And not only so, but punishment of some sort will come upon the former for their hostile reception of the aliens: The first line of this verse is exceptionally difficult, and no confident conclusions can be reached as to its meaning. Basically, there are two problems. One is textual; there is more than one way in which the letters of the Greek text can be divided into words. We could as well translate punishment of some sort as “another punishment,” that is, an additional punishment. A second problem is the meaning of the word translated by Revised Standard Version as punishment. It is the word “visitation” or “divine intervention”; see the note on 2.20. This word can often have a positive sense, as it does in 2.20; 3.7, 9; 4.15. In this book the word has a clear negative import only in 14.11. If the word is positive here (so Reider, Goodrick, and most clearly, An American Translation), the writer is making an “allowance” (Goodrick) for the men of Sodom that he is unwilling to make for the Egyptians. When God examines souls (see the use of the word “visitation” in 3.13), there may be hope for the men of Sodom. This would be because either (a) they were openly hostile to the strangers from the beginning, and did not turn on those whom they had earlier befriended, or (b) because the strangers involved really were strangers, whereas the Hebrews were well known to the Egyptians. If the word “visitation” is to be taken in a negative sense (so almost all others), the writer is thinking of a final punishment for Sodom that is still to come, in addition to the destruction of the city in Genesis. Our own feeling is that the word should be considered positively here.

We offer three approaches, and the translator may choose any of the three. We arrange them in order of our own preference.

• There is more. Those men long ago [or, many years ago] may yet deserve some consideration [from God]; at least they were hostile to the strangers from the beginning [or, the time they arrived].

• More than that, God may yet be kinder to those men long ago; at least the people they were hostile to [or, they abused] were complete strangers.

• Also, those men long ago still have not received their full punishment [or, been fully punished] for not welcoming the strangers.

Any of these approaches should appropriately have a footnote, such as “The text and meaning of this verse are unclear.”

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.

But the latter, after receiving them with festal celebrations, afflicted with terrible sufferings those who had already shared the same rights: When Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt, they were received with a feast (Gen 43.33-34), and when their father joined them, they were allowed to settle in the finest land in Egypt (Gen 47.5-6). Good News Translation rearranges the order of the lines so that the second line comes last, but it is a logical arrangement, and translators may follow Good News Translation with confidence. “These people” may be expanded to “these later people [or, these people in later times].”

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.

They were stricken also with loss of sight—just as were those at the door of the righteous man: The reference is to Gen 19.10-11. Lot is the righteous man. Again there is the problem of identifying the characters to the reader, although the author does not do so. Rather than name the “men of Sodom” and “Lot” as Good News Translation does, we would prefer to translate without this help, following the author’s wishes. The section heading will be of no help in identifying Lot, so we suggest this may be done with a footnote. The translation may run more smoothly if the lines are reversed in this way: “Like the men at the door of that righteous [or, good] man long ago, these people too were struck with blindness [or, became blind]” or “… you also made these people become blind.”

When, surrounded by yawning darkness, each tried to find the way through his own door: Compare 17.2; Gen 19.11. Yawning darkness is a figure for deepest darkness; Winston translates “immense darkness.” Another approach for these lines is “They were in total darkness, each person groping around to find the door to his own home.”

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.

For the elements changed places with one another: Since a new section begins here, the connector For may be omitted. In ancient thought the elements were fire, water, earth, and air. Air is not mentioned in this passage, but verses 19-20 give a good illustration of the kind of things the writer is thinking of. The ordinary workings of nature were suspended, and unexpected things happened. Good News Translation “the very elements entered into new combinations” is effective as an expression to arouse wonder, although it does not describe exactly what the author has in mind. Some translators may find that Revised Standard Version is a workable model. It would not be going too far, we believe, to specify the elements, and say “Earth, air, water, and fire exchanged functions with each other.” The Revised Standard Version footnote on changed merely provides a literal translation for this verb.

