Wisdom

Exodus 31:1-6 explicitly ascribes wisdom to divine bestowal on Bezalel and Oholiab, linking cognitive insight with technical skill for sacred construction. The passage therefore situates wisdom within the vocational economy of the covenant, where God supplies the competencies required for mediating divine presence through material artistry.

Hebrew phrase וָאִמְלְאֵהוּ רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים בְּחָכְמָה (va'imle'ehu ruach Elohim be-chokhmah) literally 'and I have filled him with a spirit of God in wisdom,' combining רוח (ruach, 'spirit') with חָכְמָה (chokhmah, 'wisdom').

Exodus 35:30-35 restates the theme of divine gifting by describing artisans filled with wisdom, understanding, and knowledge to carry out every craft. Such vocabulary frames wisdom as a corporate resource distributed by Yahweh to accomplish covenantal tasks, making skilled labor a theological category rather than mere technique.

Key triad בְּחָכְמָה וּבִתְבוּנָה וּבְדַעַת (be-chokhmah u-vitvunah u-ve-da'at) pairs חָכְמָה (chokhmah, 'wisdom'), תְּבוּנָה (tevunah, 'understanding'), and דַּעַת (da'at, 'knowledge').

Exodus 18:13-27 records Jethro's administrative counsel, recommending delegation and hierarchical judicature as means to sustain justice and relieve burden. The episode thereby treats wisdom as practical jurisprudence and organizational prudence that serves covenantal life by shaping durable institutions.

Hebrew judicial verb שָׁפַט (shafat, 'to judge') and phrase יָרֵא אֱלֹהִים (yarei Elohim, 'who fear God') anchor the recommended officials in both skillful adjudication and religious integrity.

Within Exodus 20:1-17 the Decalogue functions as foundational instruction that orients communal relations and religious obligations under Yahweh's sovereignty. The commandments present wisdom as covenantal ethic: succinct normative directives that order human life for flourishing within the people's covenantal identity.

The Ten Words עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים (aseret ha-devarim, 'the ten words') employ negative and positive formulations (לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה / עֲשֶׂה) typical of Ancient Near Eastern legal collation but reframed as covenantal instruction.

Moses instructs the people to choose from each tribe men who are wise, understanding, and respected for the task of administering justice, tying wisdom directly to communal governance. The verse treats wisdom as a functional quality necessary for leadership under the covenant rather than as an abstract ideal.

Hebrew terms: חָכָם (ḥākām, "wise"), בִּינָה (bînâ, "understanding"); the root חָכַם emphasizes practical skill and sagacity in judgement.

These verses present the law as a living demonstration that will make Israel wise before the nations, portraying wisdom as the tangible effect of covenant statutes on communal reputation and moral clarity. Wisdom is therefore public and exegetical: lived obedience makes the people an example of discernment and sound judgment.

The Hebrew phrase כִּי־(ke) and the use of דָּבָר (dāḇār, "word/deed") underline that commandments carried out (עָשִׂיתֶם) produce חָכְמָה (ḥoḵmâ) evident to other nations.

The Shema and its immediate commands tie wisdom to heartfelt love of God and to continuous instruction within the household, teaching that wisdom is formed through internalization and intergenerational teaching. Practical expressions — speaking of the words, binding them, writing them on the heart — make wisdom an embodied, covenantal practice.

Key verbs: שְׁמַע (šemaʿ, "hear"), וְאָהַבְתָּ (ve-’aḥavtā, "you shall love"), כָּתַבְתָּם (kāṯavtāmm, "you shall write them"); the idiom כָּתַבְתָּם עַל־לְבָבֶךָ uses "write on the heart" to signal internalization.

The provision for referring difficult legal cases to the central sanctuary and priestly/Levitical authority frames wisdom as authoritative adjudication rooted in covenant law and reverence for God. The passage connects wise judgment to the institutions of Torah interpretation and communal obedience, making discernment an ecclesial and legal responsibility.

Terms of interest: בְּעָיָה (bəʿāyâ, "difficulty/issue"), שׁוֹפֵטִים (šōp̄eṭîm, "judges"); the procedural language emphasizes מִשְׁפָּט (mišpāṭ, "judgement/justice") as the arena of practical wisdom.

God's granting of an understanding heart to Solomon frames wisdom as a theologically mediated gift that equips the king to govern in YHWH's place. This theophany emphasizes prayerful dependence, linking royal discernment to divine election and covenantal responsibility for the people.

Hebrew uses חָכְמָה (ḥokhmah, 'wisdom') and לֵב (lêb, 'heart') to indicate inward capacity; the verb for giving (נָתַן, natan) underscores wisdom as divinely bestowed.

Judicially the famous birth-dispute demonstrates wisdom's public and juridical character, as Solomon's ruling secures societal order and confirms royal authority through discerning speech and symbolic action. Especially the narrative presents discernment as a social technology that validates the king's role in maintaining covenant justice.

The Hebrew verb שָׁפַט (šāfaṭ, 'to judge') and terms for 'mother' (אֵם, 'em') and 'child' frame the scene in legal vocabulary; the narrative's rhetoric stages wisdom as judicious judgment (מִשְׁפָּט, mishpāt).

Summarily the programmatic description of Solomon's wisdom ties intellectual breadth to administrative competence, literary production, and international renown. Finally the passage treats wisdom as both cognitive capaciousness and cultural capital that undergirds Israel's prosperity under Solomon's rule.

Key nouns include חָכְמָה (ḥokhmah, 'wisdom') and מָשָׁל (mashal, 'proverb'); the phrase רֹב־חָכְמָה (rov-ḥokhmah, 'very great wisdom') highlights scope and reputation.

