[7:26] For wisdom is a reflection of eternal light,

a spotless mirror of the working of el,

and an image of his goodness.

[7:27] Although she is but one, she can do all things,

and while remaining in herself, she renews all things;

in every generation she passes into holy souls

and makes them friends of יְיָ and prophets;

[7:28] for יְיָ loves nothing so much as the person who lives with wisdom.

[7:29] She is more beautiful than the sun,

and excels every constellation of the stars.

[7:30] Compared with the light she is found to be superior,

for it is succeeded by the night,

but against wisdom evil does not prevail.

[8:1] She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other,

and she orders all things well.

——————–

This is the second of two possible songs that are designated as companions with the Track 1 Old Testament from Proverbs 7 that can be read aloud in unison or sung by a cantor on the sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 19], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. If chosen, it will follow the words of Solomon that say, “Wisdom cries out in the street; in the squares she raises her voice.” The pair will be presented before the Epistle reading from James, where the Apostle wrote, “For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle.” All will accompany the Gospel reading from Mark, where Jesus asked his disciples who they thought he was, so we read, “Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” And [Jesus] sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.”

This optional reading is Apocryphal, meaning is is not accepted as Canon, although widely accepted as true. Because it is not Canon, my reference site [BibleHub Interlinear] does not offer the Hebrew of the Wisdom of Solomon. As such, I do not have access to the literal translations or have an easy reference to the definitions of Hebrew words that they provide. There are, however, Hebrew sites that offer semblances of that, although they are much harder for me to navigate and ascertain the deeper meaning. As such, I offer a most rudimentary interpretation of this song-poem of Solomon.

There are thirty-one verses in the seventh chapter. This reading is then the last six verses of that chapter and the first verse of chapter eight, making a total of seven verses. I have applied the verse numbers in bold type, within brackets, to assist in my analysis when referring to verses. Those numbers come from the NRSV translation, which the Episcopal Church claims to be their source. However, the Episcopal Church has modified that translation. In verses twenty-seven and twenty-eight there are two times that a Hebrew word has been translated as “God.” I have removed that translation and replaced it with the Hebrew written [“יְיָ”], sometimes called “HaShem.”

When this reading is seen as an optional selection to Psalm 19, Psalm 19 has one use of “el” that is translated as “God.” In many other Psalms, David wrote “elohim,” which commonly are erroneously translated as “God.” This is erroneous because the word is “el” is singular, so to be translated here are “God” means it is ludacris to pretend a word written in the plural number (“elohim“) is anything other than “gods” [not worthy of capitalization]. This means Solomon wrote something that amounts to an abbreviation [or something less], which makes it worthwhile to understand what “יְיָ” [“HaShem“] means.

According to the definition supplied by the Klein Dictionary, directed from the Sefaria.org website (where the Hebrew text of the Wisdom is found), this is the explanation:

יְיָ masculine noun: the proper name of God in the Bible, Tetragrammaton. [It prob. derives from הוה (= to be). The usual transliteration ‘Jehovah’ is based on the supposition that the Tetragrammaton is the imperfect Qal Hiph. of הוה and lit. means ‘the one who is, the existing’, respectively ‘who calls into existence’. In reality, however, the pronunciation and literal meaning of the Tetragrammaton is unknown. cp. יָהּ ᴵ.] (Klein Dictionary)

In verse twenty-six, the above translation that had Solomon writing, “For wisdom is a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of el, and an image of his goodness,” one very important word is left out. According to all Hebrew sites I could find that offered the Hebrew text, verse twenty-six begins with the word “הִיא” or “hiy,” which means “she.” The Roman Catholic translation of this verse states, “for she is a reflection,” not “wisdom.” The NRSV translation also includes that feminine third-person pronoun, which says the Episcopal Church wants to make it clear to the lambs in the pews that “she” means “wisdom,” without any questions asked. This should bring up the question, “Why is wisdom referred to as a “she”?”

