Wisdom 11
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 11
1 Through the holy prophet, Wisdom[a] gave them success in everything.
2 They journeyed through an inhospitable wilderness
and pitched their tents in untrodden wastes;
3 they stood firm against their enemies and turned back their foes.
4 When they were thirsty they cried out to you,
and water was given to them out of unyielding rock,
a refreshment for their thirst out of hard stone.[b]
5 The very means that had served to punish their enemies
became a benefit for them in their need.[c]
6 Instead of the spring of an ever-flowing river[d]
befouled by blood mingled with water
7 as a rebuke for the decree to slaughter infants,
you gave them abundant water unexpectedly,
8 showing them by their thirst at that time
how you punished their enemies.
9 For when they themselves were tested, although they were only chastised in mercy,
they comprehended the torments of the godless who had been judged in anger.
10 You tested the former, admonishing them like a father,
but the latter you sifted as a stern king does in condemnation.
11 Whether far off or close by,[e] they were afflicted alike,
12 for a twofold grief seized them,
and a groaning over the remembrances of the past.
13 When they heard that through their punishment the righteous had received benefits,
they perceived the presence of the Lord.[f]
14 For the one whom long before they had cast out, exposed, and rejected[g] with scorn,
they regarded with admiration at the end of the events,
when they experienced thirst vastly different from that of the righteous.
God’s Kindness toward the Peoples[h]
A Dose of Chastisement for Egypt[i]
15 In return for the foolish reasonings of their wickedness,
which misled them into worshiping serpents bereft of reason and insects devoid of worth,
you sent as punishment upon them hordes of irrational creatures,[j]
16 so that they might learn that the agents of one’s sin are the instruments of one’s punishment.[k]
17 For your all-powerful hand,
which created the world out of formless matter,[l]
had the wherewithal to send upon them a host of bears or savage lions,
18 or newly created, ferocious, unknown beasts
either breathing fiery blasts
or belching forth thick smoke
or flashing frightful sparks from their eyes.
19 These could not only destroy people by the harm they did
but also strike them dead by their terrifying appearance alone.
20 Even without these, a single breath would have sufficed to overcome them
when pursued by justice
and dispersed by your powerful spirit.
But you have ordered all things by measure, number, and weight.
You Have Compassion on All Because You Can Do All Things
21 For you always have the option to exert great strength,
and who can withstand the might of your arm?
22 Indeed, before you, the whole world is like a speck that tips the scales,
or like a drop of morning dew that falls on the ground.
23 Yet you are merciful to all, for you can do all things,
and you overlook men’s sins so that they may repent.
24 For you love everything that exists
and abhor nothing that you have created,
since you would not have fashioned anything that you hated.[m]
25 How could anything have continued to exist unless you had willed it,
or be preserved if it had not been called forth by you?
26 You spare all things,
for they are yours, O Lord, you who love souls.
Footnotes
- Wisdom 11:1 Wisdom: From this point on, the author mentions Wisdom only in Wis 14:2, 5. In her place, he brings before his readers God himself by means of the references he makes to God’s “Spirit” (v. 20; 12:1), his “word” (Wis 12:9; 16:12; 18:15), his “hand” (v. 17; 14:6; 16:15; 19:8), and his “arm” (v. 21; 16:16).
- Wisdom 11:4 The author fails to mention that it was either Moses or Aaron who called upon the Lord for their people.
- Wisdom 11:5 The very means . . . their need: the theme of this part of the Book (which can be better understood by reviewing the texts indicated by the cross-references) as well as the principle of interpretation for all that follows: God utilizes the same elements (water, fire, etc.) as a blessing for his people and as a malediction for his enemies. Each element, and even its natural properties, can be transformed at the will of God to save or to judge.
- Wisdom 11:6 Ever-flowing river: i.e., the Nile (see Ex 7:14f). The author contrasts the first plague of Egypt (see Ex 7:17-24) with the water drawn from a rock at Horeb (see Ex 17:5-7; Num 20:8-11).
- Wisdom 11:11 Whether far off or close by: both after and before the departure of the Hebrews, the Egyptians were overwhelmed with grief.
- Wisdom 11:13 The Vulgate adds: “and marveled at the outcome of these events.”
- Wisdom 11:14 One . . . cast out, exposed, and rejected: i.e., Moses, exposed on the waters (see Ex 1:22; 2:3) and rejected by Pharaoh (see Ex 5:2-5; 7:13, 22).
- Wisdom 11:15 In its history, each people amasses accounts of its glorious deeds and victories over enemies. In doing this, Israel also wanted to proclaim the greatness of God and to assure its own destiny. The idea was a just and remarkable one, but its expression was rather barbaric. In time, the people could no longer be content with very rudimentary accounts in the wake of their refined consciences, their experience of setbacks, and their encounter with other cultures that had their own past. Nonetheless, faith in God’s grandeur remained with them and increased.
- Wisdom 11:15 In this collection of the past, the author is concerned with forewarning his compatriots against the allure of the cults of animals, which were flourishing in Alexandria at that time.
- Wisdom 11:15 Hordes of irrational creatures: i.e., frogs (Ex 8:1-2), gnats (Ex 8:13-14), flies (Ex 8:20), and locusts (Ex 10:12-15).
- Wisdom 11:16 This adage expresses one of the rules of the divine pedagogy, which makes use of the fault to bring about repentance (see Ps 7:15-17). This “law of talion” (or “tit for tat”) is found in Ex 21:23ff; Lev 24:18ff; Deut 19:21; 2 Mac 4:38; 5:10; 13:8; 15:32ff; Mt 5:38ff; 7:2.
- Wisdom 11:17 Formless matter: the author uses this concept derived from Greek philosophy (see note on v. 15) to describe the chaos of Gen 1:2.
- Wisdom 11:24 This verse is simply the explanation of the refrain found in Genesis (Gen 1:10): “And God saw that it was good.” The existence of the world proves God’s goodness.
