For I am thy slave and the son of thy maidservant: The Greek word is literally slave but may be rendered “servant” in this context. Compare Psa 86.16 and especially the first two lines of Psa 116.16, which Good News Translation translates “I am your servant, Lord I serve you just as my mother did.” Good News Translation translates well the line in view here, but does it rather idiomatically. Simpler models would be “I am your slave, as was my mother” and “My mother was your servant, and so am I” (Contemporary English Version).

A man who is weak and short-lived: The point here is not that Solomon is especially weak or short-lived, but that he is “only human” (Good News Translation). He has limited strength and a limited lifetime, as do all human beings. Good News Translation provides a good model. So also does Contemporary English Version with “a mere human whose life is short.”

With little understanding of judgment and laws: When our author refers to the Law of Moses (the Torah), unmistakably, he uses the singular “law”; see 2.12; 16.6; 18.4, 9. Here the reference to judgment and laws seems to be to the secular administration of legal matters: “I understand only a little about laws and judgments” (Contemporary English Version) or “I know very little about laws or how I should apply them.”

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.