28:10\u201322, where angels ascended and descended a stairway to the sky, but the connection with that biblical episode is not unequivocal.
\n10:12. kept him safe from those who lay in wait Refers to an episode between Jacob and Esau that is not reflected in Genesis. In fact, in Gen. 33:4\u201316, Jacob and Esau part amicably rather than engaging in battle.
\nhis arduous contest Concerns Jacob\u2019s confrontation with the angel at Penuel (Gen. 32:25\u201332).
\n10:13. a righteous man Joseph.
\n10:14. Those who accused him \u201cThose\u201d (plural) may reflect an interpretive tradition such as that found in Philo\u2019s Joseph 51, where Joseph is accused of attempted rape not only by Potiphar\u2019s wife, but by the women servants of the court as well.
\n10:15\u201321 In these verses, Ps.-Solomon narrates the Exodus story.
\n10:15. A holy people and blameless race Israel is hardly blameless in Exodus, but such a stark description fits the author\u2019s purpose of posing for his readers the choice between the righteous and the unrighteous.
\n10:15\u201316. wisdom \u2026 entered the soul Exodus makes no such reference, but the biblical anchor for such a comment may be Exod. 4:16 and 7:1, where God elevates Moses to a divine status: he is to be \u201cGod\u201d to Pharaoh.
\n10:17. the reward of their labors Refers to Exod. 12:35\u201336 (see also 3:21\u201322 and 11:2\u20133) where the Israelites ask the Egyptians for silver and gold objects before leaving Egypt (12:36 NRSV: \u201cAnd so they plundered the Egyptians.\u201d NJPS renders the verb \u201cstripped\u201d). One interpretive tradition in antiquity, responding to the negative connotations of God\u2019s people plundering, argued that the \u201cplunder\u201d was really \u201cpayment for services rendered,\u201d a reward for their labor (see Jub. 14:18; Philo, Moses 1.141).
\na starry flame Ps.-Solomon seems to be alone in describing the pillar of fire this way. Yet, stars may reflect the notion of divine attendants, angels, and the role they play in guiding Israel.
\n10:19. cast them up This comment clearly reflects an interpretive tradition where the sea \u201cvomits\u201d the dead Egyptian soldiers onto the shore. This tradition seems to be triggered by the report that although the Egyptians initially \u201cwent down into the depths like a stone\u201d (at Exod. 15:5 NJPS), later \u201cThe earth swallowed them\u201d (15:12). Presumably, the latter could happen only if the sea first spewed the soldiers onto the shore.
\n10:20. the righteous plundered the ungodly Because the Egyptian soldiers were cast up onto the shore, the Israelites were able to plunder them. This interpretation is not referred to in the Hebrew Bible, but is designed perhaps to explain how the Israelites were armed in Exod. 17:8\u201316 (see Mek. Besh. 7:94\u2013108).
\n10:21. opened the mouths of those who were mute The reference is to the Song at the Sea sung by Moses and the Israelites, but the meaning of this phrase is not clear. The reference is likely not to Moses\u2019s alleged \u201cspeech problem\u201d of Exod. 4:10; 6:12, 30 as some suggest, since Moses is not mute at the sea.
\ntongues of babes Another cryptic comment. Why Ps.-Solomon says this is not clear, but it is worth noting that infants singing at the Sea of Reeds (also called the Red Sea) is a popular Rabbinic tradition.
\n11:1\u201314 The sojourn of the Israelites in the wilderness.
\n11:5. through the very things Beginning here and through Wis. 11:14, we see Ps.-Solomon using a literary technique called synkrisis, or \u201ccomparison.\u201d This technique is found six more times in Wis. 16:1\u201319:22. The point being made by these comparisons is twofold: (1) Israel benefits from the same things that bring punishment to her enemies, the Egyptians, and (2) Egypt\u2019s punishment corresponds \u201cmeasure for measure\u201d to how they have treated the Israelite slaves. These themes are already found, at least in part, in the Exodus story (e.g., Exod. 8:22\u201323). It is also seen climactically in the crossing of the Sea of Reeds: the sea brings death to the Egyptians but life to the Israelites.
\n11:7. rebuke Pharaoh\u2019s decree regarding the drowning of Israelite male infants (Exod. 1:22) is answered in the drowning of the Egyptian army in the Sea of Reeds. In Wis. 19:4, Ps.-Solomon refers to this as a \u201cfate they deserved.\u201d The idea is expressed explicitly in 18:5. In 11:13\u201314, the Egyptians acknowledge the fact.
\n11:15\u201312:2 These verses describe the Ten Plagues.
\n11:15. irrational serpents and worthless animals Egypt\u2019s punishment corresponds to the manner of their own sin. Because Egyptian religion involved the worship of idols made in the form of animals, God responded by sending animals to punish them: frogs, gnats, flies, locusts.
\n11:17. formless matter This term may reflect Greek philosophical thinking. On the other hand, creation out of nothing (ex nihilo) is not a dominant Jewish or Rabbinic teaching (although see 2 Macc. 7:28), especially if one considers Gen. 1:1 (\u201cthe earth being unformed and void \u2026 and a wind from God sweeping over the water\u201d). Hence, it is not certain that Ps.-Solomon here is following strictly Greek thought.
\n12:3\u201327 A speech against the Canaanites, previous inhabitants of the Promised Land. To stress the point that God seeks to be merciful to all, Ps.-Solomon argues that God was merciful even to the Canaanites, who slaughtered and ate their children (Wis. 12:5). They were destroyed \u201clittle by little\u201d (v. 8) rather than all at once, thus giving them time to repent (v. 10).
\n12:7. the land most precious Echoes the LORD\u2019s special care for the land of Canaan (e.g., Deut. 11:12) and is a common notion in Rabbinic literature.
\n12:11. accursed race By contrast, the Israelites in Wis. 10:15 are a \u201cblameless race.\u201d That the Canaanites were accursed \u201cfrom the beginning\u201d is likely an allusion to Gen. 9:25\u201327 (\u201c[Noah] said, \/ \u201cCursed be Canaan\u201d). Such an absolute view toward the Canaanites is also seen in Jub. 22:20\u201321. Still, God showed them some mercy (see also the comment on Wis. 12:3\u201327).
\n12:12. For who will say Because God is merciful, no one can accuse God of injustice in his judgments. As Wis. 12:18 tells us, even though God is \u201csovereign in strength,\u201d he judges with \u201cmildness\u201d and governs the world \u201cwith great forbearance.\u201d This notion would remind Ps.-Solomon\u2019s readers that, although they are suffering for a while, God is allowing this to happen to give the oppressors time to repent.
\n12:19. the righteous must be kind A lesson the godly are to learn from God\u2019s mercy toward the nations is that they must also remember to be merciful in their judgments on their own people. God punishes \u201cwith great care and indulgence\u201d (Wis. 12:20), not harshly. (See also Matt. 7:1\u20132.)
\n12:23. tormented through their own abominations Here and through v. 27, Ps.-Solomon returns to the topic addressed in 11:15\u201320, that Egypt\u2019s punishment echoed their own idolatry.
\n13:1\u201315:13 The worship of animals by the Egyptians in 12:23\u201327 leads Ps.-Solomon to deliver a lengthy diatribe against the worship of nature in general. The purpose of this section is (1) to demonstrate more clearly the severity of Egypt\u2019s idolatry and the justice in God\u2019s punishment (see 15:14), and (2) to discourage the book\u2019s Jewish audience from following the easy path to idolatry in the midst of persecution. The major themes treated by Ps.-Solomon are similar to those found in Philo.
\n13:1. foolish by nature \u2026 unable \u2026 to know the one who exists Contrast this view to Rom. 1:18\u201323, where Paul, Ps.-Solomon\u2019s rough contemporary, blames idolatry on willful suppression of the plain and universally known truth of God as Creator, rather than attributing it to natural ignorance.
\nthe artisan Not a biblical description of God, but one that is found in Hellenistic literature.
\n13:5. from the greatness and beauty of created things As proclaimed in Ps. 19 and Job 37\u201340, the beauty and wonder of creation should lead to a proper recognition of God.
\n13:10. give the name \u201cgods\u201d to the works of human hands The confusion of the creature for the Creator is a fundamental Christian and Jewish argument against idolatry and is well rooted in the TANAKH, for example, in Isa. 44:9\u201320 and Jer. 10:1\u201316. In fact, Wis. 13:10\u201314:11 seems to be based on these biblical models. See also the apocryphal Letter of Jeremiah.
\n14:6. arrogant giants Here, Ps.-Solomon associates the Flood with \u201carrogant giants,\u201d referring to the Nephilim of Gen. 6:4 (see also Num. 13:33). In Wis. 10:4, however, Ps.-Solomon attributes the cause of the Flood to Cain. (See also the comment on 10:4. because of him.)
\n14:7. blessed is the wood church fathers considered this a reference to the cross, but it is rather a reference to Noah\u2019s ark. Noah\u2019s deliverance is certainly an act of special divine intervention, but it also reflects the natural properties of wood and skillful seafaring, both of which are matters of God\u2019s providence (Wis. 14:3). This same idea is hinted at in Wis. 10:4, where wisdom steered the ark, \u201ca paltry piece of wood.\u201d God controls what he has created and uses even something like the properties of common wood to bring the most amazing result.
\n14:9. hateful to God At first blush, Wis. 14:8\u201311 seems to contradict 11:24\u201326, where Ps.-Solomon says that God is merciful, overlooks sins, and loves all things that exist. The tension between the two passages is explained by the fact that in 14:8\u201311, Ps.-Solomon is referring to those who confuse the Creator with the creation. Certainly, God loves all things he has created (11:24), but when one attempts to create a god, the point of no return has been reached. Clearly, Ps.-Solomon\u2019s rhetoric reflects the ever-present and dire threat of idolatry to his readers.
\n14:10. what was done will be punished Referring to the idols themselves. On the punishment of idols along with idolaters, see Midr. Tanh. on Gen. 47:29.
\n14:12. fornication This likely refers to spiritual fornication, since the Hebrew Bible describes the compromise of idolatry as fornication (Exod. 34:15; Deut. 31:16; Judg. 2:17; 1 Chron. 5:25). The connection between idolatry and physical fornication, however, is documented in early Jewish literature.
\n14:15. a father, consumed with grief The pagan reaction to an untimely death\u2014making an idol of the dead loved one\u2014is to be contrasted to Ps.-Solomon\u2019s words in 3:10\u20134:9, especially 4:7\u20139.
\n14:16\u201317. at the command of monarchs \u2026 made a visible image of the king Ps.-Solomon argues that the root of idolatry is the untimely death of a child, but that this custom grew stronger over time and developed into the worship of rulers, a common ancient Near Eastern and Greco-Roman practice.
\n14:22. living in great strife Idolatry has practical implications, which are laid out in vv. 22\u201329. Similar notes are struck in Rom. 1:24\u201332, and these observations no doubt reflect actual practices in Ps.-Solomon\u2019s day.
\n15:3. root of immortality See Wis. 8:13, 17. Ps.-Solomon repeatedly encourages his readers to remember the ultimate destiny of the righteous despite the persecution they are presently enduring. Idols are dead things (15:5) and cannot bring the people to that end.
\n15:4. neither has the evil intent of \u2026 art misled us Neither Israel nor Ps.-Solomon\u2019s contemporaries were actually free from the practice of idolatry, as Ps.-Solomon claims here. This statement seems to be more an exhortation to his readers not to succumb to the temptations of idolatry rather than a statement of fact.
\n15:7\u20138. A potter \u2026 fashioning \u2026 a futile god from the same clay Echoing his scornful description of the woodcutter earlier (Wis. 13:10\u201319), Ps.-Solomon turns his attention to the potter. Here, as there, he scoffs at the notion that a creature can make out of the same natural substance both a common item and a creator.
\n15:8. return the souls that were borrowed Reflects philosophical notions of the time. See also the comment on 15:16.
\n15:14\u201316:14 The Egyptians are presented as the most foolish of idolaters.
\n15:16. one whose spirit is borrowed The same basic idea expressed in 15:8. But here and in v. 17, Ps.-Solomon clarifies that although a person\u2019s borrowed soul renders him less than God, it also raises him above lifeless idols.
\n15:18\u201319. the most hateful animals \u2026 have escaped \u2026 the praise of God Speaking of \u201chateful animals\u201d is out of accord with Gen. 1:21, 25, and 30. D. Winston suggests that this may be an allusion to a teaching of Zoroastrianism (an ancient religion that made sharp distinctions between good and evil, which included good and evil creatures). On the other hand, it is possible that Ps.-Solomon is simply pointing out that some animals are noticeably less intelligent and beautiful than others.
\n16:1. deservedly punished In this passage and elsewhere in the book (see, e.g. the comments on Wis. 11:5, 7, 15), Ps.-Solomon explains how God\u2019s punishments of the Egyptians specifically echo the Egyptians\u2019 sins, and how God often uses the means of punishment itself to simultaneously deliver the Israelites. In fact, elaborating this theme will occupy most of Ps.-Solomon\u2019s time for the remainder of the book.
\n16:5\u20136. wild animals \u2026 writhing serpents \u2026 to remind them Assuming that \u201cwild animals\u201d refers to the serpents, this comment reflects the incident recorded in Num. 21:6\u20139. Ps.-Solomon seems to be addressing a possible objection to his argument that God\u2019s punishment of the Egyptians was in stark contrast to his deliverance of the Israelites: God sends animals to punish Israel too, but only \u201cfor a little while as a warning\u201d and as a reminder of his laws. (See also the next comment.)
\n16:6. your law\u2019s command Meaning either laws concerning idolatry (Exod. 20:4\u20136) or, as suggested by Num. 21:7, \u201claw\u201d more generally understood as a warning not to grumble against God. (See also Wis. 16:11, where the laws are called \u201coracles.\u201d)
\n16:7. not by the thing that was beheld If Ps.-Solomon left the biblical narrative as it stood (Israel is saved simply by looking on the bronze serpent, according to Num. 21:8\u20139), it would compromise his argument. Hence, he makes the point that it is not the bronze image that saves, but God himself. Apparently, according to 2 Kings 18:4, the bronze serpent had become an object of worship.
\n16:13. gates of Hades This concept corresponds to Sheol found in the TANAKH (Isa. 38:10; Job 38:17). Resurrection of the body does not seem to be in view here, although \u201cto hell and back again\u201d may be another allusion to the Exodus.
\n16:16\u201317. unusual \u2026 incredible Rains, hail, storms, and \u201cfire\u201d (lightning) were among the ten plagues, and so, although natural elements, were brought on by God\u2019s doing. They were further unusual in the suspension of their physical properties; namely, fire burned amid the rain, increasing its punishing effect on the Egyptians (see also Wis. 16:19; Philo, Moses 1.114, 118; Exod. Rab. 12:6).
\n16:18. restrained, that it might not consume the creatures sent According the biblical narrative, the plagues cease as each successive plague is introduced. In fact, it is precisely the cessation of the plagues that demonstrates to Pharaoh the power of Moses and his God and contributes to the hardening of Pharaoh\u2019s heart. Ps.-Solomon, however, in direct contradiction to the Exodus narrative, assumes that the animal plagues previous to the hail (frogs, gnats, flies) lasted through the plague of hail. Ps.-Solomon is the only ancient commentator known to hold this view of the simultaneity of the plagues.
\n16:20\u201321. suited to every taste \u2026 changed to suit everyone\u2019s liking According to Exod. 16:31, manna tasted like \u201cwafers in honey.\u201d Numbers 11:6\u20138 states that the manna \u201ctasted like rich cream\u201d but became tedious to eat. Early interpreters, however, reflected on the matter more positively, stating that the manna tasted to each person according to that person\u2019s desire.
\n16:22. Snow and ice withstood \u2026 the fire that blazed in the hail Based on Wis. 19:21, \u201csnow and ice\u201d seems to be a reference to manna (see also Exod. 16:14, where manna is like \u201cfrost\u201d). Although the hail destroyed Egyptian crops (Exod. 9:31), the Israelite source of food was kept safe. If manna is the topic here, however, then Ps.-Solomon is claiming either that the Israelites received manna in Egypt or that the plague of hail extended into the desert. Perhaps, more simply, the \u201cfire that blazed in the hail\u201d refers to a similar occurrence at some point during Israel\u2019s 40 years in the wilderness.
\n16:25. changed into all forms The crucial element in Ps.-Solomon\u2019s argument: God is in control of the properties of nature and will manipulate them as he sees fit, either to punish his enemies or deliver his people.
\n16:27\u201328. was melted \u2026 to make it known that one must rise The sparse, even cryptic, observation of Exod. 16:21 concerning manna (\u201cwhen the sun grew hot, it would melt\u201d) triggers a midrash in these verses. Ps.-Solomon gives the biblical statement a specific twist to encourage his readers in their faith (rising early to pray and be grateful to God). Other versions focus on other dimensions. Manna clearly has a highly symbolic value for Ps.-Solomon.
\n17:2. darkness \u2026 long night Beginning here, Ps.-Solomon elaborates significantly on the biblical account of the plague of darkness to further contrast God\u2019s handling of the Egyptians (chap. 17) and of the Israelites (18:1\u20134). Whereas the Egyptians are subject to an oppressive darkness, the Israelites are led by a pillar of fire (18:3).
\n17:3\u20134. specters \u2026 terrifying sounds Not a biblical element, but one included by Ps.-Solomon, at least in part, to highlight the fearful reaction of the Egyptians: they see things and hear sounds (see also 17:15). This may be simply an imaginative elaboration by the author or a brief reflection of a wider literary motif.
\n17:5. no power of fire No man-made fire could cut through the darkness.
\n17:6. Nothing \u2026 except a dreadful, self-kindled fire Ps.-Solomon begins here to elaborate on the effects of the plague of darkness. What the phrase \u201cdreadful, self-kindled fire\u201d refers to is unclear. This phrasing has no known parallel in ancient Jewish literature.
\n17:12\u201313. reason \u2026 ignorance Ps.-Solomon may here be reflecting a contemporary philosophical notion that reason holds fear at bay while ignorance of the cause of that fear is crippling.
\n17:14. powerless Hades The source of the darkness is Sheol, and thus the darkness is a fitting punishment for Israel\u2019s enemies (see Exod. Rab. 14:2). Its true powerlessness also highlights the pathetic state of the terrified Egyptians. They have melted into a cowardly fear (Wis. 17:8\u201311), and are little more than frightened children, devoid of reason, inwardly weak, and ignorant (vv. 12\u201313). Their sleep is plagued by nightmares (vv. 14\u201315), and they are frightened by everything, not only the roar of wild beasts, but even the singing of birds and rushing of water (vv. 16\u201319).
\n18:4. their enemies deserved As already expressed in 17:2, Egypt\u2019s punishment fit their actions. What they did to the Israelites had far-reaching implications, more than they knew. They oppressed those through whom the Law was to be given to the world and so, however unwittingly, attempted to thwart the worldwide purposes of God. Israel\u2019s role in bringing the knowledge of God to the nations is intimated in Exod. 19:5\u20136.
\n18:6. made known beforehand to our ancestors See Gen. 15:14; 26:3.
\n18:8. by the same means Beginning with this verse, Ps.-Solomon draws another contrast between the Egyptians and the Israelites, this time focusing on the death of the Egyptians in the tenth plague and the crossing of the Sea of Reeds. The theme revisited here is that the Egyptians get what they deserve: they tried to kill Israel\u2019s children by drowning them in the Nile (Exod. 1:22), so God kills the Egyptian army in the tenth plague and in another body of water, the Sea of Reeds.
\n18:9. agreed to the divine law \u2026 singing the praises Refers to the Passover as it came to be understood in postbiblical times, as a divine law and accompanied by singing songs of praise (Hallel psalms). See 2 Chron. 30:21; 35:15; Jub. 49:6.
\n18:13. God\u2019s child Only through the death of their own children do the Egyptians finally come to recognize what was announced in Exod. 4:22, that Israel is God\u2019s firstborn.
\n18:15. all-powerful word \u2026 stern warrior Wisdom is also referred to as all-powerful in Wis. 7:23. As throughout the book, wisdom is Ps.-Solomon\u2019s way of speaking about God. In other words, the author is not referring here to a warrior agent of God who does his bidding (as one might find in Greek thought), but to God himself.
\n18:17. apparitions in dreadful dreams Ps.-Solomon\u2019s reference here is unclear, but the verse likely reflects either an interpretive tradition not known to us from other sources (based perhaps on Dan. 2) or contemporary notions concerning the role of dreams.
\n18:21. champion Aaron\u2019s role in diverting God\u2019s wrath in the desert rebellion of Num. 16 is extolled. incense On the atoning work of incense, see 4 Macc. 7:11; Tg. Ps.-J. to Num. 17:12; Mek. Wayassa\u2019 on Exod. 17:5.
\n18:24. long robe The description of Aaron\u2019s garments has its roots in ancient Jewish interpretive tradition. For example, in Philo (Moses 3.11\u201314) the high priest\u2019s robe is understood as a symbolic representation of the physical universe, and the four rows of stones (12 stones, one for each \u201cancestor,\u201d i.e., tribe of Judah; see also Exod. 28:17) represent the 12 signs of the zodiac. (See also Philo, Migration 18.102\u20134; Josephus, Ant. 3.4.7.)
\n19:1\u201322 In this final chapter, Ps.-Solomon narrates the crossing of the Sea of Reeds.
\n19:1. God knew in advance See Exod. 14:3\u20134: \u201cPharaoh will say of the Israelites, \u2018They are astray \u2026\u2019 \/ Then I will stiffen Pharaoh\u2019s heart and he will pursue them.\u201d
\n19:2. hastily sent them out This is better translated \u201chastily accompanied them.\u201d The Gk. verb propemp\u014d often means \u201cescort\u201d and corresponds to the Hebrew verb shalakh found in Exod. 13:17. Ps.-Solomon seems to be reflecting an interpretive tradition such as that found in Mek. Besh. 1:1\u20133, which has the Egyptians escorting the Israelites out of Egypt. The most potent contrast to be made between the Egyptians and the Israelites, and the most fitting with which to end the book, is the incident at the Sea of Reeds. The means by which God punishes Egypt is the very same means by which he delivers the Israelites.
\n19:3. begged and compelled Exodus does not indicate that the Egyptians begged the Israelites to leave Egypt. Tg. Ps.-J. to Exod. 12:31\u201333, however, says that Moses and Aaron \u201cdid not pay attention\u201d to Pharaoh\u2019s \u201cweeping voice\u201d until all of Pharaoh\u2019s officials and all the Egyptians came out and \u201curged\u201d the people to leave.
\n19:4. fate they deserved The drowning of the soldiers in the Sea of Reeds was payback for the drowning of the Israelite infants in the Nile in Exod. 1:22. Ps.-Solomon has spoken to this earlier (see the comments to Wis. 11:7; 16:1; and 18:4), and it is also a well-known theme in ancient Jewish literature.
\n19:6. the whole creation \u2026 was fashioned anew Ps.-Solomon understands the miracle at the sea to be a change in the created order, where elements of the physical world act in ways contrary to their created nature. This is in keeping with Greek thought and is laid out more fully in 19:18\u201321: \u201cthe elements changed places with one another\u201d (v. 18).
\n19:7. a grassy plain This description of the bottom of the Sea of Reeds is not found in Exodus, but it is similar to a description found in Tg. Ps.-J. to Exod. 15:9. The role of creation in keeping Israel unharmed (Wis. 19:6) is a theme found elsewhere in the book (e.g., 16:15\u201329).
\n19:13. violence of thunder This may refer to an interpretive tradition where the drowning of the Egyptians occurred during or after a great war of the elements. See Mek. Besh. to Exod. 14:25, which cites Ps. 77:19.
\n19:13\u201317. practiced a more bitter hatred of strangers \u2026 those at the door of the righteous man In Wis. 19:13\u201317, Egypt\u2019s sin against Israel is understood as inhospitality. Having once been invited guests (Gen. 45:16\u201320), the Israelites were then enslaved by the Pharaoh who \u201cdid not know Joseph\u201d (Exod. 1:8). The plague of darkness, alluded to here (\u201cstricken also with loss of sight\u201d), is seen as a direct consequence of inhospitality. The phrase \u201cthose at the door of the righteous man\u201d is a reference to the Sodom episode (Gen. 19:11). The sin of inhospitality by the Egyptians is analogous to the sin of inhospitality by the residents of Sodom against Lot and the angelic visitors. For a similar understanding of the sin of Sodom, see Ezek. 16:49\u201350; Matt. 10:11\u201315; Heb. 13:1\u20132.
