Chapter Eleven

1–17. Contrasting fates of the Israelites and Egyptians revealed in the events of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery. 18–23. Concerning God’s punishments and 24–27. God’s love.

Wisdom 11:1. She ordered their deeds through the hand of a holy prophet: 1–4. In the first four verses of chapter XI, there is discussion of the guidance of Divine Wisdom over the Israelites during their wandering in the wilderness. Through the help of Divine Wisdom the Hebrews traveled safely through the uninhabited wilderness (verse 2), successfully repelled enemy attacks (verse 3), and in waterless places miraculously received water from a rock (verse 4). Wisdom, ordering the affairs of the Hebrew people in this manner, acted not directly, but “through the hand of a holy prophet,” that is, Moses, who indeed served as the mediator between God and the Israelite people (Exod 19:20-21). Moses is called a “holy prophet” to emphasize his excellence above other Old Testament prophets (Deut 18:15).

Wisdom 11:2. They journeyed through an uninhabited wilderness, and in impassable places pitched their tents; Verse 2. The expressions “uninhabited wilderness” and “impassable places” are, of course, hyperbolic. “In impassable places pitched their tents” – this refers to the various encampments of the Israelites in the wilderness (Num 33 chapter). The memory of life in tents in the wilderness, full of various dangers and deprivations, was always sacred to the Hebrews, for in all their afflictions in the wilderness they received visible help from God. To preserve the memory of this time for future generations, the Feast of Booths was established (Lev 23:39-42).

Wisdom 11:3. They opposed their enemies and avenged themselves on their foes; Verse 3. The words “opposed their enemies and avenged themselves on their foes” refer to struggles with the Amalekites (Exod 17:8-13), with Arad, king of the Canaanites (Num 21:1-3), with the Moabites (Num 25:17), Midianites (Num 31:2), with Sihon, king of the Amorites (Num 21:21-29; Deut 2:32), and Og, king of Bashan (Num 21:33-35; Deut 3:1-4).

Wisdom 11:4. They were tormented by thirst and called out to You, and water was given to them from a rocky cliff and satisfaction of their thirst from hard stone. Verse 4. “Tormented by thirst and called out to You, and water was given to them from a rocky cliff...” Compare Exod 17:1-7; Num 20:2-11; Deut 8:15; Ps 77:15-16. The author here (as in verse 15 of chapter X) represents events in a more favorable light: according to him, the Hebrews tormented by thirst turned to God for help (“called out to You”) and received water; whereas the passages from the Pentateuch cited above speak of the demoralized murmuring of the Hebrews in this instance against Moses and God.

Wisdom 11:5. For by the same things by which their enemies were punished, Verses 5–16. Comparison of the completely opposite fates of the Israelites and Egyptians in those ancient times.

Wisdom 11:6. they themselves, in their struggle, were blessed: Verses 5–6. The proposition: “by the same things by which their enemies were punished, they themselves, in their struggle, were blessed,” is explained not only by the example of verses 7–8; but is the main theme of the entire section from chapters XVI–XIX, where to substantiate this proposition numerous facts from the lives of both peoples are cited. Thus, verses 5–6 contain a general proposition, a principle established by the author regarding the events of the epoch he describes. The meaning of these verses is therefore not exhausted by the example given later, which is partly indicated by the expression “in their struggle” – broader than it would be if the author had in mind only the need for water, which is discussed further.

Wisdom 11:7. instead of a constantly flowing river, they saw a river darkened with blood in abomination of the decree for killing children, Wisdom 11:8. to refute their decree to kill children, You unexpectedly gave them abundant water, Verses 7–8 contain an example that confirms the proposition stated in the two preceding verses. Water served completely opposite purposes: the Egyptians were punished through the water of “a constantly flowing river,” that is, the Nile, “darkened with blood,” turned to blood by Moses, so that they had no drinking water (Exod 7:19-24); the Israelites, on the contrary, were strengthened by water that was drawn from a rock to quench their thirst (see verse 4) (Exod 17, Num 20). Thus the Egyptians were punished “to refute their decree to kill children” (Exod 1:16), that is, for their cruel decree to slay the Hebrew infants. The Egyptians wished to shed innocent blood and for this they were punished also through blood; thus, according to the author’s understanding, the form of punishment stands in close connection with the crime. Here he presents the first example that “by the same thing by which one sins, by that one is also punished” (verse 17).

