16 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What does justice mean when the righteous suffer and the wicked seem to prosper?
The Wisdom of Solomon brings Hebrew faith into conversation with Greek philosophy. Its unknown Jewish author speaks in the voice of King Solomon, calling rulers to love justice and seek wisdom before judging others. Through poem and argument, the text asks what makes a life righteous when goodness brings no visible reward.
Three movements carry the inquiry forward: a meditation on righteousness and life after death, a praise of wisdom with Solomon's prayer, and a retelling of Israel's history centered on the Exodus. According to the text, wisdom is the breath of God's power, guiding the righteous through suffering and uncertainty.
What you’ll discover
- The question of suffering Explore the text's answer to why the righteous suffer while the wicked appear secure.
- Wisdom given a presence Meet wisdom as the author portrays her: intelligent, holy, subtle, and active in human lives.
- A prayer for discernment Follow Solomon's prayer as the book connects wise judgment with the responsibilities of rulers.
- Faith meets Greek thought Discover how a Jewish writer draws on Greek ideas to argue for faithfulness.
- History seen through wisdom Trace the book's account of divine guidance through Israel's story, with the Exodus at its center.
Who will love it
For readers who love the Bible and its neighbors, Jewish and early Christian thought, and the meeting of faith with Greek culture. For anyone drawn to prayers for wisdom, the hope of the righteous, and retellings of Israel's history.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Love justice and seek God sincerely
- The wicked say life is short
- The righteous are in God's hand
- The final reckoning surprises the wicked
- Rulers must seek wisdom, as Solomon did
- Wisdom is the breath of God's power
- Wisdom guides the righteous through history
- Idols are folly and Egypt is judged
- A Greek book kept by the churches
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The Wisdom of Solomon
Speaking in Solomon's voice, a Jewish author urges rulers to seek wisdom before they judge.
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In short
The Wisdom of Solomon is a Jewish book written in Greek, most likely in the city of Alexandria in Egypt. Scholars place it somewhere between the first century BC and the early first century AD, and they do not agree on a closer date.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Love justice and seek God sincerely
The book opens with a command to the judges and rulers of the earth. Love justice, think rightly about the Lord, and seek him with a simple heart. The author claims that God can be found by those who do not test him and who do not distrust him. Wisdom, he says, will not enter a soul that plans evil or a body that is given over to sin.
Here wisdom is described almost as a person. She is a kindly spirit who loves humanity, yet she will not forgive the words of a blasphemer. Nothing said in secret escapes her notice, since the spirit of the Lord fills the world and holds all things together. So even a muttered complaint against God is heard, and the author warns that grumbling leads to ruin.
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What is the Wisdom of Solomon about?
It is about the value of wisdom and the hope of the righteous. It describes the fate of the just and the wicked, praises wisdom as God's gift, and retells Israel's history, especially the Exodus, as proof of God's care.
Did Solomon really write the Wisdom of Solomon?
Scholars broadly think not. It was written in Greek, long after Solomon's time, probably in Alexandria between the first century BC and the early first century AD. The author used Solomon's voice as a literary device.
Why is the Wisdom of Solomon not in the Protestant Bible?
It was not part of the Hebrew Bible and was written in Greek. Protestant traditions generally place it in the Apocrypha. Catholic and Orthodox churches count it as scripture, and Catholics list it as deuterocanonical.
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