Theophanic motifs narrate how the gift of wisdom becomes compromised through religious and political entanglements, producing judgment and the fraying of unity that leads toward division. Linguistically the chapter presses the covenant vocabulary of 'heart turned' and 'doing evil' to show that loss of wise fidelity has concrete geopolitical consequences for the monarchy.

Hebrew phrases include וַתִּפְּנוּ לֵב (vattipennu lêb, 'his heart turned') and terms for foreign wives (נָשִׁים נָכְרִיּוֹת, nashim nokhriyot) and נָֽעֲשׂוּ רָע (naʿăsū rāʿ, 'did evil'), linking unfaithfulness vocabulary with the decline of wise rule.

When 2 Chronicles 1:7-12 recounts Solomon's request for an understanding heart, the scene links divine granting of discernment directly to effective kingship and temple service. That episode frames wisdom as a gift that equips the monarch to judge rightly, to steward the cult, and to embody God's blessing for the nation.

Language: the passage pairs חָכְמָה (ḥoḵmâ, wisdom) with תְּבוּנָה (tebûnâ, understanding/insight), signaling both intellectual and practical dimensions in the Hebrew.

Craftsmen who build the house of the LORD are described with terms that emphasize skill alongside piety, so technical competence becomes a facet of wise service in the Chronicler's temple-focused world. The Chronicler thereby extends wisdom from royal counsel and moral insight to artisanal and liturgical competence necessary for cultic continuity.

Lexically: the noun/adjacent verb חָכָם (ḥākām) appears with a craft-meaning here, attesting that the root for 'wise' carries technical, practical overtones in a temple context.

International attention to Solomon in 2 Chronicles 9:22-23 is narrated as the visible effect of divinely bestowed sagacity, with wise rule producing fame, peaceful relations, and material prosperity. Consequently the Chronicler treats wisdom as public testimony to God's blessing upon a king who preserves covenant and cultic order.

Philologically: חָכְמָה functions in comparative constructions that highlight Solomon's preeminence and connect personal insight to national benefit.

Jehoshaphat's commissioning of Levites to teach the people in 2 Chronicles 17:7-9 recasts wisdom as communal instruction rather than merely royal possession. Instruction is thereby institutionalized—teaching the law in the towns—as the Chronicler's preferred mechanism for creating a wise, covenantal society.

Gloss: the root לָמַד (lâmad, to teach) anchors wisdom in pedagogy and transmission, consistent with the Chronicler's postexilic interest in instructive practice.

Following Hezekiah's reforms in 2 Chronicles 29:3-11 the narrative explicitly links temple purification, correct sacrifice, and moral rectitude to wise leadership that secures God's favorable response. Restoration of ordered worship is presented as the practical road by which the community regains the conditions for divine presence and blessing.

Original-Hebrew: phrases like יִרְאַת יְהוָה (yirʾat YHWH, fear of the LORD) and תּוֹרָה (tôrâ, instruction/law) appear in contexts that equate piety and obedience with the Chronicler's conception of wisdom.

In Job 28 the speaker frames wisdom as hidden, costly, and possessed by God alone, turning the discourse from ethical maxims to theological dependence. By elevating divine possession of wisdom, the poem transforms human inquiry into a reverent search that culminates in the fear of the Lord as the proper human response.

Hebrew uses חָכְמָה (ḥokmâ) for wisdom and סוֹד (sôd) for secret/counsel; the verbal imagery emphasizes concealment (כָּסָה/חָפַן) and divine proprietorship.

Job 38 stages God's response with courtroom and cosmic imagery that relocates authoritative wisdom in divine creative acts. This rhetorical move places human claims beside the Creator's handiwork and makes Wisdom manifest in the ordering of the cosmos rather than in human disputation.

The opening interrogation includes יָסַד (yāsad, 'laid/founded') and תְּהוֹם (təhôm, 'the deep'), language that links wisdom to foundational creative verbs and primordial depths.

Here Job insists that creation itself speaks and that attentive observation yields ethical and theological insight, so that nature functions as a witness to divine wisdom. Linguistically the passage ties human knowing (דַּעַת, daʿat) to the Creator's sustaining activity, suggesting participatory, experiential dimensions of wisdom.

The noun דַּעַת (daʿat) appears alongside verbs of seeing and hearing, and the phrase כִּי־בְּחַיּוֹת הָאָרֶץ דַלְּתוֹתָם מְדַבְּרוֹת highlights nature's communicative role.

These opening verses establish a wisdom orientation by contrasting the flourishing of the righteous with the transience of the wicked and by locating blessing in delighting in the law. The image of a tree planted by streams gives a practical anthropology: wisdom is life rooted in steady nourishment, yielding fruit in season and endurance in drought. Readers are invited to see moral discrimination and habitual devotion as the means by which one participates in divine ordering.

Hebrew root אֲשֻׁר (’ašer/’ašrê for 'blessed') and תּוֹרָה (tôrâ, 'instruction/torah') underline legal-pedagogical vocabulary; the parallelism links delight (חֶפְצָה) with steady flourishing (כַּעֵץ)

Here the revelation of God is claimed in both cosmos and law, yet the psalm especially extols the perfection and life-renewing power of divine instruction. Wisdom is presented as restorative speech: the law revives the soul, imparts joy, and enlightens the simple, thereby functioning as a moral and spiritual epistemology. The sacramental quality of words — their ability to cleanse, warn, and reward — makes Torah itself a medium of wise formation.

