Skip to main content
Wisdom of Solomon / Chapter 4

Wisdom of Solomon 4

20 verses • Latin Vulgate (Jerome)

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

Childless virtue is better than fertile wickedness, for its memory is immortal. The righteous who die young are taken up by God before corruption could touch them; their early death is not punishment but protection. Old age is measured not by years but by understanding. At the final judgment the wicked will see the righteous exalted and will be filled with regret.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

The chapter makes a radical argument about premature death: the young righteous person was 'snatched away' by God to preserve their innocence (vv. 10-14). This became a major pastoral text for early Christian communities dealing with the deaths of children and young believers. The Enoch typology (v. 10) is the basis for the argument.

Translation Friction

The claim that early death is divine protection (rather than tragedy) is theologically bold and pastorally delicate. It risks minimizing grief and can be misused to explain away injustice. The author seems aware of this tension but resolves it eschatologically rather than existentially.

Connections

Genesis 5:24 (Enoch taken by God); Isaiah 57:1-2 (the righteous taken away from evil); Ecclesiastes 6:3-6 (long life without goodness); Matthew 24:40 (one taken, one left); Philippians 1:21-23 (to depart and be with Christ).

Wisdom of Solomon 4:1

O quam pulchra est casta generatio cum claritate; immortalis est enim memoria illius, quoniam et apud Deum nota est et apud homines.

How beautiful is the chaste generation with glory! For its memory is immortal, because it is known both by God and by mortals.

Notes & Key Terms 2 terms

Key Terms

casta generatio
"the chaste generation"

Casta means pure or morally upright; generatio can mean both 'offspring' and 'generation' -- the ambiguity is productive.

immortalis memoria
"its memory is immortal"

A form of immortality accessible even without belief in personal afterlife; memory perpetuates the righteous.

Translator Notes

  1. The 'chaste generation' (casta generatio) may refer to the childless righteous of the previous chapter or to a virtuous lineage more broadly. The dual witness of God and humanity makes their memory unassailable.
Wisdom of Solomon 4:2

Cum praesens est imitantur illam, et desiderant eam cum se eduxerit, et in perpetuum coronata triumphat incoinquinatorum certaminum praemium vincens.

When it is present, people imitate it, and they long for it when it has departed; and crowned forever, it triumphs, having won the prize of undefiled contests.

Notes & Key Terms 2 terms

Key Terms

coronata triumphat
"crowned forever, it triumphs"

The crown and triumph are victory images; virtue wins the competition that matters.

incoinquinatorum certaminum
"undefiled contests"

The contests are 'undefiled' because they are moral rather than merely physical; the struggle for virtue is the true agon.

Translator Notes

  1. The athletic imagery (certaminum, 'contests'; praemium, 'prize'; coronata, 'crowned') draws on Hellenistic games and anticipates Paul's use of the same metaphor (1 Corinthians 9:24-25, 2 Timothy 4:7-8).
Wisdom of Solomon 4:3

Multigena autem impiorum multitudo non erit utilis et ex adulterinis plantationibus non dabunt radices altas nec stabile firmamentum collocabunt.

But the swarming multitude of the ungodly will be of no use, and their illegitimate plantings will not strike deep roots, nor establish a firm foundation.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

adulterinis plantationibus
"illegitimate plantings"

The agricultural metaphor: trees planted wrongly cannot root properly, no matter how many there are.

Wisdom of Solomon 4:4

Et si in ramis in tempore germinaverint, infirmiter positae a vento commovebuntur et a nimietate ventorum eradicabuntur.

Even if they sprout branches for a time, standing insecurely, they will be shaken by the wind and uprooted by the force of the gales.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The image of the shallow-rooted tree blown over by wind echoes Psalm 1:4 and anticipates Jesus' parable of the two foundations (Matthew 7:24-27).
Wisdom of Solomon 4:5

Confringentur rami inconsummati et fructus illorum inutiles et acerbi ad manducandum et ad nihilum apti.

