Meanwhile the saints had a very great light, and a burning pillar of fire to guide them. Those who decreed the death of Israel's babies lost their firstborn in one night, when 'thine Almighty word leaped down from heaven out of thy royal throne', a fierce man of war bearing a sharp sword, touching heaven while standing on the earth. The Egyptians, who had trusted their enchantments, then acknowledged this people to be the sons of God. Death touched Israel too in the wilderness, but a blameless man, the high priest, stopped the wrath with prayer and incense, the whole world pictured on his long garment.
Wisdom 18 - Summary
Summary
Read Wisdom Chapter 18 Summary
Original
Characters in This Chapter
Solomon
The king whose voice the book adopts, never named: he prays for wisdom and is charged with building the temple
Adam
The first formed father, whom wisdom preserved and brought out of his fall
Noah
The righteous man steered through the flood on a piece of wood of small value
Abraham
The righteous man kept blameless and strong against his tender love for his son
Joseph
The righteous man who was sold, whom wisdom followed into the pit and raised to the sceptre
Moses
The servant of the Lord and holy prophet through whom wisdom faced Pharaoh and led Israel
Places in This Chapter
Egypt
View on MapNever named in the English text, it is the land whose plagues chapters 11-19 set against God's gifts to Israel
Red Sea
View on MapSea through which wisdom brought the righteous people, and which became a way without impediment
The Wilderness
View on MapThe wilderness refers to the desert regions of Sinai and Judea. Israel wandered here for 40 years after the Exodus. John the Baptist preached in the wilderness of Judea, and Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness for 40 days. It represents testing, preparation, and encounter with God.
Position in Book
Righteousness and ImmortalityChapters 1-2
The Fate of the RighteousChapters 3-5
A Call to KingsChapters 6
Solomon's Love of WisdomChapters 7-9
Wisdom in HistoryChapters 10-11
God's Patience and the Folly of IdolsChapters 12-15
Egypt and IsraelChapters 16-19
Beasts and quails, hail and manna, darkness and the pillar of fire, the death of the firstborn and the crossing of the Red Sea: each plague is set against a gift to God's people.