Key phrase תּוֹרַת יְהוָה תְּמִימָה (tôrât YHWH tĕmîmâ, 'the law of the LORD is perfect') and מְשִׁיבָה נָפֶשׁ (mĕšîbbâh nāpeš, 'restores the soul') emphasize verbal and restorative dimensions of instruction.

This verse gives a classical wisdom formula: the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and those who follow his commandments gain understanding. Wisdom here is rooted in reverence and concrete obedience, tying ethical perception to covenantal response. The couplet links theological orientation (fear) with practical enactment (doing commandments), so knowledge becomes covenantal fidelity.

Hebrew רֵאשִׁית חָכְמָה יִרְאַת יְהוָה (rēʼšîṯ ḥokhmâ yirʼat YHWH) places ḥokhmâ ('wisdom') within a formulaic frame paralleling wisdom literature while using covenantal theism.

This extended reflection equates love for God's statutes with gaining insight; the psalmist celebrates instruction as better than riches and a lamp to the feet. Wisdom in this section is devotional learning: sustained meditation on precepts shapes perception and guides ethical choices. The passage thus models a pedagogy in which reading, memorizing, and praising the word become the pathway to discernment.

Frequent repetitions of מִצְוֹתֶיךָ (miṣwotekha, 'your commandments') and דְּבָרֶיךָ (dĕvārēkha, 'your words') highlight the textual center of wisdom; the verb חָכַם/חָכְמָה appears in the semantic field of insight and skill.

Street-level imagery dominates this passage as Wisdom cries in public places, framing wisdom as an accessible summons rather than an elite abstraction. Hebrew poetic force here links response to Wisdom with communal well-being: heeding the call averts calamity and yields instruction that stabilizes social life.

The Hebrew uses the feminine noun חָכְמָה (ḥokhmâ) and public-place verbs to personify Wisdom; the verb קָרָא/קוֹרֵאת (qārā/qōrēt) conveys a public, urgent summons.

Wisdom appears alongside God at creation, claiming a foundational role in ordering the cosmos and delighting in the inhabited world. The passage theologically roots ethical order in the divine economy, so that human prudence participates in a created harmony.

Verse 8:22 hinges on the verb קָנָה (qanâ), a term with semantic range ('acquire,' 'possess,' 'create') that has produced interpretive debate about Wisdom's relation to God; the text nonetheless emphasizes proximity to YHWH during the divine work of creation.

Treasure-language portrays Wisdom as supremely valuable—more precious than riches and giving long life, honor, and satisfaction. The saying links Wisdom to the image of life-giving reality, so that moral insight is described in the idiom of cultivation and vitality.

The phrase עֵץ חַיִּים (ʿēṣ ḥayyîm, 'tree of life') and feminine references to Wisdom strengthen the motif of life-giving benefit tied to the pursuit of ḥokhmâ.

Domestic imagery shows Wisdom building a house and setting a table, presenting learning as hospitality that invites the simple to grow into maturity. Theologically the invitation underscores the social and formative character of wisdom: it is taught, received, and enacted within communal spaces.

Hebrew employs domestic verbs (e.g., בָּנְתָה, 'she built') and imperatives of invitation (בֹּאוּ, 'come'), reinforcing the feminine, hospitable portrayal of Wisdom.

In this autobiographical reflection Qoheleth characterizes his pursuit of wisdom and reports that insight increases grief even as it sharpens perception. The passage thus affirms wisdom's diagnostic power: it reveals the vanity (hebel) that pervades human striving while enabling a clearer grasp of life’s patterns. Wisdom is valued here for its capacity to see and name reality, even when that seeing brings sober consequences.

The passage pivots on חָכְמָה (ḥokhmâ, 'wisdom') and the pervasive term הֶבֶל (hebel, 'vapor/vanity'), whose resonance in Hebrew frames intellectual achievement within transience.

Qoheleth compares the wise and the fool and acknowledges a genuine advantage to wisdom in life’s affairs, especially in discernment and memory. The text simultaneously insists that wisdom cannot overturn death, which situates wisdom as a practical advantage rather than an absolute safeguard. The result is an ethic of prudent living informed by the reality of human limits.

Here the contrast is linguistic as well as thematic: חָכְמָה (ḥokhmâ) is set against כְּסִיל (kesîl, 'fool'), underscoring the book’s interest in pragmatic distinctions of behavior and outcome.

These verses present wisdom as a heritage and a protection, likening insight to an inheritance that yields long-term benefit and to a safeguard that preserves. The imagery celebrates wisdom’s practical utility for living prudently amid the unpredictabilities of life. Wisdom functions here as a stabilizing resource that benefits conduct and preserves welfare.

The Hebrew rhetoric casts חָכְמָה (ḥokhmâ) in the register of נַחֲלָה/מִשְׁמֶרֶת–language (heritage/protection), reinforcing the pragmatic and communal value of acquired insight.

The conclusion credits the Teacher’s commitment to teaching and sums wisdom’s purpose: to fear God and keep his commandments as the fitting end of human inquiry. Wisdom is thereby framed as both intellectual labor and moral orientation, culminating in reverent obedience and ethical attentiveness. The book’s final verdict elevates the fear of the LORD as the decisive posture that gives wisdom its final telos.

The closing appeal centers on קֹהֶלֶת (Qoheleth, the speaker/title) and uses יִרְאַת יְהוָה (yirat YHWH, 'fear of the LORD') as the theological hinge that integrates insight with devotion.

['Verse 11:2-3 presents wisdom as a Spirit-bestowed cluster of virtues — wisdom (ḥokhmâ), understanding (bînâ), counsel (etsah), might (gevurah), knowledge (daʿat), and fear of the Lord — that defines the ideal Davidic ruler.', 'This configuration links wisdom to righteous judgment and the restoration of shalom under a messianic figure, so that wisdom becomes both royal charism and covenantal criterion.']

