章节研读

Wisdom 16 — Manna, Serpents, and the Healing Word

The chapter sets the punishment of the ungodly beside God's care for his people, arguing that the same created things serve judgment or mercy according to the maker's will.

经文

  1. 1.因此，那些人理所应当地通过这些生物受到惩罚，并被大量的动物折磨。Therefore those men were deservedly punished through such creatures, and were tormented by a multitude of animals.
  2. 2.你没有施行这惩罚，反而向你的百姓施行仁慈，并为他们预备了鹌鹑作为食物，来满足他们口中的欲望；Instead of this punishment thou didst show kindness to thy people, and thou didst prepare quails to eat, a delicacy to satisfy the desire of appetite;
  3. 3.为了使那些人，当他们渴望食物时，因所派遣的可憎之物而失去对食物的最后一点渴望；而你的子民，在短暂的饥饿之后，却能享用美食。in order that those men, when they desired food, might lose the least remnant of appetite because of the odious creatures sent to them, while thy people, after suffering want a short time, might partake of delicacies.
  4. 4.因为那些暴虐的压迫者必须遭受不可避免的灾祸，而这些人只是被显明他们的敌人如何受折磨。For it was necessary that upon those oppressors inexorable want should come, while to these it was merely shown how their enemies were being tormented.
  5. 5.当野兽的猛烈愤怒临到你的人民的时候，他们被蜿蜒的蛇咬伤，你的愤怒并没有延续到底；For when the terrible rage of wild beasts came upon thy people and they were being destroyed by the bites of writhing serpents, thy wrath did not continue to the end;
  6. 6.他们暂时受了警戒，得了脱离的凭据，叫他们记念你的命令和律法。they were troubled for a little while as a warning, and received a token of deliverance to remind them of thy law’s command.
  7. 7.因为向它转过来的都得救了，不是因为他们所看见的，而是因为你，万人的救主。For he who turned toward it was saved, not by what he saw, but by thee, the Savior of all.
  8. 8.并且藉此你也使我们的敌人相信，正是你能救我们脱离一切灾祸。And by this also thou didst convince our enemies that it is thou who deliverest from every evil.
  9. 9.因为他们被蝗虫和苍蝇的叮咬所杀，没有为他们寻得医治，因为他们该受这样的刑罚；For they were killed by the bites of locusts and flies, and no healing was found for them, because they deserved to be punished by such things;
  10. 10.但你的儿子们没有被毒蛇的牙齿所征服，因为你的怜悯帮助了他们，治愈了他们。but thy sons were not conquered even by the teeth of venomous serpents, for thy mercy came to their help and healed them.
  11. 11.为了提醒他们你的言语，他们受到了咬伤，随后很快得到了解救，这样他们就不会陷入深深的忘恩之中，也不会对你的仁慈变得无动于衷。To remind them of thy oracles they were bitten, and then were quickly delivered, lest they should fall into deep forgetfulness and become unresponsive to thy kindness.
  12. 12.因为无论是药物还是敷料都不能治愈他们，但却是你的话，主啊，你的话治愈了所有的人。For neither herb nor poultice cured them, but it was thy word, O Lord, which heals all men.
  13. 13.因为你掌管着生死大权，你引导人下到阴间的门户，又使人归回。For thou hast power over life and death; thou dost lead men down to the gates of Hades and back again.
  14. 14.一个人的邪恶导致他杀死另一个人，但他却无法使已离去的灵魂归来，也不能释放被囚禁的灵魂。A man in his wickedness kills another, but he cannot bring back the departed spirit, nor set free the imprisoned soul.
  15. 15.灾难性的风暴袭击埃及，想要逃脱你的手是根本不可能的；Disastrous Storms Strike Egypt To escape from thy hand is impossible;
  16. 16.那些不虔诚的人，不肯认识你，他们被你手臂的力量惩罚，遭受异常的雨、 hail 和无休止的风暴，并被火完全吞灭。for the ungodly, refusing to know thee, were scourged by the strength of thy arm, pursued by unusual rains and hail and relentless storms, and utterly consumed by fire.
  17. 17.因为——最不可思议的是——在水中，水能浇灭一切，火却产生了更大的效果，因为宇宙在保护义人。For—most incredible of all—in the water, which quenches all things, the fire had still greater effect, for the universe defends the righteous.
  18. 18.曾有一次，火焰被抑制，如此它就不会吞灭那些被派来攻击不虔之人的生物，而是让他们看到这一切，从而知道他们正在受到神的审判；At one time the flame was restrained, so that it might not consume the creatures sent against the ungodly, but that seeing this they might know that they were being pursued by the judgment of God;
  19. 19.并且在另一个时候，即使在水中也比火烧得更旺，以毁灭不义之地的庄稼。and at another time even in the midst of water it burned more intensely than fire, to destroy the crops of the unrighteous land.
  20. 20.以色列人得吗哪 你没有给你的百姓这些东西，反而给他们天使的食物，任凭他们不劳而获，从天上赐给他们可以直接吃的食物，满足他们一切的喜悦，并且适合他们每个人的口味。The Israelites Receive Manna Instead of these things thou didst give thy people food of angels, and without their toil thou didst supply them from heaven with bread ready to eat, providing every pleasure and suited to every taste.
  21. 21.因为你用养育他们的方式，向你的子民显现了你的甜美，并且那块面包，满足了拿着它的人的渴望，改变了它的性质，以适应每个人的口味。For thy sustenance manifested thy sweetness toward thy children; and the bread, ministering to the desire of the one who took it, was changed to suit every one’s liking.
  22. 22.雪和冰在烈火中不融化，这样他们就知道敌人的庄稼被冰雹中的烈火和雨中的闪电所毁灭；Snow and ice withstood fire without melting, so that they might know that the crops of their enemies were being destroyed by the fire that blazed in the hail and flashed in the showers of rain;
  23. 23.然而火却为了让义人得以饱足，甚至忘却了它本来的力量。whereas the fire, in order that the righteous might be fed, even forgot its native power.
  24. 24.造物为你而造，你既创造了它，就努力惩罚不义的人，反而对那些信靠你的人施以仁慈。For creation, serving thee who hast made it, exerts itself to punish the unrighteous, and in kindness relaxes on behalf of those who trust in thee.
  25. 25.因此在那时，也变成各种形态，侍奉你的丰富供给，按照需要的人的愿望，Therefore at that time also, changed into all forms, it served thy all-nourishing bounty, according to the desire of those who had need,
  26. 26.使你所爱的儿子，主啊，能够知道不是庄稼养活人，乃是你的话使那些倚靠你的人得以保守。so that thy sons, whom thou didst love, O Lord, might learn that it is not the production of crops that feeds man, but that thy word preserves those who trust in thee.
  27. 27.凡火不能毁灭的，只要被阳光短暂的光线一温暖，就都融化了，For what was not destroyed by fire was melted when simply warmed by a fleeting ray of the sun,
  28. 28.要使人知道必须在日出之前起来称谢你，并且要在晨光初现时祷告你；to make it known that one must rise before the sun to give thee thanks, and must pray to thee at the dawning of the light;
  29. 29.对于忘恩之人的希望，将会像冬天的霜一样消融，并像废水一样流失。for the hope of an ungrateful man will melt like wintry frost, and flow away like waste water.

