Translation introduction to Wisdom of Solomon (United Bible Societies)

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.

Introduction to Wisdom (Christian Community Bible)

(The Catholic Christian Community Bible [first English edition 1997, other translations into Indonesian, Chinese, Cebuano, Chavacano, French, Ilonggo, Korean, Quechuan, Spanish, and Tagalog] “for the Christian Communities of the Third World” uses the following introduction.)

In the last centuries before Christ, Greek culture, spread by Alexander, penetrated into the countries of the Middle East (see introduction to Maccabees). The Greeks had a new way of viewing the freedom of the individual and nobility of spirit. They promoted scientific research and esteemed highly physical beauty, etc.

The Jews had to be open to this new way of thinking: when a people encloses itself in its national culture, without looking beyond it, it ends up being asphyxiated. Their culture was intimately linked to the words of God they had received for centuries, but the revelation of God was not finished and could no longer enclose itself within the molds of Hebraic culture.

The Book of Wisdom is the first important effort to express the faith and wisdom of Israel, not only in Greek, but also in a form adapted to Greek culture.

It gives an answer to the crucial questions of evil, pain and death; it sketches a proof of the existence of God that will inspire Paul and shows that God’s mercy extends to all beings without exception.

Note especially the magnificent chapters 3–5 concerning the death of the just and hope in eternal life and also the hymn to wisdom in chapter 7.

The Book of Wisdom was written in Egypt between 80 and 50 before Christ by one of the many Jews who were living in the Greek world. It is one of the deuterocanonical books.

Down below are the introductions in the Mandarin Chinese, Tagalog, Cebuano, and Spanish editions.

Translation: Mandarin Chinese

公元前几世纪，亚历山大大帝将希腊文化扩张并渗透至中东国家（见玛加伯引言）。希腊人所到之地，将自己对“个人的自由、精神的高贵、科学的寻觅及身体之美”的新观念，也随之带去。

犹太人必须面对并接纳这一新的思维方式：因为一个民族若只看到自己国家的文化，眼光不能有所超越，最终会窒息而亡。犹太文化在过去几世纪中始终与他们领受的天主圣言紧密相联，而且正是因了天主的圣言，文化才得以发展。但是，天主对犹太人的启示并未受到限定，也不会一直封闭于希伯来文化的模式当中，必将以新的方式启示呈现给思想言行都和犹太人不同的其他民族。

《智慧篇》是为表达以色列信仰与智慧所作的第一次尝试，作者是在希腊环境里成长起来的一位犹太人同胞。本书不仅以希腊文写作，也采用了希腊文化的形式。这可以从侧面帮助中国人利用中华民族传统的文献作品，无论是儒家的伦理性智慧书，还是道家或僧侣的自然神秘性智慧著作，或是民间多样化的格言和谚语，进行对比阅读和欣赏。

本书回答了有关罪恶、痛苦和死亡这些令人感到困扰的问题，对天主的存在提出了证明：以后，保禄即从中得到鼓舞。书中还表达了天主的仁慈普及万物，无一例外。

请特别注意3-5章中关于义人之死的句子，对永生的期望，以及第7章的智慧颂。

《智慧篇》是公元前八十年至五十年之间在埃及写成的，因本书是用希腊语写成，故此书被犹太人列入“次经”书目。但我们圣教会的传统，承认本书是在天主默感下写成，仍将本书列为正经书目内。

Translation: Tagalog

Sa mga huling dantaon bago kay Kristo, ang mga bansa ng Gitnang Silangan ay napasok ng kulturang Griyegong dala ng mananakop na Alejandro (tingnan ang Introduksyon sa Mga Macabeo). Dala ng mga Griyego ang isang bagong pang-unawa sa kalayaan ng tao, sa kadakilaan ng espiritu, sa interes sa siyentipikong pananaliksik, sa kahulugan ng pisikal na kagandahan, atbp.

Kinailangan nilang maging bukas sa ibang paraan ng pag-iisip: kapag nananatiling sara ang alinmang sambayanan sa sarili nitong pambansang kultura na wala nang nakikita pang iba bukod dito, di-magtatagal at namamatay ito. Matalik ang kaugnayan ng kanilang kultura sa mga salita ng Diyos na tinanggap nila sa loob ng maraming siglo, pero hindi pa natatapos ang pagbubunyag ng Diyos at hindi na nito maikulong ang sarili sa balangkas ng kulturang Hebreo.

Ang aklat ng Karunungan ang unang importanteng pagsisikap para maipahayag ang pananampalataya at karunungan ng Israel hindi lamang sa wikang Griyego kundi maging sa kaayusang angkop sa kulturang Griyego.

Sinasagot nito ang lumiligalig na katanungan tungkol sa kasamaan, pagdurusa at kamatayan. Binabalangkas nito ang isang patunay na mayroon ngang Diyos, na magbibigay-inspirasyon naman kay Pablo. Ipinapakita rin nito na iginagawad ng Diyos ang Kanyang awa sa lahat ng nilalang nang walang itinatangi.

Isa ito sa mga aklat na deuterocanonical.

Pansining mabuti ang napakagandang mga kabanata 3-5 tungkol sa kamatayan ng makatarungan at pag-asa sa buhay na walang hanggan, pati na rin ang awit sa karunungan sa kabanata 7.

