The Wisdom of Solomon – Chapter 17

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The Night of Egypt passage — where divine judgment takes the form of terror, conscience, and cosmic disorder.

Chapter 17 is a retelling of the plague of darkness in Egypt (Exodus 10:21–29) with a heavy Solomonic philosophical lens. It’s not just about the physical darkness, but the actual dread and terror that’s produced when conscience meets judgment.

17: 1 For great are thy judgments, and cannot be expressed: therefore unnurtured souls have erred. 2 For when unrighteous men thought to oppress the holy nation; they being shut up in their houses, the prisoners of darkness, and fettered with the bonds of a long night, lay [there] exiled from the eternal providence. 3 For while they supposed to lie hid in their secret sins, they were scattered under a dark veil of forgetfulness, being horribly astonished, and troubled with [strange] apparitions. 4 For neither might the corner that held them keep them from fear: but noises [as of waters] falling down sounded about them, and sad visions appeared unto them with heavy countenances.5 No power of the fire might give them light: neither could the bright flames of the stars endure to lighten that horrible night. 6 Only there appeared unto them a fire kindled of itself, very dreadful: for being much terrified, they thought the things which they saw to be worse than the sight they saw not. 

Psychological bondage – the guilty become prisoners even without bars (v.16).

Exodus 10:21 (Plague of Darkness)

• A tangible darkness fell on Egypt, but Israel had light.
• So this is really an interior darkness of the soul.

Genesis 15:12 (Abraham’s vision of dread)

• Horror of great darkness fell upon him — a foreshadow of bondage in Egypt.
• Darkness is a covenantal threshold.

Deuteronomy 28:28  (Curses)

• If Israel disobeys: madness, blindness, confusion of mind — groping at noon as the blind grope in darkness.
• Here it’s reversed: the Egyptians bear the covenant curse.

John 3:19

• Men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.

Matthew 8:12 

• Cast into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Romans 1:21

• Professing wisdom, they became fools; hearts darkened.

Hebrews 2:15

• Messiah frees those enslaved through fear of death.

The takeaway — don’t let fear become a phantom landlord in your head. Instead we have to use fear as a signal to move with wisdom and not freeze. 

The wicked are stuck in analysis paralysis; the righteous can walk free in confidence!

Fear undermines the rational soul, leaving us actually vulnerable to delusion. 

Wisdom 17 is the psychology of guilt and the folly and futility of counterfeit power. 

• Of course the Torah frames it as plague (Exodus 10).

• Solomon interprets it as the teaching ministry of יהוה, or The Creator’s blueprint for growth: fear itself becomes the punishment.

• The NT universalizes it: darkness is the fate of all who reject the Light.

• Solomon warns us that to misuse spiritual power is to be trapped in phantoms.

• So in our lives we can’t let fear trick us out of our freedom; if you’re running in the dark, you’re already chained.

The Night of Egypt is ultimately about fear, conscience, and the failure of occult magic.

7 As for the illusions of art magic, they were put down, and their vaunting in wisdom was reproved with disgrace. 8 For they, that promised to drive away terrors and troubles from a sick soul, were sick themselves of fear, worthy to be laughed at. 9 For though no terrible thing did fear them; yet being scared with beasts that passed by, and hissing of serpents, 10 they died for fear, denying that they saw the air, which could of no side be avoided. 11 For wickedness, condemned by her own witness, is very timorous, and being pressed with conscience, always forecasteth grievous things. 12 For fear is nothing else but a betraying of the succours which reason offereth. 13 And the expectation from within, being less, counteth the ignorance more than the cause which bringeth the torment. 14 But they sleeping the same sleep that night, which was indeed intolerable, and which came upon them out of the bottoms of inevitable hell, 15 were partly vexed with monstrous apparitions, and partly fainted, their heart failing them: for a sudden fear, and not looked for, came upon them. 

• Exod 7:11–12; 8:18–19; 9:11 the magicians can counterfeit early signs but finally confess the finger of יהוה then they can’t even stand before Moshe (they have boils). 

Here in Wisdom 17:7 this collapse is internalized.

vv.9–10 — Ordinary nature becomes terrifying

Though nothing terrible happened, beasts passing by, hissing serpents…they died for fear, denying the air…

• Exod 10:21–23 — darkness so thick none rose from his place.
• Exod 8; 10 — flies/locusts as minor agents bearing major dread.