By employing רוּחַ (rûaḥ) together with חָכְמָה (ḥokhmâ) and בִּינָה (bînâ), the Hebrew ties wisdom-language explicitly to the Spirit, reframing motifs familiar from wisdom literature inside Isaiah's royal-messianic horizon.

['Isaiah 28:23-29 uses agricultural pedagogy to portray divine wisdom as the God-who-teaches, shaping human skill and social order through measured, attentive instruction.', "Consequently, the passage sanctifies practical knowledge and skilled practice as dimensions of God's creational ordering, integrating technical competence into a theological account of wisdom."]

Notably, verbs such as לִמֵּד (limmed/limmad, 'teach') and the noun חָכְמָה (ḥokhmâ) frame wisdom in pedagogical and artisanal terms, highlighting Yahweh's role as instructor in the Hebrew idiom.

["In Isaiah 29:14 the prophet declares that divine intervention will overturn the 'wisdom of the wise,' diagnosing intellectual pride and the failure to heed revelation.", "Hence wisdom is recast as humble responsiveness to God's word and as an ethical posture of listening, rather than autonomous cleverness or rhetorical sophistication."]

Linguistically the verse juxtaposes חָכְמָה (ḥokhmâ) with verbs that convey making foolish or causing to stumble, dramatizing Yahweh's capacity to subvert human pretensions through salvific action.

['Here the Servant is introduced as the locus of Spirit-endowed wisdom whose gentle justice will bring hope and instruction to the nations.', "Thus Isaiah fuses wise governance and redemptive restoration: the Servant's mission models how wisdom becomes embodied leadership that renews ethics and cognitive openness across peoples."]

Specifically the collocation רוּחַ יְהוָה עָלָיו (rûaḥ YHWH ʿalav) and the servant's vocational language in Hebrew link wisdom to Spirit, mission, and international justice.

This passage centrally defines wisdom as internalized covenantal knowledge: God will write the law on hearts, enabling true understanding and forgiveness. The promise ties epistemology to soteriology by locating wisdom in relational knowledge of Yahweh and the removal of sin that obstructs perception. Theologically it frames Jeremiah’s vision of wisdom as corporate and eschatological — the wisdom to live rightly arises when God remakes the community from within.

The phrase בְּרִית חֲדָשָׁה (bərîṯ ḥăḏāšâ, "new covenant") and the idiom כָּתַב בְּלִבָּם (kāṯaḇ bᵉlabbām, "write on their hearts") underline the intimate, textual, and kinesthetic metaphors for wisdom in Hebrew.

Here wisdom is redefined as knowing and understanding the Lord rather than boasting in conventional markers of success. The oracle elevates relational knowledge of God (daʻat) as the criterion for true wisdom and rejoicing. The passage functions theologically as an ethical epistemology: proper knowledge of God produces justice, mercy, and righteousness in communal life.

Key vocabulary includes חָכְמָה (ḥoḵmâ, "wisdom") and דַּעַת (daʻat, "knowledge"); the verse deploys a contrastive structure that centers דַּעַת־אֶת־יְהוָה (daʻat et-YHWH) as the proper telos of wisdom.

The summons to 'ask for the ancient paths' casts wisdom as fidelity to ancestral, covenantal pathways that lead to rest. Jeremiah uses this call to criticize contemporary counselors and to propose tradition-informed discernment as the mode of wise decision-making. The passage thus links practical wisdom with memory, communal identity, and the guidance of Torah-shaped ways.

The clause often translated 'the ancient paths' uses the Hebrew concept of מִסְלוּלוֹת הָעַתִּיקוֹת (ha-mislulot ha-atiqot, "ancient/old tracks/paths"), invoking ancestral tradition as a linguistic cue for wisdom rooted in covenantal history.

These verses locate the epistemic problem within the human heart and affirm God’s exclusive role as discerner of inner motives, making wisdom dependent on divine inspection and renewal. Jeremiah thereby insists that true wisdom must address the deceitful heart and receive divine clarification of motives. The oracle functions to connect ethical praxis with interior renovation, establishing repentance and divine testing as components of wise living.

The recurrent term לֵב (lēḇ, "heart") and the verb יָדַע (yādaʻ, "to know") are pivotal: God’s unique capacity to 'search and know' (חָקַר ויָדַע) the heart frames divine epistemic authority as central to wisdom.

The promise of a righteous Branch depicts the messianic ruler as the embodiment of wisdom exercised in just governance and knowledge of the Lord. Wisdom here acquires a political and eschatological dimension: the wise ruler will restore covenant order and be named 'The Lord is our Righteousness,' tying wisdom to vindication and communal well-being. Theologically the passage projects Jeremiah’s wisdom ideal into a future king who realizes the covenantal knowledge that the people lacked.

The term צֶמַח (ṣemaḥ/tsemach, "Branch") carries messianic overtones, while מִשְׁפָּט (mišpāṭ, "justice/judgment") and דָּעַת יְהוָה (daʻat YHWH, "knowledge of the LORD") articulate the components of the Branch’s wise rule.

In this scene the Spirit of the LORD enters the prophet and enables utterance and discernment, signaling that prophetic wisdom is a gift and effect of divine agency. The passage theologically connects authoritative insight to God's Spirit rather than to human calculation.

Hebrew uses רוּחַ (rûaḥ, "spirit") to mark the source of prophetic perception and activity.

Here the prince of Tyre is confronted with a claim to exceptional cleverness, and the prophet judges that human prideful wisdom cannot stand before divine scrutiny. Theologically the image stages a contrast between worldly shrewdness and the true wisdom that belongs to God and his purposes for nations.