In my writings posted here, I have regularly commented that the call of divine Scripture is for a soul to marry Yahweh; and, in that scenario of marriage, I have regularly stated that human souls are the brides or wives of Yahweh [both males and females], who is the bridegroom and Husband. This is because Yahweh is “the Father,” thus masculine. Anything of the physical universe (including flesh, bones, and blood) is of feminine essence. As such, those who believe in gods and goddesses see “Mother Earth” as a “she,” which makes all souls in human flesh be feminine in essence because their flesh is part of Mother Earth. This same analogy is stated by Solomon when he routinely referenced wisdom as feminine.

In a past Old Testament reading, when David died and Solomon encountered Yahweh in a dream, I wrote how Yahweh stepped aside and let Solomon converse with Satan, the elohim who had been cast into the depths of the earth. Satan’s reign is thus worldly, but as a demon of the earth his spirit manifests as feminine. When young Solomon asked for the knowledge of good and evil, he sought the forbidden fruit that keeps a soul from achieving heaven. This means it was Satan who granted a young boy king the greatest wisdom – a gift known well by the serpent of Eden – in addition to worldly riches. Yahweh does not tempt human souls with material things. Therefore, wisdom is a she because it is the external world connecting to the human brain, in metaphysical ways that are the gifts of intuition and psychic abilities that are deductions of mind, not the all-knowing instant wisdom of Yahweh.

For anyone who has studied metaphysical topics, such as astrology, one can readily see how a translation saying, “she is a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of el, and an image of his goodness” becomes a statement of the sun (the eternal source of light) and the moon (a reflective mirror of light). The goodness of the sun’s light gives life to earth, whereas that goodness of the moon is weak, beyond an effect on waters of the earth, so it can only provide dim light to the darkness. The moon’s reflection of goodness during daylight is nil. That means the sun reflects the light of life, while the moon reflects the light of death. Everything is metaphoric and symbolic; but just as the sun and the moon reflect heavenly lights, day and night, so too does goddess wisdom confirm that there is a stronger wisdom – that of Yahweh – which the goddess wisdom can only mimic in reflection. The pronoun “she” says the wisdom of Solomon is not and inner light of truth, but an ability to discern external variables through enhanced intelligence.

In the statement that includes “el” – “a spotless mirror of the working of el” – the use of “el” should not be seen as Yahweh per se, because Yahweh does not Himself shine in the material realm. As such, He is unable to be reflected, like is the sun. That makes the sun be metaphor for Jesus – the Son of man – who shines as an elohim [an el] of Yahweh. This makes Saints, as those who are reborn as Jesus, each be like a sun, as a Christ resurrected [the light of Christ]. Therefore, Solomon was saying the powers of brain (called the goddess wisdom) is the mirror image of a true Saint. A true Saint has all the knowledge of Yahweh readily available (as needed), whereas a false prophet has lots of tricks up his or her sleeves. [Remember how Moses was enabled divinely by Yahweh, when he did battle with the priests of Pharaoh, who performed reflective deeds of wisdom.]

When verse twenty-seven begins by stating, “ Although she is but one, she can do all things, and while remaining in herself, she renews all things,” the focus needs to be on the number stated – “one.” To know that Yahweh is the only true “one,” who is the Creator of all that is, including every elohim, including all the spiritual powers of the universe, wisdom can be nothing more than one of many, meaning wisdom was insignificant in the grand scheme of Creation. This means it can only be Solomon stating he was the “one” in whom wisdom reigned. As far as Solomon was concerned, he was the only “one” in whom such great powers of wisdom mattered. For as many as Solomon reigned over as king, he could never become outside of Solomon, so he could never experience more than the “one” that was himself, his own soul-flesh being.

This should be seen as a flaw, which can also be projected on the flaw of thinking Yahweh [like Solomon’s wisdom] can only be in “one.” This is the flaw found in the failing religion that is Christianity, as it is a parallel to Solomon initiating the failure of the concept of Israel as being all individuals who retained Yahweh, the One God. Solomon led the Israelites to worship lesser gods, marrying women who imported pagan religious ideas into the mindset of the people of Israel [the name of a nation]. The same worship of wisdom [intelligence] makes every man and woman a god, like Solomon saw himself as, such that Christians worship themselves [like gods], while seeing only “one Christ,” specifically named the “one Jesus Christ,” to whom they pray to be given great wisdom. All eyes are taken away from the inner soul’s need for Yahweh – the Creator of all souls – instead placing focus on icons of the world, turning all away from a proposal for all souls to marry Yahweh and become His Son resurrected within their souls.

