Chapter Five
1–15. Moral sufferings of the wicked after death. 16–24. Final triumph of the righteous.
Wisdom 5:1. Then the righteous will stand with great boldness before the face of those who afflicted him and made nothing of his labors; Wisdom 5:2. and seeing this, they will be shaken with terrible fear, and amazed at the wonder of his salvation. 1–2. After death the condition of the righteous will be opposite to that of the wicked; the righteous will be seized with a feeling of high joy, and his earthly opponents will know of his happiness and be amazed because of it. “Great boldness” of the righteous is evidently opposed here to the fear and confusion of the wicked (Wis 4:20). For the wicked the triumph of the righteous will be a “wonder.” During his earthly life they “afflicted him and made nothing of his labors,” considering them purposeless and empty (the writer spoke in detail about this in Wis 2:10); now they see their mistake. In the New Testament similar conditions of men at the onset of the universal judgment are depicted (1 John 2:28).
Wisdom 5:3. and lamenting in anguish of spirit, they will say within themselves, “This is the man whom we once held in derision and made a byword of reproach— 3–13. In this section the writer artistically conveys the direct speech of the wicked (although verses 9–12 are somewhat extended and cumbersome), in which is depicted their awakened conscience in that world, their inner confusion and remorse, as well as their amazement at the unexpected happiness of the righteous. This speech is a direct contrast to the arrogant speech which the writer in chapter II put in the mouths of the same people. 3. “Lamenting in anguish of spirit,” their spirit is gripped; they cannot therefore speak freely, but can only groan and sigh. By this depiction the writer uses the means to express the contrast to the former arrogant laughter of the wicked (Jas 4:9). “Whom we once held in derision and made a byword of reproach,” an object of mockery, ridicule, and malice. (See Ps 43:15; Jer 24:9; 2 Chr 7:20).
Wisdom 5:4. Fools that we were! His life we held as madness and his death as dishonor. 4. “Fools that we were!” This strong exclamation of the wicked to themselves shows how heavily it weighs on them to realize their error. “His life we held as madness” precisely because those goods for the sake of which the righteous endured great privations and evils seemed to the wicked like illusions; they did not believe in their reality. “And his death as dishonor”; a reference to the shameful death which they were preparing for the righteous (Wis 2:20).
Wisdom 5:5. How, then, was he counted among the children of God? And how is his lot among the saints? 5. “Counted among the children of God” and “among the saints” in the Bible often refer to the Angels (Job 1:6; Tob 8:15), therefore this expression that “the righteous is counted among the children of God and his lot is among the saints” is understood by some in the sense that he is included in the fellowship of Angels and in this lies his highest blessedness. But one cannot forget that the speech of the wicked in chapter V is opposed by the writer to their speech in chapter II, and in particular this verse answers verse 18 of that chapter: it speaks of the actual fulfillment of that by which the righteous always comforted themselves and in which the wicked mockingly doubted; therefore the expression “son of God” should be understood in the same meaning as in Wis 2:18. The righteous is called a son of God in a moral sense, as a true worshipper of God, and therefore beloved by God.
Wisdom 5:6. Therefore we went astray from the way of truth, and the light of righteousness did not shine on us, and the sun did not rise for us. 6. This verse is a conclusion from the preceding. Seeing the glorified state of the righteous, the wicked now realize the error of their earthly life. “And the sun did not rise for us…” — the discourse is not about the physical sun, but about the “sun of righteousness,” in correspondence with the preceding “light of righteousness” (see Mal 4:2).
Wisdom 5:7. We filled ourselves with the works of wickedness and ruin, and journeyed through trackless deserts, but the way of the Lord we never knew. 7. “Through trackless deserts.” This is an image for a wicked life, when man departs from his true good (cf. Isa 53:6).
Wisdom 5:8. What good has our arrogance brought us, or what advantage has our boasted wealth given us? Wisdom 5:9. All that has passed away like a shadow and like a rumor that speeds by. Wisdom 5:10. Like a ship traversing the heaving waters, of which, when it has passed, no trace can be found, no path of its keel in the waves; Wisdom 5:11. or like a bird flying through the air, of which no sign of its passage is found, but the light air beaten by the stroke of its wings and parted by the force of its rushing flight is traversed by the moving wings and afterwards bears no mark of the passing through it; Wisdom 5:12. or as an arrow shot at a mark, the air, thus divided, comes together at once, so that none discern its passage through it; Wisdom 5:13. likewise we also, born and then ceased to be, and we have shown no sign of virtue, but have wasted away in our iniquity. 9–13. The writer adduces a whole series of phenomena that quickly and without trace disappear. These phenomena serve for him as an image of the fleeting earthly happiness, earthly greatness. Only “the root of understanding does not fail” (Wis 3:15), according to the writer; therefore those who “could show no sign of virtue” disappear without trace—“wasted away in our iniquity.”
Wisdom 5:14. For the hope of the wicked is like dust blown by wind and like a light frost driven off by a storm and like smoke scattered by wind. It passes away as the memory of a guest who stayed for a day and passes on. Wisdom 5:15. But the righteous live forever, their reward is with the Lord, and care for them rests with the Most High. 14–15. From verse 14 the writer directs his reasoning to the opposite fate of the righteous and wicked. The hope of the wicked in wealth, earthly pleasures, and the like will perish like dust, like frost, and smoke (images frequently used in the Bible, see Ps 1:4; Isa 29:5; Hos 13:3), “but the righteous live forever.” From this contrast one should not conclude that the writer speaks here of complete annihilation of the wicked after death, for above he spoke of the sufferings of conscience of the wicked in that world. Therefore “live forever” means not only the continuation of life, but true life, blessed life, which will continue eternally. Such explanation accords with the subsequent words of verse 15.