这段经文的意思

Verses 1–4 return to the plagues and frame them as fitting punishment: those men were tormented through the very creatures they had wronged by, and by a multitude of animals. Against that, God showed kindness to his own people and prepared quail to eat as a delicacy that satisfies appetite. The contrast is sharpened in verse 3: the oppressors, when they desired food, lost even the least remnant of appetite because of the odious creatures sent to them, while God's people, after a short want, partook of delicacies. Verse 4 states the reasoning — inexorable want had to come upon the oppressors, while for God's people it was enough merely to be shown how their enemies were being tormented.

Verses 5–14 turn to the serpents and to healing. When the terrible rage of wild beasts came upon God's people and they were being destroyed by the bites of writhing serpents, his wrath did not continue to the end; they were troubled only a little while as a warning and received a token of deliverance to remind them of the law's command. The one who turned toward that token was saved, and verse 7 insists the saving was not by what he saw but by God, the Savior of all. By this even the enemies were convinced that it is God who delivers from every evil. The comparison is then drawn out: the enemies were killed by the bites of locusts and flies with no healing found, because they deserved such punishment, while God's sons were not conquered even by the teeth of venomous serpents because mercy came to their help. Verse 11 gives the purpose of the biting — remembrance of God's oracles, and quick deliverance, lest they fall into deep forgetfulness and become unresponsive to his kindness. Verse 12 locates the cure beyond medicine: neither herb nor poultice healed them, but the word of the Lord heals all men. Verses 13–14 close the section by grounding this in God's authority over life and death — he leads men down to the gates of Hades and back again — whereas a man in his wickedness may kill another but cannot bring back the departed spirit or set free the imprisoned soul.