As on a harp the notes vary the nature of the rhythm, while each note remains the same: Technical terms from Greek music are used here. The most helpful explanation is provided in Vílchez, where he quotes a personal letter from the exegete Luís Alonso Schökel, himself a musician. The idea here, we learn, is that in a musical scale (our do, re, mi …) every note has a function that differs depending on which musical “mode” is being used (rather like our “key”). Even though that function varies from mode to mode, do is still do, re is still re, and so on. In a similar way fire remains fire, earth remains earth, and so on, but here there is a great change effected in which they change their functions or properties. They do not destroy the “tune,” the natural harmony, but they change it.

All of this is too technical to convey easily in translation. Most translations are content to use musical imagery in such a way as to convey the author’s point. Good News Translation translates “On a harp each string keeps its own pitch, but each sound can be combined with others to make different melodies.” Revised English Bible has “As the strings of a harp can make various tunes with different names though each string retains its own pitch.” New American Bible uses “[the elements] like strings of the harp, produce new melody, while the flow of music steadily persists.” Contemporary English Version has “Different tunes can be played on the same harp, though the strings remain the same.”

The Revised Standard Version footnote that the meaning of the verse is uncertain here is well taken. But the lack of clarity in the Greek comes from our lack of understanding of the technical terms used. It is not that the author’s point is not clear enough. Consequently we think translators need not use a footnote at this point.

The following is an alternative model for the first three lines of this verse. It follows Good News Translation by reversing the lines.

• On a harp each string always makes the same sound, even though it will sound different [to the ear] as the musician plays different tunes. It was like that in those days, when earth, air, fire, and water exchanged functions with each other.

This may be clearly inferred from the sight of what took place: The Good News Translation short sentence “Look at what happened!” is quite good. It expresses wonder and invites attention to what follows. Translators could also say “This can be clearly seen in things that happened.”

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.

For land animals were transformed into water creatures, and creatures that swim moved over to the land: The first line can only refer to the Israelites and their livestock as they crossed over the Red Sea. Apparently the second line refers to the plague of frogs (Exo 8.1-7). Good News Translation will be helpful to many translators as a model; Contemporary English Version is also with “Land animals became sea creatures, and sea creatures became land animals.”

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.

Fire even in water retained its normal power, and water forgot its fire-quenching nature: Compare 16.17. Good News Translation states this very compactly by combining the two lines. An alternative model is “Water forgot how to put out fire [or, no longer put out fire], so that fire went on burning even in water [or, even when it was covered with water].”

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.

Flames, on the contrary, failed to consume the flesh of perishable creatures that walked among them: Compare 16.18. On the contrary refers to the irony that even though water could not put out the fire, the fire could not burn the flesh of the vermin sent to plague Egypt. “And yet” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version) expresses this connection better.

Nor did they melt the crystalline, easily melted kind of heavenly food: The reference is to manna. Compare 16.20-23. Good News Translation “and did not melt that heavenly food that would ordinarily have melted like frost” is quite clear.

As the Revised Standard Version footnote indicates, nor did they melt translates a corrected text. The manuscripts offer a confusing variety of readings, but most of them have “nor could be melted.” While there is undoubtedly a textual problem, both the received text and the corrected text ultimately mean the same thing. Consequently we believe that the Good News Translation translation can be accepted on purely translational grounds, with no footnote.

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.

This verse is appropriately set apart as a separate paragraph. It is an ending doxology, or expression of praise to God, that was common at the end of Jewish books of the time.

For in everything, O Lord, thou hast exalted and glorified thy people: Since this verse is a separate doxology, the connector For is not necessary. This line may be rendered “Lord, you have always [or, in everything/in all circumstances] given great honor [or, face] to your people.” The Good News Translation model is also helpful.

And thou has not neglected to help them at all times and in all places: Contemporary English Version provides a good model with “You have never failed to help them at any time or in any place.”

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.