Verse 1

Voice. Men are wanting to themselves: they cannot plead ignorance. (Calmet) --- Wisdom stands on high in the Catholic Church inviting all to virtue and happiness. (Worthington) --- Some explain this of the light which is communicated to men; but the Fathers apply it to Jesus Christ, some of the expressions regarding his divinity, and others his human nature, Ecclesiasticus xxiv.

Verse 3

Doors. Amid disputants, whose eagerness ought to convince us of the preference due to wisdom over all terrestrial concerns, ver. 10.

Verse 10

Money. They are generally incompatible.

Verse 12

Thoughts. All good comes from God, the eternal wisdom, (Calmet) which speaks here. (Worthington)

Verse 15

Things. Power and knowledge are the gift of the Almighty, Romans xii. 1. A prince who resembles God the most, is his best present. (Pliny in Trajan)

Verse 18

Glorious. Literally, "proud." (Haydock) --- But here it only means great, Isaias ix 15., and lxi. 6. Riches too commonly nourish pride, and it is very rare to see them joined with justice. (Calmet)

Verse 19

Stone. So the Septuagint translate paz, (Haydock) which designates a more pure sort of gold, Genesis ii. 11. (Calmet)

Verse 21

Enrich. Hebrew, "grant what is (real goods) an inheritance to them," &c. --- Treasures. Septuagint add, "with goods. If I announce to you daily occurrences, I will admonish you to number the things of the world," (Haydock) and all past events. (Calmet)

Verse 22

Possessed. As Christ was with God, equal to him in eternity, John i. Septuagint, "created," which many of the Fathers explain of the word incarnate, (see Cornelius a Lapide; Bossuet) or he hath "placed me," (St. Athanasius iii. contra Arian. Eusebius) a pattern of all virtues. The Septuagint generally render kana, "possessed," as Aquila does here. (Calmet)

Verse 23

Up. Hebrew, "anointed." Septuagint, "he founded." Christ was appointed to be the foundation, on which we must be built. (St. Athanasius iii. Orat.)

Verse 24

Conceived. Having yet manifested none of my works. Since the creation, wisdom only seeks to communicate itself to us. (Calmet)

Verse 26

Poles. Hebrew, "head or height of the dust of the world." (Haydock) --- I subsisted with the chaos, before things appeared in their present form. (Calmet) --- The poles denote the north and south, or the four quarters of the world. (Menochius)

Verse 27

CHAPTER VIII.

Verse 28

Sky. Protestants, "clouds." Pagnin, "the air." Vulgate æthera. Septuagint, "the clouds above." (Haydock) --- Moses assigns the higher and lower waters the same origin, Genesis i. 7.

Verse 29

Pass. This is often remarked, Psalm xli. 8. --- Earth. See Job xxxviii. 8. (Calmet)

Verse 30

Forming. Hebrew, "one nursed," (Calmet) or nursing, nutritius. (Pagnin) --- He was not an idle spectator. --- Playing. With ease and surprising variety. (Calmet)

Verse 31

Men. God saw that all was good, but delighted most in his own image. (Menochius) --- He prefers man before all other corporeal creatures. (Worthington) --- To him alone below he has granted understanding, and a soul capable of virtue. The Son has also assumed our nature, Baruch iii. 37.

Verse 35

Lord. Wisdom, or Jesus Christ, is our salvation, happiness, and life. Septuagint, "and the will is prepared by the Lord." St. Augustine often quotes this to prove the necessity of preventing grace. (Ep. ccxvii., and clxxxvi.) (Calmet)

Verse 36

Death. Not in itself, (Haydock) but by adhering to such things as bring death. (Menochius)