Verses 15–29 move through storm and then to manna. Escape from God's hand is impossible: the ungodly, refusing to know him, were scourged by the strength of his arm, pursued by unusual rains and hail and relentless storms, and utterly consumed by fire. The chapter calls it most incredible that in the water, which quenches all things, the fire had still greater effect, and it explains the restraint and release of the flame: at one time it was held back so as not to consume the creatures sent against the ungodly, so that seeing this they might know they were pursued by the judgment of God; at another time it burned even in the midst of water to destroy the crops of the unrighteous land. Over against this, God gave his people food of angels, bread from heaven ready to eat without their toil, providing every pleasure and suited to every taste; the bread ministered to the desire of the one who took it and was changed to suit each one's liking. Snow and ice withstood fire without melting, again so that it might be known that the crops of the enemies were destroyed by the fire that blazed in the hail, while the fire forgot its native power so that the righteous might be fed. The conclusion is stated in verses 24–26: creation, serving its maker, exerts itself to punish the unrighteous and in kindness relaxes on behalf of those who trust him; changed into all forms, it served his all-nourishing bounty according to the desire of those who had need, so that his sons might learn that it is not the production of crops that feeds man, but that his word preserves those who trust in him. Verses 27–29 add that what was not destroyed by fire melted when merely warmed by a fleeting ray of the sun — so that one must rise before the sun to give thanks and pray at the dawning of the light — for the hope of an ungrateful man will melt like wintry frost and flow away like waste water.

背景

The chapter is built as a running comparison rather than a narrative. Nearly every section names one group and then the other — the ungodly, the oppressors, the enemies on one side, and God's people, his sons, the righteous, those who trust him on the other. The linking words are the same throughout: "instead of this punishment," "for it was necessary," "for when." The reader is meant to hold the two experiences side by side and see that they involve the same created world.

Within that frame the chapter moves through three scenes: the creatures that punished and the quail that fed (vv. 1–4), the serpents and the healing word (vv. 5–14), and the storms and the manna (vv. 15–29). The argument reaches its stated conclusion in verses 24–26, where creation is described as serving the one who made it — exerting itself to punish the unrighteous and relaxing in kindness for those who trust him. The last verses press the point from the food back to the giver, ending with the contrast between the thanksgiving that rises before the sun and the hope of an ungrateful man that melts away.

常见问题

What holds the many comparisons in Wisdom 16 together?

The chapter repeatedly places the experience of the ungodly beside that of God's people and shows that the same created things end up on opposite sides of the contrast. Creatures that tormented one group became, in a different form, food and healing for the other; water that quenches everything did not stop the fire, and fire forgot its own power so that the righteous might be fed. The stated reason comes in verses 24–26: creation serves the one who made it, so it is not the elements themselves but the will and word of God that determine what they accomplish.

Why does the chapter dwell on fire burning in water and on ice that does not melt?

These reversals are presented as evidence, not as a lesson about nature. Verse 17 calls the fire's effect in water the most incredible of all; verses 18–19 give the purpose of the restraint and the release of the flame — that those being pursued might know they were pursued by the judgment of God. Verses 22–23 apply the same logic to snow and ice that withstood fire, and again state the purpose: that it might be known the enemies' crops were being destroyed by fire, while the fire forgot its native power so that the righteous might be fed. The unusual behavior of the elements functions as a sign of who is acting.

According to this chapter, what actually heals and feeds a person?

The chapter points past the created means to God's word. In verses 11–12 the people were bitten in order to be reminded of God's oracles and were quickly delivered, and the text says plainly that neither herb nor poultice cured them but the word of the Lord, which heals all men. The same move appears at the end: after describing bread from heaven that was changed to suit each one's liking, verse 26 says God's sons were to learn that it is not the production of crops that feeds man, but that his word preserves those who trust in him. The material provisions are real and are described in detail, but the chapter locates their effectiveness in the God who gives them.

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