Chapter Two

1–5. The teaching of the contemporary Jewish freethinkers of the writer about the fate of man after death and 6–9. about the highest purpose of man’s earthly life. 10–20. Their attitude toward pious true Israelites. 21–22. The writer’s evaluation of their views. 23–24. The origin of death.

Wisdom 2:1. For they reasoned unsoundly, saying to themselves, “Short and sorrowful is our life, and there is no remedy when a life comes to its end, nor has anyone ever been known to return from Hades. Verses 1–5. The views of the freethinkers on human life and the fate of man after death are set forth. In the Greek text, verse 1 of chapter II is connected with the preceding by the particle gar — “for” (eipon gar …), which means this verse provides the ground for the thought of the preceding verse 16 and is closely connected with it. The ungodly are worthy of death (Wis 1:16) because they regard life as a chance occurrence and do not believe in any immortality (Wis 2:1). “They reasoned unsoundly” (logizesthai ouk orthōs) — this is — not unsoundly thinking people; here not the intellectual side is taken, but the moral: people perversely disposed (see remark about logismos at I:3 st.). “Saying to themselves,” more accurately to one another (medeis hēmōn). The freethinkers express three thoughts: 1) about the brevity of human life; 2) about the inevitability of death, and 3) they deny the possibility of the life of the human spirit after the death of the body. “Short and sorrowful is our life...” Such expressions are found in other passages of Holy Scripture (Gen 47:9; Job 14:1-2 st.; Ps 38:6-7), but there they are spoken in a different spirit. “Sorrowful” life is considered by the ungodly such when it is not diversified by sensual pleasures (II:5–9). “Nor has anyone ever been known to return from Hades.” Hades in the mouths of the ungodly means the state after death. By these words they want to say that none of the dead return, consequently, in their opinion, death puts an end to everything.

Wisdom 2:2. We were born by chance, and hereafter we shall be as though we had never been; because the breath in our nostrils is smoke, and reason is a spark kindled by the beating of our heart, Wisdom 2:3. when it is extinguished, the body will turn to ashes, and the spirit will dissolve like empty air; Verses 2–3. These verses contain proof of the thought expressed in verse 1 about complete destruction after death. This proof is drawn from two grounds: 1) from the chance nature of human life, and 2) from the concept of the essence of the soul, its materiality. “We were born by chance and hereafter we shall be as though we had never been.” We came into existence through mere chance, without any higher purpose, therefore “hereafter,” when this life passes, our chance existence will end forever: “we shall be as though we had never been.” Such teaching was set forth in ancient times in the philosophy of Democritus and Epicurus. It is quite possible that the part of Jewry that eagerly strove toward Greek culture and education adopted these philosophical views as well. The writer wages a struggle against these opponents of his from among the Jews and for this purpose, emphasizing even the subtleties, sets forth Epicurean teaching. “Because the breath in our nostrils is smoke and reason is a spark kindled by the beating of our heart.” In these and the following words the writer presents the materialistic views of his opponents. According to these crudely materialistic views, human life is presented from only the biological side and is identified with the process of breathing. Man lives as long as he breathes; with his last breath all life ceases. “Reason” here is taken to denote consciousness and in general the mental activity of man, and it is presented as a spark produced by a blow of the heart. Just as sparks are produced from a strike of metal against stone, so too from the strike of the heart, as a purely material substance, thinking is produced; the latter, thus, is only the result of animal life. “The breath in our nostrils is smoke, and reason is a spark.” These images were probably taken by the writer because his opponents shared some ancient teaching (for example, that of Heraclitus, the Stoic Zeno, or Epicurus), which regarded fire, ether, or heat as the beginning of all things. Verse 3. Verse 3 is the conclusion drawn from the preceding. If heat, this principle of life, disappears, then together with it both the body and the spirit are destroyed. “The spirit will dissolve like empty air.” This conclusion, from the side of the materialists, is quite logical, since they think of the spirit not as something distinct from the body, but only as a manifestation of the same bodily life and place at its foundation the same material substance, only more refined — ether, “rarified air.” In other books of Holy Scripture, human life is often compared to vapor, a cloud, a shadow (Jas 4:14; Ps 38:7; Job 7:7), but there these words are only images of the perishability of man’s earthly life and do not settle the question of what life of the human spirit is by its essence.

