Translation introduction to Wisdom of Solomon

The name, the language, and the author of the book

In its Latin translation, this book is titled simply “The Book of Wisdom,” and most Catholic sources call it by that name. In Greek, it is entitled “The Wisdom of Solomon,” and this title is usually used in Protestant versions of the Apocrypha. Either title is acceptable.

It is almost universally agreed today that Greek is the original language of this book. There is less agreement about its date. Estimates are made from about 200 B.C. to about A.D. 50. Recent opinion seems to be moving toward a date at the late end of this time span.

King Solomon is never mentioned by name in the book, although it is clear from 9.7-12 that the author is writing as if he were King Solomon, at least in the central section, 6.22–11.1. (It is not clear that the author speaks as Solomon in the rest of the book.) The fact that the book is in Greek is reason enough to suppose Solomon himself is not the author, since Greece never developed a literature until several centuries after Solomon. Moreover, this particular style of Greek (200 B.C.–A.D. 50) is even later. At the time of writing, however, it was a common literary practice for authors to write books in the name of men of the past. This was no attempt at falsehood, but rather a tribute to the memory of those men. Today a writer might dedicate a book to the memory of a revered teacher. In those days a writer would write the book in the teacher’s name. The author of The Wisdom of Solomon wishes to identify the book with the wisdom tradition of Israel, which is represented by Solomon in the same way as the legal tradition is represented by Moses.

The author was certainly a Jewish scholar, very likely a resident of the city of Alexandria, in Egypt. Although he is familiar with Greek philosophy and has been influenced by it, his primary concern is to make other Jews proud of their own faith, and to show its superiority over Gentile religions.

Problems in translating The Wisdom of Solomon

Mystery religions: At a number of places in the book (for example, 14.22-31 and 17.3), the writer refers to the practices of certain religions practiced in the Mediterranean world of his day. These religions are known to scholars as the mystery religions. They might be called cults by some today. Most of these religions had their origins in Egypt or the Near East, although they were practiced over much of the Greek and Roman world. They had secret rites (“mysteries”) that were not to be made known to outsiders. Among these were secret rites of initiation which a person went through in order to become a member. Sometimes there were sacred meals. A few of these religions had ceremonies that struck outsiders, particularly Jews and Christians, as horrible, involving sexual immorality or drunkenness. It was widely believed that babies were sometimes killed and even eaten, but this is probably more imagination than reality. Translators will not need a general term such as “mysteries,” but they will need to be aware of the background against which the author is speaking.

Meaning of the term “wisdom”: The wisdom writers of the Old Testament had a number of terms to use for wisdom. Sometimes these terms have distinctive meanings, but sometimes for practical purposes they have essentially the same meaning. The principal term is “wisdom.” It refers to the quality possessed by a person who is perceptive about people and about situations. He has insight into them, whether from experience or intuition. A person with wisdom will exercise good judgment. Wisdom also includes knowledge of facts. Often in this book a Greek term is used (paideia) which is often translated by such terms as “instruction,” “discipline,” and “education.” In this book it usually has the meaning “instruction,” and seems at times to refer to the content of instruction, that is, knowledge or information (see 6.17). In some languages it will be impossible to use an abstract noun for “wisdom,” but translators will use a verbal phrase; for example, “thinking and acting as God would have you do.”

Figure of Wisdom: Like the books of Proverbs and Sirach, this book often speaks of Wisdom as if it were a person, a woman. This is most obvious in the central section, 6.12–9.18, but there are other places where “wisdom” may be considered a concept or a person. The Good News Translation (GNT) consistently treats Wisdom as a person, capitalizing the noun and referring to it as “she.” The term Wisdom in Hebrew is grammatically feminine, but this will be impossible to show in many languages, especially through pronouns. Also the writer is not thinking of Wisdom as a real person, much less as a goddess. It is a figure of speech. For some translators, especially in cultures where women are never considered wise, handling this will be among the most difficult problems in the book. It will be especially difficult in those languages where a verbal phrase must be used for Wisdom as it is described as being able to call, invite, or warn people. This will require in many instances a clause containing a comparison; for example, “Thinking and acting as God would have us do is like [the comparison] a woman who is radiant and unfading” (6.12). While the Handbook cannot anticipate every problem particular translators may face, it will try to be helpful in offering suggestions for translators who find difficulty in treating Wisdom as a person.

Spirit: The word “spirit” (pneuma in Greek) is used several times in this book in close connection with “wisdom.” There are six occurrences that are likely to bother the careful translator, and we list them here, literally translated, for convenience.

