Therefore if you delight in thrones and scepters, O monarchs over the peoples: Good News Translation interprets if you delight in correctly with “if you value.” Thrones and scepters are both symbols of royal authority. The scepter was an ornamented staff held in the king’s hand. Good News Translation represents it simply, but adequately, as “symbols of authority,” but it retains thrones since it supposes that the reader would be familiar with that term. It would be possible to translate both terms together as “symbols of authority.” For monarchs see verse 9. Another approach for this line would be “And so, if you rulers of nations enjoy your power and want to continue to rule.”

Honor wisdom, that you may reign for ever: Again there is a double meaning. For ever can only be understood as an overstatement (hyperbole) with reference to the kings’ earthly rule. It has often been considered proper to wish for a king that he might rule forever, but everyone, including our author, knows that the best of rulers is some day going to die. However, from verse 20 we see that there is a reference here also to good kings living forever in God’s heavenly kingdom. This line will be best translated pretty much as Good News Translation has done, wishing the earthly kings long rule, and leaving the reader to understand the fuller meaning from the context. Another possible model is “rule for a long time” (Contemporary English Version).

An alternative model for the verse is:

• And so, if you rulers of nations enjoy your power and want to continue to rule, you must honor Wisdom, so that you may rule for a long time.

This portion of the book closes, then, with an echo of 1.1.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Wisdom of Solomon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2004. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.