Childlessness with virtue is better than a large ungodly family: virtue leaves an immortal memorial, while the brood of the wicked are branches broken by the wind before their fruit is ripe. Then the author faces the scandal of the righteous who die young. Honourable age is not measured by number of years, for 'wisdom is the gray hair unto men'. One who pleased God was 'translated' from among sinners, taken early lest wickedness alter his understanding; made perfect in a short time, he fulfilled a long time. The ungodly will see his end without understanding it, and will come to their own reckoning in fear.
Wisdom 4 - Summary
Summary
Read Wisdom Chapter 4 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
Position in Book
Righteousness and ImmortalityChapters 1-2
The Fate of the RighteousChapters 3-5
The souls of the righteous are in God's hand; the childless and those who die young are not forgotten, and the ungodly confess their error at the judgment.
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