The Hebrew employs חָכָם / חָכְמָה (ḥākām / ḥokhmâ) to denote 'wise' and 'wisdom,' placing the boastful figure in the register of conventional prudence that the prophecy critiques.

These verses promise a new heart and a new spirit that will enable Israel to keep God's statutes, framing wisdom as an ethical-capital realized interiorly by divine transformation. Theologically the passage ties wisdom to covenantal renewal: knowledge of God issues in obedient living when the Spirit reconstitutes inner faculties.

Key Hebraic phrases include לֵב בָּשָׂר (lēb bāśār, "a heart of flesh") and רוּחַ חֲדָשָׁה (rûaḥ ḥădāšâ, "a new spirit"), emphasizing inward change rather than merely external instruction.

The prophet answers a common proverb about inherited guilt by insisting on individual responsibility and discernment, thereby reconfiguring popular wisdom within an ethical-theological framework. Theologically the passage shows Ezekiel's concern to correct received maxims so that wisdom aligns with divine justice and personal accountability.

The criticizable saying is cast as a מָשָׁל (māšāl, "proverb"), and the prophetic correction redirects hearers from conventional aphorisms toward God-centered understanding.

This verse makes knowledge (daʿat) the decisive issue for Israel's survival: destruction is tied to a failure to know God in covenantal terms. The charge connects religious failure to a breakdown of ethical instruction, showing wisdom as communal and formative rather than merely intellectual.

Hebrew phrase מֵחָסְר דָּעַת (mêchaser daʿat) — 'for lack of knowledge' — links existential ruin to absence of covenantal knowing; the root ידע (y‑d‑ ʿ) carries relational knowing.

Here God prioritizes steadfast love (chesed) and knowledge of God over ritual sacrifice, recasting wisdom as the moral/relational priorities of the covenant. The verse functions as a hermeneutical key: true wisdom judges cultic practice by its fidelity to the covenant's ethical core.

The collocation חֶסֶד וְדָעַת (chesed ve‑daʿat) — 'steadfast love and knowledge' — uses daʿat with chesed to emphasize relational, covenantal content rather than abstract sapiential vocabulary.

In the marriage-turned-covenant imagery of restoration, God vows renewed betrothal, linking wise restoration to a restored covenant identity and intimate knowledge between God and Israel. The passage treats wisdom as an enacted covenant—promises, fidelity, and names that reconstitute relationship and moral orientation.

The language of betrothal and sworn commitment (בְּעוֹדִי, בְּרִית motifs) underscores covenantal intimacy; the verbs of speaking and naming highlight relational knowledge (ידע) as constitutive.

This concluding proverb directly calls for wisdom and understanding, defining true wisdom by recognition of the LORD's upright ways and the ensuing righteous conduct. The verse functions as Hosea's sapiential coda: wisdom is grasping God’s ways and walking in them, which produces life for the righteous and judgment for transgressors.

Hebrew מִי חָכָם וִיבִין אֵלֶּה (mi chakam veyavin eleh) — 'Who is wise and will understand these things?' — uses חָכָם (chakam, 'wise') and בִּין/יִבִין (bin/yavin, 'understand') to frame a deliberative, discerning knowledge grounded in covenantal realities.

['Courtroom imagery in 6:1-8 stages God’s case against Israel and then articulates a concise standard of wise conduct—mishpat, chesed, and walking humbly—that defines true knowledge of God.', "Summons language like 'what does the LORD require' thereby reframes wisdom as actionable obedience and communal responsibility rather than private speculation."]

Hebrew terms—מִשְׁפָּט (mishpâṭ), חֶסֶד (ḥeṡed), and הַצְנִיעָה (hatzniʿâ)—carry legal, covenantal, and ethical weight that anchors wisdom in relational justice.

['Judicial critique in 3:9-12 indicts leaders whose counsel perverts justice, thereby exposing a corrupted wisdom that serves elite gain instead of covenantal law.', 'Corruption of counsel and prophetic voices becomes a central target, and wise speech is recast as faithful adjudication and ethical governance.']

Term choices such as רֹאִים (rô'îm) and חָזוֹן (ḥāzôn) alongside repeated מִשְׁפָּט emphasize the collision between prophetic vocation, wisdom concerns, and their perversion by elites.

['Bethlehem 5:2 functions as a messianic hinge that locates the future ruler in Davidic soil and implies wisdom embodied in just leadership and restoration.', 'Lineage language frames royal wisdom as the concrete center of covenant renewal, promising that a shepherd-king will bring both security and discerning governance for the remnant.']

Phraseology such as מִמְּךָ לִי יֵצֵא ties local origin to theological destiny, and the Hebrew compactness links royal birth with divine initiative in a few weighty terms.

["Eschatological vision in 4:1-5 universalizes wisdom by portraying nations who 'walk' in the instruction of the LORD as participants in restored knowledge and right ordering.", 'Peace imagery converts wise ordering into social fruit, where swords become plowshares and judicial sitting leads to stable governance that reflects divine instruction.']

Syntax and vocabulary, including הָלְכוּ גּוֹיִם בְּאוֹרֶךָ ('nations shall walk by your light'), use the walking-metaphor common to wisdom texts to denote moral orientation toward the LORD.

Opening lines register a theological complaint that frames wisdom's problem in direct questions about divine silence, human suffering, and the search for discernment. Complaint here creates a space where wisdom is tested by experience, prompting honest interrogation that refuses facile answers and insists on theological integrity.

