It has been said that there are over three hundred Messianic prophecies in the Tanak. This article is, however, about an important Messianic prophecy you may never have heard of, found in the Wisdom of Solomon, a book found among those known as the Apocrypha. These are books which are considered canonical by all pre-Protestant Christian churches. They are cited by authors of the so-called “New Testament” frequently, and quoted by the so-called “Church Fathers” right along side the others. (For more information see The Clear Truth about the Apocrypha)
Wisdom of Solomon claims to be a book written by Solomon (Wisdom 9:7-8). Even skeptics date the book in the first or second century BCE. Over a hundred years before the life of Yeshua.
According to Melito in the second century CE, the Wisdom of Solomon was then considered canonical by both Jews and Christians. Ramban (Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman) (1194-1270 C.E.) wrote one of the most authoritative Torah commentaries in Rabbinic Judaism. In his Introduction to his Commentary to the Torah Ramban quotes from an Aramaic version of the Wisdom of Solomon and takes these quotes as the authentic words of Solomon:
King Solomon, peace be upon him, whom G-d had given wisdom and knowledge, derived it all from the Torah, and from it he studied until he knew the secret of all things created, even of the forces and characteristics of plants, so that he wrote about them even a Book of Medicine, as it is written, And he spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall (1Kings 5:13)
Now I have seen the Aramaic translation of the book called The Great Wisdom of Solomon, and in it is written: “There is nothing new in the birth of a king or ruler; there is one entrance for all people into the world, and one exit alike. Therefore I have prayed, and the spirit of wisdom was given to me, and I have called out and the spirit of knowledge came to me; I chose it above scepter and throne.” (Wisdom 7:3-8) And it is further said there: “It is G-d alone Who gives knowledge that contains no falsehood, [enabling one] to know how the world arose, the composition of the constellations, the beginning, the end and middle of the times, the angles of the ends of the constellations, and how the seasons are produced by the movement of heavens and the fixed positions of the stars, the benign nature of cattle and the fierceness of beasts, the power of the wind and the thoughts of man, the relationship of trees and the forces of roots; everything hidden and everything revealed I know.” (Wisdom 7:17-21) All this Solomon knew from the Torah, and he found everything in it – in its simple meanings, in the subtleties of its expressions and its letters and its strokes, as I have mentioned.
(Ramban; The Introduction to the Commentary on the Torah)
Ramban had studied the Aramaic (Peshitta?) version of the Wisdom of Solomon and was convinced that it recorded the actual words of Solomon! There is much for us to learn from this very important book.
Not only was the Wisdom of Solomon originally written in Hebrew but the original Hebrew survived until at least 1611. The original 1611 edition of the King James Version has a marginal note to the word “pricked” in Wisdom of Solomon 16:11 which says “Hebr. stung.”
Facsimile of original 1611 KJV marginal note to Wisdom of Solomon 16:11
Now the Greek of Wisdom 16:11 has enekentronto “they were pricked” (KJV, Brenton) or “they were bitten” (RSV, NEB) (the NAB has “they were stung”). Now this word can be translated “stung” (as in the NAB) but it can also be translated “pricked” as the KJV translators chose to translate in the main text. The footnote indicates that that original Hebrew does in fact have a word meaning “sting” and not “prick” here. The KJV footnote would indicate that the original Hebrew word was PARASH (Strong’s 6567) the only Hebrew word for “sting” (as we see it in Prov. 23:32).
The Aramaic Peshitta translator must have misread PARASH (Strong’s 6567) “sting” as PARASH (Strong’s 6566) “to break in pieces”. The Aramaic Peshitta translator thus wrongly translated PATZAIT “split, opened”.
The Aramaic has mistranslated the original Hebrew word, and therefore could not have been translated from the Greek. This means that our Aramaic Peshitta version is an Aramaic translation made directly from the Hebrew. Since these are cognate languages with much vocabulary and grammar in common, the Aramaic translation gives us a much better witness as to the original Hebrew than does the Greek. And were it not for this one marginal note made by the original 1611 KJV translators, we would not have this proof that the Aramaic was translated directly from the Hebrew rather than from the Greek.
Conversely the mistranslation of this word in the Aramaic Peshitta proves the veracity of the KJV marginal note.
Now there is an amazing Messianic Prophecy found in The Wisdom of Solomon 2:12-22 which reads as follows:
12: Therefore let us trouble the Righteous One; because he is not pleasant to us, and
he stands up against our doings: and he reviles us for our transgression of the
Torah, and records against us the trespasses of our audacity.
13: He professes that the knowledge of Elohim is his: and he says concerning himself
“I am the Son of Elohim”
14: He is a rebuker of our thoughts.
15: He is heavy upon us even to behold: because his way of life is not like others,
his ways are different.
16: We are esteemed by him as impure: he abstained from our ways like from impurity: he blesses the ways and the end of the righteous, and he boasts that Elohim is his father.
17: Let us see if his words are true: and let us test him by his departure.
18: For if the Righteous One is the Son of Elohim, he will receive him, and deliver
him from the hand of those who rise up against him.
19: With despitefulness and with torment let us examine him, that we may know the
concern of his humility, and be harmful to him.
20: To a shameful death let us condemn him: we shall be upon him and shall question his words.
21: These insipid things they did think, and were deceived: because their own
wickedness has blinded them.
