Chapter Seven

1–6. Every human being by his nature and origin is weak, 7. therefore he needs the help of Wisdom. 8–10. She is more valuable to him than all earthly blessings, 11–12. for she is their source. 13–21. In Wisdom is the inexhaustible treasure of all kinds of knowledge for people. 22–30. In her essence and origin Wisdom is divine.

Solomon’s discourse, through whose mouth the writer speaks, about having a common bodily origin with all people precedes the exposition of the teaching about Wisdom, about feeling that same helplessness at birth that all people feel, and about having one end with all—death. With this beginning the writer had a twofold aim: 1) to contrast the humility of the outstanding and glorious king with the pride of those rulers of nations to whom he addressed himself in the preceding chapters; 2) to show that noble birth and high social position do not give the right to possess wisdom; it is a gift from God, and every person can receive it if he asks God for it.

Wisdom 7:1. And I am a mortal man, like all others, a descendant of the first-born human being born of earth. Wisdom 7:2. And I was formed in my mother’s womb as flesh in a ten-month period, curdled in blood from the seed of a man and the pleasure joined with sleep, 1–2. Solomon, along with all people, had a common physical origin: “a descendant of the first-born earthborn,” that is, Adam (Gen 2:7; Sir 18:1; 1 Cor 15:47). Even the manner and form of passing through is the same (v. 2, cf. Job 10:10; Ps 138:13-15).

Wisdom 7:3. and when I was born, I breathed the common air, and fell upon the same earth, my first voice revealed crying just like everyone else, Wisdom 7:4. nourished in swaddling clothes and with care; 3–4. At birth he showed the same helplessness, the same needs as everyone. The expression “fell upon the same earth” is compared with Wis 8:19-20 and is seen by some as a hint at the pre-existence of souls. However, although the idea of the pre-existence of souls is not foreign to the writer of the Book of Wisdom, it cannot be found in this place: the context of the discourse indicates that the expression “fell” refers only to the manner of a human’s appearance from the womb of his mother.

Wisdom 7:5. for no king has had a different beginning of birth: Wisdom 7:6. one entrance into life for all, and an equal departure. 5–6. The foundation (“for”) for the preceding is indicated. Solomon, though a king, could not have any advantages regarding his physical origin, because “one entrance into life for all and an equal departure” (death).

Wisdom 7:7. Therefore I prayed, and understanding was given to me; I called upon the Lord, and the spirit of wisdom came upon me. Wisdom 7:8. I preferred her to scepters and thrones, and counted wealth as nothing compared to her; Wisdom 7:9. I did not compare precious stones with her, for all gold in comparison with her is insignificant sand, and silver is like dirt in comparison with her. Wisdom 7:10. I loved her more than health and beauty, and chose her over light, for her light is inextinguishable. 7–10. Since human life is very wretched and helpless, Solomon asked God for wisdom for himself, and when he received it, he valued it above all earthly blessings (cf. Wis 9:5-6). “The spirit of wisdom came upon me.” These words can be understood in two ways: either in the sense that God enlightened Solomon’s natural reason, in which case they will mean the same as the preceding words: “understanding was given to me”; or by the spirit of wisdom one should understand a special divine power acting upon the spirit of a human, and then the coming of the spirit of wisdom should be understood as supernatural gracious action. The latter explanation deserves preference, for in many places in his book the writer presents Wisdom as a divine power, as something objective (Wis 1:5). In the enumeration of earthly blessings compared with which wisdom is preferred, the writer shows a certain sequence: first he points to external blessings that a person can create himself—wealth, power (vv. 8–9); then he names such blessings as are a gift of the Creator: health, beauty, sunlight (v. 10).

Wisdom 7:11. And with her came to me all good things, and in her hands immeasurable wealth; 11–12. Along with wisdom came to him those earthly blessings which he renounced for her sake. This pleased him, for wisdom taught him their proper use, although he did not know that she was their source. 11. Clearly reproduces the history of Solomon (see 1 Kgs 3:13).