Hebrew verbs for cry and complaint (שׁוּעָה, קָרָא) emphasize the prophetic act of questioning, and the language resists abstract terminology for wisdom while foregrounding concrete experience.

God's response summons an unexpected teacher in the Kasdim, indicating that wisdom is revealed through surprising instruments of judgment rather than human expectation. Kasdim functions in the narrative as both instrument and indictment, and the portrait of empire sharpens the book's critique of moral presumption about power.

Term כּשְׂדִּים (Kasdim) carries geopolitical resonance, and the diction for conquest and exile borrows covenantal vocabulary to interpret how God's pedagogy of wisdom operates in history.

Vision sequences in chapter 2 command that the prophet write the vision clearly, connecting wisdom to prophetic witness and to communal memory. Crucially verse 4 centers a theological axiom — וְצַדִּיק בֶּאֱמוּנָתוֹ יִחְיֶה (ve-ṣaddiq be'emunato yichyeh) — which makes emunah the operative category by which wisdom is lived out in the face of judgment and delay.

Key Hebrew terms include צַדִּיק (ṣaddîq) and אֱמוּנָה (ʾemûnâ); the verb יִחְיֶה (yichyeh, 'will live') syntactically places life upon the faithful posture, linking wisdom to trustfulness and covenant fidelity.

Song of chapter 3 models wise response: even amid ecological and political collapse the prophet rehearses trust in God's saving power and sovereign presence. Even in paradox the poem dignifies endurance as a mode of wisdom that culminates in confident waiting for God's restoration.

Notably the root יָחַל (yāchal, 'to wait, to hope') appears in the thanksgiving refrain, underscoring patient confidence as a lexical marker of wise faith in the book's eschatological horizon.

Matthew cites the axiom 'Wisdom is vindicated by her deeds' in the context of Jesus' reception, using the saying to connect the ministry's mixed reception to Wisdom's own pattern of being attested by actions. The saying functions theologically to portray Jesus' contradictory reception as fitting the wisdom tradition: his behavior proves its truth in the face of rejection.

Greek: ἡ σοφία ἐδικαιώθη ἐν τοῖς τέκνοις αὐτῆς — σοφία (sophia, 'wisdom') is personified and ἐδικαιώθη is aorist/passive (ἐδικαιόω) conveying 'was vindicated/justified.'

The reference to the queen of the South who came to hear Solomon's wisdom places Jesus in the stream of Israelite sapiential tradition while also implying his superiority, since the foreign queen's quest will condemn an unbelieving generation. Matthew uses this contrast to highlight that Jesus' teaching summons a response that parallels the scripture-saturated search for wisdom.

Greek phrase highlights Σολομών (Solomon) and βασίλισσα τοῦ νότου (basilissa tou notou, 'queen of the South'), linking Jesus' instruction to Solomonic wisdom motifs.

The wise-builder parable reframes wisdom as obedient praxis: hearing Jesus' words and acting on them constitutes true wisdom and secures the believer in eschatological testing. Matthew thereby roots sapiential validity not in abstract speculation but in moral and communal stability within the kingdom.

Greek contrast uses πᾶς ὁ ἀκούων... καὶ ποιῶν (pas ho akouōn... kai poiōn, 'everyone who hears... and does'), with σοφός (sophos, 'wise') versus μωρός (mōros, 'foolish').

When Jesus returns to his hometown and the crowd asks, 'Where did this man get this wisdom?' Matthew emphasizes popular recognition of Jesus' sapiential authority alongside amazement at his works. The narrative ties wisdom-language to Jesus' identity as teacher and miracle-worker, reinforcing the claim that wisdom is present in his person and ministry.

Greek: πόθεν ἡ σοφία αὕτη; (pothen hē sophia hautē?, 'Where did this wisdom come from?') — σοφία (sophia) again names the category applied to Jesus' teaching.

Jesus cites the voice of divine Wisdom to describe the sending of prophets and the pattern of rejection that culminates in himself, thereby personifying Wisdom as speaking through redemptive history. This speech links the prophetic tradition to Jesus' mission and widens Wisdom's scope from proverbial reflection to covenant enactment. The passage places Wisdom-language at the heart of Luke's theology of revelation and judgment, emphasizing prophetic continuity and table-centered outreach.

Greek phrase ἡ σοφία τοῦ θεοῦ (hē sophia tou theou) undergirds the personification; the verb forms ascribe speech and initiative to Wisdom in Lukan Greek.

After John’s critique, Jesus declares that Wisdom is vindicated by her children, meaning that the pattern of receptivity to Jesus—especially among the despised and penitent—proves the truth of Wisdom's way. The saying casts communal response and discipleship as the arena where Wisdom is demonstrated rather than merely argued. In Luke's social world this confirmation often appears in eating with sinners and including the outcast at the table.

The key noun σοφία (sophia) and the verb ἐδικαιώθη (edikaiōthē, 'was justified' or 'vindicated') form the technical assertion that Wisdom finds confirmation through its 'children' (τέκνα).

The parable of the wise and foolish builders defines wisdom as concrete obedience to Jesus' teaching rather than abstract assent, making ethical praxis the mark of true insight. Luke thereby relocates Wisdom from speculative reflection to communal construction—those who act on the word create resilient households and communities. This pragmatic definition of wisdom coheres with Lukan concerns for discipleship formation, hospitality, and social stability among marginalized groups.

Luke leverages the pair σοφός (sophos, 'wise') and μωρός (mōros, 'foolish') with verbs for building (οἰκοδομέω/κτίζω) to contrast the outcomes of listening versus mere hearing.