\n19:22 This verse summarizes nicely the unifying theme of the book as a whole: \u201cWisdom delivers\u201d\u2014whether now or later, past or present, this life or the next. God never neglects his people. It matters little what the circumstances are; he is with them \u201cin everything.\u201d Nor is God\u2019s saving power relegated to a bygone era; he is with his people \u201cat all times.\u201d And God\u2019s saving power knows no boundary; he is with his people \u201cin all places,\u201d even death. God has always been with his people, for absolutely nothing\u2014neither time, place, nor circumstance\u2014is outside of the reach of God\u2019s overarching plan and purpose, which will not be frustrated and will come to pass. This is the message of the book for a people who, amid trying times, were in danger of losing hope in the God of their ancestors.<\/p>\n
Wisdom of Ben Sira<\/p>\n
Benjamin G. Wright III<\/p>\n
The Wisdom of Ben Sira is a Jewish Wisdom book composed in the tradition of other ancient Near Eastern and biblical Wisdom Literature, such as the biblical book of Proverbs. It contains a range of practical advice and speculative wisdom, apparently intended for young Jerusalemite men who were training to be scribes. In it we can find many parallels to other Wisdom books in both form and content; but at the same time it displays a number of developments from older Wisdom texts, such as the sophisticated theology of the relationship between Wisdom and the Torah in chapter 24 and the inclusion of the long hymn in Praise of the Ancestors in chapters 44\u201350. The book is an important witness to the place and use of Wisdom traditions in Judaism of the Second Temple period.<\/p>\n
Authorship and History<\/p>\n
The Wisdom of Ben Sira was written in Hebrew by a Jerusalemite scribe\/sage, whose grandson translated the book into Greek, which became the primary form of transmission of this important ancient work. Manuscript B from the Cairo Genizah provides us with the author\u2019s name, given in Sir. 50:27 as \u201cSimeon ben (\u201cson of\u201d) Joshua ben Eleazar ben Sira.\u201d Greek manuscripts have the form \u201cJesus son of Eleazar son of Sirach,\u201d suggesting that the Hebrew text has \u201cSimeon\u201d in error. No Hebrew manuscript survives with the title of the book, although a postscript in Manuscript B has two titles: \u201cThe words of Simeon, the son of Joshua, who is called Ben Sira\u201d and \u201cThe Wisdom of Simeon, the son of Joshua, the son of Eleazar, the son of Sira.\u201d Superscriptions in Greek manuscripts simply call the book \u201cThe Wisdom of Jesus son of Sirach.\u201d
\nIn subsequent tradition the book has gone by three names: (1) The Wisdom of Jesus Ben Sira, which derives from the Hebrew tradition, the name by which the book is generally known (Jesus being the Greek form of Joshua); (2) The Wisdom of Jesus Son of Sirach, or simply Sirach, which represents the Greek tradition, Sirach being the transliteration of Hebrew Sira; and (3) the Latin Ecclesiasticus (meaning \u201cthe Church\u2019s book\u201d), the name given in many manuscripts of the Vulgate, and the title it usually goes by in Roman Catholic tradition. Although the book did not make it into the Jewish canon, it was part of the Christian Old Testament (where it remains in Roman Catholic and Orthodox Bibles) up until the Reformation, when Protestants removed it and placed it into a group of texts known as the Apocrypha.
\nJoshua Ben Sira lived in Jerusalem and most likely wrote sometime between 195 BCE and 180 BCE, dates that are determined in relationship with other contemporary figures. Ben Sira includes in his book a praise of the high priest Simon II (219 BCE\u2013196 BCE), who was probably high priest during Ben Sira\u2019s lifetime and after whose death Ben Sira likely composed the book. But Ben Sira shows no awareness of the tragic events that unfolded under the Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175 BCE\u2013164 BCE), which provoked the Hasmonean revolt. Ben Sira\u2019s grandson, who translated the book into Greek, tells us in the prologue to his translation that he arrived in Egypt \u201cin the thirty-eighth year of the reign of Euergetes,\u201d most probably Ptolemy VIII Physcon Euergetes II, about 132 BCE. The language of the prologue suggests that the grandson published his translation after Ptolemy\u2019s death in 117 BCE. Working back about two generations from this date, we arrive in the same time period, somewhere around 180, for the original composition.
\nThe history of the transmission of the text of the Wisdom of Ben Sira is complicated. The Hebrew and the Greek eventually circulated in two separate forms each. The original Hebrew text (HTI), although not canonical, continued to be read, and underwent a process of expansion with additional proverbs that resulted in a second Hebrew version (HTII). The grandson made his original Greek translation (GI) from his grandfather\u2019s Hebrew, but by the time he translated, some corruptions had already entered the Hebrew tradition. Later a second Greek version (GII) incorporated the material from the second Hebrew version. We have not included the HTII and GII additions here.
\nThe evidence from Rabbinic literature shows that the Rabbinic sages knew the Wisdom of Ben Sira, but in exactly what form is difficult to know. In Rabbinic texts, quotations from the work often appear as if Ben Sira were himself a Rabbinic authority, and sometimes they even have the introduction \u201cit is written,\u201d usually reserved for scriptural citations. While some of the Rabbinic quotations are close to the textual forms found in manuscripts of the book, others are divergent or altogether different. We find Rabbinic quotations attributed to Ben Sira as late as Saadia Gaon in the early Middle Ages.
\nThe Hebrew book eventually fell into obscurity, however, and until the late 19th century, the Wisdom of Ben Sira\u2019s primary languages of transmission were Greek, Latin, and Syriac. In 1896 a large number of manuscript fragments from a genizah (a storeroom for manuscripts) from a synagogue in Cairo, Egypt, came to the attention of Solomon Schechter at Cambridge University. Among these fragments Schechter identified several belonging to the Wisdom of Ben Sira, and currently six fragmentary manuscripts of the work, designated A through F, have come out of the Cairo Genizah materials. The Hebrew text had apparently reemerged in the Middle Ages in Karaite communities on the margins of normative Judaism, perhaps becoming known to the Karaites as part of a discovery of Hebrew manuscripts in the area of the Dead Sea around 800 CE. Later in the 20th century two small fragments came to light in Cave 2 at Qumran, containing 6:14\u201315, 20\u201331. Although they do not preserve much text, they show that the Wisdom of Ben Sira was written in poetic lines at Qumran. The work shows up in a second Qumran find, 11QPsalmsa, which preserves portions of 51:13\u201319, 30. Finally, Yigael Yadin\u2019s excavations at Masada turned up an important manuscript of the Wisdom of Ben Sira containing portions of 39:27\u201344:17, whose text confirms the basic authenticity of the Cairo Genizah manuscripts. Currently about two-thirds of the book survives in Hebrew. Even though a sizable amount of Hebrew text is now available, most scholars still regard the grandson\u2019s Greek translation as the best witness to the text of the book.<\/p>\n
Significance<\/p>\n
Joshua Ben Sira was a scribe\/sage who lived during an important period in Jewish history. He was alive during the changeover from domination of ancient Judah by the Ptolemaic dynasty to control by the rival Seleucids around 200 BCE, and some passages in the book can be construed as comments on his contemporary political situation. Given his occupation, he likely worked for the aristocratic priestly class in Jerusalem, for which he expresses ardent support. As a teacher, he trained young, budding sages for careers in public service in a formal pedagogical setting (see Sir. 51:23). As a scribe, Ben Sira would have had expert training in the traditions of ancient Israel, which would have included general wisdom fare but also a close familiarity with traditions and texts that would later become part of Hebrew Scripture. As part of his Wisdom instruction, Ben Sira includes a discussion of the scribe in 38:24c\u201339:11 in which he distinguishes the scribe\u2019s work from that of farmers, merchants, and artisans. He notes that to be learned one needs \u201cleisure time\u201d that does not bring the distractions of other occupations. Scribes like Ben Sira held a high social status, but they were not at the top of the ladder. Ben Sira frequently mentions that his students must negotiate their relationships with the rich and powerful, on the one hand, but are also required to care for the poor and disadvantaged, on the other. Comments like these that hint at Ben Sira\u2019s and his students\u2019 dependence on the aristocratic and wealthy class for their social standing and economic well-being have prompted some scholars to use the designation \u201cretainer\u201d to describe Ben Sira\u2019s social position.
\nAlthough the Wisdom of Ben Sira bears the scholarly descriptor \u201cWisdom book,\u201d it is more complex than that label often intimates. Like the biblical book of Proverbs, the basic building block of the work is the mashal or proverb, but Ben Sira also employs a range of other literary forms, such as the hymn of praise, the lament, lists, and the prophetic \u201cWoe.\u201d He writes most of his proverbs in poetic bicola (two-line stanzas), and most often they are woven together to form self-contained poems on a topic or topics. The book has no agreed-upon general structure, but it does divide roughly into a first part extending from Sir. 1:1 to 23:27; a second part that begins with the famous self-praise of Wisdom in 24:1 through to 43:33; a third part, the Praise of the Ancestors (44:1\u201350:24); and a concluding section, 50:25\u201351:30.
\nAlthough no clear structure organizes the entire book, several themes emerge as critical for understanding Ben Sira\u2019s worldview:
\nFear of the LORD. For Ben Sira, this phrase epitomizes the proper motivation for doing God\u2019s commandments and the response that the pious should have toward God, one characterized by thankfulness, reverence, and awe. In the first two chapters, Ben Sira mentions fearing God 17 times, and he connects this attitude to wisdom. The fear of the LORD brings joy (1:11), \u201cis the beginning of wisdom\u201d (1:14), and \u201cis the root of wisdom\u201d (1:20). Those who fear the LORD persevere in testing, \u201cwait for his mercy,\u201d and \u201ctrust in him\u201d (2:1\u20138). In 2:15\u201316, Ben Sira places in parallel cola \u201cthose who fear the LORD\u201d and \u201cthose who love him.\u201d These people \u201cdo not disobey his word,\u201d \u201cseek to please him,\u201d and \u201care filled with his law.\u201d Elsewhere in his book, Ben Sira brings Wisdom and Law into close association, and together with fear of the LORD they form a theological triad.
\nWisdom. The concept of wisdom underlies almost all of Ben Sira\u2019s instruction. As in other Wisdom texts, he speaks of Wisdom as a woman whom the aspiring sage must pursue. In 51:13\u201322, he includes a first-person poem on the paradigmatic search for her. In the famous chapter 24, Ben Sira provides the theological basis for Wisdom being such a pervasive theme. Wisdom\u2019s origin is in heaven, and she was present at Creation. God sent her to dwell in the Temple in Jerusalem where she ministers \u201cbefore him\u201d (24:10). \u201cAll this [i.e., Wisdom],\u201d Ben Sira writes, \u201cis the book of the covenant of the Most High God\u201d (24:23). In this grand statement, then, Ben Sira finds Wisdom in creation, in the cultic sacrificial system, and in the Torah.
\nCreation. Since Wisdom was present in the beginning and built into the created order, Ben Sira understands creation as having an observable structure and meaning. In the longest of several poems whose subject is the \u201cworks of the LORD,\u201d 42:15\u201343:33, Ben Sira emphasizes that God is separate from his creation and in control of it. He commands, and the created order obeys. As Ben Sira considers the structure of creation, he observes that God has made everything in pairs of opposites that are complete in themselves (42:24\u201325).
\nTheodicy. The doctrine of pairs also forms one support for Ben Sira\u2019s views of God\u2019s justice. Throughout the book, he refers to many different kinds of pairs; for example, the wise and the fool, the rich and the poor, good things and bad things, life and death, festival days and ordinary days. A world structured by the existence of these pairs enables Ben Sira to account for both good and evil in the world; everything falls under God\u2019s sovereign control. Within this general view, Ben Sira holds to the idea that God will reward the righteous and punish the wicked, so at least in this sense, human beings have the ability to make choices and thus bear responsibility for their decisions (cf. 15:15\u201317). Yet, he seems to be aware that life does not always work this way, since in 40:8\u201311 he recognizes that \u201cdeath and bloodshed and strife and sword, calamities and famine and ruin and plague\u201d affect all people, but in order to maintain his beliefs, he claims that they happen \u201cto sinners seven times more.\u201d
\nHonor and Shame. Deeply embedded in the cultural system of Second Temple Judea are the values of honor and shame, which determine a man\u2019s social standing. In general, honor is accrued as a man is able to control what society sees as the defining aspects of his life, such as property, household, friendship, piety; he receives shame when he cannot control these things. Of particular interest to Ben Sira in this regard are women, and his remarks about wives and daughters have generated a large volume of scholarly comment. Women pose a unique risk to male honor due to their sexuality, and Ben Sira spends considerable time advising his charges about how to deal with the women in their lives. Ben Sira lived in a world where the male head of a household had authority over his \u201cpossessions,\u201d which included his wife and children. Women were regarded as especially problematic, because they did not generally accrue honor themselves, but their behavior directly affected the status of the men\u2014father and husband\u2014in their lives. So, a good wife is a blessing and honor to a man; an evil wife brings shame. A good daughter reflects well on her father; a headstrong daughter makes him a laughingstock. Ben Sira\u2019s general attitude is summed up in his remarks in 42:14: \u201cBetter the wickedness of a man than a woman who does good; it is woman who brings shame and disgrace.\u201d
\nDeath, Name, and Memory. Ben Sira did not believe in any kind of afterlife where the pious received reward and the ungodly were punished. All go to the common place of the dead, Sheol, where they live a shade-like existence. Consequently, Ben Sira thought that God recompensed one\u2019s deeds in this life, often in the form of a happy or grievous death. There was opportunity for a sort of immortality, though, which came in two related ways\u2014a good name and a good memory. One\u2019s name survived in one\u2019s sons, and so Ben Sira places great importance on raising pious children who will treat their parents properly and who will carry on the good name of their father. After death, the community would sing the praises of the righteous person, and thus his memory would live on in the assembly. In 44:13\u201315, Ben Sira gives an epitome of his beliefs: \u201cTheir [i.e., godly men\u2019s] offspring will continue forever, and their glory will never be blotted out. Their bodies are buried in peace, but their name lives on generation after generation. The assembly declares their wisdom, and the congregation proclaims their praise.\u201d<\/p>\n
GUIDE TO READING<\/p>\n
One could approach reading the Wisdom of Ben Sira in different ways. In at least two places, Ben Sira notes that he left his instruction \u201cin writing\u201d (39:32) and \u201cin this book\u201d (50:27), and although over the course of its history the book has been subject to expansions and changes, there is every reason to think that the book we have is the product of this sage. Thus, a straightforward reading will be of benefit, since often Ben Sira uses keywords to connect poems back-to-back, which suggests that he intended to have these topics follow each other. However, given that this Wisdom book has no clear structure, the reader could also look at all the passages that treat a specific topic, such as women or friends. In this way, one can get Ben Sira\u2019s complete thoughts about the subject. The one section that should be approached from beginning to end is the Praise of the Ancestors, since it forms the only truly unified part of the book. It begins with a general introduction to the famous ancestors and then moves in an \u201chistorical\u201d order praising a series of ancient figures. Ben Sira emphasizes the office and accomplishments of each figure, focusing especially on those with whom God made a covenant. Yet, even this section has connections with the earlier chapters. So, for instance, the Praise of Simon II at the end of the Praise recalls Ben Sira\u2019s earlier description of Wisdom in chapter 24 (as it does also the praise of Aaron earlier in the Praise).<\/p>\n
SUGGESTED READING<\/p>\n
Argall, Randal A. 1 Enoch and Sirach. Society of Biblical Literature Early Judaism and Its Literature 8. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1995.
\nBeentjes, Pancratius C., ed. The Book of Ben Sira in Modern Research. Beihefte zur Zeitschrift f\u00fcr die alttestamentaliche Wissenschaft 255. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1997.
\nCamp, Claudia V. \u201cUnderstanding a Patriarchy: Women in Second Century Jerusalem Through the Eyes of Ben Sira.\u201d In \u201cWomen like This\u201d: New Perspectives on Jewish Women in the Greco-Roman World, 1\u201339. Society of Biblical Literature Early Judaism and Its Literature 1. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1991.
\nCollins, John J. Jewish Wisdom in the Hellenistic Age. Louisville KY: Westminster John Knox, 1997.
\nDi Lella, Alexander A. \u201cWisdom of Ben Sira.\u201d Anchor Bible Dictionary, 6:931\u201345. David Noel Freedman, ed. New York: Doubleday, 1992.
\nHorsley, Richard A. Scribes, Visionaries, and the Politics of Second Temple Judea. Louisville KY: Westminster John Knox, 2007.
\nMack, Burton L. Wisdom and the Hebrew Epic: Ben Sira\u2019s Hymn in Praise of the Fathers. Chicago Studies in the History of Judaism. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1985.
\nPerdue, Leo G. Wisdom Literature: A Theological History. Louisville KY: Westminster John Knox, 2007. On Ben Sira, see pp. 217\u201366.
\nSkehan, Patrick W., and Alexander A. Di Lella. The Wisdom of Ben Sira. Anchor Bible 39. Garden City NY: Doubleday, 1989.
\nWright, Benjamin G. No Small Difference: Sirach\u2019s Relationship to Its Hebrew Parent Text. Society of Biblical Literature Septuagint and Cognate Studies 26. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1989.<\/p>\n
COMMENTARY<\/p>\n
Prologue<\/p>\n
Ben Sira\u2019s grandson, who translated his book from Hebrew into Greek, introduces his translation by giving Ben Sira\u2019s credentials and purpose and by explaining both the circumstances that led him to translate and the difficulty of translating.
\nthe Law and the Prophets and the others Some scholars understand this reference to indicate a threefold division of Jewish Scripture. While the grandson recognizes specific categories called \u201cLaw\u201d and \u201cProphets,\u201d \u201cothers\u201d does not unequivocally refer to what later became the \u201cWritings\u201d section of the Jewish canon. Cf., for example, Jesus\u2019s words in Luke 24:44: \u201cEverything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.\u201d See also in the prologue: \u201cthe Law and the Prophets and the other books of our ancestors\u201d and \u201cthe Law itself, the Prophecies, and the rest of the books.\u201d
\nthe Scriptures Literally, \u201cthem,\u201d meaning all the traditional books referred to above.
\nthose who read the Scriptures must \u2026 as lovers of learning \u2026 help the outsiders The epithet \u201clovers of learning\u201d accords with the \u201cinstruction and wisdom\u201d for which the grandson has just commended Israel. He implicitly places his grandfather among those who are lovers of learning who help \u201coutsiders,\u201d and since Ben Sira devoted much effort to the reading of Israel\u2019s literary heritage, the grandson says just below that Ben Sira\u2019s book belongs in the category of Israel\u2019s instruction and wisdom. Hence it also should be included within the larger scope of \u201cthe Law and the Prophets and the others that followed them.\u201d
\nmake even greater progress in living according to the law This phrase indicates that the \u201coutsiders\u201d are most likely Jews.
\nwe may seem to have rendered some phrases imperfectly \u2026 the rest of the books differ not a little when read in the original This section is often taken as an apologia, or defense, for any lack of fidelity to the Hebrew. The NRSV supports this reading. Yet, given the circumstances under which the grandson made his translation, this interpretation seems unlikely. A different way to translate this section might be \u201cYou are invited, therefore, to a reading with goodwill and attention, and to exercise forbearance in cases where we may be thought to be insipid with regard to some expressions that have been the object of great care in rendering; for what was originally expressed in Hebrew does not have the same force when it is in fact rendered in another language. And not only in this case, but also in the case of the Law itself and the Prophets and the rest of the books the difference is not small when these are expressed in their own language\u201d (New English Translation of the Septuagint, NETS). As a defense of his own translation to a community who presumably cannot read the Hebrew original, this section more likely articulates the grandson\u2019s anxiety about how his audience will perceive the rhetorical force of his Greek translation. Lest his readers be too critical, he remarks that the same lack of rhetorical skill is found in the translations of the \u201cLaw, Prophets, and the rest of the books.\u201d That is, he is translating in the same manner as the translators of these works.
\nthirty-eighth year of the reign of Euergetes That is, 132 BCE. Almost certainly this is Ptolemy VIII Physkon Euergetes II, who assumed the throne in 170 BCE.
\nopportunity for no little instruction The NRSV translates the Gk. aphormen as \u201copportunity,\u201d although it can mean \u201cresources\u201d or \u201cmeans.\u201d This translation suggests that the grandson learned from members of the Alexandrian community and decided to contribute his grandfather\u2019s work to these resources. Most manuscripts read aphomoion (\u201creproduction\u201d or \u201cexemplar\u201d), which is the preferred reading. Thus, \u201cI found an exemplar of no little instruction.\u201d That is, the grandson found written material that prompted him to add his grandfather\u2019s wisdom to this stock. Another possible interpretation would be that he found his grandfather\u2019s work already in Egypt, although in the context, this seems less likely.
\nthose living abroad The grandson\u2019s audience is Egyptian Jews who want to \u201clive according to the law,\u201d whereas his grandfather\u2019s audience would have been Jews in Judea who pursued the same goal.
\n1:1\u201310 Sir. 1:1\u20133:6b does not survive in Hebrew. Verses 1\u201310 form a short poem on wisdom that makes important claims that recur throughout the book. Wisdom is pictured as a woman (especially in vv. 6, 9\u201310) whom God created in the beginning. The myth of Wisdom created at the beginning was widespread in early Judaism, and it influenced Christian thinking about Jesus (see John 1:1\u20133 where some of the language derives from these ideas about Wisdom). The questions of Sir. 1:2\u20136 emphasize the impossibility of knowing the secrets of creation (cf. Job 38\u201341). Wisdom is inscrutable, like the rest of God\u2019s created order (cf. Job 28), but human beings also have access to her. Sir. 1:8 introduces the idea of fear of the LORD, a central theme of the book (see comment on 1:11\u201330).
\n1:4. created before all other things Wisdom is God\u2019s creation, who also participated in Creation; cf. Prov. 8:22.
\n6. The root of wisdom\u2014to whom has it been revealed? The rhetorical question suggests that no one knows Wisdom\u2019s root, but see Sir. 1:20, where it is equated with fear of the LORD.
\n9\u201310. created her \u2026 took her measure The architectural metaphor, combined with a second claim that God created Wisdom, establishes her relation to the world. She is not God, but all of the created order is suffused with her.
\nlavished her upon those who loved him Although Wisdom is given to all of creation (v. 9), God gives a special measure of Wisdom to Israel. See 1:26 where the same verb is used, but the connection is more explicit.
\n11\u201330 A 22-line poem, although it is not an acrostic. The book\u2019s first poem introduced Wisdom; the second sets out a second major idea, \u201cfear of the LORD.\u201d In the second stanza (vv. 14\u201320), Ben Sira connects \u201cfear of the LORD\u201d with Wisdom, culminating in the claim that \u201cto fear the LORD is the root of wisdom.\u201d \u201cFear\u201d in this context does not equal being afraid, but rather it indicates the awe and reverence that humans should have for God. Ben Sira sharpens the focus on Israel and introduces keeping \u201cthe commandments\u201d (v. 26), which completes a triad that he exploits throughout his instruction: seeking wisdom and fearing the LORD are directly related to keeping the commandments\/Law. Note the repetition of important vocabulary: \u201cfear,\u201d \u201cwisdom,\u201d \u201cgladness,\u201d \u201cglory,\u201d \u201ccrown,\u201d \u201clong life.\u201d
\n12. long life Here connected with \u201cfear of the LORD.\u201d Note the repetition in v. 20 where \u201cher branches are long life\u201d refers to Wisdom.
\n13. a happy end Ben Sira does not envision a blessed or cursed afterlife, but, consistently with other Israelite literature, a shade-like post-mortem existence in Sheol (cf. 14:12, 16; 17:27). God rewards people in this life, in part with a happy death blessed by God; see 11:26\u201328.
\n14. created with the faithful in the womb Invokes the prophetic motif of God consecrating a prophet before birth; see Sir. 49:7; Jer. 1:5.
\n15. made among human beings an eternal foundation In the two poems in chapter 1, Ben Sira claims that Wisdom has been given to all humanity, but especially to Israel (cf. Sir. 1:10, 26). \u201cAn eternal foundation\u201d might refer to the Jerusalem Temple where Wisdom takes up residence; see 24:8.
\n23. right moment A translation of Gk. kairos, indicating the right or opportune time to do something. Ben Sira uses it with respect to human emotions (here, anger) and especially speech.
\n26. will lavish her upon you Cf. 1:10. Ben Sira connects Wisdom with the Mosaic Law and thus with Israel.
\n30. bring dishonor upon yourself Ben Sira lived in an honor-shame culture in which a man\u2019s honor and status were dependent on his ability to keep control of the defining aspects of his life, things such as household, family, etc. Shame, then, must be avoided at all costs and, as Ben Sira notes, comes with one\u2019s \u201cfall.\u201d Especially pertinent is a man\u2019s ability to control the women in his life.
\n2:1. My child Ben Sira often uses this Wisdom mode of address for his students, sometimes using the plural children. It originates in the teaching of wisdom in the home, but the sage\/teacher exploits the rhetoric in order to claim a parental authority over his students. It is widespread in a variety of early Jewish texts. In Sirach this formula usually indicates the beginning of a new section.
\n3. Cling to him \u2026 be prosperous Ben Sira adheres to the Deuteronomistic view that faithfulness to God brings prosperity.
\nlast days Refers to the end of one\u2019s life. Ben Sira does not have a concept of postmortem rewards and punishments; God recompenses people in this life.
\n4\u20135. Accept whatever befalls you \u2026 For gold is tested in the fire These verses follow the idea of God\u2019s \u201ctesting.\u201d One must persevere in these times, because, as we see in verses 5\u20136, \u201ctesting\u201d is akin to refining gold. God will help those who trust in him through these times, as in the example of Job.
\n7\u201311. wait for his mercy \u2026 For the LORD is compassionate and merciful These verses begin and end with an appeal to God\u2019s mercy, forming an inclusio\u2014a word, phrase, or idea that opens and closes a literary unit.
\n10. Consider the generations of old An appeal to \u201chistory\u201d as proof that those who trust and persevere are rewarded. The series of rhetorical questions in verses 10\u201311 all intend \u201cNo\u201d as an answer. Elsewhere Ben Sira offers more specific examples from history; the most detailed ones appear in chapters 44\u201350.
