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Dhammapada · narration sample

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The Forgotten Books of Eden · 227 of 293

Odes of Solomon: Ode 35

“No cradled child more softly lies than I: come soon, eternity.”

1.The dew of the Lord in quietness He distilled upon me: 2 And the cloud of peace He caused to rise over my head, which guarded me continually; 3 It was to me for salvation: everything was shaken and they were affrighted; 4 And there came forth from them a smoke and a judgment; and I was keeping quiet in the order of the Lord: 5 More than shelter was He to me, and more than foundation. 6 And I was carried like a child by his mother: and He gave me milk, the dew of the Lord: 7 And I grew great by His bounty, and rested in His perfection, 8 And I spread out my hands in the lifting up of my soul: and I was made right with the Most High, and I was redeemed with Him. Hallelujah.

Asked of Guide

Why does the speaker picture God's care as a mother nursing and carrying them?

The speaker uses maternal images—carried like a child, given milk, sheltered by a cloud—to show intimate, constant care that creates growth and safety. This language claims spiritual formation: the dew and milk bring life and the “lifting up of my soul” makes the speaker righteous and redeemed with the Most High.

This image follows the Odes’ pattern of bodily tenderness for divine grace, echoing Isaiah where God comforts like a mother (Isaiah 66:13). The metaphor ties nourishment to salvation: being fed and held produces rest, perfection, and a public vindication—“they were affrighted” while I remained quiet in the Lord’s order.

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