Just exactly what the author means in verses 13-14 is not clear. He obviously believes in the spiritual immortality of every human being, and seems to believe that the devil is responsible for bringing our physical death into being (verse 13; 2.23-24). And here he seems to be saying that even nonhuman creation was intended never to die. It is hard to believe that he was speaking of individual plants and animals. That whole species might die and become extinct is a modern scientific idea, but the idea that species did not die out, but were rather preserved, was an ancient philosophical idea. And our author does not say that they die; he assumes that they do not, just as he assumes that people do. Translators should avoid having these two verses sound as if the immortality of individual plants and animals is intended, even though we cannot rule out the possibility that the writer believed that human sin, instigated by the devil, brought death to all creation, not only to humans.

For he created all things that they might exist: This verse is stating the reason why God created everything, so the connector For should be kept (see the model at the end of the discussion on this verse). All things probably includes non-living things as well as living creatures. That they might exist states the content of the preceding line in a different way: God did not create things in order for them to pass out of existence. He wanted them to exist; that’s why he made them in the first place.

And the generative forces of the world are wholesome: Both the noun translated generative forces (genesis in Greek) and the adjective translated wholesome (soterios in Greek) are problems. In this context we believe that the noun genesis most likely refers to the kinds of things created, such as the different species of plants and animals. (See the Revised Standard Version footnote.) This is the interpretation given to the word by the Latin version. Winston makes a convincing case that the adjective soterios (from the Greek verb sozo, meaning “save” or “preserve”) refers to the nature of all species to preserve themselves. This fits the context as well as the Stoic philosophy that the author draws from here: “He created everything so that it might continue to exist. He intended every kind of creature to be preserved.” Since the two lines are roughly the same in meaning, it would be possible to combine them as “He intended that every kind of earthly creature he made would continue to exist.”

And there is no destructive poison in them: There is nothing in the makeup of living species that makes the death of the species inevitable. Translators can keep the figure of speech (literally “medicine of destruction”), as Good News Translation does, or abandon it: “There is nothing in them that makes their death inevitable [or, makes their death necessary].”

And the dominion of Hades is not on earth: Hades is a Greek term for the world of the dead. Here it is simply a poetic way of saying “death.” The word translated dominion literally means “palace,” but the intent of this figure of speech is to say that death does not rule the earth. Good News Translation renders this line well, and its initial “No” is effective in English.

An alternative model for this verse is:

• For he created all living things that they may continue to exist. He intended every kind of creature to be preserved [or, to keep on living]. There is nothing in them that makes their death necessary. No, death does not rule this world.

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.