But the keeping of the laws is the consummation of incorruption, that is, the cause of consummated spiritual incorruption, namely of both mind and body in the present; or: of incorruption, "that is, of immortality" in the future, according to the Gloss: Proverbs 3: "Keep my law and my counsel, and it shall be life to your soul."
(Verses 20, 21, 22). But incorruption makes one to be near to God: whence it is sung of virgins that "they follow the Lamb wherever he goes," Revelation 14.
Therefore the desire for wisdom, which is its beginning, will lead to an everlasting kingdom: the Gloss: "Which consists in the knowledge of the Divinity," according to that saying in John 17: "This is eternal life, that they may know you, the true God" etc.
If therefore you delight etc., as if to say: since he gives an everlasting kingdom, therefore if you delight in thrones and scepters: The Gloss: "He admonishes kings to love wisdom, without which they cannot reign: for the commonwealth is well governed when philosophers reign and kings philosophize. Rightly therefore the rulers of the Church are assiduous in the meditation of the divine law: for whoever follows it by learning, teaching, and practicing will attain the crown of the heavenly kingdom." If therefore you delight in thrones, of judicial power, and scepters, of royal dignity, according to that passage in Matthew twenty-three: "They love the chief seats," etc.; another reading has senses, with respect to discernment, and crowns, with respect to dignity: if you delight, I say, O kings
of the people, that is, the greater rulers and prelates, both secular and ecclesiastical: love wisdom, that you may reign forever: Proverbs eight: "By me kings reign."
(Verse 23). Love the light of wisdom, for the illumination of souls: below in chapter seven: "Compared to light she is found to be prior": because she illuminates spiritual things, which is greater than to illuminate corporeal things. All you who rule over peoples, that is, you also who are lesser princes and prelates.
Fourth, the promise concerning the teaching of wisdom, where four things are touched upon.
But what is wisdom, etc. Here lastly he promises to teach wisdom: and first he touches on the manifestation of the teaching: second, the faithfulness of teaching: And I will set forth in light: third, the usefulness of hearing: For a multitude, etc.: fourth, he subjoins his exhortation to hear: Therefore receive.
(Verse 24). But what is wisdom, as if to say: thus I have invited you to wisdom, and that you may assent, I will relate, etc. Or it may be continued thus: up to this point I have admonished you to wisdom: but, standing for "however": from now on I will relate what wisdom is, etc. Behold, a great promise; "for she is hidden from the eyes of all the living," Job twenty-eight; nevertheless she can be known by the revelation of the Holy Spirit. What is, I say, wisdom, uncreated, that is, of what quality: for concerning her it cannot be known or said what she is, namely according to essence, but of what quality, since she is good, eternal, omnipotent, etc. But concerning created wisdom it can be known and said what it is: whence Augustine says: "Wisdom is the knowledge of divine things." And how she was made, that is, how she was begotten from the Father, namely the eternal Wisdom, who is the Son of God: First Corinthians one: "Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." Or: how she was made, that is, created, if it is expounded of created wisdom: Ecclesiasticus one: "Wisdom was created before all things": likewise in the same book, chapter twenty-four: "From the beginning and before the ages I was created," that is, disposed to be created. And I will not hide from you the mysteries of God, that is, the sacred and secret works of the wisdom of God.
To the contrary: Tobit 12: "It is good to hide the secret of a king."
It must be said that it should be hidden from tempters but revealed to lovers ; whence John 15: "But I have called you friends, because all things whatsoever I have heard from my Father, I have made known to you." Likewise, it must be hidden from the proudly wise, but revealed to humble little ones: whence Matthew 11: "You have hidden these things from the wise and the prudent, and have revealed them to little ones," that is, the humble. Likewise, not to the gluttonous, but to the abstinent, as is clear from Daniel 1.
But from the beginning of birth, that is, of human birth, or of wisdom itself; I will search out, by showing that she proceeds from God the Father. And I will bring to light, namely the light of manifestation, the knowledge of her, by teaching clearly: Sirach 24: "Those who elucidate me shall have eternal life." And I will not pass over the truth, by mixing in falsehoods: Sirach 37: "Before all works, let a truthful word precede you"; Augustine: "It is the distinguished mark of good minds to love the truth in words, not the words themselves."
(Verse 25.) Nor with wasting envy, that is, envy that causes wasting: Proverbs 14: "Envy is the rotting of the bones"; likewise in the Psalm: "The sinner shall see and shall be angry, he shall gnash his teeth and waste away." Will I travel, because she is the worst companion, for she devours a man like a wild beast: Genesis 37: "A most evil wild beast has devoured him, a beast has consumed Joseph." Such was Moses, that is, not envious, for he said: "Who would grant me that all the people might prophesy, and that the Lord would give them his spirit?" Numbers 11. Because such a man, namely the envious, will not be a partaker of wisdom: whence above, chapter 1: "Into a malevolent soul," etc.; Sirach 14: "To an envious man," that is, one full of envy, "what good is gold?" that is, wisdom, which is called gold on account of its preciousness: Proverbs 3: "For she is more precious than all riches."
(Verses 26–27.) But a multitude etc., as if to say: and you ought to listen; but, meaning because; because a multitude of the wise: the Gloss: "The assembly of preachers"; is the health of the world, that is, the cause of health: Proverbs 11: "Where there is no governor, the people shall fall; but there is safety where there are many counsels." Whoever therefore opposes the multiplication or multitude of the wise opposes the salvation of the world, and therefore such a one ought to be hated by the whole world. Such were those of whom the Apostle speaks in 1 Thessalonians 2: "They do not please God and are adversaries to all men." And a wise king is the stability of the people:
Sirach 10: "A wise judge shall judge his people, and the government of a prudent man shall be stable." But this applies most especially to Christ, in whose person it is said: "I am the salvation of the people."
And because wisdom is so useful, therefore receive discipline, that is, wisdom, through my words, excitatively or occasionally, but through divine inspiration effectively and causally: whence Ecclesiasticus 1: "All wisdom is from the Lord God." And it will profit you, because it is said in the last chapter of Ecclesiastes: "The words of the wise are as goads," namely by provoking to good, "and as nails fastened deep," preserving from falling into evil.