Wisdom 11:9. showing them at that time through thirst how You punished their adversaries. Verses 9–11. In comparing the opposite fates of the Egyptians and Israelites, the author frequently (Wis 16:5-15) expresses the thought that God, although He also sends sufferings to the Hebrews, does so, first, to a lesser degree, second, for their good purposes, rather than in punishment. The same thought is here. Although the Israelites experienced thirst, it was only so they might know how their enemies suffered from thirst and at the same time feel the paternal care of God for themselves. Verse 9. Compare Wis 16:4 verse.

Wisdom 11:10. For when they were tested, undergoing merciful discipline in the meantime, they learned how the ungodly were tormented, being judged in anger; Wisdom 11:11. because You tested them as a father, instructing them, while You condemned those as a stern king, judging them and tormenting them. Verses 10–11. The punishments of the Egyptians were at the same time judgment upon them: “as a stern king, God condemned them, tormenting them.” The punishments of the Hebrews were for them “merciful discipline.” God “tested them as a father, instructing them.” In the Old Testament God is called father not in the full sense in which this name is applied to Him in the New Testament. In the Old Testament God is called father only of the Israelite people and by this name are defined the more external relations of God to the Hebrew people, as the originator of their independent political life. (Deut 32:5; Ps 102:13; Isa 63:16; Jer 3:4); in the New Testament He is the father of all people and by this name are defined the internal, moral relations of God to them.

Wisdom 11:12. And those who were absent and those who were present suffered alike: Verse 12. The description of the fate of the Egyptians continues. “Those who were absent” are those who pursued the Israelites and perished in the Red Sea; “those who were present,” on the contrary, are those who at home experienced the terrible “plagues” with all their consequences. “Alike” should be related not to the verb “suffered,” since the punishments for the Egyptian warriors who pursued the Hebrews and for the other Egyptians were different, but to the phrase “those who were present” standing above; the thought is thus: those who were absent, just as much as those who were present, suffered.

Wisdom 11:13. Their anguish was redoubled and a groaning from the memory of what had occurred. Verse 13. The speech concerns the punishment of “those who were present”: “their anguish was redoubled,” besides the sufferings they endured – the plagues – they were tormented also by heavy “memories of what had occurred”: the loss of their best troops in the sea, the prosperity of their enemies, and so forth.

Wisdom 11:14. For when they heard that the things which punished them benefited them instead, they recognized the Lord. Verse 14. It is supposed that the words of verse 14 most directly refer to the drowning of the Egyptians in the Red Sea, as a result of which came the complete liberation of the Israelites. However, against such an interpretation speaks the close connection of verse 14 with the following verse 15 (in the Greek text they are connected by the particle γάρ), which provides a specific example of the blessing of the Hebrews through the punishment of the Egyptians and points at the same time to the thirst experienced by the Egyptians, which led them to recognition and wonder at Moses, the messenger of God. From this it is more correct to explain verse 14 by comparison with verses 5–8. “Recognized the Lord,” that is, saw in this event the work of God.

Wisdom 11:15. Him whom they had formerly rejected with contempt and derided, in the outcome of events they marveled at, having undergone thirst unlike the righteous. Verse 15. “Him whom they had formerly rejected with contempt and derided...” The reference is to Moses, who here, as in other places in the book, is not named (Wis 10:16). The basis for the author’s words could have been the fact of Moses’ persecution after he killed an Egyptian, and then the disdainful treatment of Moses by the Egyptian authorities at the beginning of his appearance (Exod 2 and chapter VII). “In the outcome of events they marveled...” The expression “in the outcome of events” probably means the successive “plagues” of Egypt, which were the most important events in the history of the liberation of the Hebrews and eventually led the Egyptians to recognition of Moses’ authority (Exod 11:3). In the account of verses 14 and 15 there are certain peculiarities compared with the narrative in the same place in the Book of Exodus. That Pharaoh and the Egyptians in the plagues saw the work of God (“recognized the Lord”) and began to realize their wrongdoing, this is stated in the Book of Exodus (Exod 8:19), but nothing is said there to indicate that the Egyptians learned of the miraculous watering of the Israelites in the wilderness and drew the corresponding moral lesson from it. The turning of water into blood, which caused the thirst of the Egyptians, is placed by the author of the Book of Wisdom not at the beginning, but “in the outcome of events,” which led the Israelites to liberation.