Wisdom 2:4. and our name will be forgotten in time, and no one will remember our deeds; our life will pass away like the traces of a cloud, and be scattered like mist that is chased by the rays of the sun and overcome by its heat. Wisdom 2:5. For our allotted time is the passing of a shadow, and there is no return from our death, because it is sealed and no one comes back. Verses 4–5. These verses contain three thoughts: 1) that the memory of the dead is quickly destroyed, 2) that human life quickly and without a trace passes, and 3) that there is no return from death. “Our name will be forgotten in time.” The materialists’ attention is focused on earth, and what grieves them is not primarily that they will completely disappear with death, but that the memory of them among people will be short-lived (similar thoughts see Eccl 2:16). — “There is no return from our death, because it is sealed...” The thought is the same as at the end of verse 1, only supplemented by an image. Just as there is no exit from a place of confinement on which a seal is laid (Dan 6:17; Rev 20:3; Matt 27:66), so there is no return to life after death. Section 6–20 of Chapter II can be divided into two parts: verses 6–9 and verses 10–20. In the first part, the writer sets forth the freethinker’s view of the ultimate purpose and designation of man’s earthly life; in the second — their view of relations toward other people, especially those who do not share their views.

Wisdom 2:6. Come, therefore, let us enjoy the good things that are here, and make use of creation with youthful zest. Verses 6–9. The highest ultimate purpose of earthly life is, in the opinion of these people, sensual pleasure. Clearly, the opponents of the writer of the Book of Wisdom held to Epicurean philosophy. Such a view of life is condemned in the Bible, besides the Book of Wisdom, also by the prophet Isaiah — Isa 22:13; 1 Cor 15:32. Verse 6. Verse 6 represents a practical conclusion from the above-set forth view of life and the fate of man: since all ends with death and earthly life is fleeting (verses 3–5), one remains only to hasten to “enjoy the good things that are here.” By “the good things that are here” (tōn ontōn agatōn) one can understand the goods which truly exist in contrast to imaginary ones, or goods accessible now, which the present moment offers, in contrast to distant goods in general and especially to the goods of future life. “Let us... make use of creation with youthful zest.” In these words the Epicurean view of the world is consistently expressed as a source of enjoyment. It is recommended to extract pleasures from everything with such passion as people sometimes use youth.

Wisdom 2:7. Let us have our fill of costly wine and perfumes, and let no flower of spring pass by us. Wisdom 2:8. Let us crown ourselves with rosebuds before they wither; Verses 7–8. In verses 7–8 are indicated the chief objects of sensual pleasures that were widely used in antiquity at banquets: wine, perfumes, flowers. All this one must hasten to enjoy while there is opportunity, “while the roses do not wither,” and to enjoy to the fullest — “let us have our fill,” “because this is our portion and our lot” (verse 9). The words “portion” and “lot” (meris, klēros) are used in the Bible in the sense of man’s destiny (Wis 3:14; Eccl 2:10). From this the thought of verse 9 is as follows: let us not deprive ourselves of any of the pleasures available to us, because we cannot expect anything else from life: man is destined to enjoy.

Wisdom 2:9. Let none of us fail to share in our revelry; everywhere let us leave signs of enjoyment, for this is our portion and this our lot. Wisdom 2:10. Let us oppress the righteous poor; let us show no respect for the widow or fear the gray hairs of age. Verse 10. “Let us oppress the righteous poor.” Most commentators understand by the righteous (dikaios) spoken of in verse 10 and the following verses the Israelite people in general in their relation to the pagan nations that oppressed them, and correspondingly understand by the ungodly the pagans. Some passages from the first section of the Book of Wisdom seem to confirm such an interpretation (Wis 3:8), but it is more decisively clarified (see Wis 2:12) that the ungodly in the writer’s view are the Jews themselves who have rejected the Law of Moses and been carried away by imitation of everything pagan. Then “the righteous,” as a collective concept, should be referred to the better part of the Jewish people who remained faithful to the Lord. That in the mouths of the freethinkers the expression “righteous” has an ironic sense is self-evident. The calling of the righteous “poor” (penēta) can have a twofold sense: 1) that righteousness does not bring him profit, on the contrary, he is constantly waging a struggle with want and deficiency, 2) or the writer wished by this to show in a particularly vivid light the ungodliness of his opponents, saying that their persecution is directed at defenseless paupers, widows, and the elderly. Violence toward the defenseless and innocent in Holy Scripture is always presented as a sign of extreme ungodliness (Jer 7:6; Zech 7:10; Mal 3:5; Matt 23:14; Mark 12:40). In particular, disrespect for age was censured among all ancient peoples and was a direct violation of Moses’ law (Lev 19:32). The writer of the Book of Wisdom strives to present this law requirement together with it as also a requirement of natural human feeling, hence his redundancy “the gray hairs of age.” Some commentators see in verse 10 an allusion to 2 Macc 6:18, where cases of pagan cruelty toward the Jews are described.