Wisdom 7:12. I rejoiced in all things, because wisdom guided them, but I did not know that she was their source. 12. “I did not know that she was their source.” Understanding these words presents difficulty because the writer, through Solomon’s own mouth, teaches about wisdom as a divine power creating the world and governing it (v. 22; Wis 8:1), therefore neither one nor the other could fail to know that this wisdom was the source of all earthly blessings which a person enjoys. Here the word “source” (γενέτις) is used not in the sense of first cause, but in that sense that following the divine Wisdom leads to, as a natural consequence, earthly blessings. This, says the writer, Solomon did not know when he decided to follow wisdom, therefore his decision was free from all suspicion of self-interest.

Wisdom 7:13. Without guile I learned, and without envy I teach, I do not hide her wealth, Wisdom 7:14. for she is an inexhaustible treasure for people; those who use her enter into partnership with God, by means of the gifts of instruction. 13–14. The writer repeats the thought previously expressed (Wis 6:23-25) that he teaches the teaching about wisdom in all its fullness, hiding nothing, because its riches are inexhaustible (Wis 8:18). The main treasure of wisdom is in that she brings a person “into partnership with God,” that is, into close communion (cf. vv. 27–28). To this a person comes “by means of the gifts of instruction.” What these gifts are and how they lead to God, the writer said above (Wis 6:17-19).

Wisdom 7:15. Only let God grant me to speak with understanding and to think worthily of what has been given to me, for He is the guide to wisdom and the corrector of those who are wise. 15. In order to teach perfect teaching about wisdom, one must have a worthy conception of her (“think worthily of what has been given to me”) and be able to convey one’s understanding of wisdom in precise words (“speak with understanding”). About both the king Solomon, through whose mouth the writer speaks, asks God, “for He is the guide to wisdom.”

Wisdom 7:16. For in His hand are we and our words, and all understanding and skill in making things. 16–21. Description of human wisdom in its full extent and separate parts from a purely theoretical side. This description recalls the account in 3 Kings (1 Kgs 4:29-34) of Solomon’s wisdom. From this passage we learn about the cycle of sciences studied by educated Hebrews in the last two centuries before the Christian era. These sciences are as follows: chronology, astronomy, zoology, angelology (teaching about spirits), psychology, botany, pharmacology and, according to Wis 8:8, history and rhetoric. The writer gave this detailed enumeration of sciences in order to show what enormous wealth of knowledge human wisdom draws from the inexhaustible source of divine Wisdom.

Wisdom 7:17. He Himself gave me true knowledge of what exists, to know the structure of the world and the action of the elements, 17. “True knowledge of what exists” (των όντών γνώσιν άψευδή). Some exegetes explain this expression from the principles of Platonic philosophy. Plato distinguished between knowledge of sensible being, the world of appearances, from knowledge of unconditional and absolute being, the world of ideas, τα οντά or το όν. It is supposed that our writer also by the expression “ των όντών γνώσιν άψευδή “ showed that he, following Plato, distinguished between knowledge of ideas and knowledge of appearances. However, the subsequent discourse of the writer does not justify such an interpretation. From vv. 18–20 the writer speaks definitely of what “knowledge of what exists” consists. The sciences he points to clearly show that he did not invest Platonic meaning in the expression “ των όντών γνώσιν “. — “Knowledge of what exists” is knowledge of all phenomena that surround a human. The predicate “true” only indicates the soundness and perfection of these knowledges.

Wisdom 7:18. the beginning, end, and middle of times, the changes in the turning of seasons and the changes of times, Wisdom 7:19. the cycles of years and the positions of the stars, 18–19. Knowledge in chronology and astronomy is discussed. “The beginning, end, and middle of times...” that is, knowledge of the measure and duration of time in general. “The changes in the turning of seasons and the changes of times...” Knowledge is meant of the movement of planets and the changes in air temperature, wind direction and other atmospheric phenomena connected with it. “The cycles of years...” that is, the alternations of day and night, months and seasons of the year.