Wisdom 11:16. But in retribution for their unrighteous prejudices, by which they served irrational reptiles and contemptible beasts, You sent a multitude of irrational animals upon them, Wisdom 11:17. so that they would learn that by what things one sins, by those one is also punished. Verses 16–17. Chronologically the author returns somewhat backward, relating the events recounted by Moses in chapter VIII, verse 16 onward and chapter X, verse 12 onward of the Book of Exodus. He connects the punishment of the Egyptians by means of serpents and insects with their religious delusions: the worship of animals. “They in their delusion served irrational reptiles and contemptible beasts.” The author probably refers to frogs, serpents, and crocodiles, which were deified in Egypt. “For their unrighteous prejudices... You sent a multitude of irrational animals upon them.” Further in Wis 16:9 it is specifically mentioned the punishment through locusts, flies, and serpents. The purpose of punishing the Egyptians through those very animals which they deified is that “they would learn that by what things one sins, by those one is also punished” (verse 17).

Wisdom 11:18. For it was not difficult for Your almighty hand, which created the world from formless matter, to send upon them a multitude of bears or fierce lions, From verse 18 onward and throughout chapter XII, verse 1, the author develops a discussion concerning divine merciful judgment over sinful people. In the nearest section from verse 18 to XII:1, there is discussion of its essence. The mercy of Divine judgment flows from Divine omnipotence (verses 17–23), Divine Wisdom (verse 21), and love (verses 24–27).

Wisdom 11:19. or unknown newly-created fierce beasts, or breathing fire, or emitting billows of smoke, or flashing terrible sparks from their eyes, Wisdom 11:20. which could have destroyed them not only by their destructive power, but also by their terrifying appearance. Verses 18–20. God could, by His omnipotence, have punished the Egyptians in some other miraculous manner. In the choice of means of punishment, nothing could constrain Him, Who displayed His omnipotence in the creation of the world. “For it was not difficult for Your almighty hand, which created the world from formless matter...” The concept of “formless matter” (ύλη άμορφος), from which “the almighty hand of God created the world,” is taken by the author of the Book of Wisdom from Platonic philosophy. The word ύλη signifies, first of all, raw material from which a building is constructed, then the substance of the world, the primary matter of things as opposed to their form. Plato himself, however, did not yet use the word ύλη in precisely that sense, but in later expositions beginning with Aristotle of Platonic theory, the word ύλη came to be constantly used to denote the Platonic concept of the substance of the world as something opposed to Being. In this sense the word ύλη passed into Alexandrian philosophy and from there, we may suppose, was borrowed by the author of our book. Confirmation of this is the predicate άμορφος applied to the noun ύλη – also a philosophical term, which defined in the view of the Platonists the nature of the material principle of the world. However, using this Platonic expression: “from formless matter,” did the author of the Book of Wisdom unite with it also the Platonic concept of formless matter as something eternally existing in itself, completely undefined and only capable of receiving all possible determinations, or did he unite with this expression the purely biblical understanding of the initial state of the substance of the world created by God, “formless and unordered” (Gen 1:2)? It is difficult to decide this question with precision. The author nowhere speaks of the creation of the world from nothing; the creative power of God’s Wisdom is presented by him as the artist of all – ή τεχνίτις πάντων (Wis 7:21); evidently, the idea of creation from nothing does not come to the fore in the author and perhaps was not deeply developed in his mind. On the other hand, in some places in the book about the origin of the world from God he speaks in purely biblical language (Wis 1:14), the idea of the absolute unlimited personality of God appears throughout the book with full force and purity (Wis 11:22-23): the beginning of evil in the world he places not in the material foundation of the world, not in the properties of the original matter, but evil entered the world through the envy of the fallen spirit of the devil (Wis 2:24). All these propositions do not harmonize with the Platonic concept of the “formless matter” of the world, therefore it is more probable that in the passage under consideration the author intended to express a purely religious understanding of God as the almighty Creator of the world, to whom all things are possible, but expressed this understanding not precisely in terms corresponding to it, of the widespread philosophical doctrine of his time.