Translation: Cebuano

Sa ulahing mga siglo sa wala pa si Cristo, ang Griyegong kultura nga gisabwag ni Alejandro nakatuhop na pag-ayo sa mga nasod sa Tungatungang Silangan (basaha ang pasiuna sa Macabeo). Ang mga Griyego dunay bag-o ug kinaugalingong panglantaw bahin sa kagawasan sa tawo, sa kahamili sa espiritu, sa pagdukiduki sa syensya, sa kahulogan sa mga butang nga nindot, ug daghan pa. Kining tanan ilang nakab-ot ginamit ang kalantip sa hunahuna ug salabotan.

Ang kultura sa Judio lahi. Milambo ni samtang namalandong sila sa kalihokan sa Diyos diha sa ilang kinabuhi ug sa dagan sa ilang kasaysayan. Angay silang pasalamatan ining tanan. Hinuon mas makatabang kon sila bukas ug gawasnon sa pagdawat sa mga bag-ong panghunahuna, imbis mosira sa bisag unsang kultura nga dili ilaha. Diha nga ang katawhan magapos pagtan-aw sa ila rang kaugalingon ug dili makalantaw latas sa kultura sa uban, nan, sa dili madugay, mahimo silang hiktin, pinugngan ug madudahon. Ang diyosnong pagpadayag sa kamatuoran sa mga Judio wala pa matapos, ug kinahanglan nga ipakita ni sa bag-o nga paagi sa tanang katawhan, nga wala maghunahuna ni magsulti sama sa mga Judio.

Ang Kaalam unang dakong paningkamot aron ang pagtoo ug kaalam sa Israel ikapadayag, dili lang sa Griyego, apan sa pamaagi sab nga gipahaom sa Griyegong kultura.

Misulay ni pagtubag sa makapahasol nga mga pangutana bahin sa kadaotan, sa sakit ug kamatayon; naghatag sab og lakbit nga kapasikaran nga dunay Diyos, kamatuoran nga makadasig ni San Pablo; nagpadayag sab nga ang kaluoy sa Diyos nakakaylap na sa tanang tawo sa walay pagpinig.

Ang Kaalam nasulat sa Ehipto taliwala sa katuigan 80 ug 50 sa wala pa si Cristo. Gisulat kini sa usa sa kapid-an ka Judio nga nanimuyo sa kalibotan nga naghupot sa Griyegong kultura.

Ayoha pagbasa ang nindot nga mga kapitulo 3 ngadto sa 5, mahitungod sa kamatayon sa mga tarong ug ang paglaom sa kinabuhing dayon, ingon man ang himno sa kaalam sa kapitulo 7.

Translation: Spanish

El libro de la Sabiduría se presenta como obra del rey Salomón, pero esto no es más que una ficción literaria. En realidad fue escrito mucho más tarde, hacia el año 50 a.C.

Su autor pertenecía a la comunidad judía de Alejandría, importante colonia en la ciudad más poblada del mundo grecorromano. No había biblioteca que se igualase a la de Alejandría; según se decía albergaba 700.000 volúmenes. Dos siglos antes, su director había ordenado una traducción griega de la Biblia, la que fue llamada de los "Setenta".

El autor, pues, está en el punto en que se entrelazan dos culturas y dos lenguas, el hebreo y el griego. Ahí se enfrentan dos mundos religiosos, el de la Biblia y el de los griegos, con sus dioses, sus poetas y sus filosofías. Por lo demás, Égipto acaba de cambiar de dueños y los judíos de Alejandría que se consideraban vejados por la administración egipcia, esperan que los romanos, ahora dueños de Oriente Medio, les sean más favorables.

Este es el marco en que nace el Libro de la Sabiduría. En la primera parte (capítulos 1-5), el autor se dirige a creyentes algo desanimados por las pruebas que su pueblo sufrió durante el transcurso del siglo. Más que todo la fe se viene abajo porque los tiempos han cambiado. En Palestina, la vida religiosa de los judíos se encontraba intimamente ligada a su tierra; la fe se arraigaba en la vida nacional más que en las personas, y los individuos no contaban mucho. Hoy, en cambio, viven en medio de los paganos, y los desafíos de la vida obligan a cada cual a que se haga responsable de su propio destino.

El autor planteará, pues, el problema de la sabidauría sobre bases nuevas: la cuestión esencial es saber en qué desemboca la vida presente. Existe un juicio y otra vida, y mientras no se lo haya comprendido, nada se puede juzgar bien. Estos capítulos se cuentan entre los más bellos de la Biblia, especialmente los textos que se refieren a la inmortalidad, la resurrección y el desquite de los justos y los mártires.

En la segunda parte del libro (capítulos 6-10) el autor expone los diversos aspectos de la presencia divina en el universo. Esta cuestión era fundamental para los griegos; muchos confundían a Dios, alma del mundo, con un universo divinizado, y sus respuestas eran muy a menudo próximas a las que circulan hoy bajo la etiqueta de la New Age. El libro de la Sabiduría retoma aquí las fórmulas y las aspiraciones del mundo griego, pero aporta las precisiones necesarias para que Dios, presente y activo por doquier, siga siendo Dios, el único Santo y Glorioso.

La tercera parte de la obra (capítulos 11-19) intenta mostrar cómo Dios hace justicia a su pueblo, y en esto expresa muchas verdades, pero en ella no faltan la agresividad y las rencillas políticas y en más de un lugar echaremos de menos esta sabiduría más profunda que revela el evangelio.