Wisdom 7:20. the nature of animals and the properties of beasts, the impulses of spirits and the thoughts of people, the varieties of plants and the powers of roots. 20. In this enumeration the expression “impulses of spirits” (βίαι πνευμάτων) is noteworthy. It is difficult to suppose that the discourse is here about spirits as winds, as the Russian text translates and as many exegetes understood. The mention of spirits here would be inappropriate, as the writer in this verse does not speak of elemental phenomena of nature. When the writer actually speaks of winds, he uses another expression: “ βιαι ανέμων “. Finally, and most importantly, the enumeration of subjects in v. 20 is done in pairs, and each pair of enumerated subjects is taken from the same domain: 1) “the nature of animals and the properties of beasts,” 2) “the varieties of plants and the powers of roots,” only the third pair presents a strange combination: “impulses of spirits and the thoughts of people.” Subjects with nothing in common are joined together, whereas it might be expected a combination analogous to the preceding. All these oddities disappear if we translate the Greek word πνευμάτων as “spirits.” This means that the objects of knowledge in this pair are the world of spirits and the spiritual world of a human. The teaching about spirits, their nature, their influence on a human’s fate occupied a prominent place in the worldview of ancient humans.

Wisdom 7:21. I learned all things, both hidden and plain, for wisdom, the maker of all things, taught me. 21. The writer makes a conclusion to his description of the extent of human wisdom. All the rich content of it a person received from divine Wisdom, which acts in all the world, creates all things and brings them into order, therefore she is the “maker of all things.”

Wisdom 7:22. She is a spirit intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, mobile, clear, pure, clear, unharmed, benevolent, swift, irresistible, 22–30. The teaching about the essence of wisdom, her origin and activity in the universe is set forth. V. 22 is connected with what precedes by the particle γαρ. This connection indicates that here the foundation for what precedes is given. Namely, the writer depicts for us the divine spirit of wisdom in its worldwide activity, to show why wisdom was named above the “maker of all things” (v. 21) and why she is the source of various and all-embracing knowledge. The essence and activity of wisdom are more closely determined by 21 predicates. “She is a spirit intelligent.” Spirit is the name given to wisdom as an acting and revealing divine power, existing in itself and being the center of various properties and actions directly belonging to it and further attributed to it by the writer. The predicate “intelligent,” νοερός, in Plato is often used to denote purely spiritual being. Taking it in this sense, we will get here the thought that in the essence of divine Wisdom, as an acting force in the universe, nothing material should be thought. But this thought is already given in the concept of “spirit,” and the adjective νοερός in such understanding would be a tautology, therefore it is better to understand πνεύμα νοερόν in the meaning of νοούν. “Holy...” is used here in the same sense as in Wis 1:5. “...Unique, manifold...” (μονογενές, πολυμερές). The first predicate points to the homogeneity of nature, means: “simple, indivisible.” “Manifold” does not mean a concept opposite to the preceding predicate, but means that the power and activity of Wisdom spreads throughout the world, in all its parts, in all domains. This property of Wisdom is disclosed in Wis 8:1 and in the Apostle Paul 1 Cor 12:11. “...Subtle...” (λεπτόν), for otherwise wisdom could not penetrate the entire world. This word should be understood as speaking figuratively about the spirituality of wisdom. “Mobile...” (εύκίνητον). This property can be considered as a consequence of what precedes. It is revealed in more detail by the writer in v. 24. “...Clear, pure, bright...” All these predicates point to the light-bearing nature of Wisdom. V. 26 indicates what source this light of Wisdom has. “Unharmed...” (απήμαντον) has active and passive meaning. In the first case it will mean—causing no harm to anyone. Such a sense is very meager, therefore it is better to take this predicate in the passive meaning: undamaged, untouched by changes of sensible earthly being, immutable. “Swift, irresistible...” The predicates mean the energy of Wisdom as a world-creating and world-penetrating power. “Benevolent, philanthropic...” Both predicates are understood in the sense of pointing to divine goodness as the only motivation for creating the world. However, comparing this place with Wis 1:6, with greater reason one can here see an indication of the relation of wisdom to the moral world. “Firm, unshakable...” The laws established by wisdom both in the physical world and in the moral world are unchanging. The foundation of this unchangeability lies in the immutability of wisdom itself. “Peaceful, untroubled...” Points to the moment of wisdom’s self-sufficiency. “All-seeing...” see Wis 1:6-10. “Penetrating all intelligent, pure, and most subtle souls.” This predicate shows that wisdom governs not only nature and people, but also the world of higher spirits. As for the number (21) of predicates, exegetes have called attention to the fact that it is the product of 3 and 7. Both of these numbers were held sacred by the Hebrews (Num 19:12; Sir 26:1; Zech 3:9; 2 Kgs 5:10; Prov 9:1). Therefore it is very probable that the number of predicates up to 21 was brought to this amount by the writer intentionally, at least many predicates are synonymous and add nothing of substance. It is very difficult to point out any order in the enumeration of the predicates, and all attempts by exegetes so far have been unsuccessful. One can only say that some predicates define the metaphysical nature of the spirit of wisdom, while others define its moral character; the first explain the action of wisdom in the world in general, the second—its actions in the world of rational beings.