Wickedness…is cowardice; pressed with conscience, it forecasts terrible things. Fear is a betrayal of the help reason offers.

• Deut 28:28 madness, blindness, confusion as covenant curse

• Prov 28:1 the wicked flee when no one pursues.

vv.14–16 — Prison without bars; a chain of darkness

An intolerable night…monstrous apparitions…whoever fell was kept fast, shut in a prison without iron; husbandman, shepherd, laborer…all bound with one chain of darkness.

• Exod 10:23 Egypt paralyzed; Israel had light. 
• Exod 14:20 the cloud gives light to Israel and darkness to Egypt: one phenomenon, two experiences!

• In Exodus 7–14 Pharaoh had armies, wealth, and gods of Egypt at his back. But once he hardened his heart against יהוה, the collapse began inside. His magicians themselves admitted, “this is the finger of יהוה” (Exod. 8:19). Pharaoh’s fear leaked out before his actual throne collapsed. His empire drowned when his inner collapse manifested publicly.

• King Saul (1 Samuel 13–15) Saul wore the crown, but fear exposed his heart. He panicked at the Philistines, broke יהוהs command, and offered sacrifices he wasn’t authorized to give. His conscience fell before his kingdom fell. By the time the Spirit of יהוה left him, the fall was already written in his soul.

• Today we see it all the time: people who build fast success on weak foundations — fake alliances, borrowed power, or fake or phony status. 

Creation becomes your ally or your accuser. In covenant, the world fights for the righteous (16:17); outside it, even neutral things feel weaponized (mental health on the streets – neutral things have become weaponized)

• John 3:19 Loving darkness blinds the moral eye; deeds hate the light. 
• Matt 8:12; 22:13 Outer darkness is an eschatological image of exclusion.
• Rom 1:21 Claiming to be wise, they became fools; hearts darkened.
• Acts 13:8 Elymas the magician struck with mist and darkness.
• Heb 2:15 Yahusha frees those enslaved by fear of death. 

The narrow way is repentance and re-alignment with the One whose Word orders the night!

Get right with the Source — and the night can’t own you.

16 So then whosoever there fell down was straitly kept, shut up in a prison without iron bars. 17 For whether he were husbandman, or shepherd, or a labourer in the field, he was overtaken, and endured that necessity, which could not be avoided: for they were all bound with one chain of darkness. 18 Whether it were a whistling wind, or a melodious noise of birds among the spreading branches, or a pleasing fall of water running violently, 19 or a terrible sound of stones cast down, or a running that could not be seen of skipping beasts, or a roaring voice of most savage wild beasts, or a rebounding echo from the hollow mountains: these things made them to swoon for fear. 20 For the whole world shined with clear light, and none were hindered in their labour: 21 over them only was spread a heavy night, an image of that darkness which should afterward receive them: but yet were they unto themselves more grievous than the darkness.

The wicked are bound with one chain of darkness. (v.16), ordinary creation becomes terrifying (vv.17–19), while the world outside remains bright (v.20). 

Moral alignment determines how creation is experienced — light for the righteous, dread for the wicked.

v.20 — Solomon is asserting differential experience of the same creation based on covenant standing.

v.21 — Darkness is an eschatological sign. Their self-accusation outstrips the external gloom — conscience is the sharper sword. 

• Exodus 10:21 Plague of darkness; Israel has light.
• Exodus 14:20 The cloud gives light to Israel and darkness to Egypt — one phenomenon, two readings. 
• Deut 28:28 Covenant curse: madness, confusion, groping at noon.
• Gen 1:3 Creation’s primal order (light/dark separation) is temporarily reversed against the oppressor.

• John 3:19 Loving darkness blinds moral vision.
• Matt 8:12; 22:13 Outer darkness operates as an eschatological exclusion.
• 2 Pet 2:4; Jude 13 Chains/gloom of utter darkness.
• Col 1:13; 1 Thess 5:4 Transfer from the domain of darkness to light; identity is as children of light.

Creation is not value-neutral, it is covenantally responsive. 

If you walk with יהוה, the night can’t own you. But cut yourself off from His order, and even a breeze sounds like a threat. 

Empires don’t fall first in the streets; they fall first in the soul — and then everybody sees it.