When it is said
It is a prayer from the Bible, not a set part of a service.
Anyone may pray it at the start of hard work, or whenever they need more wisdom than they have.
Where it comes from
Author doubtful
A prayer in Solomon’s voice
The Book of Wisdom belongs to the Greek Old Testament, which the Orthodox Church reads as Scripture. In its middle chapters Solomon, never named but plainly meant, tells how he longed for wisdom. He knew he could not have it unless God gave it, so with his whole heart he prayed this prayer to the Lord.
Who wrote it
Most scholars think a Jewish writer in Alexandria wrote the book in Greek in the 1st century BC and gave it Solomon’s voice. It is not in the Hebrew Bible, and most Protestant churches count it among the Apocrypha.
What the words mean
Wisdom as “she”
The book speaks of wisdom as a woman who sits beside God’s throne and was there when He made the world. So Solomon asks God to send her down to be with him and to labour at his side.
The verses about his throne
In verses 7, 8 and 12 Solomon prays as king. He recalls that God chose him to rule and judge His people and told him to build the temple. With wisdom he hopes to be worthy of his father’s throne. Those three verses belong to Solomon alone and are left out.
The Scripture in it
“Therefore give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to govern this great people of Yours?”
Truly, O LORD, I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have broken my bonds.
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.”
Bible text: Berean Standard Bible, public domain.
In Greek
Θεὲ πατέρων καὶ Κύριε τοῦ ἐλέους Σου, ὁ ποιήσας τὰ πάντα ἐν λόγῳ Σου,
καὶ τῇ σοφίᾳ Σου κατεσκεύασας ἄνθρωπον, ἵνα δεσπόζῃ τῶν ὑπὸ Σοῦ γενομένων κτισμάτων,
καὶ διέπῃ τὸν κόσμον ἐν ὁσιότητι καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ, καὶ ἐν εὐθύτητι ψυχῆς κρίσιν κρίνῃ·
δός μοι τὴν τῶν Σῶν θρόνων πάρεδρον σοφίαν, καὶ μή με ἀποδοκιμάσῃς ἐκ παίδων Σου.
Ὅτι ἐγὼ δοῦλος Σὸς καὶ υἱὸς τῆς παιδίσκης Σου, ἄνθρωπος ἀσθενὴς καὶ ὀλιγοχρόνιος καὶ ἐλάσσων ἐν συνέσει κρίσεως καὶ νόμων.
Κᾂν γάρ τις ᾖ τέλειος ἐν υἱοῖς ἀνθρώπων, τῆς ἀπὸ Σοῦ σοφίας ἀπούσης, εἰς οὐδὲν λογισθήσεται.
Καὶ μετὰ Σοῦ ἡ σοφία ἡ εἰδυῖα τὰ ἔργα Σου, καὶ παροῦσα ὅτε ἐποίεις τὸν κόσμον, καὶ ἐπισταμένη τί ἀρεστὸν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς Σου, καὶ τί εὐθὲς ἐν ἐντολαῖς Σου.
Ἐξαπόστειλον αὐτὴν ἐξ ἁγίων οὐρανῶν, καὶ ἀπὸ θρόνου δόξης Σου πέμψον αὐτὴν, ἵνα συμπαροῦσά μοι κοπιάσῃ, καὶ γνῷ τί εὐάρεστόν ἐστι παρὰ Σοί.
Οἶδε γὰρ ἐκείνη πάντα καὶ συνιεῖ, καὶ ὁδηγήσει με ἐν ταῖς πράξεσί μου σωφρόνως, καὶ φυλάξει με ἐν τῇ δόξῃ αὐτῆς.
Τίς γὰρ ἄνθρωπος γνώσεται βουλὴν Θεοῦ; ἢ τίς ἐνθυμηθήσεται τί θέλει ὁ Κύριος;
Λογισμοὶ γὰρ θνητῶν δειλοὶ, καὶ ἐπισφαλεῖς αἱ ἐπίνοιαι ἡμῶν.
Φθαρτὸν γὰρ σῶμα βαρύνει ψυχὴν, καὶ βρίθει τὸ γεῶδες σκῆνος νοῦν πολυφροντίδα.
Καὶ μόλις εἰκάζομεν τὰ ἐπὶ γῆς, καὶ τὰ ἐν χερσὶν εὑρίσκομεν μετὰ πόνου· τὰ δὲ ἐν οὐρανοῖς τίς ἐξιχνίασε;
Βουλὴν δέ Σου τίς ἔγνω, εἰ μὴ Σὺ ἔδωκας σοφίαν, καὶ ἔπεμψας τὸ Ἅγιόν Σου Πνεῦμα ἀπὸ ὑψίστων;
Καὶ οὕτως διωρθώθησαν αἱ τρίβοι τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς, καὶ τὰ ἀρεστά Σου ἐδιδάχθησαν ἄνθρωποι, καὶ τῇ σοφίᾳ ἐσώθησαν.