The Book of Wisdom of Solomon

A defence of the life of faith written in polished Greek for readers tempted to think it naive. It argues that the righteous who die young are not thereby defeated, mocks the manufacture of idols, and personifies Wisdom as God's companion in creation.

Testament

Old (19 chapters)

Type

Deuterocanon

Date

First century BC, in the Jewish community of Alexandria.

The death of the righteous

Chapters 2-5 contain the passage most quoted from this book: the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and their apparent destruction is only apparent. It is read at funerals across the Church.

Wisdom as a person

Wisdom is described as a breath of the power of God, a reflection of eternal light — language the New Testament later uses of Christ. The connection is not accidental and the early Fathers made it constantly.

Key verses (KJV)

“But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and there shall no torment touch them.” — Wisdom 3:1 (KJV)

“For she is the brightness of the everlasting light, the unspotted mirror of the power of God, and the image of his goodness.” — Wisdom 7:26 (KJV)

How to read Wisdom of Solomon

Chapters 1-6 are the heart of it and can be read alone. The historical retelling in 10-19 assumes you know Exodus well.

Read Wisdom of Solomon on your iPhone

Read the full book of Wisdom of Solomon in Quiethaven — choose your translation, read offline, and pick up where you left off. Pair it with a daily verse and a prayer timer.

More Old Testament books

• The Book of Sirach (Ecclesiasticus)
• The Book of Baruch
• The Book of 1 Maccabees
• The Book of 2 Maccabees
• The Book of Tobit

Frequently asked questions

What is the Book of Wisdom of Solomon about?

Wisdom of Solomon is a book of Deuterocanon, running to 19 chapters. Its main threads: The death of the righteous; Wisdom as a person.

Who wrote the Book of Wisdom of Solomon?

Written in Solomon's voice, but not by him — the Greek is Alexandrian and the philosophy engages Hellenistic thought Solomon could not have met. Attribution to a wise king was a recognised literary convention.

Where does Wisdom of Solomon come in the Bible?

Wisdom of Solomon is one of the seven deuterocanonical books — part of the Catholic and Orthodox Old Testament, and printed in the Apocrypha of some Protestant Bibles rather than in the canon. That is why a Protestant Bible has 66 books and a Catholic one 73.