Their unripened branches will be broken off, and their fruit will be useless, bitter to eat, and fit for nothing.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

inconsummati
"unripened"

The same word used in 3:16 for the children who never reach maturity; a deliberate verbal link.

Wisdom of Solomon 4:6

Ex iniquis enim somnis filii qui nascuntur testes sunt nequitiae adversus parentes in interrogatione sua.

For children born of unlawful unions are witnesses against the wickedness of their parents when they are examined.

Wisdom of Solomon 4:7

Iustus autem si morte praeoccupatus fuerit in refrigerio erit.

But the righteous, even if overtaken by an early death, will be at rest.

Notes & Key Terms 2 terms

Key Terms

morte praeoccupatus
"overtaken by an early death"

Praeoccupatus means seized beforehand, taken ahead of the expected time.

refrigerio
"rest"

Refrigerium denotes cooling, refreshment, and rest; it became a key term in Latin eschatology for the blessed state of the dead.

Translator Notes

  1. This verse introduces the chapter's central argument: premature death is not a sign of divine displeasure but of divine care. The word refrigerium (rest, refreshment) became a technical term in early Christian eschatology.
Wisdom of Solomon 4:8

Senectus enim venerabilis est non diuturna neque annorum numero computata.

For honorable old age is not measured by length of time, nor counted by the number of years.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

senectus venerabilis
"honorable old age"

Senectus (old age) is redefined: it is venerabilis (worthy of reverence) only when it corresponds to wisdom, not merely to duration.

Translator Notes

  1. A direct challenge to the assumption that long life equals divine blessing. The author redefines 'old age' in moral rather than chronological terms.
Wisdom of Solomon 4:9

Cani autem sunt sensus hominis, et aetas senectutis vita immaculata.

Understanding is the true gray hair for mortals, and a blameless life is the true ripe age.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

cani
"gray hair"

Cani (gray hairs) symbolize the wisdom conventionally associated with age; here the symbol is detached from its literal referent.

Translator Notes

  1. The metaphorical equation of wisdom with gray hair and virtue with old age is one of the book's most memorable formulations. A young person of understanding is 'older' than a long-lived fool.
Wisdom of Solomon 4:10

Placens Deo factus dilectus et vivens inter peccatores translatus est.

Having pleased God, he was beloved, and living among sinners, he was taken up.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

translatus est
"was taken up"

Translatus (transferred, translated) is the technical term for Enoch's removal; it implies relocation, not annihilation.

Translator Notes

  1. The allusion to Enoch (Genesis 5:24, 'Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him') is unmistakable. The righteous person who dies young is a new Enoch, removed from the world by divine affection.
Wisdom of Solomon 4:11

Raptus est ne malitia mutaret intellectum eius aut ne fictio deciperet animam illius.

He was snatched away lest wickedness should alter his understanding, or deceit beguile his soul.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

raptus est
"was snatched away"

Raptus implies sudden, forceful removal; cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:17 where the same concept appears in an eschatological context.

Translator Notes

  1. The reason for early death is protective: God removes the righteous before the world can corrupt them. This is a bold theological move that reframes tragedy as mercy.
Wisdom of Solomon 4:12

Fascinatio enim nugacitatis obscurat bona et inconstantia concupiscentiae transvertit sensum sine malitia.

For the fascination of trifling things obscures what is good, and the whirl of desire perverts an innocent mind.

Notes & Key Terms 2 terms

Key Terms

fascinatio nugacitatis
"the fascination of trifling things"

Nugacitas means worthlessness or triviality; the danger is not from great evils but from the accumulated weight of petty distractions.

concupiscentiae
"desire"

Concupiscentia is disordered desire that destabilizes the soul; it later becomes a central term in Augustinian theology.

Translator Notes

  1. Fascinatio (enchantment, bewitchment) suggests that worldly attractions have a quasi-magical power to distort perception. Even the innocent are vulnerable.
Wisdom of Solomon 4:13

Consummatus in brevi explevit tempora multa.

