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Wisdom 10:1-3
New Catholic Bible
Wisdom 10:1-3
New Catholic Bible
The Destiny of Israel or Wisdom at Work in History[a]
Chapter 10
The History of the Patriarchs[b]
Adam, Cain, Noah
1 Wisdom preserved the first-formed father of the world[c]
when he alone had been created.
She delivered him from his transgression
2 and gave him the power to rule over all things.
3 But when the wicked man[d] forsook her in his wrath,
he perished because of his fratricidal fury.
Footnotes
- Wisdom 10:1 From here on, the author considers the entire unfolding of sacred history, and especially the Exodus, from the viewpoint of Wisdom. The protagonists will receive the name of “righteous” or “wicked” according to whether they have followed the path of Wisdom or have gone astray, for it is Wisdom that steers history.
- Wisdom 10:1 In the style of the rabbinic commentaries of the time, the author now sets forth sketches of seven exemplary Israelite ancestors, whose destiny God guided and whose courage he rewarded (Adam, Cain, Noah, Abraham, Lot, Jacob, and Joseph).
Adam knew how to expiate his faults and preserve for human beings their mastery over creation. And from the beginning, injustice, like that of Cain, led to perdition. - Wisdom 10:1 Father of the world: i.e., Adam (Gen 1:26—5:5).
- Wisdom 10:3 Wicked man: i.e., Cain (Gen 4:8-12).