\n12\u201314. Woe \u2026 Woe \u2026 Woe Although a Wisdom teacher, Ben Sira employs a prophetic form. In other places in the book he frames his own teaching as prophecy; see especially 24:30\u201334.
\n14. the LORD\u2019s reckoning The conclusion to the woes that envisions God\u2019s judgment on people like those mentioned in the prior verses.
\n15\u201317 These verses place in parallel construction \u201cthose who fear the LORD\u201d with \u201cthose who love him.\u201d Ben Sira emphasizes obedience to God\u2019s words, ways, and law as the way to please God.
\n18. equal to his name are his works Specifically works of mercy. Ben Sira plays on the name Merciful One, which he uses in 50:19.
\n3:1\u201316 Beginning with Sir. 3:6, the Hebrew version of Sirach survives in Cairo Genizah MS A, which extends through Sir. 16:26 (with portions also extant in MS C). Sir. 3:1\u201316, which comprises two short poems, concerns one\u2019s obligations to parents. Ben Sira claims that proper treatment and respect for parents brings the same rewards as following the Law. So, in verse 6, \u201cthose who respect their father will have long life.\u201d Obeying parents equals obeying the LORD (v. 6b), while forsaking one\u2019s parents is akin to blasphemy (v. 16). The obligation to honor parents appears widely in Israelite and Jewish literature and is a fundamental part of the legal tradition (see Exod. 20:12; Deut. 5:16). Here Ben Sira sets the relationship within a divinely ordered hierarchy.
\n3:2. the LORD honors \u2026 confirms This verse establishes a hierarchy that places parents over their children. The Greek verb translated \u201chonors\u201d is the same used for children honoring their parents. The relationship is further explicated in Sir. 3:7, where Ben Sira compares parents and children to masters and slaves.
\n3\u20134. atone for sins \u2026 lay up treasure Ben Sira implicitly compares honor for parents to almsgiving and sacrifice, both of which atone for sins (see Sir. 3:30; 28:5). In 29:12, Ben Sira encourages his students to \u201cstore up almsgiving in your treasury.\u201d Almsgiving is a fundamental act of piety. For almsgiving as a means to \u201clay up treasure,\u201d see Tob. 4:5\u201311.
\n6. long life This phrase might allude to the Decalogue (Exod. 20:12; Deut. 5:16), where honoring parents results in a long life in the land.
\n9. blessing \u2026 curse Blessings and curses were considered binding\u2014for example, Isaac\u2019s blessings given to Jacob and Esau in Gen. 27:27\u201329; 39\u201340.
\n14\u201315. For kindness to a father \u2026 your sins will melt away These verses reinforce the atoning benefit of honoring parents (see Sir. 3:3\u20134). \u201cCredited\u201d and \u201cremembered\u201d indicate that God remembers and rewards acts of righteousness. That God will reward piety and repay transgression is frequent in Sirach. The time of recompense is prominently, but not exclusively, the time of death (see especially 1:13; 11:26).
\n16. blasphemer The comparison of abandonment of parents to blasphemy demonstrates Ben Sira\u2019s claim that fulfilling the commandments constitutes true piety before God. See, for example, 7:29\u201331 with respect to priests and 17:22\u201323 on almsgiving.
\n17. humility A marker of piety in Sirach. See also 1:27, where Ben Sira parallels \u201cfidelity and humility\u201d with \u201cfear of the LORD.\u201d
\n21\u201324. Neither seek \u2026 nor investigate \u2026 Do not meddle These verses have been variously interpreted. Some see them as encouraging the reader to withstand the lure of Greek philosophical speculation, whereas others understand them as a response to Jewish apocalyptic speculation into the secrets of God\u2019s creation (pla\u2019ot) and what will happen in the future (nistarot). Several Jewish apocalypses, such as parts of 1 Enoch (the Book of the Watchers and the Book of Astronomical Writings) and the Aramaic Levi Document, contain such speculation, and several other passages in Sirach suggest that Ben Sira was concerned about wisdom derived from apocalyptic visions.
\n23. more than you can understand has been shown to you Probably refers to the Law, which Ben Sira connects with Wisdom in chapter 24.
\n25\u201329. Without eyes there is no light \u2026 an attentive ear is the desire of the wise These verses form a poem that opens and closes with an inclusion of opposites. In verse 25, the absence of eyes precludes the ability to see, just as the absence of knowledge precludes wisdom. In verse 29, by contrast, the ability to hear allows the finding of wisdom. These verses contain a second contrast, one between the stubborn mind, or heavy heart (lev kavod), and the intelligent mind, or literally, the heart of a sage (lev hakam). Ben Sira singles out the \u201cproud\u201d or \u201carrogant\u201d (letz), who in other Wisdom texts also are contrasted with the humble (e.g., Prov. 3:34).
\n30\u201331. almsgiving atones \u2026 Those who repay favors \u2026 will find support These verses highlight the Wisdom tradition\u2019s concern both for human beings\u2019 relation to the deity and for the need to think about earthly concerns. Verse 30 returns to the theme of atonement. Almsgiving (Heb. tzedakah, \u201crighteousness, almsgiving\u201d; Gk. ele\u0113mosyn\u0113, \u201cact of charity\u201d) is the mechanism. Verse 31 encourages a calculated response to others. Returning a favor will put one in good stead against future disaster.
\n4:1\u20136 Admonishes the student to attend to the poor or needy. The NRSV renders a variety of Hebrew or Greek terms in these verses as \u201cneedy.\u201d Ben Sira warns in 5b, \u201cgive no one reason to curse you,\u201d and he provides the motivation in verse 6\u2014God will hear this curse as a prayer. In the background of this section stands an understanding that God intervenes for the helpless: the poor, the widow, and the orphan. In v. 6b the word translated \u201cprayer\u201d (tze\u2019ekah) means \u201ca cry\u201d and is the same word used twice in Exod. 22:22: \u201cIf you do mistreat them, I will heed their outcry as soon as they cry out to Me.\u201d
\n7. Endear yourself A reminder to students that they must be aware of where they stand in the social order, particularly with respect to \u201cthe great.\u201d Throughout his book, Ben Sira uses a variety of terms to indicate leaders and rulers, most referring to the local Judean aristocracy rather than to foreign rulers, although Ben Sira also speaks about them.
\n9 This verse offers a glimpse into Ben Sira\u2019s and his students\u2019 life situation. His book is more than simple Wisdom fare. He is training young men for public careers in service of the aristocracy. Apparently, one of the offices they could hold would be that of judge. Delivering the oppressed through just verdicts becomes a professional responsibility.
\n11\u201319 The Hebrew and the Greek have one significant difference in this poem. Whereas both describe Wisdom as a woman, the Greek employs the third person throughout. The Hebrew, however, shifts to the first person in verses 15\u201319 (except in verse 16, which is missing in Hebrew), portraying Wisdom herself as speaking about the benefits of following her. The NRSV follows the Greek.
\n11. Wisdom teaches Mirrors the activity of the sage, who accesses Wisdom for his teaching; see Sir. 24:30\u201334.
\n13. the place she enters The reference could be to any dwelling where someone obtains Wisdom or perhaps it refers to the Temple, where Wisdom ministers; see v. 14; 24:10\u201311.
\n14. minister to the Holy One Both the Hebrew and Greek indicate cultic service. \u201cHoly One\u201d occurs frequently in Sirach for God.
\nloves those who love her This phrase makes an inclusio with the similar phrase in verse 12, and it recalls the idea from chapter 1 that fear of the LORD is wisdom (cf. 1:27).
\n15. nations The Hebrew consonants can also be vocalized to mean \u201ctruth.\u201d
\n17 This verse plays on the two primary lexical meanings of Heb. musar and Gk. paideia: \u201ceducation\u201d and \u201cdiscipline.\u201d
\ntortuous paths The Greek (on which NRSV depends) can also mean \u201ctwisting.\u201d In the context either meaning works.
\nfear and dread \u2026 torment \u2026 until she trusts them Wisdom\u2019s trials are severe in order to determine her adherents\u2019 steadfastness. When they have proved themselves, she \u201cwill reveal her secrets to them\u201d (v. 18; Gk.; Heb.: \u201cI will reveal\u201d).
\ntest them with her ordinances Moves beyond what Ben Sira says in 1:26 and anticipates chapter 24, where he sets out his theology that Wisdom is embodied in the Torah. Here he makes it sound as if Wisdom has given the \u201cordinances.\u201d
\n20\u201331. do not be ashamed These verses exhibit two facets of Ben Sira\u2019s wisdom, one ideological\u2014the importance of honor and shame\u2014and one formal\u2014the negative injunction. Both occur in the first two verses of this section.
\n21. shame \u2026 sin \u2026 shame \u2026 glory and favor Not all shame is to be avoided, since some shame is appropriate and results in accruing honor. Problematic is shame that comes from inappropriate speech; see vv. 23\u201325.
\n23\u201324. proper moment The same Gk. and Heb. translated as \u201copportune time\u201d in verse 20. For the idea that one should show one\u2019s wisdom, but only at the right time, see also 20:7\u20138; 32:8\u20139. Speech and its consequences form a central thrust of Israelite and Jewish Wisdom Literature. See Prov. 10:19\u201321. In the NT, see James 3:1\u201312.
\n28. truth Forms a subtheme in this poem. Verse 25 admonishes not to \u201cspeak against the truth.\u201d Not showing \u201cpartiality\u201d (v. 27) is a matter of the \u201ctruth,\u201d since as potential judges, Ben Sira\u2019s students might have to render verdicts against rulers or be pressured by them (see v. 9 as well as 7:6). Passages like this offer glimpses into Ben Sira\u2019s and his students\u2019 social world.
\n5:1\u20136:4 Although the series of negative injunctions continues from chapter 4; Sir. 5:1\u20136:4 comprises three short poems that treat three separate subjects: presumption (5:1\u20138), speech (5:8\u20136:1), and passion (6:2\u20134). The entire passage has 22 (the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet) lines or bicola, indicating a separate section. Other poetic units in the book number 22 lines; see 1:11\u201330; 24:1\u201322.
\n5:1. wealth The first poem opens (5:1) and closes (5:8) with references to riches or possessions forming an inclusio. The Heb. terms differ\u20145:1 uses hayil, \u201cwealth,\u201d and 5:8 has nekasim, \u201criches\u201d\u2014whereas the Gk. uses the word chr\u0113ma, \u201cpossessions,\u201d twice.
\n4\u20137 Ben Sira\u2019s idea that God rewards and punishes in this life, rather than in some afterlife, raises the issue of the relationship between sin and punishment. The question \u201cI sinned, yet what has happened to me?\u201d presumes God\u2019s forgiveness. \u201cSlow to anger\u201d alludes to claims, such as those in Exod. 34:6\u20137, about God\u2019s forgiving nature. In Sir. 5:6\u20137, Ben Sira clarifies his theology of retribution by emphasizing that God\u2019s anger complements his mercy. \u201cSuddenly\u201d in verse 7 contrasts with \u201cslow to anger.\u201d That is, one cannot predict when God will punish. The Gk. \u201cperish\u201d is more colorful in the Heb., which has \u201cswept away.\u201d
\n8. day of calamity Parallels \u201ctime of punishment\u201d in verse 7.
\n12. put your hand over your mouth Indicates keeping silent. The proverb reinforces that the wise person speaks only at the right time.
\n13\u20136:1 These verses connect honor and shame with good and bad speech. \u201cDouble-tongued\u201d (Heb. ba\u2019al shtaim, \u201cmaster of two\u201d) is a euphemism for someone who engages in slanderous or deceitful speech. The images of laying traps and theft highlight the intentional nature of this speech. Friendship is introduced in 6:1, central to the poem beginning in 6:5. Concern for one\u2019s name or reputation runs throughout the book. Here a bad name results in shame, presumably before the community, and demonstrates a concern for social status. Elsewhere Ben Sira teaches that a good name lives on in memory after death (see 37:26; 39:9; 44:8\u20139).
\n6:2. passion Renders Heb. nefesh and Gk. psych\u0113, words which have a range of meanings but often are translated \u201csoul.\u201d Here it indicates sexual passion, a theme of these verses. The same words also appear in v. 4, indicating sexual passion as well. See also verse 4.
\n3. Your leaves \u2026 your fruit The agricultural image is a common sexual euphemism. So, for example, the phrase \u201cwithered tree\u201d can refer to being unable to reproduce (see Isa. 56:3: \u201cAnd let not the eunuch say, \/ \u201cI am a withered tree.\u201d).
\n4. laughingstock of their enemies Refers to being shamed.
\n5. Pleasant speech Whereas the preceding poem on speech introduced friendship, this poem on friends begins with speech, forming a clever transition. Friendship is a common theme in Israelite Wisdom Literature. See Prov. 17:17; 18:24.
\n7. gain them through testing Introduces a section (vv. 7\u201313) warning against friends \u201cwho are such when it suits them\u201d (v. 8). \u201cTesting\u201d may recall Wisdom\u2019s trying of her adherents in Sir. 4:17. For a similar thought, see Prov. 20:6.
\n11. they become your second self Both Heb. and Gk. more literally read, \u201cHe will be like you\u201d or \u201cHe will be as you are.\u201d
\n12. if you are brought low Translates the Gk. ean tapein\u014dth\u0113is. The Heb. has \u2019im tasigekha ra\u2019ah \u201cIf evil overtakes you.\u201d In either case, the idea is similar to Sir. 6:9, circumstances in which a false friend turns into an adversary.
\n13. be on guard Reflects Ben Sira\u2019s famous ethic of caution. To \u201ckeep away from one\u2019s enemies\u201d is self-evident, but one must be watchful as well with one\u2019s friends, who prove true only through testing.
\n15. price \u2026 balance Business terms. Price was determined by using a balancing weight on a scale. For the second line, the Heb. ve\u2019ain mishkal letovato (rendered literally into Greek) means literally, \u201cthere is no weight for his goodness.\u201d For Ben Sira\u2019s thoughts on business, see 26:29\u201327:3.
\n16\u201317. those who fear the LORD These benefit from their attitude toward God in two ways. First, they find true friends, not the potentially false ones of verses 8\u201313. Second, they instill fear of the LORD in their friends and neighbors.
\n17. as they are Recalls verse 11, where the false friend becomes \u201cas you are\u201d (see the comment on 6:11 above). The Hebrew construction is identical, except for the pronoun.
\n18\u201337 This section is made up of three poems, all addressed to \u201cmy child.\u201d The first two concern the relationship between discipline\/education and acquiring wisdom, which, as elsewhere, is portrayed as a woman. The third moves to the student\u2019s willingness to accept instruction from the wise.
\n18. discipline Most of verse 18 is missing in Heb., but the word \u201cdiscipline\u201d is certainly musar. It forms an inclusio with verse 22a, where the Heb. is also musar, but NRSV\u2019s \u201cwisdom\u201d represents the Gk. sophian. The point throughout the first two poems is that accepting Wisdom\u2019s discipline while young leads to a wise old age.
\n20. harsh to the undisciplined Contrasts with the preceding verse. Whereas the one who submits to discipline will find that a little toil leads to success, the fool finds such toil intolerable; see also 51:27.
\n22. For wisdom is like her name NRSV translates the Gk. sophia, \u201cwisdom,\u201d but in Heb. Ben Sira engages in a play on the word musar, which means \u201cdiscipline.\u201d A similar Heb. root, s-u-r, means \u201cto turn aside,\u201d and in one verbal form \u201cto withdraw.\u201d Thus, \u201cshe is not readily perceived by many.\u201d
\n24\u201325 The imagery is one of beasts of burden. The fetters that constrain an animal turn to \u201ca strong defense\u201d in verse 29, when the student finds and holds on to wisdom.
\n26. all your soul \u2026 all your might Alludes to the Shema (Deut. 6:5). Ben Sira also draws on this passage in support of priests in Sir. 7:29\u201331.
\n29\u201331 Contains specific allusions to the garments worn by the high priest and to the \u201ccord of blue\u201d prescribed in Num. 15:38\u201339 that Israelites wear in order to remind them to perform the commandments. For \u201cglorious robe,\u201d \u201cgolden ornament,\u201d and \u201csplendid crown\u201d as allusions to priestly garments, cf. Sir. 45:7\u201312 on Aaron and 50:11 on the high priest Simon II.
\n32\u201337. If you are willing, my child, you can be disciplined Provides a connection to 6:18. If one toils in youth to acquire wisdom, then \u201cwhen you have gray hair you will still have wisdom.\u201d The parallelism in verse 34 of \u201celders\u201d and \u201cwise\u201d establishes the connection between age and wisdom. This passage also reveals something of the social world of Second Temple Jewish wisdom in which a student \u201cattaches himself\u201d to a wise teacher. In this light, the placement of verse 37 is important, since the teaching of the sages and the Torah comprise two of the three main sources of Ben Sira\u2019s instruction, creation being the third.
\n37. meditate Heb. hegeh; the same verb is used in Ps. 1:2: \u201cand he studies [yehegeh] that teaching day and night.\u201d The first bicolon (pair of lines) in Sir. 6:37 has an ABA\u2032B\u2032 parallelism in English: reflect\u2014statutes\u2014meditate\u2014commandments. In Greek and Hebrew it is ABB\u2019A\u2019.
\n7:3. furrows \u2026 reap a sevenfold crop Ben Sira employs agricultural metaphors, as already in Sir. 6:3, 19. In 7:15 he endorses \u201cfarm work\u201d (Gk. ge\u014drgia); in 38:24\u201334, he includes farmers among those who \u201cmaintain the fabric of the world\u201d (38:34).
\n4\u20137 Although much of his practical wisdom is generally applicable, Ben Sira was training young men for careers in public service as scribe\/sages who would serve the leaders and the powerful. An upward career path might involve the kinds of positions enumerated in these verses. Ben Sira\u2019s negative injunctions (that begin with \u201cDo not\u201d) warn of the dangers of serving in these capacities. So, the scribe\/sage who \u201c[asserted] righteousness\u201d or \u201c[displayed] wisdom before the king\u201d exposed himself to a fall should such display find disfavor. The powerful might exert influence on a sage who was a judge to render prejudicial rulings. Thus, the sage occupied a tenuous social position.
\n9. gifts \u2026 offering Refers to sacrifices. This is the first mention of the sacrificial cult in Sirach. The saying is probably independent of the ones around it and warns against presuming that God accepts all sacrifices.
\n10. pray \u2026 give alms Ben Sira follows with a maxim highlighting two other central aspects of Jewish religiosity. These verses do not demonstrate Ben Sira\u2019s preference for ethics over sacrifice, as some scholars have argued; see the comments on 35:1\u201313.
\n16. retribution does not delay Ben Sira connects sin with punishment, although at various times he equivocates about God\u2019s punishment. See 5:4, 7, which offer an explanation of the delay between sin and God\u2019s punishment; this delay presents an opportunity for repentance.
\n17 The Hebrew of Manuscript A probably best expresses Ben Sira\u2019s thought: \u201cThe outcome of a human being is worms.\u201d The Greek (which NRSV follows) emphasizes punishment for the ungodly, rather than the common fate of human beings.
\n18. Ophir A place renowned for its gold; see Job 28:16; 1 Kings 9:28.
\n19. wise and good wife Women are an important topic in Sirach. They have a significant impact on a man\u2019s honor. Throughout the book, Ben Sira extols good wives and daughters, who bring honor, and warns against bad wives and daughters, who bring shame.
\n20\u201321. slaves \u2026 hired laborers Slaves could be Jewish or non-Jewish. Israelite law required the proper treatment of slaves and hired laborers. Israelite slaves were not considered property, but non-Israelite slaves could be (Lev. 25:44\u201346).
\n21. do not withhold \u2026 their freedom Probably a reference to the legal requirement to free an Israelite slave in the seventh year (Exod. 21:2\u20134; Deut. 15:12\u201315).
\n22\u201326 These verses give advice on dealing with one\u2019s household and possessions. A father\u2019s responsibility was to discipline his children. Elsewhere Ben Sira warns against pampering or playing with children (Sir. 30:7\u201313). Daughters constituted a particular problem; see the comment on 42:9\u201314.
\n26. Do not divorce her The Hebrew can be translated \u201cdo not despise her,\u201d which creates an ABB\u2032A\u2032 antithetical structure: pleases\u2014do not despise\u2014do not trust\u2014whom you detest.
\n27\u201329. With all your heart honor your father \u2026 With all your soul \u2026 revere his priests Respect for parents and honor of priests are tied together and equated with proper piety toward God, echoing the emphatic exhortations from Deut. 6:5: \u201call your heart \u2026 all your soul \u2026 all your might.\u201d Ben Sira was a devoted supporter of the Jerusalem priests, and verses 29\u201331 correlate God and priest in a way that reinforces the proper offering of sacrifices, particularly through the double invocation to \u201cfear the LORD.\u201d The priests kept parts of the sacrifices to eat. Thus, the phrase \u201cas you have been commanded.\u201d
\n32\u201336. Stretch out your hand to the poor These verses enjoin care of the disadvantaged, a covenantal obligation (Deut. 14:28\u201329; 15:7\u201311).
\n33. do not withhold kindness even from the dead Probable meaning: Give the dead a proper burial (see Sir. 38:16\u201323).
\n36. remember the end of your life See also 8:7, where the common end of human beings is death.
\n8:1\u201319 In its five stanzas, chapter 8 contains advice\u2014much of it cautionary\u2014about relationships with different sorts of people. Ben Sira\u2019s instructions illuminate his social world, since as a scribe\/sage he had to deal with the rich and powerful whom he served. Note especially sentiments such as those expressed in verse 8, which point to Ben Sira\u2019s occupation as teacher and retainer to the powerful.
\n8:2. gold \u2026 has perverted the minds of kings Perhaps this verse has as background the laws relating to kings in Deut. 17:14\u201320, especially verse 17: \u201cnor shall he amass silver and gold to excess.\u201d See also Sir. 10:8 on rulers and wealth and gold and 47:18 where Ben Sira criticizes Solomon for amassing wealth.
\n8. Do not slight the discourse of the sages This verse forges the connection between learning from the sages and serving the rulers.
\n9. parents The NRSV translation; Gk.: pater\u014dn, means literally, \u201cfathers.\u201d Given the parallelism with \u201csages\u201d in the preceding verse, the word could refer to one\u2019s parents or even to the sages, who present themselves to their students as fathers. See the \u201cmy child\/son\u201d mode of address used elsewhere in Sirach and in other Jewish Wisdom texts.
\n12\u201313. Do not lend \u2026 Do not give surety Borrowing and lending are common topics of Jewish Wisdom. \u201cSurety\u201d means that one puts up one\u2019s property to secure the loan of another. For an example more contemporary to Sirach, see Musar leMevin (4QInstruction).
\n18\u201319. do nothing that is to be kept secret \u2026 Do not reveal your thoughts For Ben Sira, the mark of a true friend is the ability to keep confidences; to understand the seriousness with which he views this trait, see Sir. 27:16\u201321. One must be very careful about revealing secrets to strangers, since \u201cwhat they will divulge\u201d could expose one to shame.
\n9:3. loose woman Comes from the Heb. \u2019isha zara\u1e25, \u201cstrange\u201d or \u201cloose\u201d woman. The image is prevalent in Prov. 1\u20139, but there, unlike in Sirach, the \u201cstrange woman\u201d is the counterpart to Woman Wisdom and thus takes on a more mythic status. Other ancient Jewish texts exploit the image of the \u201cstrange woman\u201d and personify her as Folly (e.g., see Wiles of the Wicked Woman). This is the only occurrence of the phrase in Sirach, and it lacks the mythic connotations of other Jewish texts.
\n5. incur penalties for her A possible reference to laws that provide compensation to the father of a virgin who has been seduced; see Exod. 22:15\u201316; Deut. 22:28\u201329.
\n6. lose your inheritance Probably means wasting it by paying for the services of prostitutes; see Prov. 29:3 and Luke 15:13, 30 (within the parable of the Prodigal Son).
\n7. Do not look around \u2026 or wander about This verse is the only one in this section that does not mention a woman, but its probable meaning is either that one will encounter the wrong sort of woman in the streets and deserted sections of a town or that looking around and wandering about refer to looking actively for such women.
\n8\u20139. do not gaze at beauty belonging to another These verses treat the issue of socializing with married women, particularly in the context of the banquet, a social setting that Ben Sira addresses in detail in Sir. 32:1\u201313. The verses contain a couple of wordplays in Hebrew. In verse 8, \u2019isha, \u201cwoman,\u201d is juxtaposed with esh, \u201cfire,\u201d and in the last two lines of verse 9, two forms of the Heb. root n-t-h stand in parallel. Thus, \u201cyour heart may turn aside (tatteh) to her,\u201d and then \u201cin blood you may be plunged (titteh) into destruction.\u201d The meaning of this last phrase is not completely clear. Some scholars think it refers to the penalties for adultery in Lev. 20:10 and Deut. 22:22; some understand it to indicate the vengeance of a jealous husband; and others think it metaphorical, referring to the negative consequences of adultery.
\n10\u201316 Here, Ben Sira advises how\u2014and how not\u2014to deal with friends and associates, a topic already dealt with in chapters 6 and 7 and a common theme in Sirach and in Israelite Wisdom Literature generally. These verses epitomize the practical nature of much of Ben Sira\u2019s instruction.