22: And they did not know the mysteries of Elohim, neither hoped they for the reward of the pure, and they did not discern an old soul without blemish.
(Wisdom of Solomon 2:12-22 – from my ongoing work on the HRV Apocrypha- Translated from the Peshitta Aramaic)
Now lets look at this prophecy in detail. We begin with:
12: Therefore let us trouble the Righteous One; because he is not pleasant to us, and
he stands up against our doings: and he reviles us for our transgression of the
Torah, and records against us the trespasses of our audacity.
(Wisdom 2:12 HRV)
These verses gives a remarkable prophecy of the way Yeshua stood up against Torah transgression:
1 Then came near to Him scribes and P’rushim from Yerushalayim, saying,
2 Why do your talmidim transgress the decrees of the elders? For they clean not their
hands when they eat bread.
3 But He answered them and said: And why do you transgress the commandments of
Elohim–by means of your decrees?
(Matt. 15:1-3 HRV)
The Prophecy continues:
13: He professes that the knowledge of Elohim is his: and he says concerning himself
“I am the Son of Elohim”
(Wisdom 2:13 HRV)
In fact both Matthew and Yochanan (John) quote Yeshua as angering many by saying “I am the Son of Elohim/Eloah”:
41 And likewise, the Chief Cohenim reviled Him, with the scribes and elders,
42 Saying, He saved others, but Himself He cannot save. If He is the king of Yisrael, let Him now come down from this gallows, and we will believe in Him.
43 He believed in Elohim, let Him deliver Him now, if He delight [in Him]: for He
said, I am the Son of Elohim.
44 And so likewise the robbers, which were crucified with Him, reproached Him.
(Mt. 27:41-44 HRV)
36 To Him whom the Father sanctified and sent to the world, do you say, You
blaspheme … because I told you that I am the Son of Eloah?
37 Though I do the works of My Father, you do not believe Me.
38 But if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works: that you might know
and believe that My Father is in Me, and I am in My Father.
39 And they wanted to seize Him again, but He escaped from their hands.
(Jn. 10:36-39 HRV)
The prophecy of Wisdom of Solomon continues:
14: He is a rebuker of our thoughts.
(Wisdom 1:14 HRV)
This was also fulfilled by Yeshua as we read in Matthew:
4 And when Yeshua perceived their thoughts, He said: Why think you evil in your hearts?
(Mt. 9:4 HRV)
The Wisdom of Solomon continues:
15: He is heavy upon us even to behold: because his way of life is not like others,
his ways are different.
16: We are esteemed by him as impure: he abstained from our ways like from impurity: he blesses the ways and the end of the righteous, and he boasts that Elohim is his] father.
17: Let us see if his words are true: and let us test him by his departure.
(Wisdom 2:15-17 HRV)
This actually recalls an account in the Torah concerning the life of Joseph. When his brothers cast Joseph into the pit we read:
20 Come now therefore and let us slay him, and cast him into one of the pits. And we
will say, An evil beast has devoured him. And we shall see what will become of his
dreams.
(Gen. 37:20 HRV)
There is great Messianic significance to this account. Joseph’s life was a type of the first coming of Messiah which parallels the Rabbinical Messiah ben Yoseph. The Suffering Messiah is called Messiah ben Yoseph because his brothers were redeemed by his suffering.
Like Joseph the Patriarch, Yeshua was betrayed by his own for a few pieces of silver (Gen. 37:28) he was cast into “the pit” (death) and raised back up so that he might redeem his brothers, Like Joseph, Yeshua’s teaching and revelation angered his brothers, who sought to put his claims to the test by casting him into the pit (of death).
The Wisdom of Solomon continues:
18: For if the Righteous One is the Son of Elohim, he will receive him, and deliver
him from the hand of those who rise up against him.
(Wisdom 2:18 HRV)
This strongly parallels a Messianic prophecy found in Psalm 22:
9 (22:8) Let him commit himself unto YHWH; let Him rescue him; let Him deliver him: seeing He delights in him.
(Ps. 22:9 (8) HRV)
And both were fulfilled by Yeshua as we read in Matthew and in Yochanan (John):
43 He believed in Elohim, let Him deliver Him now, if He delight [in Him]: for He
said, I am the Son of Elohim.
(Mt. 27:43 HRV)
18 And because of this, the Judeans all the more sought to kill Him; not only because He had loosed the Sabbath, but also because He had spoken about Eloah–that He was His Father, and made His nefesh equal with Eloah.
(Jn. 5:18 HRV)
The prophecy of Wisdom of Solomon continues:
19: With despitefulness and with torment let us examine him, that we may know the
concern of his humility, and be harmful to him.
20: To a shameful death let us condemn him: we shall be upon him and shall question his words.
21: These insipid things they did think, and were deceived: because their own
wickedness has blinded them.
22: And they did not know the mysteries of Elohim, neither hoped they for the reward of the pure, and they did not discern an old soul without blemish.
(Wisdom 2:19-22 HRV)
This was also fulfilled by Yeshua as Ya’akov wrote:
6 You have condemned and killed the just, and he did not stand against you.
(Ya’akov (James) 5:6 HRV)
The Messianic Prophecy of Wisdom of Solomon 2:12-22 fits well right along side of prophecies like Ps. 22 and Isaiah 53 as a profound prophecy of Messiah’s role as the suffering servant Messiah ben Yoseph as fulfilled by Yeshua of Nazareth.
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