Wisdom 2:11. Let our strength be the law of righteousness, for weakness proves to be useless. Verse 11. “Let might make right for us.” The moral fall of the freethinkers set forth by the writer is all the greater in that they are impelled to violence not by irritation and fury, but by a clearly conscious principle that force is the measure of justice. This position they apparently opposed to the Law of Moses, which regards justice itself as a norm. Such an exaltation of force was naturally accompanied by contempt for all kinds of weakness and helplessness; this is evident from the second half of verse 11. The ungodly freethinkers are driven to persecution of the pious not only by their general principle, but also by special causes: 1) the fact that the righteous opposes them and exposes them (verse 12); 2) his faith in his special closeness to God appears to them as pride (verses 13, 16); 3) his very piety makes him cause them to feel shame and respect (verses 14–15); 4) they know that he regards their way of thinking and behavior with contempt, and finally, 5) (verse 16) they wish to convince themselves whether his hope in God is truly founded (verses 17–20).

Wisdom 2:12. Let us set a snare for the righteous; since he is inconvenient for us and opposes our actions, and reproaches us for breaking the law, and accuses us of deviations from our upbringing. Verse 12. “Let us set a snare for the righteous...” The speech is about a secret plot, a conspiracy, in contrast to open violence. Here the writer clearly recalls a passage from the prophet Isaiah (Isa 3:10), and cites it not according to the Hebrew text, but according to the LXX translation. This circumstance gives a valuable indication of the time of origin of the Book of the Wisdom of Solomon. “Reproaches us for breaking the law.” Law (nomos) without further definition always means the Law of Moses in Holy Scripture. Only a Jew could be reproached for breaking the Law of Moses, therefore these words indicate that the opponents described by the writer were Jews. Those guilty of violating the law deserved still further reproach “for deviations from our upbringing.” Here the writer clearly means the pagan upbringing that the Jews of his time began to receive, having fallen under the influence of Greek education (1 Macc 1:14).

Wisdom 2:13. claims to have knowledge of God, and calls himself a child of the Lord; Verse 13. This verse points to another cause of the persecution of the righteous: he is unbearable to his enemies because “claims to have knowledge of God, and calls himself a child of the Lord.” The latter expression is here used in the moral sense of the internal relation in which the pious, by their disposition and activity, stand in relation to God. The righteous who calls himself a child of God is the faithful Jewish people (see Wis 12:19-21; Exod 4:22; Isa 1:2).

Wisdom 2:14. he is to us a reproof of our thoughts; Verse 14. “He is to us a reproof of our thoughts,” probably in the sense that through a comparison which people make between the righteous and the ungodly, the latter are shown in a bad light, so that they themselves begin as it were to feel shame for their deeds.

Wisdom 2:15. the very sight of him burdens us, because his manner of life is unlike that of others, and his ways are strange. Verse 15. “The very sight of him burdens us, because his manner of life is unlike that of others...” The ungodly freethinkers regard piety and virtue as a kind of incomprehensible strangeness in a person, separating him from all others. A very subtle psychological observation by the writer. The expression “his ways” denotes the manner, direction of life.