Jesus’ thanksgiving that the Father has hidden things from the 'wise' and revealed them to 'children' reframes revelation as a gift to the humble and dispossessed, echoing Proverbs’ promises about Wisdom disclosing hidden riches. Luke uses this reversal motif to show that Wisdom's pedagogy privileges receptivity and dependence over worldly prestige. The passage also situates table and mission contexts where the disciples, as those childlike in faith, receive revelatory sight and are authorized to witness.

Greek contrast employs σοφῶν (sophōn, 'wise') and παιδίων/νηπίων (paidion/nēpion, 'children' or 'infants'), with verbs of revealing (ἀποκαλύπτω) and hiding (ἀποκρύπτω) to underline divine choice in disclosure.

Paul contrasts the cross as God's power and wisdom with human expectations of rhetorical persuasion and philosophical plausibility. The passage teaches that the offending scandal of the crucified Messiah becomes the locus of divine action, calling the Corinthians to esteem God's paradoxical economy over social prestige. It reframes community status around Christ's revelation rather than human eloquence.

Greek: σταυρός (stauros, 'cross'), σοφία (sophia, 'wisdom'), μωρία (moria, 'foolishness')—Paul plays on the semantic field of sophia/moria to emphasize divine reversal.

Paul declares that Christ has been made for believers wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, presenting wisdom as an identity bestowed in union with Christ. The verse integrates Christological and soteriological claims so that wisdom is not an abstract asset but the saving reality accomplished in Christ. Consequently, Christian wisdom supplies both status and practical orientation for life in the community.

Greek: σοφία (sophia) appears here as a trophy of God's action in Christ; the construction highlights participatory language (Christ θεοῦ geworden) that transfers attributes to believers.

Paul distinguishes between the wisdom of this age and the wisdom taught by the Spirit, affirming that spiritual insight comes through God's revelation and Spirit-led discernment. The Spirit enables believers to access 'the depths of God' and to judge claims by spiritual criteria rather than worldly standards. Thus the church’s epistemology is rooted in pneumatological revelation rather than human philosophical achievement.

Greek: πνεῦμα (pneuma, 'Spirit'), πνευματικοί (pneumatikoi, 'spiritual persons'), and γνῶσις (gnōsis, 'knowledge') show Paul’s vocabulary linking revelation, discernment, and communal maturity.

Paul warns that reliance on human wisdom can make believers 'fools' and lead to division, urging them instead to recognize that all belongs to the community in Christ. The passage asserts that worldly categories of wisdom, status, and allegiance are subordinate to belonging to Christ, which reframes every social claim. Pastoral instruction here moves from critique to a summons toward unity grounded in Lordship.

Greek: μωρός/μωρία (mōros/mōria, 'fool/foolishness') and κύριος (kurios, 'Lord') create a sharp contrast between human pretension and the lordship of Christ.

Ephesians 1:17 prays for a spirit of wisdom and revelation so that the eyes of believers’ hearts may be enlightened to know the hope and riches of their calling. Greek insight highlights the pairing πνεῦμα σοφίας καὶ ἀποκαλύψεως which links inward spiritual gifting (pneuma) to epistemic illumination about Christ.

πνεῦμα σοφίας καὶ ἀποκαλύψεως (pneuma sophias kai apokalypseos) — 'spirit of wisdom and revelation,' where σοφία (sophia) signals divine wisdom given as a Spirit‑wrought enlightenment.

Verse 1:8–10 situates wisdom within God’s dispensing of grace and the overarching plan to sum up all things in Christ under one head. Here the epistle presents wisdom as both the motive and method of God’s oikonomia, the wise ordering that achieves cosmic reconciliation.

σοφίᾳ (sophia) and the phrase οἰκονομία τοῦ πληρώματος (oikonomia tou plērōmatos) connect wisdom with divine administration or 'economy' that brings the fullness of times to its goal.

This verse declares that God’s manifold wisdom is now disclosed through the church to rulers and authorities, making the community itself the stage for divine wisdom’s revelation. Term ποικίλως σοφίαν (poikilos sophian) emphasizes the varied, multi‑faceted character of God’s wisdom as it is displayed in redemptive history.

ποικιλῶς σοφίαν τοῦ θεοῦ (poikilōs sophian tou theou) — 'the manifold wisdom of God,' where ποικίλος (poikilos) underscores diversity and richness in the way wisdom is manifested.

Practice-oriented wisdom appears in the exhortation to walk circumspectly, to redeem the time, and to discern the will of the Lord, linking moral prudence to theological vision. Linguistically the passage contrasts ἀσύνετοι and φρόνιμοι and uses verbs like ἐξαγοράζεσθε to portray wisdom as active, time‑sensitive discernment in the community.

φρόνιμοι/ἀσύνετοι (phronimoi/asynētoi) and ἐξαγοράζοντες τὸν καιρόν (exagorazontes ton kairon) — 'prudent' versus 'unwise' and 'redeeming the time,' showing practical prudence rooted in knowledge of God’s will.

In this cosmic Christ hymn Paul portrays Christ as the image of the invisible God and the one in whom all fullness dwells, thereby making him the definitive locus of divine wisdom and authority. The passage ties Christ's preeminence to his reconciling work, so that wisdom is not merely intellectual but restorative and covenantal, ordering creation toward reconciliation in him.

Greek terms include εἰκών (eikōn, "image"), πρωτότοκος (prōtotokos, "firstborn/preeminence"), and πλήρωμα (plērōma, "fullness"), the last signaling the complete presence of deity in Christ.

Paul declares that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ, presenting him as the repository of salvific insight to which the church must turn. The formulation links christological revelation with epistemology, so that knowing Christ equals possessing the wisdom necessary for spiritual maturity and unity.