1.5 “A holy spirit of instruction.” The word “instruction” seems to have virtually the same meaning as “wisdom” here. The word “spirit” does not indicate any being or thing separate from instruction or wisdom. It simply calls attention to the importance of what instruction really means.
1.6 “Wisdom is a spirit that is kindly disposed toward people.” Here wisdom is a spirit. But again, it is nothing separate from wisdom; the words call attention to the importance of what wisdom really involves. There is a textual variant on this line which reads “A/The spirit of wisdom is kindly disposed….”
1.7 “A/The spirit of the Lord has filled the world.” This does not say that the spirit of the Lord is Wisdom, but it functions in much the same way.
7.7 “A spirit of wisdom came to me.” Here again, the author is talking of wisdom itself/herself, not of anything separate from wisdom.
7.22-23 “There is in [Wisdom] a spirit that is intelligent, holy … kindly disposed to people….” Here Wisdom is pictured as having a spirit, one that is holy (1.5) and kindly disposed to people (1.6). But as 7.24 makes rather clear, speaking of the spirit of Wisdom is the same as speaking of Wisdom itself/herself. In that verse Wisdom is directly spoken of.
9.17 “Who has learned…. unless you have given Wisdom and sent your holy spirit from on high?” Here Wisdom and God’s spirit are, for all practical purposes, the same. This, by the way, is the only one of these passages where the definite article is used with the word “spirit” in Greek.

It is helpful to compare these usages with Isa 11.2, where “the spirit of the LORD” is identified with “the spirit of wisdom and understanding …” (New Revised Standard Version). We may draw the conclusion that the author of our book uses these terms with some fluidity and flexibility, and had no intention of being precise and consistent in his use of poetic imagery. It follows that translators also may use some fluidity. Some translators may find a word ready at hand that seems to correspond nicely to “spirit” in these passages. Others may find that they express the meaning of some of these passages best by not representing the word at all. More specific suggestions will be found at the appropriate places in the commentary.

Finally, we should note that where God’s spirit is spoken of, even in 9.17, the author is not referring to the Christian idea of the Holy Spirit as a member of the Trinity. It is closer to the Old Testament usage found in Isa 63.10, or Psa 51.11. Some versions (for instance, Revised Standard Version and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible) capitalize these references, but most (including New Revised Standard Version) do not. Capitalization practice will vary from language to language, of course, but in this Handbook we advise translators not to adopt any practice that would unnecessarily suggest an identification with the Holy Spirit of Christian theology.

Immortality: The word “immortality” means “deathlessness.” At 1.15 righteousness is said to be immortal; that is, it never dies. At 12.1 God’s spirit is described as deathless. These places are not big problems; however, the abstract noun “immortality” is used seven times in 3.4; 4.1; 6.18, 19; 8.13, 17; 15.3. The translator may work with this book in the secure knowledge that the writer believes that there is something about a human being that survives death, at least, for a person who knows God.

The ancient Greeks believed that the body was mortal and the soul was immortal; this was to them a statement about the physical world. The sky is blue, rocks are hard, and souls are immortal. Our writer is using the Greek term (it is never used in the books of the Hebrew Old Testament), but is not giving it the usual Greek sense. In Wisdom, immortality is a gift from God, which God gives to the righteous.

We will give suggestions at the relevant places in the commentary concerning how translators might deal with each occurrence of “immortality.” There are ways to express the idea without using an abstract noun.

Proper names: At a number of points in the book the author refers to particular individuals and peoples in biblical history (see especially chapter 10), but never uses their names. Apart from God and Wisdom, there are no proper names in the book. The reader deserves to know who these people are, but the author’s preference for leaving people nameless should be honored by the translator if possible. In this Handbook we will suggest that translators leave any identification of particular people to the section headings (or footnotes, if they so choose) and not work this into the translation itself. Translators will save time by deciding in advance how this problem will be solved, whether by following the suggestions in the Handbook, by using footnotes, or by following GNT in working the names into the translation.

The connector “For”: In this book there are numerous instances of the connector “For” (gar in Greek). In some cases this connector serves no clear grammatical purpose and may be omitted. In other cases it may be rendered as “Because,” “Therefore,” “So,” or even “Yes” to indicate a stress. In each case we will try to help translators understand the linguistic purpose of the connector.

Outline of the book

In the following outline the words and phrases in italics are intended for the translator’s help only and should not be included in the translation. Along with the indentation patterns, these are intended to help visualize the way the book is organized. The phrases not in italics are the actual section headings used in the commentary.

