Thou sparest all things, for they are thine, O Lord who lovest the living: To “spare” means “not to destroy.” For Thou sparest all things, Good News Translation has “You have allowed it all to exist.” Everything that exists does so because God is willing to allow it, and he allows it because he loves every living thing. Good News Translation does well by translating the connector for with “because.” In Greek the clause who lovest the living is an adjective, which is used almost like a title for God: “O life-loving Lord.” Although all things and they are neuter, referring to everything living and non-living, the adjective “life-loving” not only concentrates on living things, but especially on human life. We would not be far off to translate “O Lord who loves people” or even “O Lord who loves us.”

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.