esau's anger after stealing his blessing, in Genesis 27 to 28. "Shewed him the kingdom of God" points to the dream at Bethel in Genesis 28:12, where Jacob saw a stairway reaching to heaven with angels on it. "Made him rich in his travels" covers his twenty years working for Laban, from which he came away with large flocks.

11When greedy men treated him harshly, she stood by him and made him rich.

11In the covetousness of such as oppressed him she stood by him, and made him rich.

NoteLaban, Jacob's father-in-law and employer, who according to Genesis 31:7 changed Jacob's wages ten times.

12She protected him from his enemies and kept him safe from those who lay waiting to attack him. In a hard struggle she acted as the judge who awards the prize, so that he would know that honoring God is stronger than everything.

12She defended him from his enemies, and kept him safe from those that lay in wait, and in a sore conflict she gave him the victory; that he might know that goodness is stronger than all.

NoteThe night-long wrestling match at the ford of the Jabbok in Genesis 32:24 to 30. The Greek does not quite say she gave him the victory: it says she acted as the umpire or judge of the contest, the official at the games who watches the match and awards the prize. "Goodness" here translates a Greek word meaning reverence toward God, piety, rather than general moral decency.

13When the righteous man was sold, she did not abandon him, but kept him free from sin. She went down with him into the dungeon,

13When the righteous was sold, she forsook him not, but delivered him from sin: she went down with him into the pit,

NoteJoseph, sold by his brothers to traders in Genesis 37. "Delivered him from sin" refers to Genesis 39, where he refused Potiphar's wife. "The pit" is the Egyptian prison he was thrown into on her false accusation; the Greek word means a cistern or underground hole, and the same word covers the dry well his brothers first threw him into.

14and she did not leave him while he was in chains, until she brought him the scepter of a kingdom and authority over those who had treated him harshly. As for the people who had accused him, she showed them to be liars, and she gave him lasting glory.

14And left him not in bonds, till she brought him the sceptre of the kingdom, and power against those that oppressed him: as for them that had accused him, she shewed them to be liars, and gave him perpetual glory.

NoteA scepter is the ornamented staff a king carries, and "the sceptre of the kingdom" stands for royal authority itself. Joseph was released from prison and made second in command over Egypt in Genesis 41. "Them that had accused him" is Potiphar's wife and her charge against him.

15She rescued the holy people and their blameless descendants from the nation that oppressed them.

15She delivered the righteous people and blameless seed from the nation that oppressed them.

NoteThe people of Israel, and "the nation that oppressed them" is Egypt. "Seed" is the standard older English word for offspring or descendants.

16She entered into the soul of the servant of the Lord, and stood up to terrifying kings with wonders and signs.

16She entered into the soul of the servant of the Lord, and withstood dreadful kings in wonders and signs;

NoteMoses. "Servant of the Lord" is his fixed title in the Hebrew scriptures. The "dreadful kings" means kings who inspired dread, terrifying rulers, not kings who were awful at their jobs; the plural is a rhetorical broadening of the single Pharaoh of Exodus. "Wonders and signs" are the plagues of Exodus 7 to 12.

17She paid the holy ones the reward of their hard work. She guided them along an amazing road, and she became a covering over them by day and a starry flame through the night.

17Rendered to the righteous a reward of their labours, guided them in a marvellous way, and was unto them for a cover by day, and a light of stars in the night season;

Note"A reward of their labours" refers to Exodus 12:35 to 36, where the departing Israelites asked the Egyptians for silver, gold and clothing and were given it; the author reads this as back wages for generations of forced labor. The covering by day and the starry flame by night are the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire of Exodus 13:21. "Night season" is just an older way of saying nighttime.

18She brought them across the Red Sea and led them through deep water.

18Brought them through the Red sea, and led them through much water:

NoteThe crossing of Exodus 14. The Hebrew name of the water, yam suph, means sea of reeds; Red Sea comes from the ancient Greek translation, which is the version this book was written in.

19But she drowned their enemies, and threw their bodies up from the bottom of the sea.

19But she drowned their enemies, and cast them up out of the bottom of the deep.

NoteExodus 14:30 says the Israelites saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. The corpses being thrown back up out of the water matters because the drowned who were never recovered were thought to be denied proper burial; here the sea gives them back.

20So the righteous took the goods of the ungodly, and they praised your holy name, O Lord, and with one voice they praised your hand that fought for them.

20Therefore the righteous spoiled the ungodly, and praised thy holy name, O Lord, and magnified with one accord thine hand, that fought for them.

Note"Spoiled" here means plundered, stripped of goods, with no sense of ruining. "Thine hand" is a standard idiom for someone's power in action. This is the first point in the chapter where the author stops describing and speaks directly to God, and the singing alluded to is the Song of the Sea in Exodus 15.

21For wisdom opened the mouths of those who could not speak, and made the tongues of little children speak clearly.

21For wisdom opened the mouth of the dumb, and made the tongues of them that cannot speak eloquent.

Note"Dumb" in 1611 English meant unable to speak, with no suggestion of stupidity. The Greek behind "them that cannot speak" is the word for infants or small children. The verse can be heard two ways at once, and the Greek supports both: it recalls Moses protesting in Exodus 4:10 that he was slow of speech, and it describes the whole rescued people, ordinary and untrained, suddenly singing the Song of the Sea in one voice.