The second half of verse twenty-seven then says, “in every generation she passes into holy souls and makes them friends of יְיָ and prophets.” Here, the first presentation of the unknown Hebrew ‘word’ is found. When Solomon said, “she passes into holy souls,” this should be read as a spiritual possession, where a “soul” has become overcome with a worship of intellectual being. A “holy soul” is one that is “generated” by Yahweh, and only Yahweh; but a soul in a body of flesh is set free, allowed to find its way back to Yahweh. In that process, all souls become possessed by this goddess that expands the brain. It is a necessary growth of the flesh that needs to learn discernment, as normal education. To then see how that “makes them friends,” this is coming to realize there are many deities to be recognized, many other than Yahweh. This means the writing of “יְיָ” becomes a reflection of polytheism, not simply Yahweh. Thus the addition of “prophets” says all “gods” [elohim] have those who worship them exclusively and benefit from such selling of their souls. Solomon’s wives brought in many ‘priests’ of foreign gods, beginning the downfall of Israel. [Remember how Elijah challenged the priests of Baal (450 in number), where those who failed were the “friends” of Ahab and Jezebel, as the “prophets” of a dead god, with “יְיָ” symbolizing Baal.]

For verse twenty-eight to then repeat the use of “יְיָ,” stating “for יְיָ loves nothing so much as the person who lives with wisdom,” this again takes one away from the concept of Yahweh, the Father [masculine essence], where “יְיָ” is “she” who “loves nothing so much.” The “nothing” is the reward of being such a servant or subject of wisdom. This then says the “nothing loved” is given to souls who “live with wisdom,” where “life” is the false appearance of the world [the realm of death] seeming full of “life.” That is only the illusion of an eternal soul animating dead matter. This says wisdom is only possible through material means; so, when the body dies and the soul is released, wisdom cannot be taken with a soul. Wisdom is therefore like material wealth, which gets left behind at death bringing about separation of a soul from all in that realm.

Verse twenty-nine then states “She is more beautiful than the sun, and excels every constellation of the stars.” In this, “beauty” must be seen as in the eyes of the beholder, such that what Solomon meant is this: You can look at the full moon and see imaginations possible; but if one stares at the full sun, one will go blind. By speaking about “every constellation of the stars,” the imaginary lines that connect the tiny dots of light that the stars are, turning separate points of light into a figure within one’s brain, this becomes a statement that says external facts [stars] can be read through reason, deduction, inference, and induction, such that wisdom is that ability to ‘connect the dots.’ That can sometimes lead to the truth, if the mathematics of true logic is applied; but often reason is flawed and the conclusions are (more often than not) invalid and false.

In verse thirty the translation says, “Compared with the light she is found to be superior, for it is succeeded by the night, but against wisdom evil does not prevail.” Here, the meaning of “superior” is akin to the heuristic that says, “the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.” [Gestalt theory] There is nothing greater or superior to Yahweh; and, the light of the Son [an Anointed soul in flesh] is the truth, at all times. Because nothing of mind can be superior to the truth, wisdom (“she”) can only shine in darkness, where ignorance is always inferior to knowledge. When Solomon said, “against wisdom evil does not prevail,” “evil” has no need to use ploys against a soul already committed in marriage to a demonic possession. The aspect of being “succeeded by the night” says wisdom is given to those who choose death [“night”] over life [“light”]. Overall, this verse speaks of the values of having knowledge of good and evil, which is the fruit that prevents a soul from attaining a return to be one with Yahweh.