\n11\u201312. you do not know what their end will be \u2026 they will not be held guiltless Ben Sira\u2019s doctrine of retribution gets full exposure here. These verses form a parallel pair, so \u201csuccess of sinners\u201d parallels \u201cwhat pleases the ungodly.\u201d In both cases, then, God will hold them accountable in their lives, either through their \u201cend,\u201d that is, their death, or through some other act of punishment. In Ben Sira\u2019s worldview, sinners will not prosper.
\n13. those who have the power to kill The general scholarly consensus is that this refers to monarchs and rulers. The verse further indicates the place in society occupied by Ben Sira and his students, as those who serve the wealthy aristocratic rulers (in Judea, probably priests).
\n14\u201316 These verses contrast with verses 11\u201313: instead of envying sinners or risking contact with those who have the power to kill, one should associate with wise, the intelligent, and righteous people.
\n10:1\u20135 A short meditation on intelligent rulers. Here Ben Sira uses several different terms for leaders and rulers, all of which probably refer to the leaders of the Judean temple-state. The thrust of these proverbs is common in Jewish Wisdom Literature; cf. Prov. 28:2, 16; 29:4.
\n4. government \u2026 is in the hand of the LORD The heart of Ben Sira\u2019s view of rulers is that God has sovereignty over the earth, a claim familiar from ancient Israelite literature. In this verse and the following one, Ben Sira does not seem to be making claims particular to the Jews. God establishes the \u201cright leader\u201d at the right \u201ctime.\u201d He may be referring to either the Ptolemaic or Seleucid dynasties, which had hegemony over Judea at different times.
\n5. it is he who confers honor Many of the Ptolemaic and Seleucid kings publicly identified with certain deities. Verse 5 undercuts any claims that rulers might make to glory or majesty by virtue of their position or presumed connection with divinity. These verses form a transition to the next section on arrogance and pride, particularly of human rulers.
\n8. injustice and insolence and wealth These failings are linked to Ben Sira\u2019s critique of arrogance in the previous verse. The first two are opposites of qualities that good rulers are supposed to have. Wealth brings its own problems, as Sir. 8:2 has already hinted and as Ben Sira will later remark about King Solomon.
\n9\u201311. How can dust and ashes be proud? These lines seem intended to counter the claims to divinity or at least to exalted status by human kings. The subject of the verses is human mortality, but the king is the only person mentioned. How can a king be proud, when he will inherit \u201cmaggots and vermin and worms\u201d (v. 11) just like every other human being?
\n13. brings upon them unheard-of calamities and destroys them This verse again reminds one that Ben Sira believes God will punish wickedness, pride, and impiety.
\n14\u201318 This passage follows directly on the claim that \u201cthe beginning of pride is sin,\u201d in verse 13. In these verses Ben Sira intimates that human pride provokes God to overthrow, pluck up, lay waste, and destroy. The verbs are reminiscent of Jer. 1:10.
\n19. Whose offspring are worthy \u2026? The rhetorical questions in this verse comprise a pr\u00e9cis on honor and shame. Whereas humans can be worthy and unworthy of honor, Ben Sira contrasts \u201cfear of the LORD\u201d with \u201cbreak[ing] the commandments,\u201d reinforcing that a primary component of fear of the LORD is keeping the Law.
\n20\u201325 These verses expand the basic connection between \u201chonor\u201d and \u201cfear of the LORD.\u201d In each case, someone presumably lower on the social scale is exalted because of fear of the LORD. In this way, Ben Sira constructs a social order that depends not on wealth or authority, but on an alternative value. As we discover in Sir. 38:34c\u201339:11, the person best suited to fulfilling the commandment and thus of cultivating fear of the LORD is the sage. So, for Ben Sira no one \u201cis greater than the one who fears the LORD,\u201d i.e., the Torah-pious sage.
\n26\u201331 These verses emphasize two characteristic pairs\u2014one correlate (humility\/honor) and one contrasting (wealth\/poverty). Ben Sira does not regard wealth as automatically conferring honor, nor does he make a blanket condemnation of wealth. The contrast in verse 30 does denigrate wealth without wisdom, however. Verse 31 suggests that God can exchange the positions of the rich and the poor; see Sir. 11:21. Throughout this section, the Heb. root k-b-d (to honor or glorify) is translated by the Gk. doxaz\u014d (to glorify). Verse 31, with its use of \u201chonored\u201d and \u201cdishonored,\u201d recalls verse 19.
\n11:1. The wisdom of the humble \u2026 seats them among the great A segue from the previous stanzas to the present short section on appearances.
\n4. works of the LORD Heb. ma\u2019ase adonai (in MS A, with triple yod in the shape of a triangle indicating the divine name), refers to the wonders of God in creation; see Sir. 42:15\u201343:26. The second occurrence of \u201cworks\u201d in English is pe\u2019alo in Heb. and might be better translated as \u201cdeeds.\u201d
\n5. to sit on the ground In the immediately previous poems Ben Sira made remarks about kings and rulers. \u201cTo sit on the ground\u201d is to be humbled, since kings sit on thrones.
\none who was never thought of Some scholars have taken this phrase as an oblique reference to King David; see 1 Sam. 16:1\u201313.
\n6. handed over A common euphemism for being defeated in battle or being taken captive.
\n7\u201328 A section comprised of several short poems organized largely around Ben Sira\u2019s idea of caution and success. \u201cMy child\u201d in verses 10 and 20 (Heb.; the Gk.\u2014and therefore also the NRSV\u2014lacks the second occurrence) signals new topics.
\n10. you will not be held blameless Reflects Ben Sira\u2019s suspicion of pursuing wealth and at the same time being able to remain faithful to the covenant; cf. 26:29\u201327:3; 31:1\u201311. For an almost identical thought, see Prov. 28:20b, 22.
\n12\u201313. the eyes of the LORD look kindly upon them \u2026 to the amazement of many Repeats Ben Sira\u2019s claim that God looks after the disadvantaged. As he notes elsewhere, God can reverse one\u2019s fortunes, a surprising turn to those looking on; see Sir. 10:31; 11:21.
\n14, 17 Ben Sira\u2019s view of the world and concept of God lead him to attribute all of life\u2019s exigencies, both good and bad, to God. For a similar perspective in Israelite literature, see Isa. 45:7; Job 2:10. Yet, \u201chis favor brings lasting success\u201d is a different perspective seen throughout the book. These verses illuminate a tension in Ben Sira\u2019s worldview, one that he never really resolves. The first verse attributes every exigency of life to God, and the second verse theologizes success as a sign of God\u2019s favor. Yet, as we have seen already, Ben Sira, also admits that one can be wealthy or successful and not fulfill the Law. This reality would seem to run counter to what he says here about God\u2019s favor. He tries to rectify the two views by claiming that God will pay back the unrighteous, even if it is only on their deathbed; see, for example, 11:26\u201328.
\n21. the works of a sinner That is, the success of a sinner. The moral tension is further heightened by Ben Sira\u2019s admonition here; all he can do to resolve the quandary created by sinners having any success is encourage one to trust that God will get it right, since God can \u201cmake the poor rich suddenly.\u201d
\n26\u201328. on the day of death Ultimately one\u2019s death constitutes the evidence for the quality of one\u2019s life. Verses 27b and 28b suggest that the character of one\u2019s death is indicative of a person\u2019s deeds. Thus, it seems, a peaceful death points to a life that God has favored and has rewarded. An end filled with anxiety and discontent demonstrates God\u2019s punishment. The quality of a person\u2019s death\u2014and thus God\u2019s judgment about that person\u2019s life\u2014also affects the memory of one\u2019s name in the community, which for Ben Sira constitutes a kind of post-mortem existence. Cf. 44:1\u201315.
\n29\u201334. Do not invite everyone into your home \u2026 they will stir up trouble These verses form a short poem on the dangers of inviting strangers into your home.
\n33. ruin your reputation forever A sense translation of the Heb. lamah mum \u2018olam tisa\u2019 (dist.) or\u2019olam tisa\u2019 (not): \u201clest you receive a permanent stain.\u201d
\n12:4\u20137 These verses exemplify Ben Sira\u2019s ethics of caution. Verse 4 contains a rather striking piece of advice: \u201cdo not help the sinner.\u201d Ben Sira offers two reasons to justify this admonition. First, to give to the \u201cungodly\u201d is to make oneself vulnerable; \u201cthey might subdue you\u201d as a result, and \u201cyou will receive twice as much evil.\u201d Second, withholding from sinners is consistent with God\u2019s hatred for them, since he will punish them.
\n8\u201311. A friend \u2026 an enemy The sentiments here parallel closely those in Sir. 6:5\u201313 on enemies and friends.
\n11. one who polishes a mirror Ancient mirrors were made of copper and finely polished to give a re-flection\u2014thus, the reference in verse 10 to \u201ccorrosion in copper.\u201d Since the enemy is like corrosion, polishing a mirror so that \u201cit does not become completely tarnished\u201d keeps the enemy away.
\n13\u201318 Although the intent of the individual proverbs is clear, the rhetorical connection in this section between sinners and enemies moves the discourse beyond what Ben Sira has already said about enemies. Ben Sira portrays \u201csinner\u201d and \u201cenemy\u201d in the same terms, and thus, every sinner is a potential enemy. They will pretend to be on your side, but at the first opportunity, they \u201cwill not be there,\u201d \u201cwill never have enough of your blood,\u201d \u201cwill trip you up,\u201d and will ultimately show their \u201ctrue face.\u201d
\n13:1\u20137 These verses give advice to up-and-coming scribes on their relations with the rich. The general admonition\u2014to be wary of the rich because they will act as friends or allies and then when they have what they want, they \u201cwill abandon you\u201d (v. 4)\u2014sounds very much like the warnings about enemies and sinners in chapter 12. Although Ben Sira does not condemn the rich because they are wealthy, he does suggest that his students need to be wary of them. Verses 2\u20133 contain metaphors suggesting that Ben Sira\u2019s students and the rich occupy very different social strata.
\n1. Whoever touches pitch gets dirty Many scholars have noted the long history of the proverb in verse 1a, including in the Greek writer, Theognis, some of whose proverbs Ben Sira might have known.
\n7. shake his head at you The same reaction of the \u201cenemy\u201d in Sir. 12:18, a sign of contempt.
\n8\u20139. Take care \u2026 When an influential person invites you Since Ben Sira and his students work for the influential, the advice of these verses is good career counseling. \u201cEnjoying yourself\u201d presumably happens at a banquet, a topic that Ben Sira treats extensively in Sir. 32:1\u20139. Verses 12\u201313 implicitly warn against revealing one\u2019s \u201csecrets\u201d to the influential because they will not hesitate to use them to the student\u2019s disadvantage. As with other social situations, Ben Sira warns his charges to \u201cbe on your guard,\u201d since what they do can cause their downfall.
\n15\u201320 While the major point of this passage is clear\u2014\u201call living beings associate with their own kind\u201d\u2014the discursive elements of the paired opposites are revealing. Verses 17\u201319 each are made up of two bicola. The first gives an example from the animal world, and the second, types of people. So, wolf\/lamb, hyena\/dog, and lion\/wild ass correspond to sinner\/devout and rich\/poor. Although not an unequivocal condemnation of the rich, the parallelism of \u201cright\u201d with \u201csinner\u201d and \u201cpoor\u201d with \u201cdevout\u201d cannot easily be missed, and it provides a check on Ben Sira\u2019s more positive statement in 13:24. Verse 20 offers another telling parallelism around the word \u201cabomination\u201d: humility\/poor, proud\/rich.
\n21\u201324 Ben Sira continues the equation of \u201chumble\u201d with \u201cpoor\u201d in these verses. The Hebrew terms in verses 20\u201324 are \u2018evyon and dal, both having the semantic range of humble or poor, although dal usually has the meaning of \u201cpoor.\u201d Verse 21b calls to mind the various proverbs on friendship, when Ben Sira notes, \u201cwhen the humble falls, he is pushed away even by friends.\u201d When Ben Sira gets to the concluding thought of this short meditation on the rich and poor\u2014\u201cRiches are good if they are free from sin\u201d\u2014he already has undermined it somewhat. Given what Ben Sira has just said, how likely is the combination of \u201cfree from sin\u201d and \u201criches\u201d?
\n14:3. Small-minded \u2026 miser Literally, lev katan (small-hearted) and ra \u2018ayin (evil eye), respectively.
\n5\u20136 These verses establish a connection between enjoying one\u2019s resources and helping others. Thus, one who \u201cis mean to himself\u201d cannot be \u201cgenerous\u201d to others, hence, Ben Sira\u2019s advice to his students in 14:11\u201319 below. Apparently the inability to enjoy those things that the \u201cmiser\u201d has accumulated is punishment for such greed.
\n9. greedy injustice Greed is connected to injustice, because the greedy must accumulate more and more, which prompts the kind of injustice that \u201cwithers the soul.\u201d
\n11. My child Begins a new stanza and a new topic: the proper use of one\u2019s wealth.
\ntreat yourself well Contrasts with the attitude of the \u201cmiser\u201d above. The thrust of this stanza is the positive relationship between enjoying what one has and sharing it with others.
\n12. the decree of Hades has not been shown to you That is, you do not know when you will die. This reality is one of the bases for Ben Sira\u2019s advice throughout the book. The term \u201cHades\u201d is the Gk. translation of the Heb. She\u2019ol, the place where all the dead go; it is often equated with death. Ben Sira does not believe in a blessed or paradisiacal afterlife. One is rewarded or punished in this life. Thus, material resources in this life are to be enjoyed and shared.
\n17. become old like a garment Cf. Isa. 50:9; Ps. 102:27.
\nfor the decree from of old is, \u201cYou must die!\u201d A possible allusion to God\u2019s prohibition to the first man in Gen. 2:17 that if he ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, he would die. Ben Sira uses the same grammatical construction as Genesis, but with a different verb.
\n18. Like abundant leaves \u2026 are the generations of flesh and blood Homer uses the identical image of people as leaves on a tree (Il. 6.146), and some scholars think that this proverb might reveal that Ben Sira knew some form of this Homeric image.
\n20\u201327 These verses comprise the first of two stanzas that make up this poem on wisdom. The entire stanza is an explication of the opening beatitude, \u201cHappy [\u2019ashre] is the person who,\u201d through which Ben Sira introduces multiple metaphors to describe the one who seeks wisdom: the hunter (v. 22), the lover (v. 23), and the neighbor who \u201cfastens his tent peg to her walls\u201d (vv. 24\u201325). In verse 25, Ben Sira shifts to Wisdom as a shady tree that shelters and protects the student and his family. (Later, in chapter 24, Ben Sira compares Wisdom to a list of plants and trees.) The parallel nouns in verse 20, \u201cwisdom\u201d and understanding (translated in the NRSV as the adverb \u201cintelligently\u201d), can be found together in several places in the Hebrew Bible; see, for example, Prov. 3:13. On the term \u201cmeditate,\u201d see the comment on Sir. 6:37.
\n15:1\u201310 These verses comprise the second stanza, which describes what Wisdom will do for the one who seeks her. A number of the verses in this section employ an ABB\u2032A\u2032 poetic structure for emphasis.
\n1. fears the LORD \u2026 holds to the law \u2026 will obtain wisdom A restatement of the intimate connections among these three vital aspects of Ben Sira\u2019s teaching.
\n2\u20133. like a mother \u2026 like a young bride Even though Ben Sira can be notoriously misogynistic, here he evokes the powerful images of nurturing mother and welcoming bride (a sexual image). He continues the theme of nurture in verse 3 with references to food and drink; see also Sir. 24:19\u201322, where this image is played out.
\n6. gladness and a crown of rejoicing The NRSV follows the Greek, which harks back to Sir. 1:11. The Hebrew of MS A has only \u201cgladness and rejoicing.\u201d
\neverlasting name Along with pious progeny, this constitutes immortality for Ben Sira. The phrase is equivalent to a good name or memory that lasts in the community; see Sir. 39:9; 41:11; 44:1\u201315.
\n10 The Greek and Hebrew versions of this verse differ dramatically. The NRSV follows the Greek. Manuscript A reads, \u201cIn the mouth of a sage is praise spoken; and the one who masters it will teach it.\u201d
\n11\u201320 This section treats humanity\u2019s ability to choose good or evil. In Sir. 11:14, Ben Sira says, \u201cGood things and bad, life and death, poverty and wealth, come from the LORD.\u201d If such is the case, one might ask, then is not God responsible for sin? Ben Sira\u2019s answer is an emphatic \u201cNo!\u201d He initially argues that this would be against God\u2019s nature, since \u201che does not do what he hates\u201d (15:11) and he \u201chates all abominations\u201d (v. 13). Ben Sira then moves to the way that God created humanity, which was with the capacity to choose. He ends the section by arguing that God \u201csees everything\u201d and that \u201che knows every human action.\u201d The implication is that since God knows all human actions and \u201che has not given anyone permission to sin,\u201d God can then justly hold people responsible for their sinful acts.
\n14. he \u2026 created humankind \u2026 and he left them \u2026 their own free choice A significant statement in the book about human nature. God created humankind with the power to choose. The Heb. term yetzer is important in the history of Jewish discussions about human nature. Here it means \u201cchoice,\u201d particularly in light of the following verses, and the Gk. diaboulion, \u201cdeliberation,\u201d catches the sense. In later Jewish literature the word comes to mean \u201cinclination,\u201d and Rabbinic tradition often notes that humans were created with two \u201cinclinations,\u201d one for good and one for evil. People then choose which of these inclinations they will follow.
\n15. If you choose The discourse switches from the third person to the second person. Ben Sira\u2019s students\/readers must themselves choose.
\n16\u201317 These verses present two choices of opposites\u2014fire\/water, life\/death\u2014and humans can decide between them. The parallelism suggests that \u201cfire\u201d and \u201cwater\u201d correlate with \u201clife\u201d and \u201cdeath\u201d; that is, fire destroys and water gives life, but one would expect, as elsewhere in Sirach, that the pairs would correlate in an ABA\u2032B\u2032 pattern, if that were the case. The same pair (life\/death) is extended to Israel in Deut. 30:15\u201320; if Israel chooses life, her people will prosper \u201cin the land.\u201d The idea of choosing between pairs of opposites develops in Jewish and early Christian thought into an ethical system characterized by two ways, one of life and one of death, and one must choose which way to go.
\n16:1\u20134. Do not desire \u2026 worthless children A startling statement about children, who were usually thought to be blessings and who enabled the dead to live on. Yet, for Ben Sira, impious children were not to be desired, only those who possessed \u201cthe fear of the LORD.\u201d As he will say later on, parental discipline instills this attitude and after death makes a parent \u201cnot seem to be dead\u201d (Sir. 30:4); see 30:1\u20136. \u201cTo die childless\u201d (16:3), then, is potentially to compromise one\u2019s immortality. The proverb in verse 4 exemplifies the idea in verse 3 that \u201cone can be better than a thousand.\u201d
\n6. in a disobedient nation wrath blazes up A reference to the rebellion of Korah and his company; see Num. 16 and below in Sirach (45:18\u201319).
\n7. ancient giants Follows the Gk. The Heb. has \u201cprinces of old.\u201d In either case, Ben Sira seems to be referring to the legend of the sons of God who mated with human women and caused the great Flood. The language here does not reflect the biblical story in Gen. 6:1\u20134, and Ben Sira probably knew other versions of the story, like the one found in the early chapters of 1 Enoch.
\n8. the neighbors of Lot Refers to the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah; see Gen. 19.
\ntheir arrogance Not the reason given for the destruction of the cities in Genesis, but Ezek. 16:49\u201350 attributes the destruction of Sodom to pride or \u201carrogance.\u201d
\n9. the doomed nation \u2026 dispossessed because of their sins Probably a reference to the Canaanites, from whom, according to the biblical story, the Israelites took the land; see Deut. 18:9\u201314.
\n10\u201311. the six hundred thousand foot-soldiers A reference to the number of people who went with Moses into the wilderness; see Sir. 46:8; Exod. 12:37. The reference to \u201cstubbornness,\u201d literally, \u201carrogant of heart,\u201d and the reference to the Israelites wandering, probably led to the use of \u201cstiff-necked\u201d (Sir. 16:11), an adjective applied to the Israelites in Exodus (32:9; 33:3, 5; 34:9) and Deuteronomy (9:6, 13).
\n17\u201323. Do not say, \u201cI am hidden from the LORD\u201d The message in these verses follows directly from the idea that God judges everyone according to what they do. Ben Sira responds to the claim that a single human being is so insignificant that God will not notice (Sir. 16:17\u201318). Verses 17\u201322 are the thoughts of the one who thinks that God will not see. Ben Sira describes a theophany or appearance of God in which creation trembles (see, for example, Exod. 19; Ps. 104:32). God\u2019s judgment takes place \u201cat his visitation\u201d (Sir. 16:18). Verses 20\u201323 differ in Hebrew and Greek. The meaning of the Greek version is difficult. It seems to have the speaker say that since no one can understand God\u2019s actions, which are incomprehensible, and no one can announce or wait for God\u2019s judgment, it is delayed and \u201cfar off,\u201d that is, there is nothing to worry about. The gist of the Hebrew, on the other hand, is that because God\u2019s appearance for judgment will make the whole earth convulse, God will not notice a single human being, particularly since this \u201cdecree is far off\u201d (v. 22).
\n16:24\u201317:24 This section is a meditation on Creation and God\u2019s role as Creator. Although Ben Sira appears to know the two Genesis Creation stories, he freely intermixes them and ranges beyond them in this interpretation of Creation. The thought remarkably moves from Creation to Israel as God\u2019s \u201cportion\u201d and then to the individual and \u201calmsgiving.\u201d The overall effect of this movement emphasizes 17:23\u201324, which mentions \u201crecompense\u201d for sin. The extant Hebrew breaks off at 16:26 and does not pick up again until chapter 30, with only a few verses in Hebrew in between.
\n26\u201328. his works Refers to the earth and heavens. For Ben Sira, all creation works marvelously in concert as God has determined. Thus, God \u201carranged his works in an eternal order\u201d (16:27); see Sir. 43:1\u201326, where Ben Sira gives a more detailed discussion. Just as God has commanded Israel, so he commanded the universe, which does not \u201cdisobey his word\u201d (16:28).
\n29. good things Elsewhere in Sirach, the Greek neuter plural agatha has a range of meanings, but usually it has to do with things that are beneficial and desirable for life. In this case, then, it probably refers to the natural world.
\n30. into it they must return Recalls Gen. 3:19, but there the reference is to the first man, not to \u201cliving beings\u201d generally. See also the next comment.
\n17:1 Turns to the creation of humans. \u201cMakes them return to it again\u201d is virtually the same phrase as \u201cinto it they must return\u201d at the end of 16:30.
\n2. He gave them a fixed number of days Suggests that a limited human life span was God\u2019s intention from the beginning. Ben Sira ignores the connection between disobedience and death forged in Gen. 3, although see Sir. 25:24, which presents what became the standard interpretation of the Genesis account.
\ngranted them authority See Gen. 1:26\u201329.
\n3\u20138. in his own image What constitutes God\u2019s image (see Gen. 1:26) has been a recurring exegetical problem in both Judaism and Christianity. Sir. 17:2\u20138 imply that the \u201cimage\u201d has two aspects. First, human dominion over the animals is analogous to the way that God has dominion over humans. So, the idea is bracketed in verses 2\u20134 in an ABCB\u2032A\u2032 pattern: authority\u2014strength like his own\u2014image\u2014fear of humans\u2014dominion. The phrase \u201clike his own\u201d (v. 3) reflects a scholarly emendation. The Gk. texts read, \u201cstrength that befits them,\u201d a phrase that also works in the present context. Second, humans have \u201cdiscretion\u201d (perhaps yetzer in Heb.; see the comment on Sir. 15:14), a \u201cmind,\u201d \u201cknowledge,\u201d \u201cunderstanding,\u201d and knowledge of \u201cgood and evil.\u201d Again, Ben Sira ignores the fact that human knowledge of \u201cgood and evil\u201d in Genesis is the consequence of disobedience. In verse 8, the phrase \u201che put fear of him into their hearts\u201d parallels the fear of humans that animals have.
\n11. He bestowed knowledge \u2026 and allotted to them the law This verse segues to a focus on Israel. For \u201claw of life,\u201d see Sir. 45:5, where it describes the law given to Moses on Sinai.
\n14. commandment \u2026 concerning a neighbor A possible reference to loving one\u2019s neighbor as oneself; see Lev. 19:18.
\n15. Their ways are always known Moves to a more general statement about the \u201cways\u201d of humans. Note also that between verses 15, 19, and 20, Ben Sira repeats the same thought\u2014that no one\u2019s actions are hidden from God\u2014in six cola.
\n17. Israel is the LORD\u2019s own portion Reflects a view that of all the peoples of the earth Israel belongs to God. A text like Deut. 32:8\u20139 might be in the background here.
\n19\u201320 The pronoun \u201ctheir,\u201d which is used repeatedly in this section, does not always have a clear antecedent. In these verses, it could refer to human beings generally or to Israelites in particular. The reference to \u201calmsgiving\u201d in Sir. 17:22 might indicate that the two instances of \u201ctheir\u201d in v. 20 refers to Israelites.
\n25. Turn back Introduces a short section on repentance and forgiveness, which springs from the mention of \u201cthose who repent\u201d in verse 24.
