Wisdom 18:14-16; 19:6-9
Chapter 18
14
While everything was silent and the night was halfway through,
15
your mighty word descended from the royal throne—a stern warrior to a doomed world.
16
Carrying your fearsome command like a sharpened sword and stretching from heaven to earth, it filled the universe with death.
Chapter 19
6
All creation in its various forms was reshaped at your command, to protect your people.
7
The cloud shaded the camp; dry land appeared where water had been. A safe path opened through the Red Sea, and the tumultuous flood turned into a green plain
8
where the entire nation, protected by your hand, crossed and witnessed your incredible deeds.
9
They were like sheep led to pasture or like playful lambs, praising you, their Lord, who had saved them.
Commentaries
Historical Judgments II.
The section on historical judgments that started in chapter 11 continues.
Judgment of the Firstborn.
Using the same approach as in previous passages, a connection is now drawn between the tenth plague in Exodus and the Israelites’ departure from Egypt. As punishment for their decision to kill the firstborn (Ex 1:22-2:10), the Egyptians are condemned to lose their own firstborn (Ex 11:4-6; 12:29-32), thereby illustrating that Israel is God’s Son. The book of Exodus itself does not explicitly link these two events. Some details are noteworthy, such as the reference to the promises made to the Patriarchs (6; cf. Gn 15:13ff; 46:3ff), the shift to the past in the way Passover was celebrated in the 1st century B.C., when the “Hallel” (9; cf. Ps 113-118) was sung, or the use of the word as a tool for divine judgment (15; cf. Jr 23:29; Hos 6:5).
Judgment of the Red Sea.
The account of the crossing of the Red Sea (Ex 14) is presented here with a certain apocalyptic tone, as the culmination of the punishment that the Egyptians endured with the last plague. Here, it is emphasized that the crossing of the Red Sea resulted in a new creation; for example, the functions initially given to the earth or water (Gn 1) took on new forms, highlighting the Creator’s power in favor of his people. The common saying that when one door closes, God always opens another can help believers see this passage as relevant today. It invites us to reflect on God’s miracles in everyday life—like love, generosity, and life itself—and to recognize that they are also God’s new creation, capable of restoring many imbalances and negative aspects of our world.