A faithful friend is an elixir of life: An elixir is medicine. Good News Translation expresses this line well: “A loyal friend is like a medicine that keeps you in good health.” Contemporary English Version is also good: “They are even like medicine that can save your life.” New Revised Standard Version‘s interpretation differs only slightly: “Faithful friends are like life-saving medicine.” These are all helpful models.

And those who fear the Lord will find him: To fear the Lord is to give the Lord due reverence and service. The pronoun him refers to the faithful friend, not to the Lord. The faithful friend is not the Lord himself, but the Lord is the basis of real friendships, as the author will explain in the next verse. Good News Translation‘s model is helpful here: “Only those who fear the Lord can find such a friend.”

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.