\n27\u201328. Who will sing praises \u2026 in Hades Another statement of Ben Sira\u2019s view of the afterlife, such as it is; see the comment on 14:12. Ben Sira sees praise as a primary reaction of humans toward God; cf. especially 39:12\u201335.
\n30. everything The referent for this neuter plural noun in Greek, literally, \u201call things,\u201d is not clear. Since \u201cmercy\u201d and \u201cforgiveness\u201d are the context (v. 29), does it mean that human mercy cannot be as great as God\u2019s, due to human mortality? In the larger context of the poem on the Creation, does it indicate the chasm between God as Creator and humans as creatures?
\n31\u201332 The meaning of verse 31 is obscure. Perhaps it means that since even the light from the sun, which never disobeys God (see 16:28), can fail, how much more do humans who are \u201cflesh and blood\u201d fail in praising God. Rather they \u201cdevise evil.\u201d Verse 32 reinforces the distance between God and humans, since God oversees (Gk. episkeptetai) the \u201chost of the height of heaven\u201d; humans, only their neighbors (cf. the comparison in 18:13). For \u201cdust and ashes\u201d as a euphemism for a human being, see 10:9.
\n18:4\u20136. To none has he given power to proclaim his works That no one can proclaim God\u2019s works speaks to their inscrutability. In 42:17, Ben Sira notes that not even heavenly beings can recount them. The vocabulary of these verses\u2014\u201cworks,\u201d \u201cmighty deeds,\u201d \u201cmajestic power,\u201d \u201cwonders of the LORD\u201d\u2014refers primarily to God\u2019s creation. In the context, \u201cmercies\u201d (v. 5) seems to refer to the way that nature benefits those who fear God (cf. 39:25\u201327), and the term connects this section to verses 11\u201314, which deal with God\u2019s \u201cmercy\u201d and \u201ccompassion\u201d for human beings.
\n7. finished \u2026 just beginning The idea is that when humans finish trying \u201cto fathom the wonders of the LORD\u201d (v. 6), they have only just started, and they remain \u201cperplexed\u201d about them.
\n11\u201312. their end is miserable Since human beings have no hope for a blessed afterlife, God is all the more \u201cpatient\u201d and grants \u201cforgiveness.\u201d
\n13. for their neighbors \u2026 for every living thing Another statement of the difference between God and humans; this one addresses the scope of their compassion.
\nas a shepherd his flock For this image, see Ps. 23 and Isa. 40:11.
\n18. A fool A frequent foil for the understanding or wise person in Jewish Wisdom Literature.
\n21 The juxtaposition of \u201cfalling ill\u201d and having \u201csinned\u201d is suggestive. Ben Sira thinks that God repays faithfulness with success (cf. Sir. 11:17, 22), and so humility, associated with repentance, will ward off sickness.
\n24\u201326. Think of his wrath \u2026 From morning to evening conditions change These verses may provide the keys to this section. Since Ben Sira thinks that God rewards or punishes in this life, and particularly at death, thinking of that moment will affect how one acts. Situations can change quickly, as Ben Sira has already noted in 11:20\u201328.
\n19:1. will not become rich The subtext is that being rich is a desirable goal, but only as long as it is achieved righteously; see Sir. 13:24.
\n2\u20133 These examples of following one\u2019s base desires (see 18:31) result in \u201cdecay and worms\u201d and an early death. \u201cDecay and worms\u201d also exemplify the miserable fate that awaits a sinner. See the examples of Antiochus IV in 2 Macc. 9 and Herod Agrippa I in Acts 12:20\u201323.
\n4\u201312 Gossip and reckless or loose speech, addressed in these verses, are frequent topics in Wisdom Literature.
\n13\u201317. Question a friend \u2026 a neighbor The imperative question occurs four times in this section with a friend as the object twice and a neighbor twice. Many scholars have seen Lev. 19:17 (\u201cYou shall not hate your kinsfolk in your heart. Reprove your kinsman but incur no guilt because of him\u201d) lurking behind Ben Sira\u2019s reference to \u201cthe law of the Most High\u201d (v. 17). The section enjoins two possible reactions to confronting someone about rumors. If what was heard is not true, then the misinformation does not spread. If it is true, then one can reprove a friend or neighbor appropriately.
\n20. wisdom is fear of the LORD For the same sentiment, see 1:14, 27.
\n23. a cleverness \u2026 a fool The Gk. panourgia, translated here as \u201ccleverness,\u201d can also mean \u201cresourcefulness, craftiness, shrewdness.\u201d But here \u201ccleverness\u201d has a negative connotation, and because this resourcefulness both lacks wisdom and is secretly manipulative (see vv. 25\u201328), it is made to seem worse than \u201ca fool who merely lacks wisdom.\u201d
\n26. deceit In parallel with \u201ccleverness,\u201d further indicating the negative connotation it has for Ben Sira.
\n20:1\u201331 This chapter contains practical proverbs much in the style of the book of Proverbs, connected by the topic of speech, both good and bad. Unlike some other poems that have a clear theme and organization, those here do not display any overall structure. Ben Sira exploits the standard Wisdom theme of the contrast between the wise person and the fool.
\n4. eunuch \u2026 compulsion A eunuch has no choice, since he cannot, violate a young girl, even though he desires to. Similarly, someone who has no choice about doing right cannot really accomplish it.
\n5\u20137. Some people keep silent because It is somewhat difficult to determine if verses 5a and 6a should be considered statements about the wise or about the foolish. Verses 5a, 6a, and 6b all have the identical initial phrase, even though the NRSV translates two instances as \u201csome people keep silent\u201d (5a, 6a) and one as \u201cwhile others keep silent\u201d (6b) In the light of a Wisdom proverb like Prov. 17:28 (\u201cEven a fool, if he keeps silent, is deemed wise; \/ Intelligent, if he seals his lips\u201d), we might consider 5a a negative statement about the fool who appears wise through silence. The NRSV \u201cbecause they have nothing to say\u201d (v. 6) more literally means \u201cbecause he has no answer\/reply,\u201d which carries a negative connotation.
\n11. some who have raised their heads For the same idea as verse 11b, see Sir. 11:12\u201313.
\n21. prevented from sinning by poverty The presumption is that riches offer occasion for sin, for all the reasons that Ben Sira has given up to this point; see 13:3\u20136; 13:24; 31:5\u201311.
\n23. Another out of shame makes promises The idea is that such promises cannot be kept.
\n25. thief \u2026 habitual liar For the combination of the \u201cthief\u201d and inappropriate speech, see also 5:14.
\nHere we have the \u201cliar\u201d; in 5:14 the adjective is \u201cdouble-tongued.\u201d
\n30 The rhetoric of this verse equates \u201cwisdom\u201d and \u201ctreasure.\u201d
\n21:2\u20133. sin as \u2026 a snake \u2026 lion\u2019s teeth These images emphasize the potentially fatal consequences of sinning.
\n5 Although Ben Sira does not argue for God\u2019s preference for the poor because of their poverty, he does make it clear that the rich often take advantage of others, particularly the poor (Sir. 13:3\u20137, 19). For the idea that God hears the cries of the oppressed, see Exod. 22:21\u201327.
\njudgment comes speedily Reinforces Ben Sira\u2019s theology that sinners are punished in this life.
\n8. with other people\u2019s money Refers to the rich who take from the poor for their own use.
\n10. the way of sinners \u2026 its end is the pit of Hades Wealth and poverty appear throughout this short section, which leads one to think that the \u201csinners\u201d might be the rich. The image is of the easy life that sinners have that ultimately ends in She\u2019ol.
\n11. law \u2026 fear of the LORD For the same vocabulary, see Sir. 19:20.
\n12. clever \u2026 cleverness In 19:23, Gk. panourgia had a negative connotation. Here Ben Sira observes that one needs cleverness or resourcefulness, but not all cleverness is beneficial.
\n13\u201314. like a flood \u2026 like a broken jar The image in verse 14 depends on verse 13. As only a whole jar can hold water, so only a receptive mind can accept the \u201cknowledge of the wise.\u201d
\n15. a fool \u2026 laughs at it In verse 14, the fool cannot learn; here the fool intentionally dismisses the wise saying.
\n19. fetters \u2026 manacles Whereas education seems like slavery to the fool, in 6:24 the student is encouraged to accept Wisdom\u2019s fetters willingly.
\n22\u201324 Part of being educated and having wisdom is to acquire proper manners. This concern is evident throughout Sirach, particularly with regard to what we might call social graces.
\n26 Note the elegant parallelism of this verse that lends emphasis to the point: mind\u2014fool\u2014mouth\u2014mouth\u2014wise\u2014mind.
\n27. an adversary The Gk. has ton satanan, \u201cthe Satan,\u201d but presumably it reflects a transliteration of the Heb. satan, \u201cadversary.\u201d
\n22:1\u20132. filthy \u2026 filth In both cases the idler is compared to filth. In verse 2, the word is clearly related to human refuse. Since these two verses go together and form a brief unit, one might expect that the two uses of the term would be similar as well.
\n3. the birth of a daughter is a loss Ben Sira\u2019s generally negative attitude toward women is notorious. Women, as part of a man\u2019s household and possessions, were deeply embedded in the honor\/shame system so central to Ben Sira\u2019s social values. They could not accrue honor themselves but could significantly affect a man\u2019s honor or shame. For Ben Sira\u2019s thoughts on daughters, see 42:9\u201314.
\n6. thrashing Corporal punishment was a standard disciplinary practice in antiquity; see 30:1\u201313 and Prov. 13:24.
\n9. Whoever teaches a fool \u2026 glues potsherds together On comparing the mind of the fool to a pot or jar, see also Sir. 21:14.
\n11. the life of the fool is worse than death Part of the point is that for the dead there is nothing more, but for the fool (or the ungodly; see the next verse), the rest of life is at stake.
\n12. seven days The traditional period of mourning, but see 38:17, \u201cfor one day, or two.\u201d
\n13. be spattered when he shakes himself off The image suggests an animal shaking itself off and thus affecting anyone standing too close.
\n15. Sand, salt, and a piece of iron Items Ben Sira considers difficult to carry. Iron is self-explanatory. For sand as weighty, see Prov 27:3 and Job 6:3.
\n17. stucco decoration Most likely Gk. kosmos glymmatos, which means more properly \u201ccarved ornament.\u201d Thus, its beauty stands out from the surrounding plaster on the wall.
\n18. Fences Most likely Gk. chalikes, \u201csmall stones.\u201d Ben Sira contrasts these small stones and their inability to withstand wind (thus the \u201cfool\u2019s resolve\u201d that \u201cwill not stand firm\u201d) with the stability of the wooden beam that withstands even an earthquake (thus the wise person\u2019s firm resolve).
\n23 A contrast to Sir. 6:9\u201312, which describes false friends who will not stay true during poverty or distress.
\n25\u201326. not ashamed to shelter a friend Runs somewhat counter to Ben Sira\u2019s ethic of caution. See, for example, 11:29 on allowing people into one\u2019s home. He will remain a true friend, even taking the chance that he might be harmed. Should the friend turn out to be false and harm Ben Sira, the consequence is that others will learn about it and steer clear of that false person. That does not help Ben Sira, however, since the damage to him will already have been done.
\n22:27\u201323:6 These verses form a prayer in two stanzas for protection against sinning. The first introduces a central concern of Wisdom Literature, speech, although the second stanza covers several topics. The verb \u201cfall\u201d occurs three times (22:27; 23:1, 3), indicating the consequence that Ben Sira hopes to avoid. The prayer introduces a section on speech.
\n27. a guard over my mouth \u2026 an effective seal upon my lips Cf. Ps. 39:2.
\n23:1. Father An intimate mode of address to God (also in Sir. 23:4).
\n2. Who will set whips over my thoughts Ben Sira asks for God to discipline his mind for the same reason that a father disciplines his son: in order to teach him to avoid sin. See Sir. 30:7\u201313.
\n3. my sins may abound, and I may fall Ben Sira maintains the connection between one\u2019s sins and a downfall in this life as retribution for them; see Ps. 25:2\u20133.
\n7 Just above this verse, many Gk. manuscripts contain the heading \u201cDiscipline of the Tongue.\u201d
\n9. the name of the Holy One Probably the Tetragrammaton, or four-letter name of God. Misuse of this name is prohibited in general (see Exod. 20:7, paralleled in Deut. 5:11) and in false oaths particularly (see Lev. 19:12). Ben Sira connects habitual and unfulfilled oaths using God\u2019s name with false oaths, which he considers sinful.
\n11. the scourge will not leave his house Presumably the consequences of excessive, and probably unfulfilled, oaths devolve onto one\u2019s \u201chouse,\u201d here perhaps a euphemism for one\u2019s descendants. Ben Sira repeats this result twice, and it reflects the Deuteronomistic perspective that sin brings disastrous results beyond the individual sinner (see Deut. 5:9\u201310, which comes right before the commandment not to misuse God\u2019s name).
\n12. manner of speaking comparable to death Seems to be a circumlocution for blasphemy, a form of speech punishable by death in Israelite legal traditions; see Lev. 24:10\u201316, where blasphemy involves cursing God using the Tetragrammaton.
\n14. Remember your father and mother A way of reminding one to act properly; see especially Sir. 3:1\u201316, which ends by equating forsaking a father with blasphemy. To act like a fool is to dishonor one\u2019s parents.
\n16. Two \u2026 and a third Ben Sira introduces a section in two stanzas on sexual sins with a common Wisdom device, the numerical proverb, of which he uses several; see, for example, Sir. 25:1, 2, 7; 26:5. This first stanza (Sir. 23:16\u201321) treats male sexual sins, and the second (vv. 22\u201327) concerns female sins.
\nwith his near of kin For laws on incestuous relations, see Lev. 18:6\u201318.
\n18\u201319. Darkness \u2026 the sun Ben Sira contrasts the darkness and privacy of the adulterous act where no one else sees, with the eyes of the LORD that are \u201cten thousand times brighter than the sun\u201d and reveal all. That God sees all recalls Sir. 15:18\u201319; 17:19\u201320.
\n20. it was known to him A statement of God\u2019s omniscience; see also 42:18 and 48:25.
\n21. in the streets Whereas the sin is committed in private, the punishment will happen in public. Leviticus 20:10 and Deut. 22:22\u201324 prescribe death as the punishment for adultery, but Ben Sira does not detail what punishment will be meted out.
\n22. presents him with an heir Highlights one of the central social problems created by uncertain paternity\u2014an heir who should not inherit a man\u2019s property.
\n23. committed an offense against her husband Note that Ben Sira makes no reference above to the adulterous man committing an offense against his wife.
\n24. brought before the assembly The woman\u2019s punishment will be public, just like that of the adulterous man. The biblical punishment is the same for both\u2014death\u2014although here again Ben Sira does not specify a punishment.
\nher punishment will extend to her children See also the next verse. The punishment would appear to be that the children will not flourish. They will either die young or live a life without honor. For this idea, see Wis. 3:16\u201319; 4:3\u20136.
\n27. fear of the LORD \u2026 the commandments This verse concludes the first half of the book. Ben Sira uses the discussion of sexual sins to reiterate the major emphasis of this part: the one who fears God keeps the commandments. This statement segues directly to Wisdom\u2019s self-praise in Sir. 24, completing the triad of fear\/fulfilling commandments\/wisdom with which Ben Sira began his book.
\n24:1\u201322 In most Greek manuscripts, this poem has the title \u201cPraise of Wisdom,\u201d and these verses form a sophisticated 22-line poem on the place of Wisdom in the cosmos. The poem is in the same tradition as Prov. 8:22\u201331, with which Sir. 24 shares a number of images, and Job 28:12\u201328. (See also Bar. 3:9\u20134:4, which might have Sir. 24 as one of its sources.) The poem also contains reminiscences of Sir. 1:1\u201310. After an introduction (24:1\u20132) that establishes Wisdom as the speaker, Wisdom praises herself, beginning with her role in Creation, moving to her dwelling in Jerusalem, offering an elaborate self-description in evocative floral images, and concluding with an invitation to a feast where Wisdom and her fruits are the fare. The poem is positioned centrally in the book, thus emphasizing its importance for Ben Sira\u2019s understanding of Wisdom. Some scholars have seen in this chapter use of an Isis aretalogy (poem of self-praise by the Egyptian goddess), but this conclusion is not universally shared.
\n24:1\u20132. her people \u2026 assembly \u2026 hosts Suggests that Wisdom addresses both the people of Israel and the heavenly host. She \u201ctells of her glory\u201d before both audiences.
\n3. from the mouth of the Most High Recalls the Creation story of Gen. 1. covered \u2026 like a mist Evokes Gen. 1:2.
\n4. pillar of cloud Recalls the Exodus event (cf. Exod. 13:21\u201322), but the Wisdom of Solomon in the Hellenistic period also connects God\u2019s Wisdom with the pillar of cloud. In Wis. 10:17 the author claims, \u201cshe [i.e., Wisdom] guided them along a marvelous way, and became a shelter to them by day, and a starry flame through the night.\u201d
\n4\u20135 These verses echo Prov. 8:27\u201330.
\n6. over every people and nation I have held sway Suggests that Wisdom has a universal reach as well as a particular dwelling in Jerusalem. For the idea of Wisdom as universal, see Sir. 1:9\u201310.
\n8. tent Here a metaphor for Wisdom\u2019s dwelling, but the word carries with it the connotations of God\u2019s dwelling in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple in Jerusalem; see Sir. 24:10. God\u2019s placement of Wisdom\u2019s \u201ctent\u201d in Israel answers the question of verse 7: \u201cin whose territory should I abide?\u201d
\n10\u201311. so I was established in Zion \u2026 Jerusalem was my domain Ben Sira emphasizes the eternal Wisdom\u2019s residence in a particular place, in Jerusalem. This claim reinforces God\u2019s central presence with Israel.
\n10. In the holy tent I ministered Wisdom serves before God in the Temple, performing a liturgical role. The claim forms a powerful statement of support for the cult and the priesthood, which also ministers there.
\n12. portion of the LORD See the comment on 17:17.
\n13\u201317 Compares Wisdom to a list of plants, perfumes, and fragrant substances. The trees emphasize the beauty and expanse of Wisdom, particularly in Ben Sira\u2019s emphasis on height. These same trees\u2014roses, cedar, palm, cypress, and olive\u2014also describe Simon II and his priestly retinue; see the comment on 50:5\u201311. Wisdom not only ministers in the Temple, she infuses it with her presence in the same way that the incense and perfumes do in the cultic observances. Ben Sira makes this clear in verse 15d. Cassia, galbanum, onycha, stacte, and myrrh are all listed in Exod. 30:22\u201338 as substances used in the Tabernacle services.
\n17. vine \u2026 fruit This verse forms the transition to verses 19\u201322, where Wisdom invites those who seek her to a feast.
\n21. Those who eat of me will hunger for more For a similar idea in the Second Temple period, see 1 En. 82:3, where the wisdom found in Enoch\u2019s books is \u201cmore pleasing to them [its recipients] than fine food to those who eat.\u201d Note the contrast with John 4:7\u201315, where Jesus, mythologized in John 1 as the logos (word) of God, offers a Samaritan woman living water and \u201cthose who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty.\u201d
\n23 Ben Sira returns as the speaker. \u201cAll this,\u201d literally, \u201call these things,\u201d must refer to the content of Wisdom\u2019s speech. \u201cBook of the covenant,\u201d \u201claw,\u201d and \u201cinheritance\u201d are all in parallel. Lines 23b, c, as they stand in the Greek, are a verbatim reproduction of Deut. 33:4. In this majestic statement, Ben Sira argues that the eternal, timeless Wisdom who praises herself in Sir. 24:3\u201322 is embodied in the \u201cbook of the covenant of the Most High God.\u201d Whether this statement equates Wisdom with the Law is more problematic, since Wisdom is also found in other sources, such as creation. But here is a powerful affirmation of the point that Ben Sira has made repeatedly\u2014fulfillment of the commandments is wisdom. Why? Because Wisdom is embodied in the commandments.
\n25\u201327. It overflows \u2026 It runs over \u2026 It pours forth \u201cIt\u201d must refer to \u201cthe law\u201d of verse 23. Of the six rivers mentioned here, four are the rivers that Gen. 2:10\u201314 identify as coming out of the Garden of Eden. The verbs are also significant, since all connote great amounts of water and hence fecundity\u2014so, overflows, runs over, pours forth.
\n28\u201329. The first man did not know wisdom The subject returns to wisdom. \u201cThe first man\u201d alludes again to the primeval period of Creation, a theme running throughout this passage.
\n29. sea Ben Sira continues his water imagery.
\n30\u201331 Ben Sira now portrays himself, using fluvial metaphors, as a channel for Wisdom. The sage is a small \u201ccanal from a river\u201d (recalling the rivers and hence the law in Sir. 24:25\u201327) that itself becomes a river, whose source in turn becomes a sea. In this way Ben Sira claims that his teaching flows from two sources: the river of the Law and the sea of Wisdom.
\n33. pour out After a one-verse detour from the water metaphor, Ben Sira returns to it with this verb. In this case, however, he compares his teaching to prophecy, and thus he claims a kind of prophetic revelation for his instruction. Ben Sira especially likes the verb \u201cpour out,\u201d and he uses it frequently and strategically in the book.
\n25:1\u20132. three things \u2026 three kinds Ben Sira begins with contrasting numerical proverbs.
\n3. gathered nothing A metaphor for failing to obtain learning or education. Verses 4\u20136 list those things that should be \u201cgathered\u201d in one\u2019s youth.
\n6. crown of the aged Cf. 1:11, 18 where \u201ccrown\u201d appears connected with \u201cfear of the LORD\u201d and \u201cwisdom,\u201d two elements of this short stanza.
\n7. I can think of nine \u2026 and a tenth Another numerical proverb, but of a different sort. Here Ben Sira uses the form a and a+1. The proverb calls for ten elements, but the Gk. has only nine. The Gk. verb emakarisa, translated \u201cI call blessed,\u201d anticipates the beatitudes in verses 8 and 9 that begin with the adjective makarios, \u201chappy, blessed.\u201d The beatitude is a common proverbial form; see, for example, the Qumran scroll Beatitudes (4Q525) and Matt. 5:3\u201311.
\n8. does not plow with ox and ass together A practice forbidden in Israelite law; see Deut 22:10. The parallelism might suggest that Ben Sira is creating a metaphor for an unequal marriage, that is, a man married to a foolish wife.
\nhas not served an inferior Doing so would be shameful.
\n10\u201311. none is superior to the one who fears the LORD With this phrase, Ben Sira expresses his core value\u2014one that levels the social hierarchy. The sage, who has the time to acquire wisdom and education (see Sir. 38:34c\u201439:11), is in the best position to cultivate fear of the LORD, and thus he occupies the top position in Ben Sira\u2019s ideal social world. Here within Sirach, the rich and the powerful are subordinated to the Torah-pious sage, a reverse of the societal situation in which Ben Sira found himself.
\n25:13\u201326:18 This section is an extended meditation on good and bad wives. Ben Sira is notorious for his pessimistic view of women. Without a doubt a good deal of his negativity has to do with a woman\u2019s ability to bring shame to her father or husband, but at points Ben Sira uses invective that goes beyond the kind of language we see in many other contemporary texts.
\n14 Since verses 13 and 15 both have to do with women and lead into a longer stanza on the wicked wife, verse 14, although not explicitly about women, most likely is a comment on wicked women as well. See also the comment on 26:6, rival.
\n19. may a sinner\u2019s lot befall her A harsh condemnation, since elsewhere Ben Sira envisions sinners experiencing God\u2019s judgment of their behavior during this life.
\n22. wrath \u2026 impudence \u2026 great disgrace A devastating consequence of the honor\/shame system so prevalent in Sirach.
\nwhen a wife supports her husband The implication is that he cannot exercise control over the critical aspects of his life, which leads to shame.
\n24. because of her we all die A reflection of what became the traditional interpretation of the story in Gen. 3. More important in Sirach, this claim contradicts Ben Sira\u2019s earlier statement in 17:2 that God gave humans \u201ca fixed number of days\u201d right from the very start.
\n26. separate her from yourself Literally, \u201ccut her off from your flesh,\u201d perhaps an implicit reference to marriage as two becoming one flesh (as in Gen. 2:24), but here a euphemism for divorce. Deut. 24:1\u20134 on divorce forms a background here. In verse 1, the man divorces the woman because she \u201cfails to please him\u201d and he finds \u201csomething obnoxious about her\u201d (literally, \u201cfinds in her some nakedness\u201d), presumably some sexual indecency. In verse 3, no reason is given other than the man \u201crejects her.\u201d Ben Sira\u2019s advice about divorce seems to require only that the wife displease her husband by transgressing his authority.
\n26:1\u20134 Ben Sira spends much less time on the good wife than on the bad one. Since the wife was part of a man\u2019s household, Ben Sira focuses on what benefits accrue to the man who marries a good wife.
\n5. Of three things \u2026 and of a fourth A numerical proverb of the a and a+1 type (see also the comment on Sir. 25:7), followed by a list of the \u201cthree things,\u201d a comment on the three, and then the fourth and most frightening thing.
\nworse than death Since honor confers a good memory, and hence immortality, things that bring shame are \u201cworse than death.\u201d
\n6. rival The image here is of a man with two or more wives. Ben Sira also refers to rival wives in 37:11, and some have understood 25:14 as referring to rival wives.
