So the desire for wisdom leads to a kingdom: The difficulty here is that the author is deliberately ambiguous in giving kingdom a double meaning. On the one hand, he is saying that the desire for wisdom leads a person into the presence of God, into God’s own kingdom (previous verse). But on the other, he is saying that earthly kings, who are being addressed here, must honor wisdom if they expect to remain in power (see the next verse). Good News Translation translates in such a way that the reader sees only the second possibility. Translators should try not to exclude either, if at all possible. If it is not possible, the best course would be to concentrate on earthly rule, as Good News Translation has done, and hope the reader can sense the other meaning from the previous verse. Perhaps this verse could be rendered as follows:

• So no one can be a king, or be in God’s kingdom, without a desire for wisdom.

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.