Teaching Resources
Biblical Wisdom and Beowulf

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Beowulf confirms the validity of Biblical wisdom by presenting the insufficiency of a world that lacks Biblical wisdom. These excerpts offer a way of illuminating the theology of the Beowulf poet, as they pertain to the pagan dystopia of the poem.

And God saw that Creation was good. G 1:10

Am I my brother’s keeper? G 4:9

The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground. G 4:10

There were giants in the earth in those days. . . mighty men which were of old G 6:4

A fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth G 4:12

For the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth. G 8:21

Whos sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. G 9:6

Let my people go. E 5:1

There was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead. E 12:30

I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. E 15:1

The Lord is a man of war. E15:3

Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorius in power: thy right hand, O LOrd, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. E 15:6

Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unot thee any graven image. E 20:3-4

For I th Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me. E 20:5

Be sure your sin will find you out. Numbers 32:23

Every man’s sword was against his fellow. Samuel 4:20

For the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. S 16:7

Our days on the earth are as a shadow. Chronicles I 29:15

Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. Job 1:21

He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. J 5:13

Man that is born of woman is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. J 14:1-2

I have said to corruption, Thou art my father; to the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister J 17:14

Yea, the stars are not pure in his sight. How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm? J 25:5-6

But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? J 28:12

Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding. J 28:28

Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. J 38:4

The morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy. J 38:7

Canst thou draw out leviathan with a hook? 41:1

He is a king over all the children of pride. 41:34

The ungodly . . . are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Psalms 1:4

O taste and see that the Lord is good. Ps 34:8

The meek shall inherit the earth. Ps 37:11

I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree. Ps37:3

Surely ever man walketh in a vain show: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them. P 39:6

The memory of the just is blessed, but the name of the wicked shall rot . P 10:6-7

He that trusted thin his riches shall fall. Ps 11:28

Before honor is humility. Ps 15:33

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Ps 16:18

He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. Ps 16:31-32

Wealth maketh many friends. Ps 19:4

Labor not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. Ps 23:4

As he thhinketh in his heart, so is he. Ps 23:7

A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength. 24:5

He that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent. 28:20

Where there is no vision, the people persih. 29:18

“Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler; and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.”
Proverbs 20:1

“The glory of young men is their strength, but the beauty of old men is their gray hair.”
Proverbs 20:29

“Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin.”
Proverbs 21:4

“The soul of the wicked desires evil; his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes.”
Proverbs 21:10

“He who closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself cry out and not be heard.”
Proverbs 21:13

“Precious treasure remains in a wise man’s dwelling, but a foolish man devours it.”
Proverbs 21:20

“He who keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble. ‘Scoffer’ is the name of the proud, haughty man who acts with arrogant pride.” Proverbs 21:23 - 25


“By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. A wise man is mightier than a strong man, and a man of knowledge than he who has strength.” Proverbs 24: 3 - 6

“Do not say, ‘I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for what he has done.’” Proverbs 24:29

“Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.” Proverbs 26:11

“Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” Proverbs 26:12

“He who digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back upon him who starts it rolling.” Proverbs 26:27

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. Let another praise you, and not your own mouth.” Proverbs 27:1 - 2

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“Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.” Proverbs 28:5

“A righteous man knows the rights of the poor; a wicked man does not understand such knowledge.” Proverbs 29:7

“Scoffers set a city aflame, but wise men turn away wrath.” Proverbs 29:8

“Where there is no prophecy the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.” Proverbs 29:18

“It is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to desire strong drink; lest they drink and forget what has been decreed, and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.” Proverbs 31: 4 - 5

“Then I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness. The wise man has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness.” Ecclesiastes 2:13 - 4

“Moreover I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for he has appointed a time for every matter, and for every work.” Ecclesiastes 3:16 - 17

“Man has no advantage over the beasts; for all is vanity. All go to one place; all are from the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down to the earth?”
Ecclesiastes 3: 19 - 21

“Again I saw all the oppressions that are practiced under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfot them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them.” Ecclesiastes 4:1

“The high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them.”
Ecclesiastes 5:8

“He who loves money will not be satisfied with money; nor he who loves wealth, with gain. This also is vanity.” Ecclesiastes 5:10

“Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers that are in a city.” Ecclesiastes 7:19

“There is a vanity which takes place on earth, that there are righteous men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.” Ecclesiastes 8:14

“One fate comes to all, to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil, to the clean and the unclean.”
Ecclesiastes 9: 2

“But he who is joined with the all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward; but the memory of them is lost. Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and they have no more for ever any share in all that is done under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 9:4 - 6

“Woe to you, O land, when your princes feast in the morning! Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of free men, and your princes feast at the proper time, for strength, and not for drunkenness!” Ecclesiastes 10:16 - 7

“If a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many.” Ecclesiastes 11: 8

“Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, when you will say, ‘I have no pleasure in them’; before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain; in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent. . . and those that look through the windows are dimmed, and the doors on the street are shut. . .and the mourners go about the streets; before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.” Ecclesiastes 12 : 1 - 7

“When you spread forth your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.” Isaiah 1: 15

“He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” Isaiah 2:4
“Their land is filled with silver and gold, and there is no end to their treasures; their land is filled with horses, and there is no end to their chariots. Their land is filled with idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made.” Isaiah 2: 7 - 8

“For the Lord of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up and high.” Isaiah 2: 12

“And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the pride of men shall be brought low; and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. And the idols shall utterly pass away.” Isaiah 2: 17 -8

“Instead of perfume there will be rottenness; and instead of a girdle, a rope; and instead of well-set hair, baldness; and instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth; instead of beauty, shame. Your men shall fall by the sword and your mighty men in battle.” Isaiah 3:24 -25

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