Wisdom 2:16. he holds us in contempt and avoids our ways as if unclean; he proclaims that the final end of the righteous is blessed and boasts that God is his father. Wisdom 2:17. Let us see if his words are true, and let us test what will happen at the end of his life; Wisdom 2:18. for if the righteous one is a child of God, God will help him, and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries. Wisdom 2:19. Let us test him with insult and torture, so that we may find out how gentle he is, and make trial of his forbearance. Wisdom 2:20. Let us condemn him to a shameful death, for, according to what he says, he will be protected. Verses 17–20. The ungodly freethinkers subject the righteous to testing with a twofold purpose, to learn 1) whether his hope for divine help will be justified (verses 18, 20) and 2) whether he will be steadfast in his moral life (verse 19). If the righteous man’s hope is not vain, if his words about God’s care for him were not mere self-conceit, then God will protect him. He will deliver him even from death. Likewise, in suffering the righteous will show his “gentleness and forbearance” if he possesses these qualities. The section of the Book of Wisdom from verses 12–20 has been understood by many ancient and modern exegetes as a prophecy of the attitude toward Jesus Christ of his enemies and of his condemnation to death. Under “the righteous one” in such a case, they understood the Savior. The chief grounds for such an interpretation were taken from verses 13 and 16, where the enemies accuse the righteous man of “calling himself a child of the Lord” (verse 13) and “boasting that God is his father” (verse 16). A similar reproach, in the same expressions, according to the Gospel, the Jews and the Lord cast at each other (John 5:18); a similar ground is found in verse 18, comparing it with Matt 27:40; and finally, in the words of verse 20: “Let us condemn him to a shameful death” they see an indication of the crucifixion of the Savior. However, given the noncanonical character of the Book of the Wisdom of Solomon, one need not see in this section a prophecy in the strict sense, but rather a vivid depiction of the general attitude of the ungodly toward the righteous at all times. This depiction, in the power of its truth, turned out to be applicable also to the person of Jesus Christ, the greatest of all the righteous. Such an understanding finds a firm foundation in the Book of Wisdom itself, because under the name of the righteous (dikaios) depicted in chapter II, verses 12–20, the writer evidently means not a specific person, but a general concept (namely, the pious Israelite in general).

Wisdom 2:21. Thus they reasoned, but they were led astray, for their malice made them blind. Verse 21. From this verse the writer passes to a discussion and evaluation of the way of thinking of his opponents, which he has set forth above. “Thus they reasoned, but they were led astray.” Their thoughts are errors. The cause of this error is twofold: on the one hand, it lies in the moral depravity of the Jewish freethinkers: “their malice made them blind,” on the other — in their ignorance of the divine predestination of the fate of the righteous after death (verse 22).

Wisdom 2:22. For they do not know the secret purposes of God, nor hope for the wages of holiness, nor discern the prize for blameless souls. Verse 22. “For they do not know the secret purposes of God.” Based on the context of the speech and by comparison with Wis 4:17, here the reference is to the secret of God’s predestination of the fate of the righteous after death. The ignorance of this secret did not arise because this knowledge was inaccessible to the ungodly, but because they did not acknowledge retribution beyond the grave. By denying immortality, the opponents of the writer naturally also denied the idea of retribution.

Wisdom 2:23. For God created humans to be immortal, and made them in the image of his own eternity, Wisdom 2:24. but through the devil’s envy death entered the world, and those who belong to his company experience it. Verses 23–24. The thought of retribution for the pure in the future life gives the writer occasion to speak of the origin of death (verses 23–24) and at the same time to contrast the fate of the ungodly (verse 24) with the fate of the righteous (Wis 3:1-3). The receipt of “the wages of holiness,” which consists in blessed immortality, is accessible to all, because (verses 23–24) death was not included in God’s original creative plans and did not penetrate into the essence of human nature, but constitutes something that entered the world through external influence, therefore the future fate of each depends on himself. — “God created humans to be immortal,” therefore the determination of immortality is placed in human nature itself: “God made them in the image of his own eternity.” Verse 24. Regarding death, see the remark at verse 12 of Chapter I. The death spoken of here is not physical, but spiritual; this is evident from the fact that not everyone experiences it (see verse 24 and Wis 3:1 st.). The cause of it lies in the envy of the devil toward the perfection of the first human. Out of envy he led man into sin, and sin leads man to spiritual death (Wis 1:12). “Those who belong to his company experience it.” Thus, death is only a possibility (and not a necessity); not everyone experiences it; it entered the world as something external.