Wisdom 7:23. benevolent, philanthropic, firm, unshakable, peaceful, untroubled, all-seeing and penetrating all intelligent, pure, and most subtle spirits. Wisdom 7:24. For wisdom is more mobile than all movement, and by her purity passes through all things and penetrates them. 24–30. In this section the writer determines and clarifies certain properties of Wisdom of which he spoke in the two preceding verses. 24. Discourse is about mobility in the omnipresence of Wisdom, in clarification of the properties mentioned in v. 22: “spirit... mobile, subtle, pure.”

Wisdom 7:25. She is the breath of the power of God and the pure outflow of the glory of the Almighty: therefore nothing unclean will enter into her. 25. The foundation of the properties indicated above of Wisdom lies in her kinship and close relationship with God. “She is the breath of the power of God...” In the Bible the image of “breath” often represents God’s creative activity (Ps 32:6; Job 33:4; Sir 25:3). Therefore, the naming of Wisdom “the breath of God’s power” means that she is the direct participant in creation. “...Pure outflow of the glory of the Almighty...” “Outflow” (απόρροια) should it be understood as a poetic and figurative expression or in the sense proper to and inherent to God? In the Bible the image of outflow is often used to denote the fullness and abundance of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28; Isa 32:15; Zech 12:10; Prov 1:23; Acts 10:45; Titus 3:5-6). Applying this image in the present case, we will get the thought that God pours out His wisdom upon all His works; from this the divine Wisdom visible throughout the universe is called something outflowed or “outflows” from God, without any relation of this expression to the immanent life of God. This explanation, though correct in itself, fits the context of the speech less than that which relies on the literal understanding of the word “outflow.” The writer in this place (beginning from v. 22) speaks of Wisdom as a divine force flowing throughout the entire universe, emanating from the essence of God; therefore it is more correct to suppose that with the word “outflow” he connected the concept of emanation: “nothing unclean will enter into her” cf. Wis 1:5.

Wisdom 7:26. She is the radiance of eternal light and the pure mirror of God’s activity and the image of His goodness. 26. “She is the radiance of eternal light...” Eternal light is here called the highest being, God. In the Old Testament He is often represented in this image (Exod 14:13; Job 41:12; Ps 49:2; Ezek 1:28; Hab 3:3-4). “Radiance” means reflection. Divine Wisdom is named thus because in her are reflected the divine majesty and glory. “Image of His goodness,” for in the works of wisdom God’s goodness is manifested.

Wisdom 7:27. She is one, yet she can accomplish everything, and while remaining in herself, she renews all things, and passing from generation to generation into holy souls, she prepares friends of God and prophets; Wisdom 7:28. for God loves nothing except the one who lives with wisdom. Wisdom 7:29. She is more beautiful than the sun and surpasses the multitude of the stars; when compared with light, she is superior; Wisdom 7:30. for light is replaced by night, but evil cannot overcome wisdom. 27–30. The action of Wisdom in the moral world is indicated: she prepares the bearers of good (vv. 27–28) and successfully struggles with evil: “evil cannot overcome her” (v. 30).