Whenever the Episcopal Church chooses to combine the end of one song with the beginning of the next (as is done here, with the first verse of the eighth chapter next to be read), the impression given is all being on the same page. The reason for a separate chapter is not running out of parchment. The eighth chapter begins a new line of though, from a new set of core ideas. That needs to be understood when reading, “She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other, and she orders all things well.” This is less about specific comparisons of wisdom to natural phenomena and turning to address the way wisdom can direct one’s life.

In the titles given to sections of Scripture, to guide the thought processes of readers, the Catholic Bishops page says verses 23 to 30 of Chapter 7 can be expected to be about “Nature and Incomparable Dignity of Wisdom.” That, of course, is based on the meaning of the words found written in those verses by Solomon. In this regard, the NRSV also applies a header, one that says, “The Nature of Wisdom.” Relative to Chapter 8, the Bishops place a header before verse two, saying, “Wisdom, the Source of Blessings,” while the NRSV puts one in the same place, which states, “Solomon’s Love for Wisdom.” Both do not reflect upon verse 1 of the eighth chapter, as if it were some lost verse, stuck at the top of a random chapter. It should not be read as the leftover thoughts of “The Nature of Wisdom,” but the precursor of “Solomon’s Love of Wisdom.” In that regard, Solomon soon after [verse two] wrote of marrying wisdom, taking it as another of his many wives.

This means Solomon saw the appeal of wisdom, as an asset to behold, or a conquest to be obtained. This is nothing like a comparison of the light, as a reflection, which has to do with the enhancement of mental capacities. This is about the worldly lusts that wisdom can bring within one’s grasp. Thus, “from one end of the earth to the other” praises the vast array of “material things” that wisdom can reveal the secrets for obtaining them. When Solomon said, “she orders all things well,” this should be seen as a value ranking, such as that in which metal objects fall in line with. The rarest are the most valuable, while the most plentiful are the least valuable. The prettier are more valuable than the uglier. This has nothing to do with the truth, as it has only to do with the opinions of an individual. As a king, Solomon could lust for the rarest and the prettiest, so wisdom was his way to achieve all of his lustful desires.

I want to add that the Safaria.org website offers the Hebrew text, with some words searchable as to meaning and definition on their site, linking to the Klein Dictionary. Many Hebrew words are not found on that site, but can be found on other translation websites. In my rudimentary attempts to verify the translations of the NRSV, the Hebrew text presented by Safaria does not translate anywhere close to what the NRSV shows. While I could see how verse twenty-six is most likely correctly translated, verse twenty-seven went far off the rails. Here is what is listed above, compared to what I found:

“Although she is but one, she can do all things, and while remaining in herself, she renews all things” [from verse 26 above]

“by herself she could all turn work and reason all affairs. Appointed time fit in the minds worthy industry my love towards getting.” [My literal translation gleaned.]

In this, there is a very broad scope of leeway given to the translators, which makes everything become a paraphrase that fits snugly into whatever agenda the translator had to begin with. It says this “Wisdom of Solomon” can become more Satanic than it already appears, if one was to seriously dig deeply into what was written. I feel dirty from what I have done to this point; so, I do not care to go further.

As a potential accompaniment to the reading from Proverbs 7 on the sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own personal ministry for Yahweh should already be well underway, the lesson here is to be wary of wisdom. For Solomon to flaunt wisdom as a “she” or “her” is to pronounce his lust for worldly matters, not having any spiritual concerns of value. The focus of this translation says to be a light in the darkness for those who love the night, fearing their exposure in daylight. This makes the lesson to be wary of the dangers of evil that come dressed up in packages of intelligence. So many priests and pastors line the walls of their offices with sheets of paper that profess them to be full of wisdom. However, to have never married one’s soul to Yahweh, being reborn as His Son Jesus, none of the people who sit in the churches of those so-called religious leaders [the children of wisdom] will ever be able to ‘graduate’ and receive grandiose diplomas of wisdom from their church leaders. No souls will be made better, much less have themselves be able to go find a job in a church and have their own office, where they too can line the walls with trinkets of wisdom.

The lesson is then be Jesus, so one can touch the souls of others and have them too become Jesus reborn. That is far better than playing ‘Father Brainy, Mother Superior, or Lady Wisdom” in the eyes of Yahweh.