Here is the king's prayer, echoing Solomon's at Gibeon: 'Give me wisdom, that sitteth by thy throne.' He calls himself a feeble servant, the son of God's handmaid, too young for judgment, chosen to rule God's people and commanded to build a temple on the holy mount, a resemblance of the tabernacle prepared from the beginning. Wisdom was with God when he made the world; let her be sent from the throne of his glory to labour beside him. For 'the corruptible body presseth down the soul', and no one knows God's counsel unless he gives wisdom and sends his Holy Spirit from above.
Wisdom 9 - Summary
Summary
Read Wisdom Chapter 9 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 Temple
View on MapThe Temple in Jerusalem was the permanent house of worship built by Solomon on Mount Moriah. Destroyed by Babylon, it was rebuilt by Zerubbabel and later greatly expanded by Herod. Jesus taught in the Temple courts, cleared it of merchants, and predicted its destruction, which occurred in 70 AD.
The Tabernacle
View on MapThe Tabernacle was the portable sanctuary that Israel built according to God's instructions at Mount Sinai. It served as God's dwelling place among His people during the wilderness wanderings and early settlement in Canaan. It contained the Ark of the Covenant, the altar, and the holy place.
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
The king tells how he prayed for wisdom, describes her nature and her gifts, and gives the prayer in which he asks God for her.
Wisdom in HistoryChapters 10-11
God's Patience and the Folly of IdolsChapters 12-15
Egypt and IsraelChapters 16-19