Wisdom 11:21. Yes, even without these things they could have been destroyed by a single breath, pursued by justice and scattered by Your mighty spirit; but You have arranged everything by measure, number, and weight. Verse 21. The first half of the verse intensifies the thought of the three preceding verses. For the punishment of the Egyptians God did not even need any instrument: “they could have been destroyed... scattered by Your mighty spirit,” that is, through the action of Divine omnipotence. The crushing power of Divine omnipotence is presented by the author in the image of a storm, a whirlwind, hence the expressions “breath” and “spirit.” “...But You have arranged everything by measure, number, and weight.” Scales and measure are customary images for denoting the most precise distribution and proportionality, especially in the arrangement of the universe, as well as images of Divine justice (Job 31:6; Ezek 28:17; Dan 5:27). The thought in connection with the context is thus: although the avenging power of Divine judgment and retribution, in virtue of His omnipotence, can be expressed in all things freely, it is nevertheless guided and determined by Wisdom.

Wisdom 11:22. For great power is always at Your command, and who can oppose the strength of Your arm? Wisdom 11:23. The whole world before You is as the tiniest thing on a balance scale, or like a drop of morning dew falling to the earth. Verses 22–23 reveal the thought of divine omnipotence. In comparison with this omnipotence the entire universe appears insignificant: “The whole world before You is as the tiniest thing on a balance scale,” that is, such an insignificant quantity as that which tips the scales, disturbs the equilibrium of a balance scale; “or like a drop of morning dew falling to the earth”: a frequently used biblical image for all that is transitory and impermanent. (Hos 6:4). In relation to the preceding thought about possible means of Divine punishment (verses 17–21), the thought expressed concerning divine omnipotence serves as the basis (“for”).

Wisdom 11:24. You love all things that are, and hate none of the things You have made, for You would not have made anything if You hated it. Verses 24–27. These verses speak of divine mercy and love. These Divine attributes are the second – after Wisdom – force determining the measure of Divine punishment of sinners. As Divine Wisdom distributes punishments “by measure, number, and weight” (verse 21) and “by what things one sins, by those one is also punished” (verse 17), so Divine love “loves all things,” “forgives the sins of people,” “spares all things” (verses 24, 27). The basis of this merciful love of God is Divine omnipotence: “You love all things that are, because You are capable of all things.” How the author understands the connection between these Divine attributes is difficult to say definitively; perhaps thus, as in the Book of Job: Divine greatness is so excessive that human misdeeds cannot in any way offend it; people with all their sins are too insignificant for God to direct His omnipotence in punishment of them: “if I have sinned, what do I do to You, O Watcher of mankind... Why would You not forgive my sin...?” (Job 7:20-21). “...And You forgive the sins of people for the sake of repentance.” Concerning forgiveness of sins in the Old Testament it is also stated: Exod 34:7; Isa 1:18; Mic 7:18; Ps 24:7; Sir 2:11.

Wisdom 11:25. For You love all that exists, and despise nothing of what You have made, for You would not have made anything if You hated it. Verse 25. The all-encompassing love of God (“For You love all that exists”) is indicated by the very fact of the creation of the world. Love was the driving principle in God’s creative activity: God “would not have made anything if He hated it.” This thought was one of the fundamental positions of Platonic philosophy. (Plato, Tim. p. 29).

Wisdom 11:26. And how could anything have remained, if You had not willed it? Or how could what You did not call into being be preserved? Verse 26. Divine love, calling all into being through creative will and word (“called into being by You”), is also necessary for the continuation and preservation of this being. Compare Wis 1:14 verse.

Wisdom 11:27. But You spare all, for all are Yours, O Lover of souls. Verse 27. God loves all that exists because all is created by Him and all is His. He is the source of every living soul: “O Lover of souls.” Compare Wis 1:13 verse.