The Lord himself created wisdom is literally “The Lord himself created her” (see the Revised Standard Version footnote), but since Wisdom was not mentioned in verse 8, it is a good idea to repeat the noun here. Notice that Good News Translation capitalizes it. If the translator has moved “the Lord” to verse 8, this verse will begin with some equivalent of “He himself created….”

He saw her and apportioned her is literally “and he saw and counted her.” The Greek verb for “count” was used in 1.2 in the literal sense of counting items. This is its usual meaning. However, it can also be used to count qualities or characteristics of people or God; it is used in 18.5 of God’s power (Revised Standard Version “Who can measure his majestic power?”). It seems to be used here in that sense of measuring or evaluating. In Gen 1 this same sequence occurs; God creates, and looks, and evaluates (sees that it is good; see Gen 1.31). Ben Sira could very well have had the Genesis account in mind when he writes of God creating Wisdom, and it is fair enough to translate this passage with Genesis in mind. Good News Translation appears to do this with “he saw her and recognized her value.” A very bold move would be to render the first two lines as “The Lord himself created Wisdom [or, intelligence/understanding], and saw that she [or, it] was good.”

He poured her out upon all his works: Compare Joel 2.28, where God pours his spirit out on all flesh, and Wis 1.6-7, where Wisdom is a spirit that fills the world. The image is literally of pouring out Wisdom, as a liquid. Good News Translation does not use the metaphor here, perhaps because it prefers to use this image in the next verse, where it is not in the Greek. All his works refer to the works of creation, “everything he made” (Good News Translation). If ben Sira has in mind Pro 8.22, where God creates Wisdom before creating anything else, he probably means by all his works the creation of the natural world, as in Gen 1. Humanity, which was created last, is mentioned in the next verse. New English Bible translates this line as “and infused her into all his works,” that is, created everything wisely; see again Pro 8.22-31. This is presumably what Good News Translation means by “he filled everything he made with Wisdom.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• The Lord himself created Wisdom [or, intelligence]
and saw that she [or, it] was good,
and so he filled everything he made with Wisdom [or, intelligence].

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.

She dwells with all flesh according to his gift is literally “with all flesh according to his gift.” This line connects with either the preceding or the following line; we shall take it with the preceding line. The meaning appears to be “9 … He poured Wisdom out on everything he made, 10 and [he gave some] to every human being [all flesh] as he wished to give.” Revised English Bible expresses this line as “To everyone he has given her in some degree” (compare Good News Translation).

And he supplied her to those who love him: The meaning of the Greek verb rendered supplied is more like “supplied lavishly [or, abundantly].” The verb is the word used of the rich patrons of the arts in ancient Greece who would underwrite the costs of dramatic productions. The word will be used again in verse 26. In this line and the preceding two lines there is a progression of thought: all the natural world demonstrates the wisdom of God the creator, every human being has received some degree of that wisdom, and to those who love him, that is, the Jews, he has given wisdom in great abundance.

A possible model for verses 9-10 is:

• The Lord himself created Wisdom.
He looked at her, and saw that she was good.
He put Wisdom into everything he created;
to every human being he gave as much as he saw fit,
but a lavish gift of Wisdom to those who love him.

Some manuscripts add two lines to verse 10. They should be included in a footnote at the end of this verse. New Revised Standard Version provides them in a textual footnote that reads “Love of the Lord is glorious wisdom; to those to whom he appears he apportions her, that they may see him.” The idea is that someone who loves the Lord has an “ennobling wisdom,” as Shekan translates. If the Lord sees fit to appear to someone, he dignifies that person with enough wisdom to see him. We offer here a model for translation:

• If you love the Lord you will share in his greatness and wisdom;
he gives it to those to whom he appears, so that they may see him.

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.

The fear of the Lord is honor and reverence for the Lord.

This verse equates The fear of the Lord with four subsequent nouns/noun phrases: glory … exultation … gladness … crown of rejoicing. A literal translation such as Revised Standard Version will prove quite difficult for most readers. Two approaches are suggested: First, New English Bible says that the “The fear of the Lord brings” these things, which is certainly easier than saying it is these things. This could be personalized by saying “The fear of the Lord will bring you….” Second, Good News Translation expresses fear and crown as verbs with the reader as subject. This is perhaps the better model, if “crowned with happiness and joy” is not too difficult.

Glory refers here to human glory; the Greek word for glory is used in its basic sense of “good reputation.” “Honor” (Good News Translation) is a good equivalent. Exultation (Good News Translation “pride”) is not a sin here. It is thought of in a positive sense. “Self-respect” would be a better equivalent. Gladness, in Di Lella’s words, “connotes a good mental and moral state, a sense of serenity and happiness, resulting from an upright and virtuous life” (1987; page 143). The Greek word translated crown might refer to the circle of precious metal placed on the head of a ruler, or to a wreath or garland of greenery placed on the head of a person to be honored, such as the winner of an athletic contest. Crown of rejoicing is a figure meaning “joy is the glorious reward [for those who fear God].” In Good News Translation the word “crowned” could be changed to “rewarded” without distorting the meaning. The phrase gladness and a crown of rejoicing will be used again in 15.6; compare also 6.31.

An alternative model for this verse is:

• If you have reverence for the Lord, you will have honor and self-respect;
your reward will be happiness and joy.

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.