Part One. Wisdom and immortality (1.1–6.21)
1A. Rulers and justice (1.1-15)
1A-1. The search for justice (1.1-5)
1A-2. God is aware of what we say (1.6-11)
1A-3. God’s justice does not die (1.12-15)
1B. Rejecting justice is rejecting life (the ungodly speak) (1.16–2.24)
1C. The destiny of the righteous who suffer (3.1-9)
1D. The destiny of the ungodly (3.10-13a)
1E. The destiny of the righteous who have no children (3.13b–4.6)
1F. The reward of the righteous who die young (4.7-15)
1G. The destiny of the ungodly (4.16-20)
1H. The regrets of the ungodly (the ungodly speak) (5.1-23)
1I. Rulers and Wisdom (6.1-21)
1I-1. The responsibility of rulers (6.1-11)
1I-2. Searching for Wisdom (6.12-21)

Part Two. Solomon praises Wisdom (6.22–11.1)
2A. Introduction to Solomon’s discussion (transitional passage) (6.22-25)
2B. Kings are only human (7.1-6)
2C. Solomon tells of his love for Wisdom (7.7-14)
2D. God is the source of Wisdom (prayer) (7.15-22a)
2E. Solomon describes Wisdom (7.22b–8.1)
2F. Solomon tells of his love for Wisdom (8.2-21)
2G. Solomon prays for Wisdom (9.1-18)
2G-1. God is the source of Wisdom (9.1-12)
2G-2. Wisdom is the only hope for human beings (9.13-18)
2H. Wisdom protected the ancestors of Israel (transitional passage) (10.1–11.1)
2H-1. Wisdom protected Adam (10.1-2)
2H-2. Cain abandoned Wisdom (10.3)
2H-3. Wisdom protected Noah (10.4)
2H-4. Wisdom helped Abraham (10.5)
2H-5. Wisdom rescued Lot (10.6-9)
2H-6. Wisdom protected Jacob (10.10-12)
2H-7. Wisdom rescued Joseph (10.13-14)
2H-8. Wisdom led Moses and the Israelites out of Egypt (10.15–11.1)

Part Three. God revealed his justice as the Israelites left Egypt (11.2–19.22)
3A. First comparison: The Nile River turned to blood; water flowed from the rock (11.2-14)
3B. First digression: God gave warnings to various Gentile nations (11.15–12.27)
3B-1. God’s warnings to the Egyptians (11.15-20)
3B-2. God’s mercy (11.21–12.2)
3B-3. God’s warnings to the Canaanites (12.3-11)
3B-4. God’s mercy (12.12-18)
3B-5. God’s warnings to the Israelites and his mercy (12.19-22)
3B-6. God’s punishment of the Egyptians (12.23-27)
3C. Second digression: Idolatry is foolish (13.1–15.19)
3C-1. Nature worshipers do not know God (13.1-9)
3C-2. The foolishness of woodworkers who make idols (13.10-19)
3C-3. Wooden idols compared with God’s mercy and Noah’s wooden boat (14.1-11)
3C-4. The origins of idol worship (14.12-21)
3C-5. The results of idolatry (14.22-31)
3C-6. Idols compared with God’s mercy (15.1-6)
3C-7. The foolishness of artists who make idols (15.7-13)
3C-8. The Egyptians were even worse than other idol worshipers (15.14-19)
3D. Second comparison: A plague of animals; the gift of quail as food (16.1-4)
3E. Third comparison: A plague of insects; the gift of the bronze snake (16.5-14)
3F. Fourth comparison: Storms from the sky; manna from heaven (16.15-29)
3G. Fifth comparison: Fearsome darkness; the column of fire (17.1–18.4)
3H. Sixth comparison: The death of the Egyptians; protection of the Israelites (18.5–19.5)
3H-1. The death of the Egyptian firstborn (18.5-19)
3H-2. Aaron’s prayer saved the Israelites from death (18.20-25)
3H-3. The death of the Egyptians at the Red Sea (18.25b–19.5)
3I. Conclusion (19.6-22)
3I-1. The Israelites’ miraculous journey (19.6-12)
3I-2. The Egyptians compared to the men of Sodom (19.13-17)
3I-3. A re-created world (19.18-22)

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Wisdom of Solomon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2004. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on Wisdom 1:16

But ungodly men by their words and deeds summoned death: Compare verse 12a, where the rulers of the world are urged not to “invite death” by sinning. Here we are told that this is exactly what ungodly people do. By what they do and say, they call out to death and say, “Here I am!” Good News Translation abandons the figure and says that the ungodly “have brought death on themselves,” which is an idiomatic expression meaning “have caused their own deaths.” So another possible model is “The words and deeds of evil people have caused their own deaths [or, caused them to die].” The adversative But should be omitted since this verse begins a new section (see Good News Translation).

