“If riches are a desirable possession in life,
What is richer than wisdom?
Wisdom is the active cause
Of all things.
If understanding is effective,
Who more than she
Is the fashioner of what exists?
If any one loves righteousness,
Her labors are virtues.
She teaches self-control.
She teaches prudence.
She teaches justice.
She teaches courage.
Nothing in life
Is more profitable
For mortals than these.
If anyone longs for wide experience,
She knows the things of old.
She infers the things to come.
She understands turns of speech.
She understands the solutions of riddles.
She has foreknowledge of signs.
She has foreknowledge of wonders.
She has foreknowledge of the outcome of seasons.
She has foreknowledge of the outcome of times.”
Wisdom is greater than any good there is, not only material things, but spiritual or conceptual values also. Everyone wants riches (πλοῦτός) so that the most desirable possession in life is wisdom (σοφίας), the cause of all things. If you want understanding (φρόνησις), then you need wisdom. If you love righteousness (δικαιοσύνην ἀγαπᾷ), you need wisdom. Wisdom teaches the four great Greek cardinal virtues of self-control, prudence, justice, and courage. Wisdom knows about the past and the future. She can solve riddles. She also has foreknowledge of signs and wonders, as well as the outcome of the seasons and the times to come.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 