The fear of the Lord delights the heart: This means that revering the Lord makes a person happy. Good News Translation varies its vocabulary by translating fear as “honor” in this verse, and restructures the sentence by saying that honoring the Lord “is a heartfelt delight.” We may also render this as “If you revere the Lord, your heart will be filled with joy [or, delight].”

And gives gladness and joy and long life: The Greek word for gladness is the same as the one used in verse 11. The Greek word translated long life has to do with length of earthly life, not eternal life. Good News Translation has combined gladness and joy in the clause “it will give you a long and happy life,” which it connects with verse 13 as part of the same sentence. We may reorder the elements of the verse, moving long life to the beginning of the verse as follows:

• And if you fear him, your life will be long,
and your heart will be always filled with joy.

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.

With him who fears the Lord it will go well at the end; on the day of his death he will be blessed; that is, when the person who reveres and honors the Lord comes to the end of his or her life, he or she will die a good and honorable death. Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version interpret he will be blessed to mean blessed by God, but the author more likely envisions that person being blessed, spoken well of, by those who mourn. The idea of this verse and the preceding one is that if you honor the Lord, the Lord will grant you happiness by means of a long life and afterwards a death where you yourself are appropriately mourned, honored, and well spoken of. In fact, the root meaning of the Greek word translated blessed is “speak well of.” English derives from it the word “eulogize,” meaning to speak well of, especially at a funeral. It should be noticed here that Good News Translation introduces the word “God,” which is very seldom used by our author, who much prefers “the Lord”.

An alternative model for this verse is:

• If you fear the Lord, you will die an honorable death,
and people will eulogize [or, say nice things about] you on the day of your death.

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.

To fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: This is substantially the same as Pro 1.7 (compare Job 28.28; Psa 111.10; Pro 9.10; 15.33). The beginning of wisdom can be interpreted here as “the first step to Wisdom” (Good News Translation); or as the most important thing about becoming wise (see Good News Translation‘s footnotes to Pro 1.7 and Psa 111.10); or as “the essence of wisdom” (New English Bible)—what wisdom really consists of. The first of these options is to be preferred, because (a) it takes the Greek noun for beginning in its most common sense, and (b) it fits ben Sira’s purpose in writing the book—to help those who want to acquire wisdom. He tells them here that if they really want to be wise, the very first thing to do is realize their own position before God, and give him due honor. There is an ancient rabbinic proverb, which says “if there is no wisdom there is no fear [of God], if there is no fear [of God] there is no wisdom” (The Mishnah, Aboth 3.18). The formula here, “to fear the Lord is the X of wisdom,” will be repeated at verses 16, l8, and 20. An alternative model for this initial line is “When a person reveres [or, respects and obeys] the Lord, that person is starting to be wise.”

She is created with the faithful in the womb: Those who are faithful, who truly commit themselves to doing God’s will and obeying his commands, may be said to be endowed with wisdom from the beginning of their lives—even before birth. This line strengthens the connection between reverence for the Lord and wisdom made in the preceding line. The meaning is (though this is not a model for translation) that truly religious people are wise by nature. The present tense is created is a legitimate way of rendering the Greek past tense here. The author is stating this as an eternal truth, not an observation about the past. When God creates faithful people, he creates wisdom for them at the same time, and it is theirs from before birth. Good News Translation is a good translation, though “Wisdom is created for the faithful…” might be a shade closer to the Greek. God is of course the one who creates or gives this wisdom.

An alternative model for this verse is:

• When a person reveres the Lord, that person is starting to be wise;
in fact the Lord makes faithful people wise from the time they are in their mothers’ wombs.

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.

To fear the Lord is wisdom’s full measure: The first line of this verse in Greek is exactly the same as the first line of verse 14, with “fullness of wisdom” substituted for “beginning of wisdom.” The line here can be understood to mean exactly what Revised Standard Version or Good News Translation says, that honoring the Lord is what wisdom is all about, that it is what wisdom amounts to. This is a safe course to take, and we may express it as “When a person reveres [or, respects and obeys] the Lord, that person will become completely wise.”

She satisfies men with her fruits is literally “she intoxicates them with her fruits” (see the Revised Standard Version footnote). The imagery of this second line is closely connected with the meaning of first line. The intention seems to be that if you honor the Lord you will be full of wisdom as if full from a meal; if wisdom were wine, you would be drunk. This imagery is exceptionally difficult to translate, and most versions do not attempt it. However, the idea of intoxication is sometimes expressed in translation, but not often with much success; for example, Contemporary English Version says “Be drunk on the wine of wisdom.” The author’s idea is not that being wise will make you drunk to the point of senselessness, but that being wise is like having enough wine to feel happy and relaxed. “Satisfaction” is a useful approximation, and Good News Translation “she satisfies us completely with her gifts” is a good model; it even includes something of the idea of physical fullness implied in the first line. Her fruits refers to the benefits someone receives from being wise. Good News Translation expresses it as “her gifts,” and extends the sentence into the next verse, where the ideas of fullness and plenty are continued.

Translators must be aware of a danger in this verse. We must be careful to specify who is being satisfied. The Greek simply uses a pronoun, and we can end up with something like New Jerusalem Bible:

• The fullness of wisdom is to fear the Lord;
she intoxicates them with her fruits.

But who are “them?” The answer, of course, is human beings. Good News Translation uses the first person pronoun “us.” New Revised Standard Version and others say “mortals.”

An alternative model for this verse is:

• When a person reveres the Lord, that person will become completely wise,
and will be completely satisfied with the good things that wisdom brings.

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.