\nheartache and sorrow \u2026 known to all The embarrassment or shame for the husband is the public nature of the tongue-lashing.
\n7. yoke A symbol of burden and oppression that makes the entire image negative.
\n9. haughty stare \u2026 eyelids The translation \u201chaughty stare\u201d is literally \u201clifting up of the eyes.\u201d That is, a woman\u2019s primary seductive attributes seem to be the looks she gives and the decoration of her eyes.
\n10. daughter The shift from wife to daughter interrupts the major subject of the section\u2014good and bad wives. Some scholars have argued that \u201cdaughter\u201d has intruded from 42:11, where the same phrase occurs, and that the subject matter and the lack of \u201cdaughter\u201d in the Syriac translation indicate an emendation to \u201cwife\u201d here.
\n11. impudent eye Or shameless eye; see Sir. 26:9.
\n12. drinks from any water A metaphor for being indiscriminate.
\ntent peg \u2026 quiver \u2026 arrow All transparent sexual metaphors.
\n13. flesh on his bones To be in a good condition. For a similar thought, see 4Q185 1\u20132 ii 12.
\n14\u201315. A silent wife Note that the desirable attributes of a good wife contrast with those of the wicked wife: silent\/garrulous, self-discipline\/drunken, modest\/unchaste.
\n17. holy lampstand Refers to the menorah, the candelabrum, that stood in the Temple.
\n18. golden pillars Presumably, in the light of the reference to the menorah, a reference to columns on the Temple. Thus, Ben Sira sets the good wife within the metaphorical framework of the Temple service. (Verses 19\u201327 are a later addition to the chapter.)
\n28. warrior The Syriac translation has \u201ca free\/noble man.\u201d This numerical proverb begins a series of short stanzas on a variety of Wisdom topics.
\n29. A merchant can hardly keep from wrongdoing Ben Sira has harsh words for merchants, whom he connects with the sinful accumulation of wealth (27:1). As with riches themselves, Ben Sira does not offer a blanket condemnation of business, but he thinks that sin is deeply embedded in business transactions; see the metaphor in 27:2.
\n27:3. steadfast in the fear of the LORD Ben Sira suggests that someone who fears the LORD might be able to do business justly.
\nhis house As elsewhere in Sirach, God\u2019s punishment extends to the household of the sinner.
\n4\u20137 Ben Sira\u2019s general point is that speech reflects what is inside a person, from faults to cultivation. Yet, later in this chapter he recognizes that some speech can be deceiving; see 27:23. The importance of speech and its consequences for honor or shame are evident in the number of times the topic comes up in the book.
\n8. glorious robe Reminiscent of the clothing connected with Wisdom in 6:31, with Aaron in 45:7, and with Simon II in 50:11, although the phrase is not identical.
\n12 The importance of one\u2019s associations and their effects is common in Wisdom Literature; see, for example, Prov. 22:24\u201325; 23:20\u201321.
\n16\u201321c. Whoever betrays secrets \u2026 is without hope This short poem on betraying confidences begins and ends (in v. 21c) with \u201cwhoever betrays secrets.\u201d
\n17. do not follow after him Because the friendship is beyond repair, reflecting the central theme of this poem.
\n22. Whoever winks the eye plots mischief The subject of this next poem shifts from caution about the student revealing secrets to being wary of the mischievous. Winking of the eye is a sign of deceit and duplicity; see also Prov. 6:12\u201313; 10:10.
\n24. I have hated \u2026 the LORD hates Ben Sira links his judgment of the duplicitous person with God\u2019s.
\n28. Mockery and abuse issue from the proud The Gk. has no verb here, and thus should be translated something like \u201cmockery and abuse are for (or: belong to) the proud.\u201d This sentiment nicely parallels 28b, where the proud experience vengeance.
\n29. before their death Articulates Ben Sira\u2019s thought that God judges the wicked in this lifetime. A painful death is a sign of God\u2019s recompense for their evil.
\n28:1. keeps a strict account of their sins In order for Ben Sira\u2019s theodicy to work, God must be aware of the acts of human beings. So, his eyes see everything that humans do, and he \u201ckeeps a strict account.\u201d In this way God\u2019s judgment is just.
\n2. Forgive your neighbor \u2026 your sins will be pardoned In several places Ben Sira argues that certain pious acts count against one\u2019s sins\u2014so, for example, almsgiving; see Matt. 6:14\u201315.
\n5. who will make an atoning sacrifice The answer to this rhetorical question is presumed to be no one. Thus, sacrifice and ethics are related. Some have suggested that Ben Sira is not all that interested in the cult, but where he speaks of sacrifice, he presumes active participation. Ben Sira does think that one\u2019s actions have a bearing on the effectiveness of the sacrificial cult.
\n6\u20137. Remember In the sense of \u201cbe mindful of.\u201d
\n7. do not be angry with your neighbor Perhaps a reference to the law found in Lev. 19:18: \u201cLove your fellow as yourself.\u201d
\n8\u201311 This short poem has the Gk. mach\u0113, \u201cstrife, quarrel,\u201d at its beginning and end, indicating a self-contained poem.
\n10. wealth \u2026 wrath Ben Sira connects wealth with negative behavior. Although he notes in 13:24 that \u201criches are good if they are free from sin,\u201d passages like this one suggest that such a situation is rare.
\n12 As an introduction to a poem on evil speech, Ben Sira offers a metaphor suggesting that speech can be inflammatory or conciliatory.
\n13. double-tongued See the comment on 5:13\u20136:1.
\n14\u201315. Slander Literally, \u201cthird tongue,\u201d presumably because slander is false speech spoken from one person to another about someone else. Hence, the slanderer is the \u201cthird tongue.\u201d
\n19. Happy is the one The verse begins with a beatitude that shifts the focus from slander and being a victim of the tongue to admonitions about controlling the tongue rather than being controlled by it.
\nyoke \u2026 fetters Both of these terms are used elsewhere of wisdom; see 6:24\u201330. \u201cYoke\u201d also is used with a negative connotation in Sirach; see 26:7.
\n24a. thorns Fences in ancient Israel would usually be constructed of stone, but Ben Sira also seems to suggest that one might use thorned bushes to create a barrier to protect one\u2019s property.
\n25b. door \u2026 bolt A metaphor for silence. Ben Sira elsewhere extols the virtue of silence and knowing when to speak and not to speak.
\n26. err with your tongue See 20:18 on a \u201cslip of the tongue,\u201d which can lead to unanticipated disaster.
\n29:1. The merciful lend to their neighbors The beginning of four poems on borrowing and lending and the life of the poor. \u201cTo their neighbors\u201d indicates that the activity involves Jews lending to Jews. To help a fellow Israelite is enshrined in Israelite legal tradition; see Exod. 22:24\u201326; Deut. 15:7\u201311.
\n2. repay Ben Sira makes no mention of interest, presumably since taking interest from an Israelite was forbidden; see Lev. 25:35\u201337; Deut. 23:20\u201321.
\n7. Many refuse to lend Ben Sira recognizes the realities of lending whereby the lender often loses what was lent (Sir. 29:5\u20136). As a result, he does not condemn a refusal to lend, even though the law encourages lending to an Israelite.
\n8. waiting for your alms This verse shifts the topic from lending to almsgiving, wherein one gives away and does not expect anything back. Those being helped here are clearly needy.
\n9. for the commandment\u2019s sake The law makes the community responsible for the poor in its midst; see Deut. 15:7\u201311, where the subject seems to be the seventh year cancellation of debts. Ben Sira makes this point a number of times in his book; see 3:30\u20134:6; 7:32.
\n10\u201312. Lose \u2026 Lay up \u2026 Store up These three verbs are all in parallel and thus relate to each other, and all refer to almsgiving. In several places Ben Sira notes that almsgiving atones for sin (3:30), brings favor from God (17:22), functions like a sacrifice (35:4), and rescues from trouble (40:24). Thus, to give according to the commandments brings great profit (v. 11). On laying up treasure, see Matt. 6:19\u201320. Verse 12a involves a paradoxical statement in that one presumably takes money from a treasury in order to give, but almsgiving and its benefits more than compensate for the money given away.
\n14. surety Providing collateral in order to guarantee a loan for someone else. In antiquity, providing collateral put one at great risk, since the guarantor was at the mercy of someone else and had to trust the borrower to repay the loan.
\n20. be careful not to fall yourself Reflects Ben Sira\u2019s famous ethic of caution. As a result of the potentially disastrous consequences of providing collateral, Ben Sira encourages his charges to \u201cassist your neighbor to the best of your ability.\u201d
\n22. the life of the poor under their own crude roof We get a glimpse of Ben Sira\u2019s social assumptions. The poor, in his social construction, are those who have something but often not enough, and they teeter on the edge of destitution. In Sir. 40:28\u201330 he treats the beggar, whose life is worse than death. Certainly that does not have to be the case with the poor, who, if content with what they have, can survive with the necessities mentioned in Sir. 29:21.
\n23\u201327 The point is that if one is content with what one has, one does not have to be at the mercy of others. The subtext of verses 25\u201326 is that one will be treated like a household servant and not as a guest.
\n30:1\u201313 Starting in Sir. 30:11, MS B preserves text until 33:3. It overlaps with MS E from 32:16. The entire section comprises two poems, one on the consequences of raising good sons and one on the consequences of not raising sons correctly.
\n1. will whip him often Corporal punishment was understood as the proper method for raising obedient children, and it was enshrined in Israelite Wisdom Literature.
\n2. disciplines Parallels the verb \u201cteaches\u201d in Sir. 30:3. Gk. paideu\u014d (usually translating Heb. yasar in Sirach) means \u201cto instruct or discipline.\u201d Clearly instruction involved corporal punishment; see also Sir. 30:11\u201313.
\n3. will glory in him The son who behaves correctly reflects well on his father. This verse reveals the honor\/shame system so embedded in Ben Sira\u2019s social values.
\n4. he will not seem to be dead Since Ben Sira envisions no afterlife, a decorous child keeps the honorable name of his father alive, and he achieves a kind of immortality.
\n6. avenger \u2026 repay the kindness A son properly raised will complete his father\u2019s business and act as he would have. The obligations of the father devolve to the son.
\n7\u20139 These verses enjoin a degree of parental callousness. If one binds every wound or responds to every cry, a child will become spoiled. The verb \u201cspoils\u201d (along with the adjectives \u201cunbroken\u201d and \u201cunchecked\u201d) form a stark contrast with the verb \u201cdisciplines\u201d in verse 2.
\n13. Discipline Clearly meaning the corporal punishment outlined in verse 12.
\noffended by his shamelessness Again, the son\u2019s actions reflect on his father, and the thought forms a bracket with the initial verses of this section.
\n17. Death is better A rather dramatic statement for Ben Sira, since he does not believe in some blessed afterlife. See also Sir. 16:3, where the same sentiment applies to having ungodly children.
\n18\u201320 The metaphors of food offerings for the dead, sacrifices to idols, and a eunuch trying to engage in sex are of uselessness. Verse 19 articulates in a nutshell the Jewish attitude toward Gentile idols. Several Second Temple period texts polemicize against Gentile idol worship; see, for example, the Epistle of Jeremiah and Wis. 14:12\u201331.
\n21\u201325 A series of proverbs contrasting the effects of sorrow and joy. Sir. 30:24, particularly, sets up the discussion of wealth to follow in 31:1\u201311.
\n25 Stands at a break in the Greek text of Sirach. In antiquity several pages of a Greek manuscript were transposed, presumably by accident. The Greek textual tradition, then, instead of continuing with chapter 31, has 33:16\u201336:13 inserted. The Hebrew (followed by the NRSV) retains the proper textual order.
\n31:1\u20132. Wakefulness over wealth \u2026 drives away sleep See Ben Sira\u2019s similar thoughts about daughters in 42:9.
\n3 The structure of these two verses is to contrast the rich and the poor by means of a common subject or activity, \u201ctoil.\u201d
\n8\u201311 This passage begins with a beatitude that segues into a series of rhetorical questions. Ben Sira does not criticize the wealthy for having wealth, but given what he has said already in the book (and in 31:5 above), these questions almost require a negative answer. Clearly those who are not corrupted by money are extremely few. Note, for instance, the parallel in verse 10 between \u201cWho has been tested by it [i.e., gold] and been found perfect?\u201d and \u201cwho has had the power to transgress and did not transgress?\u201d
\n8. gold Here, the Gk. renders the Heb. mammon, an Aram. loan word; see the famous saying of Jesus found at the end of the parable of the dishonest manager in Luke 16:1\u201313.
\n31:12\u201332:13 This section contains three poems on food, wine, and banquets, in that order. A banquet held by a wealthy person represented an opportunity either to win acclaim and praise, and thus honor, or to embarrass oneself and be shamed. For students like Ben Sira\u2019s, who aspired to careers serving the aristocratic wealthy, the need to cultivate good manners in order to navigate these social occasions successfully was imperative.
\n31:12\u201318 The sentiments and manners come through clearly enough. The lesson in this poem is about relationships with others while at a banquet. Verse 12 sets the context: \u201cat the table of the great.\u201d
\n19\u201324 The second part of the poem on food focuses on the health benefits of eating moderately. In verse 22, Ben Sira links health with moderation. Verses 23 and 24 reinforce the values of generosity by linking it to public reputation, so important to Ben Sira.
\n25 The subject of wine drinking, its benefits, and its dangers are a staple of Wisdom Literature. The background of this poem is likely the Hellenistic symposium, a drinking party that entailed much eating and drinking and then entertainment, often in the form of philosophical conversation. For another Jewish look at the symposium, see Philo, Contempl. Life 48\u201363.
\nprove your strength Probably in a drinking contest associated with the symposium.
\n27 Wine comes from God and therefore is a blessing to human life; see Ps. 104:15.
\n28. proper time \u2026 moderation Two very important values in Sirach; see above, v. 20 on food and moderation and 4:23 and 20:20 on the proper moment, particularly with respect to speech..
\n32:1\u20132 These verses cite the duties of the master of the feast, which was a position of honor that required one to arrange the banquet and to assure that all went well. One receives plaudits by taking care of others, not by exalting oneself.
\n3\u20134. you who are older The duties of older banqueters. Age conferred certain social privileges, such as speaking first, but even then Ben Sira warns about too much speech (as is his wont elsewhere). Note the emphasis on not speaking at the wrong time.
\n7\u20139. you who are young The duties of young banqueters. The young are to be seen, but only infrequently heard. For the idea of \u201cone who knows and can still hold his tongue,\u201d see Sir. 20:1, 6.
\n10\u201312 General admonitions for banquets. Again note Ben Sira\u2019s emphasis on modesty, the proper time, and right speech.
\n14. seeks Follows Hebrew MS B and parallels the verb in verse 15. The Gk. has \u201cthe one who fears the LORD\u201d here.
\nrise early to seek him See 39:5, where Ben Sira refers to the sage who rises early in prayer.
\n16. form true judgments Perhaps a reference to one of the possible offices the scribe might occupy; see 7:6; 38:33; 42:2.
\n19. deliberation Or \u201ccounsel.\u201d Elsewhere Ben Sira extols the value of good counsel; see 21:13; 37:16; 40:25.
\n20\u201322. a path full of hazards On the surface these verses give good practical advice, but Ben Sira also employs the image of walking a path metaphorically. Such use is frequent in Jewish Wisdom Literature and symbolizes right (or wrong) ways of living, decision making, or even fate or destiny (see below, Sir. 33:11). So, \u201cdo not stumble at an obstacle twice\u201d means \u201cdo not make the same mistake twice.\u201d
\n24. one who keeps the law Perhaps a reference to the Deuteronomistic notion that obedience to God brings good favor and success; see a passage like Deut. 6:3: \u201cObey, O Israel, willingly and faithfully, that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly [in] a land flowing with milk and honey.\u201d
\n24\u201333:3 In these verses Ben Sira places in parallel \u201cone who keeps the Law,\u201d \u201cone who trusts the LORD,\u201d \u201csomeone who fears the LORD,\u201d \u201cthe wise,\u201d and \u201cthe sensible person.\u201d
\n3. divine oracle Perhaps a reference to the Urim and Thummin, the sacred dice, by which Aaron determined the will of God; see Exod. 28:30; Lev. 8:8. In some other Jewish works, the Law or prophets are referred to as divine oracles or utterances.
\n7\u201315 Throughout his book, Ben Sira has set against each other the wise and the foolish, the pious and the ungodly, the rich and the poor, etc. Here we find that these opposites are not simply tropes, but reflect a basic structure in the world. God created the cosmos (the \u201cworks of the Most High\u201d) \u201cin pairs, one the opposite of the other\u201d (Sir. 33:15). Thus, the distinctions that Ben Sira enumerates in verses 7\u201315 are evidence of a divine, but yet observable, structure in the world.
\n7. Why is one day more important than another \u2026? The question introduces the entire section. So, even if it pertains to time, it really extends to humans as well, in verses 10\u201313.
\n8. seasons and festivals Refers to the Sabbath and the various liturgical festivals of the Jewish year. The Sabbath, for instance, was instituted as part of Creation; see Gen. 2:2\u20133.
\n10. from the ground \u2026 out of the dust The lines are in synonymous parallelism. The Heb. \u2018aphar, \u201cdust,\u201d is the same word used in Gen. 2:7. The Heb. has an ABB\u2032A\u2032 poetic structure (not represented in NRSV) of: human beings\u2014from the ground\u2014out of dust\u2014humankind.
\n11\u201312 Although all humans are created out of the earth, God \u201cappointed their different ways\u201d or paths, and is therefore responsible for their places in life. So, figures like Abraham, Moses, or Aaron \u201che blessed and exalted\u201d; see Sir. 44:21; 45:4, 6. He sanctified the priests, who had the privilege of approaching the altar to serve God. Those \u201che cursed \u2026 and turned them out of their place\u201d may refer to the Canaanites, whom the Israelites displaced (cf. 16:9).
\n13. clay in the hand of the potter A common image for God as Creator; see Isa. 29:16; 45:9; 64:7.
\n14. good \u2026 evil \u2026 life \u2026 death \u2026 sinner \u2026 godly Much of Ben Sira\u2019s Wisdom instruction is intended to explicate these three fundamental pairs of opposites.
\n16\u201317. the last to keep vigil In this short first-person stanza, Ben Sira positions himself as standing at the end of a line of predecessors. But who are they? The obvious answer is the Wisdom teachers who preceded him. Yet, the idea of keeping watch or vigil is important in the prophets as well. Ezekiel is established as a watchman over Israel (Ezek. 33:7); Habakkuk stands at his watch post (Hab. 2:1), and the Heb. verb used here in Sirach\u2014shaqad, \u201cto watch or keep vigil\u201d\u2014is central to Jeremiah (see Jer. 1:12; 31:28; 44:27). In Sir. 24:33, Ben Sira compares his teaching to prophecy, and he claims that the sage experiences revelatory inspiration (39:6).
\nfilled my wine press Recalls images in Sirach that connect Wisdom to wine; see 1:16 and 24:19\u201322.
\n18 See 24:34 for the same sentiment in almost identical language.
\n19. Hear me, you who are great \u2026 pay heed! There is some difference of opinion about where verse 19 belongs: with the previous poem, as its conclusion (as in NRSV), or as the beginning of this one. The use of the vocative, which usually begins a section in Sirach, and the second-person \u201cyou,\u201d which continues in the following verses, argues for its place at the head of this section.
\n20\u201323. do not give power over yourself These verses concern maintaining one\u2019s honor, since control over one\u2019s property and family were key elements in maintaining it. Otherwise one is at the mercy of others, a situation that Ben Sira decries elsewhere; see 29:24\u201328.
\n25. donkey \u2026 slave Reveals Ben Sira\u2019s mindset about slaves. The Israelite legal tradition regulated slavery and was very different from the slave economy of the Roman world. The Heb. word \u2018eved is the general word for slave. The Gk. uses oiket\u0113s, \u201chousehold slave.\u201d
\n26\u201330. racks and tortures \u2026 nothing unjust Although Ben Sira encourages the slave owner not to treat slaves unjustly, he also warns against idleness and wickedness for slaves, for which he prescribes severe punishment.
\n31\u201333. bought him with blood A metaphor for one\u2019s life; see Sir. 29:15 on giving surety and 34:25\u201327 on the relationship between wages and blood. The high price that one has paid for a single slave justifies treating the slave well.
\n34:1\u20138 Ben Sira criticizes reliance on dreams, divination, and omens, with dreams his major worry (see 34:1, 2, 3, 7). That dreams do not provide reliable knowledge, but rather mislead, forms the heart of his critique. Ben Sira\u2019s target seems to be the claim that knowledge and wisdom can be acquired through dreams and visions; see the comment on 3:21\u201324.
\n3. the likeness of a face looking at itself The idea that a dream is essentially a projection of the dreamer seems very modern.
\n5. Divinations and omens and dreams Divining the future and seeking omens are specifically prohibited in Deut. 18:10.
\n6. Unless they are \u2026 from the Most High, pay no attention Ben Sira faces a dilemma in his critique, since some famous biblical figures, such as Jacob and Joseph, experience dreams sent by God. So, even though he does not provide any information on how to tell the difference, he advises that one should pay heed only to dreams that come from God.
\n8. the law \u2026 wisdom \u2026 the faithful Ben Sira connects fulfilling the law with wisdom and being faithful, all of which are set against the deceptive nature of dreams.
\n11\u201313. he that has traveled acquires much cleverness Ben Sira links experience with travel, which results in cleverness. In verse 9a, the NRSV has \u201ceducated person,\u201d but in light of the parallelism in Sir. 34:1\u20132, we might want to read with the main text of Joseph Ziegler\u2019s Greek critical edition, \u201cone who has roamed or wandered about.\u201d Ben Sira thus establishes his own credentials using a first-person narrative in which he refers to his own travels.
\n14. spirit \u2026 will live Here, Ben Sira is not referring to a postmortem existence but is using the verb \u201clive\u201d in the sense of being energized, encouraged, etc.
\n19. The eyes of the LORD are on those who love him The first colon, or line, is almost identical to Ps. 33:18a. The images for God in this verse are common in Israel\u2019s hymnic tradition.
\n20. health and life and blessing A summation of all that Ben Sira has said thus far in the book about the benefits of fearing the LORD, following the commandments, and acquiring wisdom.
\n34:21\u201335:26 This section is a rather long meditation on offering sacrifices. Some scholars have argued that Ben Sira privileges ethics over the sacrificial cult, but that position is difficult to sustain. Ben Sira, as a faithful Jew of the 2nd century BCE, assumed that sacrifices were central to proper worship of God. He also connects offering sacrifices with fulfillment of the Law\u2014both in its ethical and cultic aspects. In this attitude, he reflects an attitude seen frequently in the Hebrew biblical prophets.
\n21. offering is blemished The law required animal sacrifices to be unblemished. Ben Sira argues that any sacrifice from ill-gotten goods is unfit for sacrifice.
\n24\u201327 Ben Sira explains what ill-gotten goods are. In other places Ben Sira connects life or blood with one\u2019s property (cf. Sir. 29:15). The magnitude of Ben Sira\u2019s claims is startling: he equates making offerings of this sort with murder. Ben Sira links the social responsibility embedded in the covenant between God and Israel with its cultic requirements.
\n28\u201329. When one builds \u2026 to whose voice will the LORD listen These verses make a similar point to vv. 21\u201323, that God will not respond to nor is he pleased by either the gifts or the voices of the unrighteous.
\n30\u201331. If one washes \u2026 what has he gained by humbling himself These verses move to a different topic, recidivism. If someone sins and then repents, but continues to sin, of what benefit are the acts of repentance? The reference to corpse defilement alludes to the week-long purification ritual in Num. 19:11\u201322
\n35:1\u20135 Ben Sira makes explicit here what he has referred to several times in the book. Keeping the law, heeding the commandments, and giving alms all atone for sin in the eyes of God; see Sir. 3:3, 14 (on parents), 30 (on almsgiving). Ben Sira compares these acts with specific sacrifices: an offering of well-being (see Lev. 3), an offering of choice flour (see Lev. 2), and a thank offering (see Lev. 7:12\u201321). No Heb. is extant for these verses, but each of the Gk. terms for these sacrifices is the same as in the Septuagint. Although some scholars argue that Ben Sira prefers ethics over sacrifice, the parallel in verse 5 of \u201cpleasing to the LORD\u201d and \u201catonement\u201d establishes that fulfilling the law atones for sin, whether it be through \u201cthe sacrifice of the righteous\u201d (see v. 9) or through charitable acts such as almsgiving.
\n6. appear before the LORD A technical phrase for Israelite males making the three pilgrimage festivals: Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits (or Harvest or Weeks), and Ingathering (or Booths); see Exod. 23:14\u201317; Deut. 16:16\u201317.
\nempty-handed Both Exod. 23:15 and Deut. 16:16 warn against not bringing sacrifice.
\n7. in fulfillment of the commandment By God\u2019s command, sacrifices must be offered properly.
\n10. firstfruits On this offering, see Exod. 23:16, 19.
\n11. tithe A tenth of one\u2019s produce and harvest was set aside and then consumed \u201cso that you may learn to revere the LORD your God forever\u201d (Deut. 14:23); on the tithe, see Deut. 14:22\u201329.
\n13. sevenfold See Sir. 7:3 and 20:12, where, as here, the word means \u201ca lot or greatly.\u201d
\n14\u201315. bribe \u2026 dishonest sacrifice See above in 34:21\u201331.
