What does Wisdom Chapter 16 say, and which statements belong to its speaker?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Beast punishments and quail provision introduce contrasting treatment of peoples. The salvation-sign annotation is distinct from verses attributing healing to God. Fire, water and heavenly food lead to the instruction of dawn blessing.

Chapter breakdown

Wisdom 16 contrasts deserved punishment through beasts with quails of new delicious taste for God's people. A separate edition note explains that frogs and flies spoiled Egyptian food while Israelites tasted new meat after brief want. Tyrants faced destruction while God's people were shown their enemies' end. The verse says serpent bites destroyed some, then that wrath did not endure: brief correction and a salvation sign recalled the law. A separate note identifies the brazen serpent as Christ's emblem. Healing came from God, not the sight; enemies were shown divine deliverance from evil. Locust and fly bites brought death without remedy to opponents, while mercy healed God's children, quickly recalling his words lest forgetfulness prevent help.

The passage attributes that healing to God's word rather than herb or plaster, and life/death power to him, bringing back from death's gates. Malicious human killing cannot recall departed spirit or soul; none escapes God's hand. Denying wicked people suffered strange waters, hail, rain and consuming fire, stronger in water. The edition notes fire and hail in Egypt. Fire was sometimes moderated to spare punitive beasts so the wicked recognized judgment, and sometimes burned above its power in water to ruin crops.

God's people instead received labor-free heavenly bread, angels' food with every sweetness and taste adapted to each will. Snow and ice endured fire while fire in hail and rain destroyed enemies' fruits; fire forgot strength for just nourishment. Creation becomes fierce for unjust punishment and gentler for trusting people's benefit, transformed obediently to nourishing grace. The text says God's word, not fruit growing, preserves believers. Fire-resistant food melted at a little sunbeam, teaching blessing before sunrise and adoration at dawn. Ungrateful hope melts like winter ice and useless water. This retrospective healing passage is not medical advice or a general promise against all illness; cooking fires, quails from heaven and Eucharistic hymn history are not added.

The story inside

Opening: Beast punishments and quail provision introduce contrasting treatment of peoples. Development: The salvation-sign annotation is distinct from verses attributing healing to God. Conclusion: Fire, water and heavenly food lead to the instruction of dawn blessing.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Beast punishments and quail provision introduce contrasting treatment of peoples.
2
The salvation-sign annotation is distinct from verses attributing healing to God.
3
Fire, water and heavenly food lead to the instruction of dawn blessing.

Test your recall

Which images and requests does the speaker use, and what does the chapter leave unresolved?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 72832–72834
Instead of which punishment, dealing well with thy people, thou gavest them their desire of delicious food, of a new taste, preparing for them quails for their meat:
Lines 72860–72861
For he that turned to it, was not healed by that which he saw, but by thee, the Saviour of all.
Lines 72877–72878
For it was neither herb, nor mollifying plaster, that healed them, but thy word, O Lord, which healeth all things.
Lines 72880–72881
For it is thou, O Lord, that hast power of life and death, and leadest down to the gates of death, and bringest back again:
Lines 72906–72909
Instead of which things, thou didst feed thy people with the food of angels, and gavest them bread from heaven, prepared without labour; having in it all that is delicious, and the sweetness of every taste.
Lines 72936–72937
That it might be known to all, that we ought to prevent the sun to bless thee, and adore thee at the dawning of the light.