Having been perfected in a short time, he fulfilled long years.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

consummatus
"perfected"

Consummatus means completed, brought to full maturity; the same word used for Christ's 'it is finished' (consummatum est) in John 19:30.

Translator Notes

  1. One of the most compressed and powerful verses in the book. A brief life of virtue outweighs a long life of mediocrity. The paradox is temporal: less time can contain more meaning.
Wisdom of Solomon 4:14

Placita enim erat Deo anima illius; propter hoc properavit educere illum de medio iniquitatum. Populi autem videntes et non intellegentes nec ponentes in praecordiis talia.

For his soul was pleasing to God; therefore he made haste to take him away from the midst of wickedness. But the peoples saw this and did not understand, nor did they lay such things to heart.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

properavit educere
"made haste to take him away"

God's urgency (properavit, hurried) underscores the protective motive; the rescue is time-sensitive.

Translator Notes

  1. The contrast between divine action (God hastens to save) and human incomprehension (the people do not understand) frames the pastoral problem: onlookers see only tragedy where God sees rescue.
Wisdom of Solomon 4:15

Quoniam gratia Dei et misericordia est in sanctos eius et respectus in electos illius.

For grace and mercy are upon his holy ones, and his care is for his chosen.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

gratia et misericordia
"grace and mercy"

The paired terms summarize God's disposition toward the righteous: unmerited favor (gratia) and compassionate love (misericordia).

Wisdom of Solomon 4:16

Condemnat autem iustus mortuus vivos impios, et iuventus celerius consummata longam vitam iniusti.

But the righteous who have died condemn the ungodly who are living, and youth quickly perfected condemns the prolonged old age of the unrighteous.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The dead righteous judge the living wicked simply by the contrast between their respective lives. No formal accusation is needed; the comparison itself is the verdict.
Wisdom of Solomon 4:17

Videbunt enim finem sapientis et non intelligent quid cogitaverit de illo Deus et quare munierit illum Dominus.

For they will see the end of the wise, yet not understand what God planned for him, or why the Lord kept him safe.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

munierit
"kept him safe"

From munire, to fortify or protect; even in death, the righteous person is guarded by God.

Wisdom of Solomon 4:18

Videbunt et contemnent eum; illos autem Dominus irridebit.

They will see and will despise him, but the Lord will laugh them to scorn.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

irridebit
"will laugh them to scorn"

From irridere, to mock or deride; divine mockery is the ultimate humiliation of the proud.

Translator Notes

  1. The divine laughter (irridebit) echoes Psalm 2:4, where God laughs at the futile plotting of the nations. The reversal is complete: the despisers become the despised.
Wisdom of Solomon 4:19

Et erunt post haec decedentes sine honore et in contumelia inter mortuos in perpetuum, quoniam disrumpet illos inflatos sine voce et commovebit illos a fundamentis, et usque ad supremum desolabuntur.

And after this they will become dishonored corpses, an object of outrage among the dead forever. For he will dash them speechless to the ground, and shake them from their foundations, and they will be utterly laid waste.

Notes & Key Terms 2 terms

Key Terms

inflatos
"them"

Literally 'the puffed-up ones'; their arrogance is figured as physical inflation, a balloon God bursts.

sine voce
"speechless"

The wicked who spoke so eloquently in chapter 2 are now struck dumb; their rhetoric has been silenced.

Translator Notes

  1. The fate of the wicked is described in language that combines earthquake imagery with social humiliation; they are destroyed both physically and in terms of reputation.
Wisdom of Solomon 4:20

Et erunt gementes et memoria illorum peribit.

They will come in anguish, and the memory of them will perish.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The loss of memory is the final annihilation; contrast with v. 1 where the memory of the righteous is immortal.
Chapter 3 Report an error Wisdom of Solomon index Chapter 5