\n16\u201319. not show partiality to the poor Ben Sira is consistent throughout the book that God does not prefer the poor because of their poverty. God does, however, hear the complaints of the marginalized when they are wronged; see, for example, 4:5\u20136; 21:5; Exod. 22:21\u201323; Deut. 15:7\u20139.
\n22\u201325. does justice for the righteous \u2026 judges the case of his people A segue from God\u2019s justice toward the marginalized of Jewish society to his justice toward the nation itself. Just as \u201ca warrior\u201d is impatient to get into battle, so God \u201cwill not delay.\u201d The remainder of the section is punctuated by bicola introduced with \u201cuntil\u201d (\u2018ad in Heb. and he\u014ds in Gk.). The first two bicola have the nations as the subject of God\u2019s vengeance; the third, mortals generally. Then the last turns to God\u2019s mercy on his people.
\n23. multitude of the insolent The Hebrew of MS B reads \u201cscepter of pride\u201d and thus forms in Hebrew an ABB\u2032A\u2032 parallelism: destroys\u2014scepter of pride\u2014scepters (Heb. \u201cstaff\u201d)\u2014breaks. The language of this section, and this verse in particular, draws on prophetic modes of speech.
\n36:1\u201322 This prayer of lament that beseeches God for deliverance deviates from the tone of the rest of the book. A number of its themes and much of its language parallel similar prayers in the Hebrew Bible and Second Temple literature, but one element of the lament is inexplicably lacking: a confession of sin. (For a similar lament, see Ps. 44.) Like the verses preceding it, this prayer has a prophetic cast to it. While some scholars have argued that the prayer was a secondary addition to Sirach, the reasons for including it outweigh those for excluding it. It follows well on the heels of Sir. 35:22\u201326, and it expresses Ben Sira\u2019s desire for God to remove foreign rulers from over Israel. Although Ben Sira does not invoke eschatological language elsewhere in the book, he employs several terms here that have important eschatological uses in Second Temple Jewish literature.
\n1. Have mercy This petition follows immediately on 35:25\u201326, which emphasize God\u2019s mercy on his people. The Hebrew of MS B has \u201cSave us.\u201d
\n4. As you have used us The interpretation of this colon is difficult. It could refer to the way that God allowed Israel to become subject to foreign powers. It might be perceived as a kind of confession. It could also be a reference to the Exodus events, to which Ben Sira refers elsewhere in the prayer, where God acts so that the Egyptians \u201cwill know that I am the LORD\u201d; see Exod. 7:17; 8:22; 14:4. God\u2019s deliverance of Israel from contemporary foreign powers will demonstrate his glory to his own people.
\n6. signs \u2026 wonders Terms used to refer to the Ten Plagues against Egypt; see Exod. 7:3 (\u201csigns and marvels\u201d).
\n10. the day \u2026 the appointed time The two Heb. words\u2014ketz, \u201cend,\u201d NRSV \u201cday\u201d; and mo\u2019ed, \u201cappointed time\u201d\u2014are frequently used in eschatological contexts elsewhere in Jewish literature. The first term refers to the time of deliverance, which is accompanied by an ingathering of all the tribes of Jacob (see the next comment).
\n13. Gather all the tribes Ben Sira expresses a widespread prophetic hope that God would gather all of Israel that had been dispersed.
\n16. their inheritance Probably refers to the land of Israel given to Abraham \u201cat the beginning,\u201d although in the next two verses Ben Sira centers on Jerusalem, which is more in line with the prophetic passages.
\n17. the people called by your name See Deut. 28:10.
\nfirstborn See Exod. 4:22.
\n18. the place of your dwelling God\u2019s presence was thought to inhabit the Temple. Recall the praise of Wisdom in Sir. 24; see the comments on 24:8, 10.
\n20\u201321. fulfill the prophecies \u2026 let your prophets be found trustworthy The Gk. has proph\u0113teias, and Heb. MS B has hazon, \u201cvision,\u201d a word used of the revelation given to the biblical prophets and frequently translated into English as \u201cprophecy\u201d; see Isa. 1:1; Obad. 1:1. Ben Sira adopts a view of prophecy that is becoming current in the Second Temple period, that the ancient prophets were predicting contemporary events; for a paradigmatic example, see 4QpHab 7:4.
\n23\u201324. The stomach \u2026 an intelligent mind Ben Sira compares the discerning mind to the gourmand\u2019s discriminating palate.
\n26. one girl is preferable to another A reflection of the honor\/shame system in which Ben Sira lives. It is incumbent on a man to choose a good wife, who fits the characteristics that Ben Sira describes here and elsewhere in the book.
\n27\u201331 The subject of these verses is the man and how fortunate he is if he finds a good wife.
\n29. his best possession A wife was part of a man\u2019s household and hence of his possessions.
\nhelper fit for him An allusion to Gen. 2:18 and the creation of the first woman.
\n30. a fugitive and a wanderer This phrase recalls the punishment of Cain in Gen. 4:12, where the same Hebrew phrase is used.
\n31. who will trust a man Having a wife represents stability. The man without one is untrustworthy, presumably because he has no responsibility to a household.
\n37:1 On false friends, see also Sir. 6:8\u201313.
\n3. O inclination to evil The text of this verse is something of a mess. The NRSV renders the Greek, which probably presupposes the Heb. yetzer, \u201cinclination\u201d; see the comment on 15:14. The extant Hebrew contains several difficult textual problems.
\n5. for their stomachs\u2019 sake The image in the Greek is somewhat troublesome. The first line suggests a utilitarian motive for friendship, but the second line then has that same companion risking life and limb. Hebrew MS D offers a more consistent image, however: \u201cA good friend will fight against a stranger, and against enemies he will hold up a shield.\u201d
\n7\u20139. in their own interest Ben Sira admonishes his charges to beware of someone giving self-interested advice.
\n11 The structure of the verse is to give a list and then tell the student what it means. Ben Sira gives nine types of people whose advice should be avoided, all dependent on the \u201cDo not consult\u201d of verse 10. The negative imperative at the head of verse 11 is added in translation for clarity. Most of the people on this list are dealt with in more detail elsewhere in the book.
\nrival See the comment on 26:6, rival.
\n12\u201315 Since other counselors can be unreliable, \u201cyour own heart\u201d is more faithful than people. The advice to pray so that God may \u201cdirect your way\u201d is probably connected with the faithfulness of one\u2019s own heart and mind (see vv. 13 and 14). These verses move from least to most trustworthy: \u201ca godly person,\u201d \u201cyour own heart,\u201d \u201cthe Most High.\u201d
\n16\u201317. counsel \u2026 mind These verses follow directly on the preceding poem and segue to the topic of wisdom.
\n18. it sprouts four branches Ben Sira continues the tree metaphor from verse 17. He has used this metaphor to describe wisdom elsewhere; see 1:20; 24:16. The combination of the metaphor and the two pairs of opposites reveals wisdom as the topic, but wisdom and foolishness as mediated through speech.
\n19\u201320. may be clever \u2026 yet be useless Being clever or a skillful speaker does not indicate having wisdom. Ben Sira only uses the adjective \u201cwise\u201d later in the passage.
\n22\u201324. the fruits of his good sense Since the subject of the poem is wisdom mediated through speech, what is \u201cpraiseworthy\u201d about the wise person is probably his speech, which benefits both the individual and the community.
\n25\u201326 Verse 25 seems to have little to do with the surrounding material. Perhaps it anticipates the last colon of the poem, \u201chis name will live forever.\u201d For Ben Sira, the memory of the wise person lives on in the community. He will inherit honor in his lifetime, and his memory persists forever in Israel. See the comment on 5:13\u20136:1.
\n27\u201331 On the benefits of moderation in food and drink, see 31:19\u201331 and the comment on 31:19\u201324.
\n38:1. created them Translates the Gk. ektisen. The Heb. has halak \u201callotted.\u201d That is, God has set them in their place in society.
\n4. not despise them Just as God established physicians in human society, so did he create medicines; both deserve honor and respect.
\n5. water made sweet with a tree A reference to the story in Exod. 15:22\u201325. Ben Sira understands the episode to indicate that the wood had certain inherent properties that turned bitter water sweet. Thus, if God has created substances of this sort, \u201cthe sensible will not despise them.\u201d
\n6\u20138. he gave skill The skill to use these substances brings glory to God, who endowed people with healing ability and the earth with medicinal substances. Ultimately health comes from God, a claim that leads into the next poem.
\n9\u201311 Ben Sira does not jettison the idea that sin causes disease; see Deut. 28:21\u201322, 27, 35. Cf. the book of Job, which is an extended meditation on the connection between sin and suffering. Prayer, repentance, and sacrifice aid physical healing because they atone for sin. These are first steps toward healing that should be undertaken before calling the physician (v. 12).
\n14 Physicians have skill, but they also pray to the LORD in order to diagnose.
\n15. He who sins \u2026 will be defiant The NRSV here follows Hebrew MS B, which links sin with rejecting the skills of the physician, a logical end to this poem. The majority of Greek manuscripts read \u201cmay he fall into a physician\u2019s hands,\u201d a negative assessment of the physician that does not accord with the tenor of this poem.
\n16. lament Heb. qinah indicates a certain type of lamentation, one often employed by the Israelite prophets.
\ndo not neglect the burial A proper burial was important in Second Temple Judaism. The best example of such is the book of Tobit, which portrays the oppressive Gentile king as forbidding proper Jewish burials, a prohibition that Tobit ignores and that lands him in trouble; see Tob. 1:16\u201320.
\n17. make your mourning worthy of the departed Ben Sira encourages personal participation in the mourning rites, which often included professional mourners; see Jer. 9:16\u201317.
\none day, or two The traditional mourning period was seven days; see Sir. 22:12. The time period here, then, may be an appropriate period for the outward weeping and wailing connected with mourning.
\n20\u201322. Do not give your heart to grief One\u2019s grief is tempered by the realization that death is the common fate of human beings. In that sense, since grief can lead to death (38:18), one should \u201cdrive it away\u201d after the appropriate mourning period.
\n38:24\u201339:11 The first part of this long section on the trades and the scribe (38:24\u201334b) has often been compared to the Egyptian \u201cSatire of the Trades\u201d (also known as the Instruction of Duauf). Ben Sira does not engage in satire, however. In general he has a very positive view of the trades, declaring, \u201cthey maintain the fabric of the world\u201d (Sir. 39:34a). But his ultimate goal is to praise the scribe and scribal activities. The passage provides a fascinating overview of social structure in the early 2nd century BCE. It also offers insight into Ben Sira\u2019s evaluation of these various occupations. In the second section (38:34c\u201339:11), Ben Sira constructs the ideal scribe and his activities. For him the scribe sits at the top of an ideal social ladder, with a special relation to God.
\n24. wisdom \u2026 depends on the opportunity of leisure The reason for this claim becomes obvious as the poem proceeds. The various tradespersons are too occupied with their work to be able to acquire wisdom. In the following verses, Ben Sira treats the farmer, the artisan, the smith, and the potter, describing their focus on their jobs in a way that demonstrates their lack of opportunity to become learned.
\n31\u201334b Ben Sira recognizes the necessity of all of these tradespersons for survival, but they are not among those who administrate in society.
\n34c, d. How different the one who devotes himself A rounding out of the first poem that recalls verse 24 but makes the transition to the poem on the scribe.
\n39:1. wisdom \u2026 prophecies Noting the juxtaposition of these terms with \u201cthe law\u201d in 38:34d, some scholars understand Ben Sira to be referring to the three divisions of the Hebrew Bible (Torah, Prophets, Writings). This is doubtful, particularly since other evidence that these categories were operative in the Judaism of this period is thin. \u201cWisdom\u201d is not a canonical category but a reference to the entirety of the Israelite Wisdom tradition, which Ben Sira has inherited. It is not even clear that he would have recognized \u201cprophecies\u201d as a specific canonical category. Much of the activities and construction of the sage in 39:1\u201311 is matched in other passages, where Ben Sira uses the first person.
\n2\u20133. sayings of the famous \u2026 parables \u2026 proverbs Interpreting these types of wisdom constituted part of the scribe\u2019s learning. No Hebrew survives for this section, but \u201cparables\u201d probably presupposes the Heb. mashal, which was the basic building block of Wisdom discourse.
\n4. travels in foreign lands On travel, see Ben Sira\u2019s first-person account in 34:12\u201313.
\n5. he opens his mouth in prayer and asks pardon for his sins This verse and the next implicitly contrast the sage with sinners, since, as Ben Sira notes numerous times, sinners cannot acquire wisdom and God will not favor them; see 15:1\u201310 for a concise summary.
\n6. he will pour forth words of wisdom This construction recalls 24:33, where Ben Sira compares his teaching to prophecy using the same verb. The current verse, then, suggests that Ben Sira sees the sage as having a kind of revelatory inspiration.
\n7. mysteries The Gk. is apokryphois, \u201chidden things.\u201d No Hebrew survives here, but the Gk. word is used elsewhere to translate the Heb. root s-t-r, \u201csecret.\u201d In 42:19 and 48:25 it refers to the secrets of the future, which are also seen as God\u2019s works. In 43:32 it translates niphla\u2019, a term relating to God\u2019s wondrous creation. So, here the scribe thinks about the hidden works of God.
\n9. His memory will not disappear \u2026 his name will live The result of sharing his wisdom is an everlasting name and memory for the scribe, which for Ben Sira amounts to a kind of immortality. For the same themes about past figures, see 44:1\u201315.
\n10. Nations will speak of his wisdom Like other wisdom teachers, his fame will be known abroad.
\n12. full like the full moon Describes what Ben Sira has to say but also points to its illuminating nature. In 24:32 he compares his instruction to the dawn.
\n13\u201314 The flowers, incense, and perfume all recall Wisdom\u2019s self-praise in 24:13\u201317.
\n15. this is what you shall say in thanksgiving An invitation to participate in the hymn of praise to follow.
\n16. very good See Gen. 1, especially verse 31.
\nappointed time An important concept throughout Sirach; see, for example, Sir. 1:23; 4:23; 31:28.
\nHere it applies to God\u2019s commands in nature.
\n17. waters stood in a heap See Exod. 15:8, although there the cause is the breath of God\u2019s nostrils. In this section, Ben Sira understands God\u2019s word as being the activating cause behind the way the world works. God created by his word (see Gen. 1), but creation also continues to function via his word.
\n19. nothing can be hidden from his eyes See Sir. 15:18\u201319; 17:15, 19; 23:19.
\n20. nothing is too marvelous for him A statement of God\u2019s omniscience.
\n22. like a river \u2026 like a flood Perhaps references to the Euphrates and Nile respectively.
\n23. watered land into salt A reference to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; see Gen. 19:1\u201326.
\n25. From the beginning good things A reference to creation and the value God placed on it. But Ben Sira goes a step further and claims that although all people share in the good things, evil things exist for sinners.
\n26\u201327. water and fire and iron and salt After his list of life\u2019s necessities, Ben Sira notes that \u201cfor sinners they turn into evils.\u201d He does not say how this happens, but perhaps he intends that sinners use these things for something other than the purpose for which God created them (see Sir. 39:21).
\n28. day of reckoning The time of God\u2019s judgment, which here has an eschatological tinge.
\n29\u201331. Fire and hail and famine and pestilence On the other hand, there are natural elements that were created as tools for God\u2019s \u201cvengeance\u201d (used twice, in vv. 28 and 29), presumably on the wicked. Almost all of these instruments are mentioned in Hebrew Scripture in contexts of God\u2019s punishment or anger. So, for example, fire destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
\n31. they never disobey his command Just as 39:18 notes that \u201cWhen he commands, his every purpose is fulfilled,\u201d so too do these forces of vengeance obey God.
\n33\u201335 These verses reprise the themes that introduce and begin the hymn. \u201cAll the works of the LORD are good\u201d recalls the hymn\u2019s beginning in verse 16, and \u201cSo now sing praise \u2026 and bless\u201d harks back to the invitation to praise that introduces the hymn in verse 15.
\n40:1\u201311. a heavy yoke is laid on the children of Adam This poem highlights the difficulty of the human condition. The first seven verses have all humans as the subject. Verses 8\u201310 shift to the way that creation punishes sinners. The poem further explicates Ben Sira\u2019s views expressed in chapter 39 about the way God treats the righteous and the unrighteous. Some scholars view verse 11 as the conclusion to this poem; others place it at the head of the next one.
\n1. Hard work was created for everyone For the biblical underpinnings of this verse, see Gen. 3:16\u201319. heavy yoke A frequent image in Sirach, used both positively and negatively.
\nmother of all the living A metaphor for the earth; for the earth as the originator of all people, see Gen. 3:19. This epithet is applied to Eve in Gen. 3:20 using the identical Heb. phrase, \u2019em kol hai.
\n8\u20139 Ben Sira has consistently maintained that the wicked will suffer God\u2019s punishment, and in Sir. 39:28\u201331 he argues that some elements of creation are for vengeance. Here he attempts to deal with the problematic aspects of his theodicy\u2014that the righteous should prosper and the wicked should suffer\u2014since life clearly does not always work that way. So, while \u201call creatures\u201d suffer these disasters, sinners do \u201cseven times more.\u201d
\n10. the flood came The reading of the Greek; perhaps an interpretive reading of the Hebrew, which has \u201cdestruction comes quickly.\u201d
\n11 The first line echoes Gen. 2:7; 3:19. For a close parallel of the verse in Wisdom Literature, see Eccles. 12:7.
\n15. The children of the ungodly put out few branches For the same image\u2014but specifically about the children of adulterous relationships\u2014see Sir. 23:25.
\n17 The Heb. has in parallel hesed (\u201ckindness\u201d) and tzedakah (\u201crighteousness\u201d or \u201calmsgiving\u201d). The Gk. consistently has interpreted tzedakah in Sirach as ele\u0113mosyn\u0113, an act of charity, translated as \u201calmsgiving\u201d in the NRSV.
\n18\u201327 In this short poem, the bicola have a consistent form that has the effect of \u201cx and y are beneficial, but z is \u2018better than either.\u2019 \u201d The general subject is the good in life. The poem covers both the material and the relational, singling out items that have been discussed in detail elsewhere, such as friends, wives, children, and money. In keeping with Ben Sira\u2019s overall interest, \u201cfear of the LORD\u201d outstrips everything.
\n26. no need to seek for help As Ben Sira has noted elsewhere, wealth and status can be fleeting. With \u201cfear of the LORD\u201d one needs nothing further, since God will make that person prosper.
\n27. garden of blessing The Heb. \u2018eden berakah, \u201cparadise of blessing\u201d (Gk. paradeisos, \u201cgarden\u201d), is likely a reference to the Garden in Gen. 2:10, 15.
\n28. better to die than to beg For Ben Sira, the poor have at least some means of sustaining life;, see Sir. 29:21\u201322. Destitution is another matter, and begging constitutes a form of social death.
\n30. In the mouth of the shameless The key to the problem of begging, as in much else in Sirach, lies in honor or shame. One who is concerned with honor (the \u201cintelligent and well instructed\u201d of 29d) will have self-respect.
\n41:1\u20132 These verses contrast attitudes toward death, which depend on one\u2019s material circumstances. Both verses begin with the vocative \u201cO death.\u201d
\n3. death\u2019s decree See Sir. 14:12, 17, and the comment on 14:12.
\n4. why should you then reject the will of the Most High In the context this clause is somewhat ambiguous. It could refer to what immediately precedes about death in 41:1\u20133 or to Ben Sira\u2019s broader contention that possessions and status or lack of them come from God, and as a result, so does a long or abbreviated life span.
\n5\u201310. The children of sinners are abominable Ben Sira treats both the ungodly and their offspring. The main thought concerns shame and the consequences of impiety. The section assumes the Deuteronomistic idea that the sins of parents are visited upon their children; see, for example, Deut. 5:9. So, sinners bequeath \u201cperpetual disgrace\u201d to their children, and the children, who suffer \u201ccalamity,\u201d curse their parents for it; see Sir. 3:1\u201316 for more of Ben Sira\u2019s thoughts on parents and children.
\n8. Woe to you, the ungodly Ben Sira employs a form often appearing in the biblical prophets; see also 2:12\u201314.
\n11\u201313. The human body is a fleeting thing \u2026 a good name lasts forever Since Ben Sira envisions no blessed afterlife, one\u2019s name outlives one\u2019s body. The wise person, then, will take just as good care of his\/her name, considering its value.
\n14\u201315. My children, be true to your training and be at peace The Hebrew of verse 14a has \u201cListen, children, to teaching concerning shame,\u201d and some scholars place this colon after verse 15 as the introduction to the next poem. Lines 14b and c and verse 15 are an exact quote in Greek of 20:30\u201331 (where no Hebrew is extant).
\n17 Ben Sira introduces this poem on shame with the reminder that in some situations, being ashamed is the appropriate response. The poem is the most concentrated teaching on the subject in Sirach. The emphasis on both shame and approval demonstrates the public nature of the issue, particularly in the first part of the poem (41:17\u201342:1), where the student is often admonished to be ashamed in the presence of someone else. Ben Sira has included proverbs about most of these items elsewhere. Various types of sexual immorality play a prominent role (vv. 17, 20, 21, 22). Some of the topics are somewhat unequally yoked, as for instance in verse 19, where breaking an oath appears together with bad table manners and surliness about gifts.
\n42:1. proper shame Lines c and d of this verse suggest that to be ashamed not only is an appropriate response after the fact, but it also acts to prevent the shameful behaviors mentioned in verse 1a\u2013b (\u201crepeating what you hear\u201d and \u201cbetraying secrets\u201d), so that \u201cfavor with everyone\u201d is the end result.
\ndo not sin to save face The point is that the following behaviors, which Ben Sira views as righteous, might provoke criticism, and to be ashamed of them in order to protect oneself would be sinful.
\n2. the law \u2026 his covenant Significantly, these two items top the list of things that should not provoke shame.
\nto acquit the ungodly If the ungodly are innocent, even they deserve justice, however unpopular such a decision might be.
\n5. of profit from dealing with merchants For Ben Sira\u2019s thoughts on merchants, see 26:29\u201327:2. Yet, he does not see profit as inherently evil.
\nfrequent disciplining \u2026 drawing blood In each case, corporal punishment is envisioned; for children, see 7:23; 30:1\u20132. On slaves, see 33:25\u201330.
\n6 The form changes here from the negative imperative of verse 2.
\nuntrustworthy It is not clear on what text the NRSV is based. The Gk. has pon\u0113rai, \u201cwicked\u201d or \u201cbad,\u201d which mirrors the Heb. of the text of Hebrew Ms B, ra\u2019ah, \u201cevil\u201d or \u201cwicked.\u201d A marginal correction in Ms B has tipshah, \u201cstupid\u201d or \u201cfoolish.\u201d Unfortunately, this section of text is missing in the Masada manuscript.
\nseal The parallelism with 42:6b suggests one possible interpretation\u2014that one ought to keep one\u2019s thoughts (as in sealing a letter) or one\u2019s valuables sealed up so that a wicked wife is not tempted by them. The use of the adjectives \u201cwicked\u201d or \u201cfoolish\u201d might suggest another interpretation, however\u2014that a husband should constrain the movement and associations of such a wife, probably by keeping her confined.
\n8. the aged who are guilty of sexual immorality See 25:2.
\napproved by all See 42:1d. Both sections of the poem conclude the same way, with public approval, and by extension with the opposite of shame, honor.
\n42:9\u201314 This poem is one of the reasons that Ben Sira has become notorious for his misogynism. Throughout the book, he has shown concern for the way that women\u2019s behavior affects a man\u2019s honor; on wives, see particularly 25:16\u201326:18. Yet, his comments sometimes seem excessively negative. In this short poem, Ben Sira begins with the anxiety and sleeplessness experienced by fathers because of daughters, and ends with general comments about women and wickedness. Verse 14b sums up Ben Sira\u2019s deep fears about women, since they can bring shame and disgrace (see also v. 11d). As a result, throughout we find Ben Sira advising his students to exercise great control over the women in their lives.
\n9\u201310. when she is young \u2026 if married \u2026 while a virgin Daughters can cause their fathers shame both before and after they are married.
\n10. barren Not to have children resulted in shame and grief for a woman. See, as examples of barren women, Hannah in 1 Sam. 1 and Sarah in Gen. 16.
\n11. headstrong The Heb. is hazek, \u201cstrong,\u201d which the Gk. translates with adiatreptos, \u201cunruly, headstrong.\u201d The point is that an uncontrolled daughter will end up bringing shame on her father.
\n13\u201314. from garments comes the moth The sentiment here follows directly from Sir. 42:12b. By associating with married women, a daughter will become like them, and for Ben Sira that means wickedness. Verse 14a is particularly pernicious. Verse 14b in the NRSV comes from the Greek.
\n15. I will now call to mind the works of the LORD The beginning of a long praise of God for the works of creation. Ben Sira frames the poem as what he has observed, but much of what he says involves explaining the purpose of natural phenomena. See 16:5 and 34:12, where Ben Sira also claims to have seen and heard things. At several places in the poem, such as 43:5, 10, and 12, we see the main objective of the poem, to praise God. Ben Sira sums it up in 42:16: \u201cthe work of the LORD is full of his glory.\u201d Several passages in the Hebrew Bible and in Second Temple literature contain descriptions analogous to Ben Sira\u2019s, although they function differently; see, for example, Job 28:23\u201328 and Wis. 7:17\u201322;
\nBy the word of the LORD A reference to how God created; see Gen. 1.