The key phrase ἐν ᾧ κρύπτεται πάντα τὰ θησαυροὶ τῆς σοφίας καὶ τῆς γνώσεως uses σοφία (sophia, "wisdom") and γνώσις (gnōsis, "knowledge"), emphasizing both practical discernment and revealed truth residing ἐν αὐτῷ (in him).

Paul warns against deceptive philosophy and human traditions while affirming that believers are filled in Christ, who is head over every power; wisdom therefore functions as a protective and constitutive reality found in union with him. The passage reframes temptation to external rules or angelic speculation by pointing to Christ's fullness as sufficient for identity and formation.

Phrases such as κενῇ πλάνῃ (kenē planē, "empty/deceptive delusion") and τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου (ta stoicheia tou kosmou, "the elemental principles of the world") contrast with πεπληρωμένους ἐν αὐτῷ (peplērōmenous en autō, "filled in him").

The exhortation that the word of Christ dwell richly among the community links wisdom to teaching, singing, and mutual admonition, implying that corporate formation transmits and embodies the wisdom found in Christ. Instruction and worship become vehicles for internalizing christological wisdom so that it shapes moral patterns and communal identity.

The verse uses ῥῆμα Χριστοῦ (rhēma Christou, "word of Christ") and ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ (en pasē sophia, "with all wisdom"), indicating that Christian instruction is both verbally rooted in Christ and suffused with wisdom.

In this opening discourse James ties the experience of trials to the need for divine wisdom, urging believers to ask God for sagacity when they lack it. The petition is to be made in faith without wavering, making wisdom a gift sought in dependence and trust rather than an achievement of human cleverness.

The key term σοφία (sophia) appears in verse 5 and is coupled with αἰτεῖσθαι (aiteisthai, 'to ask'), while μὴ διακρινόμενος (mē diakrinomenos, 'without doubting' or 'without wavering') governs the manner of asking.

The passage distinguishes wisdom from above by listing ethical and communal traits that constitute wise behavior in the community. The catalog of attributes functions theologically to show that true wisdom produces peaceable and merciful relationships, and therefore wisdom is assessed by moral fruit rather than rhetorical skill.

James uses the contrast between σοφία ἄνωθεν (sophia anōthen, 'wisdom from above') and earthly/natural/demonic categories; important adjectives include καθαρά (kathara, 'pure') and εἰρηνική (eirēnikē, 'peaceable').

Here wisdom is demonstrated through the interplay of faith and works: authentic faith is living and effective, producing deeds that vindicate belief. James uses the examples of Abraham and Rahab to show that wise faith is covenantal trust expressed in obedient action on behalf of God and neighbor.

The paired terms πίστις (pistis, 'faith') and ἔργα (erga, 'works') frame the argument, with James stressing that πίστις χωρὶς ἔργων (pistis chōris ergōn, 'faith without works') fails to manifest true wisdom.

Practical injunctions about hearing, speaking, and caring for the needy present wisdom as embodied religion, where correct doctrinal assent is inseparable from moral comportment. The portrait of pure and undefiled religion focuses wisdom on familial and communal obligations, especially protection of the weak and ethical speech.

The phrase θρησκεία καθαρά καὶ ἀμίαντος (thrēskeia kathará kai amiantos, 'religion that is pure and undefiled') anchors the pastoral ethic, while the admonition to be ἑτοίμως ἀκούειν, βραδέως λαλεῖν (hetoimōs akouein, bradeōs lalein; 'quick to hear, slow to speak') shapes the social practice of wisdom.

The response of Daniel after Nebuchadnezzar’s dream emphasizes that wisdom and power belong to God alone and that revelation is the means by which humans receive understanding. The passage establishes a theological pattern in which God reveals hidden matters and thereby legitimates the interpreter who attributes insight to the divine source.

These verses occur in the Aramaic section of Daniel; the terminology for divine bestowal of wisdom echoes Semitic vocabulary (root חכמ/חכמ̣ in cognate Aramaic forms) that stresses gift language rather than human skill.

Nebuchadnezzar’s confession after his period of humiliation attributes sovereignty, majesty, and wisdom to the Most High, highlighting how experiential reversal leads to theological recognition. The juxtaposition of royal restoration with divine praise models how wisdom in Daniel functions to expose pride and re-establish divine lordship.

The passage is in Aramaic and the royal speech uses juridical and courtly vocabulary to frame divine wisdom as ruling authority; the phrase often translated 'Most High' (עֶלְיוֹן / its Aramaic equivalent) carries cosmic-theological weight.

Daniel’s reputation as one endowed with 'the spirit of the holy gods' and possessing light, understanding, knowledge, and the ability to interpret dreams sets him apart from Babylonian sages and legitimates his role as God’s interpreter in the court. The sequence of terms shows a layered conception of wisdom that includes illumination, comprehension, and revelatory authority.

Found in the Aramaic narrative, the phrase describing Daniel’s endowment uses Semitic idiom that links spirit (ruah/ruḥa in Aramaic) with divine origin; the cluster of nouns maps onto classical wisdom vocabulary (חָכְמָה, בִּינָה, דַּעַת in Hebrew parallels).

The vision of one like a son of man receiving dominion from the Ancient of Days situates wisdom within an eschatological courtroom where cosmic judgment and vindication are pronounced. Wisdom here is tied to the disclosure of ultimate reality and the establishment of an everlasting dominion that reframes exile within God’s historical purpose.

This pivotal section is in Aramaic; titles such as 'Ancient of Days' and the phrase for 'dominion, glory, and kingdom' employ courtroom and royal lexicons that entwine judicial imagery with wisdom tradition, underlining the revelatory and adjudicative function of vision.