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The Forgotten Books of Eden · 204 of 293

Odes of Solomon: Ode 12

An exceptionally high level of spiritual thought.

1.He hath filled me with words of truth; that I may speak the same; 2 And like the flow of waters flows truth from my mouth, and my lips show forth His fruit. 3 And He has caused His knowledge to abound in me, because the mouth of the Lord is the true Word, and the door of His light; 4 And the Most High hath given it to His words, which are the interpreters of His own beauty, and the repeaters of His praise, and the confessors of His counsel, and the heralds of His thought, and the chasteners of His servants. 5 For the swiftness of the Word is inexpressible, and like its expression is its swiftness and force; 6 And its course knows no limit. Never doth it fail, but it stands sure, and it knows not descent nor the way of it. 7 For as its work is, so is its end: for it is light and the dawning of thought; 8 And by it the worlds talk one to the other; and in the Word there were those that were silent; 9 And from it came love and concord; and they spake one to the other whatever was theirs; and they were penetrated by the Word; 10 And they knew Him who made them, because they were in concord; for the mouth of the Most High spake to them; and His explanation ran by means of it: 11 For the dwelling-place of the Word is man: and its truth is love. 12 Blessed are they who by means thereof have understood everything, and have known the Lord in His truth. Hallelujah.

Asked of Guide

Why does the Ode call the Word both 'mouth of the Lord' and 'dwelling-place of the Word is man'?

The poem presents the Word as God’s active speech — “the mouth of the Lord” — that issues truth, light, and the “dawning of thought.” This Word communicates and organizes creation so creation knows its Maker: “by it the worlds talk one to the other.”

At the same time the poem locates the Word within human experience: “the dwelling-place of the Word is man,” meaning humans receive, embody, and repeat divine truth. This echoes John’s Gospel, where the Logos both proceeds from God and becomes flesh to dwell among us.

Guide is the guide inside the Gnosis app, where every book on these shelves is free to read. Guide is the part you pay for — your guide has read all of them, and answers about the passage you’re actually on. Ask your guide your own question.