Ungodly is a word often used in the book, and with one exception (14.16), it is used with reference to people. It describes a person as having no concern for God and religion, and as used by a Jewish writer such as our author, it may describe a person who has no concern for the worship of the one true God, the God of Israel. The behavior of such people may be described as “wicked” or “evil,” but this is not the focus the author intends here. The emphasis is on the person’s attitude, not the person’s activity. “Godless” and “unreligious” are possibilities. Other ways of saying this are “people who do not honor [or, worship] God” and “people who do not obey God’s laws.”

The Revised Standard Version footnote at the end of the first line calls attention to the fact that the word death is not used in Greek. The Greek only has a pronoun, but that pronoun clearly refers back to “death” in verse 12. The noun should be used here for clarity.

Considering him a friend, they pined away: This means that they have a self-destructive desire for death, a “death wish.” To “pine away” is to waste away or wither away from grief or, here, from yearning. It is an overstatement, of course. Since a person is unlikely to pine away for a friend, Good News Translation renders “lover,” but this does not seem satisfactory. Perhaps a closer connection with the first line will be helpful: “By what they do and say, ungodly [or, evil] people call out to death as if they were greeting a friend they yearn to be with.”

And they made a covenant with him: A covenant is an agreement. Good News Translation has “They have gone into partnership with death.” Contemporary English Version is similar: “they are partners with death.” Translators might also render “They have come to terms with death.” Compare Isa 28.15.

Because they are fit to belong to his party: The word translated party means “possession,” and the line means that the ungodly belong to death—fittingly so. Just as in Deut 32.9 Israel is God’s possession, here the ungodly are death’s possession. Fit to belong to his party is a good translation, but New Jerusalem Bible “belong to him” is better still. Another possible model is “They belong to death, and deserve it.”

The phrase belong to his party, which appears here in the first verse of the section, will appear again in 2.24, closing the section. Translators will want to be aware of this, but they should not sacrifice clarity or faithfulness in the context in order to translate these two phrases the same way.

The verbs in this verse may be translated as past or present. Good News Translation mixes the two without any bad effect, but the Handbook suggests that the present tense be used.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Wisdom of Solomon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2004. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on Wisdom 3:11

For whoever despises wisdom and instruction is miserable: The word translated despises means literally “count as nothing,” “count as worthless.” The Good News Translation translation captures the meaning well: “A man who has no use for wisdom or education [or, discipline] has a miserable life in store for him.” Translators could reword it as “… will live a miserable life” or “… has an unhappy future [ahead of him].” In this case “A man” is proper, since verse 12 will speak of wives. Some translators, however, may find it easier to retain the plural here through verse 13a: “People who have no use for wisdom have a miserable life ahead of them” or “People who look down on wisdom will have miserable [or, unhappy] lives.”

Their hope is vain, their labors are unprofitable, and their works are useless: Vain is literally “empty.” Good News Translation may be misleading. It sounds like the ungodly recognize their own hopelessness, which is not what the text means. The ungodly do indeed have their hopes, but they are empty; they will come to nothing, unlike the hope of the righteous in 2.22. Translators could, however, say “His future is hopeless,” “They have only empty hopes,” or even “Whatever they hope for will come to nothing.” The last two of these clauses are close in meaning and could be combined as Contemporary English Version does with “everything they do is completely useless.” However, the repetition of the idea increases the sense of futility expressed here. Translators may want to consider reordering the clauses, so that the first one comes last as a climax: “Everything he does is completely useless, and he will never accomplish anything [worthwhile]. His future is hopeless.” This may of course be expressed in the plural: “Everything they do….”

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Wisdom of Solomon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2004. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on Wisdom 5:4

“This is the man whom we once held in derision and made a byword of reproach—we fools!: The quotation that begins here will end with verse 13. Those who are using the plural to refer to the righteous must be careful to do so here. Thus adjusted, Good News Translation could read “These are the people we used to make fun of! We thought they were a joke! What fools we were!” Or we may restructure as follows: “We were such fools to make fun of these people and sneer at them.”

We thought that his life was madness and that his end was without honor: The ungodly remember how they thought that devout people were peculiar to live so differently; see 2.15-16. They thought that those who were so careful to live according to the Law died a disgraceful death; see 2.20. Now they realize how wrong they were. This differs from the interpretation of Good News Translation. We suggest the following alternative model: “We thought they were crazy [or, mad] to live the way they did; we thought they had died in disgrace.”

