The root of wisdom—to whom has it been revealed?: Again the answer of this rhetorical question is understood to be “No one.” Root is another image, like “spring” in verse 5, for a place of origin; so Good News Translation says “Has anyone ever been shown where Wisdom originates?” In verse 20 it will be revealed that the root of wisdom is the fear of the Lord.

Her clever devices—who knows them?: The Greek noun translated clever devices (New Revised Standard Version “subtleties”) is interesting. The Greek adjective panourgos describes a treacherous person, one who is ready to “do anything.” The Greek verb panourgeo means to act like such a person, to “do anything.” The Greek noun panourgeuma, which is used in our text, designates something done by such a person. Yet it can be used in a good sense; compare Jdt 11.8, where Revised Standard Version translates “skill.” The basic idea seems to be cleverness, subtlety, shrewdness, the ability to make and understand fine points of reasoning.

Good News Translation reorders both lines of this verse (translated literally in Revised Standard Version) for a more natural English style. Contemporary English Version reorders the verse even further as follows:

• Who can understand
the deep thoughts of Wisdom
or how clever she is?

These models, however, sacrifice the emphasis that the Greek word order places on the nouns at the beginning of each line. For those translators who must render wisdom with a descriptive phrase, we may say:

• Who can understand where the deep and clever truths about God are to be found?

Or we may even introduce the idea of “fear” and “reverence” here and translate:

• Has God ever shown anyone that in order to understand his deep and clever truths, we must first revere him?

Some manuscripts add verse 7. It should be included in a footnote at the end of verse 6 (so Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation).

The knowledge of wisdom—to whom was it manifested?: Using the same form, this verse continues the series of rhetorical questions started in the previous verse. It is also third in a series of verses (5, 6, 7) beginning in the same way (“source of wisdom,” “root of wisdom,” knowledge of wisdom). This verse also repeats in substance the thought of verse 6. The knowledge of wisdom is a phrase that can be understood several ways. It may refer to knowing the content of wisdom (objective genitive). Or, it may refer to what Wisdom herself—the personified figure—knows (subjective genitive). Or, the second term can be understood as having the same meaning as the first (appositional genitive). We suggest the second alternative, since it leads most naturally into the second line of the verse. New English Bible provides a good model: “all that wisdom knows.” (New English Bible does not capitalize the word “wisdom,” but if someone is using the device of capitalization for the personified Wisdom, this is a place it applies.) To whom was it manifested means “to whom has it been granted.” The passive verb was … manifested is impersonal. Translators who cannot use a passive—or who do not wish to—may render this line as “Has anyone ever learned all that Wisdom knows?” But for translators who cannot personify wisdom in this way, they may say “Has anyone ever learned all the truths about God?”

And her abundant experience—who has understood it?: Abundant experience translates a single Greek noun, which is a rare word; it is used in Wis 8.8, where Revised Standard Version translates “wide experience.” The idea is that no one has any perception of the extent of Wisdom’s vast experience, so an alternative rendering is “Has anyone grasped [or, Does anyone realize] the extent of her wide experience?” Admittedly, the idea of a personified attribute having experiences is difficult, especially when this personification is supposed to have existed before creation; what kind of experiences could she have had? Perhaps the reference in the first line is to all the knowledge that Wisdom has to work with, and in the second to the many ways she has actually used it—the difference between theory and practice. This suggests the contrast between the hymn in praise of God’s glory revealed in nature (42.15–43.33) and the praise of God’s glory revealed in the lives of the famous ancestors (44.1–49.16). Alternative models for this verse are:

• Has anyone ever learned all that Wisdom knows?
Does anyone realize the many ways she has applied that knowledge?

• Has anyone ever learned all the truths about God
or realized the many ways these truths have been applied [or, used]?

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Sirach. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.