Read & explore together
The oppressors’ worship is contrasted with punishment and provision
This passage contrasts the worship of lifeless idols with the living God's justice and care. It shows why the oppressors are called foolish, how their objects of worship are exposed as powerless, and how punishment and provision are set side by side.
Understanding the passage
Listening in context
In Wisdom of Solomon 15:14–16:4, the speaker addresses God and reflects on enemies who oppressed God's people. The passage argues that idol worship is senseless because idols are made by mortals. It then links that worship to fitting punishment, while describing God's provision for his people.
Wisdom of Solomon 15:14–16:4Main takeaway
This passage teaches that worshipping man-made creatures is foolish, and it carefully contrasts God's judgement on oppressors with his provision for his people.
Look closely at the words
Open a card to explore the full explanation and its Bible references.
01Oppressors and their idolsThe passage begins by calling the oppressors 'most foolish' and 'more miserable than a baby'.
Explanation
The passage begins by calling the oppressors 'most foolish' and 'more miserable than a baby'. The reason given is not simply their power over others, but that they treated the idols of the nations as gods. These supposed gods cannot see, breathe, hear, handle, or walk, so they are presented as helpless.
02Made by mortals, not makers of lifeThe argument then turns to how idols come into being. A human being made them, and that maker only has a borrowed spirit.
Explanation
The argument then turns to how idols come into being. A human being made them, and that maker only has a borrowed spirit. So a person cannot truly form a god like himself. The worshipper is mortal yet makes a dead thing, which means the worshipper had life, but the idol never did.
03Creatures without beauty or blessingThe passage continues by saying they even worship creatures described as most hateful. These are said to be worse than others in lacking sense.
Explanation
The passage continues by saying they even worship creatures described as most hateful. These are said to be worse than others in lacking sense. They are not attractive when compared with other creatures, and the text says they have escaped both the praise of God and his blessing. The point is their unfitness for worship.
04Punishment for oppressors, provision for God's peopleBecause of this, the oppressors were punished through creatures like those they worshipped.
Explanation
Because of this, the oppressors were punished through creatures like those they worshipped. In contrast, God gave benefits to his people and prepared quails for food. The enemies came to loathe appetite because of the hideous creatures, while God's people only suffered lack briefly before receiving delicacies. The final contrast is inescapable lack versus a warning display.
Questions to explore
Pause, look back at the verses and talk together.
01What details in the passage show that the idols are powerless?
Look for the list of missing abilities such as seeing, breathing, hearing, handling, and walking, and explain why that matters in this argument.
02How does the writer argue that a human maker cannot truly make a god?
Notice the contrast between the mortal maker with borrowed spirit and the dead object he shapes with his hands.
03How does the passage contrast what happened to the oppressors and what happened to God's people?
Compare the punishment through creatures and inescapable lack with the quails, brief lack, and delicacies given to God's people.
Read the Bible passages
World English Bible ClassicScripture quotation · Public domain
Wisdom of Solomon 15:14–19
14But most foolish and more miserable than a baby, are the enemies of your people, who oppressed them;
15because they even considered all the idols of the nations to be gods, which have neither the use of eyes for seeing, nor nostrils for drawing breath, nor ears to hear, nor fingers for handling, and their feet are helpless for walking.
16For a man made them, and one whose own spirit is borrowed molded them; for no one has power as a man to mold a god like himself.
17But, being mortal, he makes a dead thing by the work of lawless hands; for he is better than the objects of his worship, since he indeed had life, but they never did.
18Yes, and they worship the creatures that are most hateful, for, being compared as to lack of sense, these are worse than all others;
19Neither, as seen beside other creatures, are they beautiful, so that one should desire them, but they have escaped both the praise of God and his blessing.
Wisdom of Solomon 16:1–4
1For this cause, they were deservedly punished through creatures like those which they worship, and tormented through a multitude of vermin.
2Instead of this punishment, you, giving benefits to your people, prepared quails for food, a delicacy to satisfy the desire of their appetite,
3to the end that your enemies, desiring food, might for the hideousness of the creatures sent among them, loathe even the necessary appetite; but these, your people, having for a short time suffered lack, might even partake of delicacies.
4For it was necessary that inescapable lack should come upon those oppressors, but that to these it should only be showed how their enemies were tormented.