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Wisdom of Solomon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2004. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on Wisdom 6:13

She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her: Here the picture is of Wisdom looking for the person seeking her. She makes herself known to that person, as if the bird in the tree were to call out to the person on the ground, “Here I am!” Good News Translation provides a good model. However, the verb translated hastens can be interpreted another way: she anticipates those who look for her by making herself known first. This could be expressed as “Those who desire her will find her [as if she were a woman] waiting for them.” Translators may choose whichever approach they like best.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Wisdom of Solomon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2004. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on Wisdom 7:20

The natures of animals and the tempers of wild beasts: Good News Translation begins a new sentence here; we will suggest an alternative at the end of this verse. Animals appears to include all types of animal creatures: birds, fish, reptiles, mammals, and other families. Wild beasts (which is one word in Greek) appears to refer to the mammals that are usually referred to by English speakers as “wild animals” (Good News Translation). Tempers is literally “raging,” and may refer to the dangers these animals present. Compare 1Kgs 4.33. A possible model for this line is “about the nature of living creatures, the dangers that wild animals present.”

The powers of spirits and the reasonings of men: As the Revised Standard Version footnote indicates, the word translated spirits also means “winds,” and can be translated that way (so Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New American Bible, New English Bible). One ancient Jewish writer (Josephus) says that Solomon had power over spirits, but the Koran says that Solomon could predict windstorms. The writer himself may have played on the ambiguity, or perhaps thought of winds and spirits as the same; compare Psa 104.4; Sir 39.28. Translators may freely choose either, but the Handbook prefers spirits. This may refer to mysterious forces at work in the universe, or perhaps to the mysterious workings of human nature. If we were forced to decide, we would choose the first understanding. The model offered below attempts to express a fuller range of meaning than either “spirits” or “winds” alone would provide.

The varieties of plants and the virtues of roots: The virtue of roots refers to the use of roots as a source of medicines.

After the introductory line in verse 17, it is possible to arrange the rest of the material through verse 20 as a list:

It is God who gave me my accurate knowledge of things:
what the world is made of and how it works,
how the calendar is determined [or, how they determine a calendar] by the movement of the sun and the stars,
when the seasons change,
when a new year arrives,
the nature of living creatures,
the dangers that wild animals present,
the mysterious forces behind the winds [or, that cause the winds to blow],
how the human mind works,
the different kinds of plants,
and how to make medicine from their roots.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Wisdom of Solomon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2004. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on Wisdom 9:2

And by thy wisdom hast formed man: This line is closely parallel to the previous line, thus virtually equating Wisdom with God’s word; compare John 1.3. The verb translated hast formed implies shaping something for a purpose. That purpose will be expressed in the next three lines (verses 2b-3).

To have dominion over the creatures thou hast made: Compare Gen 1.26, 28; Psa 8.6-8; Sir 17.2.

An alternative model for this verse is:

• You used your wisdom to create human beings, so that they could rule over all your creation [or, all the things you have made].

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Wisdom of Solomon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2004. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on Wisdom 10:17

She gave to holy men the reward of their labors: Holy men refers to the Israelites (Good News Translation “God’s people”). Compare Deut 7.6. It is the same reference as in verse 15; the word men does not occur in the Greek. The reward of their labors appears to refer to the jewelry “borrowed” from the Egyptians by the Israelites in Exo 12.35-36. Good News Translation “She rewarded God’s people for their hardships” is accurate and clear.

She guided them along a marvelous way: For marvelous way, “marvellous journey” (New English Bible) and “miraculous journey” (Good News Translation, Revised English Bible) are good translations. The reference is to the Israelites wandering in the wilderness for forty years. For this line we may also say “She guided them in a marvelous [or, wonderful/miraculous] way as they journeyed [through the wilderness].”

And became a shelter to them by day, and a starry flame through the night: The reference is to the cloud that accompanied the Israelites by day, and the flame that guided them by night during their forty year journey. See Exo 13.21-22; Psa 78.14. For the interpretation of the cloud as a shade (as in Good News Translation), see Psa 105.39. A starry flame is literally “a blaze of stars” (New English Bible), which can be interpreted as “brilliant starlight” (Good News Translation). Good News Translation is not quite correct, however, with “She gave them….” The text says that Wisdom became their shelter. New Jerusalem Bible translates “herself their shelter by day—and their starlight through the night.” Translators could say “She herself was their shade during the day; she was [like] a blaze of stars guiding them at night.”

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Wisdom of Solomon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2004. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.