Wisdom 5:16. Therefore they shall receive a glorious kingdom and a fair crown from the hand of the Lord; for with His right hand He will cover them, and with His arm He will shield them. 16–23. Concerning this section, we find among exegetes such difference of opinion as about Wis 3:7-8 verse. Some refer the figurative speech of the writer to retribution beyond the grave; others understand it in the messianic-eschatological sense concerning the future messianic kingdom; and still others see here only a discourse about the general future triumph of the pious Israelites in this life, without any mixture of eschatological hopes. Against the first view two circumstances speak: first, the images brought here are poorly suited to depicting the future heavenly life; second, verse 24 can be referred only to the future state of earthly life. Meanwhile this verse is closely connected with all the preceding description; it is a conclusion to the entire picture presented; therefore, together with verse 24, all this section should be referred to earthly life. To the objection that such understanding would involve a sharp transition, a jump from the thought of the future life (verse 15) to a happy period for Israelites in their earthly life, one should note that such rapid transitions in the writer of the Book of Wisdom are not rare. As for the precise determination of the depicted moment of earthly life, one cannot agree with the 2nd view and refer it to the future messianic kingdom, since there are no defining characteristics of that kingdom. It remains to see here a discourse in prophetic style about the happy change generally in the fate of pious Israelites, when their enemies—apostates from faith among the Jews and gentile oppressors—receive due retribution. 16. “They shall receive a glorious kingdom and a fair crown from the hand of the Lord.” Defenders of the first of the above-mentioned views of this section see in this expression the thought of the highest heavenly blessedness of the righteous. But the expression “kingdom” in the writer is used in a general sense of dominion (Wis 1:14); “a fair crown” is a biblical symbol of victory and dominion (Isa 28:1; Sir 48:7). Therefore it is more reasonable to understand this passage in relation to victory, to the triumph of pious Israelites over their enemies here on earth. This triumph of the orthodox Israelites will come about as a result of God’s protection of them: “for with His right hand He will cover them, and with His arm He will shield them.” “Arm” and “right hand” are usual symbols in the Bible of protection and defense (Ps 17:36).
Wisdom 5:17. He will take His zeal as His whole armor, and arm all creation to requite His enemies; 17. The writer describes the divine judgment in a whole series of images. The Judge—God—is depicted as an armed warrior; His qualities, which He displays in this judgment, are represented under the image of separate parts of His armor. The foundation for such an image of representation could be the following passages from the Old Testament: (Ps 17:14-15; Isa 42:18; Zech 12:3). In similar images in the New Testament the spiritual armor of Christians against evil is described (Eph 6:11; Rom 13:12; 1 Pet 4:1). “He will take His zeal as His whole armor…” “The zeal of God” is His burning love for pious Israelites and their righteous cause, as well as His anger against apostates and external enemies of Israel. “Whole armor” means complete armor (2 Sam 2:21; Job 39:20; Jdt 14:8; 2 Macc 3:25). “And arm all creation to requite His enemies.” “Arm” — more precisely convey—make an instrument, for in the Greek text is the word “make armed,” not simply “arm.” Creation (in Greek) means here inanimate non-rational nature. Primarily are understood powerful elemental phenomena through which God punishes the evil and gives success to the cause of the righteous. The writer discusses this in more detail in the account of the judgment over Egypt (Wis 16:16-25). Here the writer undoubtedly expresses the religious biblical view of physical nature, by which it is placed in close connection with the moral relations of rational beings and the general moral order of the world.
Wisdom 5:18. He will put on righteousness as a breastplate, and will wear impartial justice as a helmet; 18. Cf. Isa 59:17-18.
Wisdom 5:19. He will take holiness as an invincible shield; 19. “Holiness” (in Greek) — moral perfection, such a quality against which the force of evil is shattered.
Wisdom 5:20. He will sharpen His stern anger for a sword and the universe will join Him to fight against the senseless. 20. The verse expresses in general form the thought of God’s angry judgment over the wicked, which in the following verses 21–22 is unfolded in more detail. “The universe will join Him.” Cf. verse 17 and Wis 16:17.
Wisdom 5:21. Well-aimed lightnings will go forth and from the clouds as from a well-drawn bow will leap to the mark. 21. The comparison of lightning as an instrument of God’s judgment and wrath with arrows in the Bible is not uncommon: Ps 7:14; Hab 3:11.
Wisdom 5:22. And hail stones full of wrath will be hurled as from a catapult, and the water of the sea will rage against them, and rivers will pitilessly overwhelm them; 22. Hail and flood are also frequent images in the Bible of God’s wrath (Isa 28:2; Ezek 13:11; Rev 8:7).
Wisdom 5:23. A whirlwind of power will confront them and like a tempest will scatter them. Wisdom 5:24. So wickedness will lay waste the whole earth, and evil doing will overturn the thrones of the mighty. 23–24. “A whirlwind of power will confront them.” One cannot understand by power the storm, hurricane, for afterward the action of this power is only compared (“like a tempest”) to a storm. “A whirlwind of power” — the Spirit of God’s Almighty Power, by analogy with Isa 11:4; Job 15:30. “So wickedness will lay waste the whole earth, and evil doing will overturn the thrones of the mighty.” A conclusion to the entire preceding picture. From it we clearly see that the judgment of God over the wicked and the triumph of the righteous associated with it is represented by the writer as having to take place here on earth.