Monday, June 29, 2009

Wisdom of Solomon 7:3-4

In the first couple of verses, there were three words which are near synonyms, θνητὸς ἄνθρωπος and γηγενης, meaning "mortal," "human" and "earthborn." They allude to Adam as one who was made from the ground, adam from adamah. This theme continues in the next few verses as the author emphasizes his common humanity.
    3 καὶ ἐγώ δὲ γενόμενος ἔσπασα τὸν κοινὸν ἀέρα
    καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ὁμοιοπαθῆ κατέπεσον γῆν,
    πρώτην φωνὴν τὴν ὁμοίαν πᾶσιν ἴσα κλαίων·

    And when I was born, I breathed in the common air
    and on the like-natured earth I fell
    my first sound, like everyone else, crying

    4 ἐν σπαργάνοις ἀνετράφην καὶ ἐν φροντίσιν·
    5 οὐδεὶς γὰρ βασιλεὺς ἑτέραν ἔσχε γενέσεως ἀρχήν,
    6 μία δὲ πάντων εἴσοδος εἰς τὸν βίον, ἔξοδός τε ἴση.

    In swaddling clothes I was nursed, and with care,
    for no king has a different origin of birth
    all have one entrance into life and the same exit
These are the same swaddling clothes of Luke 2:7. Whether a king or Christ laid in a manger, the clothes a baby wears are more or less the same - diapers, perhaps. There is the repeated use of the word ἴσος , and although technically it means "equal" that would be too loaded a word for this passage. The author emphasizes that he is just "like" everyone else in his birth. ὁμοιος also means "like" or the "same."

I have tried to keep the word order whenever possible so you can read along with me if you like.

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