\n16. full of his glory When one looks at the created order, one can see the glory of God; see the next verse as well.
\n17. holy ones Most likely angels; see, for example, Job 15:15.
\n18. the Most High knows all that may be known Nothing escapes God\u2019s knowledge. From the deepest abyss to the innermost reaches of the human heart, God is omniscient. The Heb. tehom, here translated \u201cabyss,\u201d is the same word found in Gen. 1:2, often translated \u201cdeep.\u201d
\nhe sees Ben Sira has noted several times that God is all-seeing; see Sir. 15:18; 23:19.
\n19. reveals the traces of hidden things As part of a claim to God\u2019s omniscience, Ben Sira notes that God reveals things that humans do not know. Whereas God revealed future events to the prophets (see 36:20; 48:25), the term \u201chidden things,\u201d nistarot, probably refers to those matters hidden in creation, and thus, one also receives God\u2019s revelation in nature.
\n21. set in order God\u2019s sovereignty over creation is expressed in the way it is ordered;, it is not chaotic. Genesis 1 pictures God establishing order out of primordial chaos.
\n23. All these things live and remain forever This is not a statement of the everlasting nature of all created things. Ben Sira has made clear that humans have a limited life span and their end is often unhappy. The clause probably depends on Sir. 42:22a, which mentions God\u2019s \u201cworks\u201d (Heb. ma\u2019asav). This term usually refers to the heavenly bodies and natural phenomena like weather. Indeed that is the subject of the poem. From Ben Sira\u2019s perspective, these elements of creation do remain forever. They also have a purpose. The Heb. of 23b reads, \u201cAnd for every need is everything preserved.\u201d
\n24. All things come in pairs Here again we encounter Ben Sira\u2019s idea that the created order is made up of pairs of opposites; see the comment on 33:7\u201315.
\n43:2\u20134. The sun \u2026 breathes out fiery vapors The sun receives pride of place, but it is notable primarily for its heat, in contrast to the moon (vv. 6\u20138), which establishes the calendar. This is somewhat surprising, since Ben Sira knows the Priestly narrative of Creation in Gen. 1, where sun and moon cooperate to regulate the calendar (Gen. 1:14). Ignoring the sun\u2019s role in the calendar might be a reaction to other Jews in the period who insist on a solar calendar, which Ben Sira does not appear to accept.
\n6\u20137. the moon \u2026 marks the changing seasons Saying that the moon is the \u201ceverlasting sign\u201d that establishes the seasons, times, and festal days indicates that Ben Sira follows a lunar calendar.
\n8. The new moon \u2026 renews itself The Hebrew is a play on words, since the word for \u201cmoon\u201d is hodesh and the verb \u201cto renew\u201d is mithadesh.
\na beacon Heb. keli tzava, literally, \u201can army signal.\u201d
\nvault Heb. rakiya, the same word used for the \u201cexpanse\u201d of the sky in Gen. 1:6\u20138.
\n10. stand in their appointed places God has determined where the stars are positioned, and from there they keep watch over the earth.
\n13. he sends \u2026 the lightnings of his judgment From discussing the heavenly bodies, including the rainbow, Ben Sira now moves to weather phenomena. They act almost like extensions of the deity.
\n14. storehouses Heb. otzar. For biblical examples, see Ps. 135:7 (\u201cHe releases the wind from His vaults\u201d) and Jer. 10:13; 51:16 (each has \u201cand brings forth wind from His treasuries\u201d); Job 38:22 (\u201cthe vaults of snow \/ \u2026 the vaults of hail\u201d); Ps. 33:7 (\u201cHe heaps up the ocean waters \u2026 \/ stores the deep in vaults\u201d).
\n16\u201317a Although the Gk. and Heb. manuscripts have the verses in the order of 16 then 17, scholars think that the order has gotten mixed up in the process of transmission, and the most natural order of the thought is that reflected in the NRSV.
\n23. stilled the deep The Heb. manuscripts are problematic here. The Gk. ekopasen abysson may represent something like \u201cstilled Rahab\u201d in Heb. If so, this would refer to certain Ancient Near Eastern myths in which God must tame the forces of chaos, often represented as a monster, in order to bring order to creation; see Ps. 89:10\u201311 (\u201cYou crushed Rahab\u201d); Isa. 51:9\u201310 (\u201cIt was you that hacked Rahab in pieces\u201d).
\n24. Those who sail the sea See Ps. 107:23\u201332.
\n25. huge sea monsters Literally, \u201cmonsters of Rahab\u201d according to the Masada manuscript (and likely the Gk.). Since Rahab represents the chaos of the sea, the \u201cmonsters\u201d are probably all sorts of fantastic sea creatures.
\n26. by his word Ben Sira almost certainly has the Genesis Creation story in mind here, but later Jewish interpreters like Philo of Alexandria and the author of the Gospel of John also understood \u201cword\u201d (Gk. logos) in its Stoic connotations of reason that orders the world.
\n27. \u201cHe is the all\u201d Almost all scholars recognize that this phrase should not be taken as an expression of pantheism. It is most likely a summarizing exclamation of what Ben Sira goes on to say in the next several verses. God is greater than anything he has made, and no amount of human praise could match his glory and majesty.
\n32. I have seen but few of his works This statement forms an inclusio with 42:15: \u201cI will now call to mind the works of the LORD, \/ and will declare what I have seen.\u201d That he has seen only a few of God\u2019s works probably is a statement about Ben Sira\u2019s position vis-\u00e0-vis God.
\n33. to the godly he has given wisdom The Heb. has hesed, \u201cpious.\u201d This clause seems to form a transition to the Praise of the Ancestors, which follows immediately after this poem.
\n44:1\u201350:24 Standing before Sir. 44:1 is the title \u201cHymn in Honor of Ours Ancestors.\u201d It introduces the longest single section of the book, a hymn of praise from 44:1 to 50:24 that extends from Enoch to the high priest Simon II, a contemporary of Ben Sira. Scholars have debated the section\u2019s structure, form, and purpose, but it may have been modeled partly on the Hellenistic encomium, a form of praise of famous people. The opening 15 verses set the stage by talking generally about the famous ancestors. Throughout the section, Ben Sira singles out kings, priests, and prophets; the sages, of whom Ben Sira is one, are noticeably absent. In his accounts of the individual figures, Ben Sira highlights the covenants that God has made with them, their piety, and the offices they occupied. The reward they accrue for their faithfulness Ben Sira establishes right at the beginning, a reward that is consistent with everything he has said earlier: a glorious memory and a name that will live on \u201cgeneration after generation\u201d (44:14).
\n44:3\u20136 Ben Sira lists the categories of the ancestors.
\n7. in their generations Virtually bisects verses 1\u201315, with almost the same phrase used in verse 1b and the phrase \u201cgeneration after generation\u201d in verse 14.
\n8\u201310 Throughout the book, Ben Sira has insisted that piety and faithfulness will bring everlasting memory, and he reiterates this idea in verse 8. Verse 9, however, refers to people of whom \u201cno memory\u201d remains. It is not entirely clear whether Ben Sira intends the impious, who would not have left behind a good name in the community, but nowhere else in the opening verses of chapter 44 does he even allude to the ungodly. Furthermore, verse 10a (\u201cBut these also were godly men\u201d) seems to refer to the people discussed in verse 9. Yet, they and their children \u201chave become as though they had never been born\u201d (v. 9). Ben Sira does not account for this contradiction of a position he has articulated steadfastly throughout the book. The transition between verses 9 and 10, however, creates some confusion in the final verses (12\u201315) of the section. The third-person pronouns continue, but Ben Sira clearly has reverted to speaking about those whose names and memory have survived.
\n15. The assembly declares \u2026 the congregation proclaims The subtext of this section is honor, which is publicly acknowledged.
\n16 Ben Sira devotes two lines to Enoch. Some scholars think that the verse does not belong here but is a later expansion of the text. It is not in the Masada manuscript, but it could well have dropped out due to a copyist\u2019s error. The Gk. and Heb. Ms B contain the verse. The second line might indicate that Ben Sira was acquainted with nonbiblical traditions about Enoch, like those in 1 Enoch. In Hebrew, literally, \u201cwalked with the LORD,\u201d a phrase derived from Gen. 5:24.
\n17\u201318. perfect and righteous The same adjectives used in Gen. 6:9. (In NRSV and NJPS the adjectives are \u201crighteous\u201d and \u201cblameless.\u201d)
\n17. kept the race alive The Heb. tahalif is often rendered \u201ccontinuator\u201d and is Ben Sira\u2019s primary interpretive remark about Noah.
\n18. Everlasting covenants Represents the Gk. diath\u0113kai ai\u014dnos. The Heb. \u2019ot \u2018olam \u201can everlasting sign,\u201d is a probable reference to the rainbow; see Gen. 9:12\u201317.
\n19. father of a multitude of nations See Gen. 17:4\u20138.
\n20. certified the covenant in his flesh That is, by becoming circumcised.
\nwhen he was tested Refers to God\u2019s command that he sacrifice Isaac, known as the Akedah in Jewish tradition; see Gen. 22:1\u201314.
\n21. the LORD assured him with an oath See Gen. 15:5\u20136; 22:15\u201318.
\nfrom sea to sea and from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth On the boundaries of the land, see Gen. 15:17\u201321; Exod. 23:31.
\n22\u201323 Ben Sira notes that Abraham\u2019s covenant passed to Isaac and Jacob; see Gen. 17:19\u201321; 28:4.
\n23. he acknowledged him with his blessings A probable reference to the story in Gen. 27, where Jacob receives Isaac\u2019s blessing of the firstborn over his brother Esau.
\ndistributed them among twelve tribes When the Hebrews came into Canaan, the land was divided among the 12 tribes, who were named after the sons of Jacob.
\n45:1. whose memory is blessed See the introduction to the Praise (44:1\u201315) for the importance of a good \u201cmemory.\u201d
\n2. equal in glory to the holy ones The Gk. has hagi\u014dn \u201choly ones,\u201d as a rendering of Heb. \u2019elohim, whose usual meaning is \u201cgod\u201d or \u201cgods.\u201d The phrase is likely a reference to the tradition in Exod. 7:1 where God says to Moses (translated literally), \u201cSee, I have made you a god to Pharaoh,\u201d which is translated into English in the NJPS version as \u201cSee, I place you in the role of God to Pharaoh.\u201d
\n3. swift miracles Refers to the Ten Plagues narrated in Exod. 7\u201311, called \u201csigns and marvels\u201d there (Exod. 7:3).
\nglorified him A clever wordplay in Hebrew. The verb in Sirach comes from the root h-z-k, the same one that is used in Exodus to describe what God does to Pharaoh\u2019s heart\u2014God stiffens it; see Exod. 9:12, 35.
\ncommandments The term as it occurs here is as vague as in the rest of the book. It could signify the Decalogue (the Ten Commandments) or the larger body of law attributed to Moses in Exodus and Deuteronomy; see Sir. 45:5, where the Decalogue is probably intended.
\nrevealed to him his glory See verse 5 and the phrase \u201cface to face.\u201d Both indicate that Moses saw God directly.
\n4. faithfulness and meekness The nouns in Heb., \u2018amunah and anavah, derive from the same roots as the adjective \u2018anav and the verb ne\u2019eman used of Moses in Num. 12:3, 7. Ben Sira\u2019s statement about Moses\u2019s selection also reflects the Numbers tradition.
\n5. dark cloud In Exod. 20:18 (NJPS), Moses approaches a \u201cthick cloud\u201d where God is; God then speaks to him. Deut. 5:19 (NJPS) connects the dark cloud with the giving of the Decalogue, a connection Ben Sira makes here.
\nso that he might teach That Moses was to teach Israel God\u2019s law is a theme of Deuteronomy; see Deut. 4:1, 5; 6:1.
\n6\u20137. He exalted Aaron, a holy man like Moses Ben Sira spends more time on Aaron than on any other figure except Simon II, reflecting his abiding interest in the priesthood, both in the past and the present. Compared to the 9 bicola dedicated to Moses, Ben Sira devotes 32 to Aaron and 10 to Phinehas.
\n6. tribe of Levi See Exod. 2:1; 4:14. Ben Sira does not treat the Levites at all, but as a son of Levi, Aaron is invested with the promises of priesthood given to all the sons of Levi. In ancient Judaism there were differing assessments of who could serve at the altar in the Temple. Ben Sira seems to agree with the Priestly narrative in giving Aaron and his descendants that exclusive right. Indeed, in verse 7 just below, the \u201ceverlasting covenant\u201d is in parallel with \u201cpriesthood of the people,\u201d reinforcing Ben Sira\u2019s position.
\n8\u201312 Ben Sira describes the vestments that Aaron wore. For the most part, the terms are the same as those in the descriptions in Exod. 28, but there are some notable differences as well, the most important of which is the \u201cgold crown\u201d of Sir. 45:12a. Aaron does not wear a crown in biblical tradition, although there is an engraved plate of gold on the high priestly turban (or \u201cheaddress,\u201d per NJPS; see Exod. 28:36\u201337). Since in Ben Sira\u2019s time the high priest also functioned as a kind of monarch of the Jews, the kingship having long since been suspended, the phrase \u201cwith a gold crown upon his turban\u201d (Sir. 45:12a) might well attribute to Aaron such a role. Since Simon II certainly served in this capacity and there are parallels between the praise of Aaron and that of Simon, this is a significant interpretation of the tradition.
\n13. No outsider ever put them on In Exod. 29:29, the high priestly vestments are reserved only for Aaron and his descendants. Here in Sir. 45, verse 13 forms a transition from the priestly clothing to Aaron\u2019s cultic functions.
\n14 On the daily cereal offering, see Lev. 6:12\u201316 (NJPS).
\n15. Moses ordained him Ben Sira bases an Aaronic priesthood on the authority of Moses.
\neverlasting covenant This is the second time the phrase is used in this section, even though the biblical tradition does not refer to a \u201ccovenant,\u201d but to an eternal \u201cordinance\u201d (NRSV), hukah (see Exod. 29:29).
\nbless his people in his name See Num. 6:23\u201327 and Sir. 50:20\u201321.
\n16. incense \u2026 a pleasing odor \u2026 portion The language for sacrifices is the technical language found in Leviticus (see, e.g., Lev. 6:8).
\n17 Similar language to that about Moses (Sir. 45:5). In Deuteronomy the levitical priests have the authority to teach (see Deut. 33:10), and since Aaron comes from Levi, this function belongs to him as well.
\n18\u201319 A reference to the events narrated in Num. 16\u201317.
\n20\u201322. allotted to him the best of the firstfruits The priests received parts of the sacrificial victims as their food, which was their heritage; see Num. 18:13. The priests, however, did not have an allotment of land (Num. 18:20). Thus, \u201cthe LORD himself is his portion and inheritance\u201d (Sir. 45:22).
\n23. son of Eleazar Ben Sira skips over Aaron\u2019s son to his grandson.
\nbeing zealous in the fear of the LORD Refers to the events of Num. 25 (see, e.g., 25:11). Phinehas became well known for his zeal; see 1 Macc. 2:26, 54. Note the emphasis on \u201cfear of the LORD,\u201d a major theme in Sirach.
\n24. covenant of friendship Literally, \u201ccovenant of peace\u201d; see Num. 25:12, where NJPS renders this phrase \u201cpact of friendship.\u201d
\n25. Just as a covenant \u2026 with David \u2026 so the heritage of Aaron We find here a parallel between the covenant with David and the one with Aaron. The meaning of the third line is difficult, but it seems to mean that the monarchy, which was the Davidic covenant, passed down only from son to son (2 Sam. 7:4\u201317). The Aaronic covenant passed to all his descendants.
\n26. you \u2026 you The Hebrew pronouns are second-person plural, likely making this short prayer one on behalf of the current high priest and his successors. Wisdom and the maintenance of justice on the part of the priests is directly linked to the flourishing of the Jewish people.
\n46:1. successor of Moses in the prophetic office In Deut. 34:9, Moses \u201claid his hands upon\u201d Joshua, who succeeds him, but not as a prophet. Deut. 34:10 specifically notes, \u201cNever again did there arise in Israel a prophet like Moses.\u201d
\nas his name implies A play on words\u2014the Heb. Yehoshua\u2018 (which can be rendered \u201cJoshua\u201d or \u201cJesus\u201d) in English means \u201csalvation\u201d; see also Matt. 1:21.
\ninheritance The land of Canaan; see Deut. 1:37\u201338.
\n4. the sun stood still See Josh. 10:12\u201314.
\n5\u20136. with hailstones \u2026 He overwhelmed that nation See Josh. 10:1\u201311.
\n7. proved his loyalty \u2026 stilled their wicked grumbling See Num. 14.
\nCaleb One of only two spies, he and Joshua, who thought that the Israelites could defeat the Canaanites.
\n8. six hundred thousand infantry Literally, \u201csix hundred thousand on foot,\u201d the same phrase used in Num. 11:21. Of this number only Joshua and Caleb survived to enter the land.
\nland flowing with milk and honey The phrase used to describe Canaan; see, for example, Num. 14:8.
\nold age According to Josh. 14:10, Caleb is still going strong at 85.
\n11 Ben Sira seems to recognize that not all the judges deserve praise\u2014only those \u201cwhose hearts did not fall into idolatry.\u201d
\n12. May their bones send forth new life See 49:10, where the same Gk. phrase occurs in reference to the Twelve Prophets. Heb. Ms B is missing this clause here.
\nnames \u2026 live again Probably, the \u201cnew life\u201d being sent forth from the bones of the ancestors should be understood as the \u201cmemory\u201d of those \u201chonored\u201d in this poem. Note especially how \u201cnew life\u201d parallels \u201clive again.\u201d
\n13 The Gk. and the Heb. differ greatly for this verse. The NRSV translates the Gk. The Heb. of MS B has: \u201cBeloved of his people and pleasing to the one who made him, who was pledged from his mother\u2019s womb, consecrated to the LORD in prophecy, was Samuel a judge and one who acted as a priest [or: offered sacrifice]. A prophet of God, he established a kingdom and anointed rulers over the people.\u201d Samuel anointed both Saul and David.
\n15. faithfulness \u2026 trustworthy Indicates that his prophecies proved true. On true prophecy, see Deut. 18:15\u201322. On Samuel, see 1 Sam. 9:6.
\n16. He called upon \u2026 the Mighty One, when his enemies pressed him on every side For almost identical language, see Sir. 46:5.
\n16\u201318. he offered \u2026 a suckling lamb. Then the LORD thundered from heaven See 1 Sam. 7:7\u201314.
\n19. not so much as a pair of shoes, have I taken Ben Sira seems to be referring to the episode reported in 1 Sam. 12:1\u20135, but there, although Samuel pledges that he has not taken anyone\u2019s property, no shoes are mentioned.
\n20 After Samuel\u2019s death, King Saul consulted a medium at Endor, where Samuel appeared to him; see 1 Sam. 28:8\u201319.
\n47:1. After him Nathan rose up With the brief mention of Nathan, Ben Sira continues from Samuel with a line of prophets.
\n2. As the fat is set apart \u2026 so David was set apart The use of sacrificial language frames the selection of David in cultic rather than royal language. For the separating of fat, see Lev. 4:8, 19.
\n3. He played with lions \u2026 and with bears Perhaps an allusion to the tradition in 1 Sam. 17:34\u201336.
\n4. did he not kill \u2026 the boasting Goliath On the story of David and Goliath, see 1 Sam. 17:31\u201351.
\n5. called on the LORD Interestingly, in the biblical story, David never prays to God, but he announces that God will enable him to defeat Goliath; see 1 Sam. 17:37.
\nexalt the power Literally, \u201craise the horn.\u201d The horn was a symbol of power, which is a thematic element of the section on David; see Sir. 47:7, 11, and the comment on verse 7, crushed their power. The defeat of Goliath was a victory for all Israel over the Philistines.
\n6. tens of thousands See 1 Sam. 18:7.
\n7. crushed their power Literally, \u201cshattered their horn.\u201d
\nto our own day A way of saying for good or for all time.
\n8. sang praise with all his heart In tradition, David is credited with composing many of the Psalms. Also, between this verse and the next, Ben Sira\u2019s portrayal of David shifts from David the warrior\u2014seen mostly in 1 Samuel\u2014to David the Temple service organizer\u2014seen in 1 Chronicles.
\n9\u201310. He placed singers before the altar See 1 Chron. 23.
\n11. took away his sins Refers to David\u2019s liaison with Bathsheba; see 2 Sam. 11.
\ncovenant of kingship The establishment of David\u2019s throne comes through the mouth of Nathan in 2 Sam. 7. Although this passage does not mention a covenant, 2 Sam. 23:5 has David call it an \u201ceternal pact\u201d(NJPS) while on his deathbed. The covenant here mentions only David and not his descendants, but see Sir. 45:25 where the covenant passes to David\u2019s sons.
\n12. a wise son \u2026 who because of him lived in security That is, Solomon reigned in security because of David. Solomon is a problematic king, since he began well and ended rather badly.
\n13. so that he might build a house \u2026 a sanctuary \u201cHouse\u201d is a euphemism for the Temple in Jerusalem, which Solomon built; see 1 Kings 5\u20138.
\n14. How wise you were Solomon\u2019s wisdom was legendary; see also Sir. 47:12. Note the shift here to second-person direct address.
\n16. far-off islands Likely a reference to the visit of the queen of Sheba; see 1 Kings 10:1\u201310.
\npeaceful reign Although troubled, Solomon presided over a period of peace, unlike David\u2019s reign, which was characterized by wars; see 1 Chron. 22:6\u201310. The contrast is built into the name Solomon (Heb. shelomoh), whose name resembles the word for peace, shalom; see also Sir. 47:13.
\n18. you gathered gold \u2026 amassed silver With this phrase, Ben Sira turns to a critique of Solomon. In Ben Sira\u2019s estimation, Solomon violated the laws of the king in Deut. 17:14\u201320, which prohibits accumulating great wealth; see also Ben Sira\u2019s general comment in Sir. 8:2.
\n19. you brought in women Solomon was notorious for his many wives, also a violation of the laws of the king.
\n20. stained your honor and defiled your family line A probable reference to the tradition found in 1 Kings 11:1\u20138, which notes that Solomon followed other gods as a result of marrying foreign women, although Ben Sira avoids saying explicitly that Solomon worshiped idols.
\n21. the sovereignty was divided Events after Solomon\u2019s death resulted in a division of Israel into two separate entities: Judah in the south, and Israel in the north. \u201cEphraim\u201d is a name for the Northern Kingdom that has negative connotations.
\n22. he gave a remnant to Jacob, and to David a root By Ben Sira\u2019s time the monarchy had long ceased to exist, but the promise that God made to David in 2 Sam. 7 exerted a powerful influence on theology, even for Ben Sira, who displays no nostalgia about or expectation for a renewed kingship. The idea of the \u201cremnant\u201d was that some in Israel would always remain faithful to God, and because of them, God remains faithful to Israel. For the idea of a \u201croot,\u201d see 2 Kings 19:30; Isa. 11:10. Some have seen here Ben Sira\u2019s hope for a messiah, but elsewhere in the book he shows little evidence of any messianic expectation.
\n23. broad in folly \u2026 drove the people to revolt The events surrounding King Rehoboam and the dividing of the kingdom are narrated in 1 Kings 12:1\u201319.
\nJeroboam \u2026 led Israel into sin In the Northern Kingdom, Jeroboam established two cult shrines at Bethel and Dan, and in each he installed golden calves; see 1 Kings 12:25\u201333.
\n24\u201325. until they were exiled \u2026 until vengeance came upon them A reference to the destruction of the Northern Kingdom by the Assyrians in 722 BCE; see 2 Kings 17.
\n48:1. prophet like fire Possibly an allusion to 2 Kings 1:9\u201314 and the play on words there between the Heb. \u2018ish, \u201cman,\u201d and \u2018esh, \u201cfire.\u201d
\n2\u20133. brought a famine \u2026 shut up the heavens See 1 Kings 17:1; 18:2.
\nbrought down fire Refers to the contest with the priests of Baal at Mt. Carmel, described in 1 Kings 18:20\u201340.
\n5. raised a corpse See 1 Kings 17:17\u201324. Here in Sir. 48, each verse from 5 through 10 begins in Hebrew with a definite article and participle, meaning literally, \u201cthe one who did x.\u201d They depend on the second-person direct address of verse 4.
\n6. You sent down kings \u2026 and famous men In the narratives about Elijah, he prophesies the destruction of the house of Ahab in 1 Kings 21:20\u201324 and the death of Ahaziah in 2 Kings 1:16.
\n7. Sinai The verse refers to Elijah\u2019s flight to the mountain of God in 1 Kings 19, only there it is called Horeb (1 Kings 19:8), a name characteristic of the Deuteronomistic History.
\n8. You anointed \u2026 prophets to succeed you Elijah appoints Elisha to succeed him; see 1 Kings 19:19\u201321; 2 Kings 2:9\u201310.
\n9. taken up by a whirlwind of fire On Elijah\u2019s ascent into heaven, see 2 Kings 2:11\u201312.
\n10. destined \u2026 to turn the hearts of parents to their children The reappearance of Elijah was connected with eschatological events. This verse has as its biblical background Mal. 3:23\u201324 (NRSV 4:5\u20136, which has the phrase \u201cto turn the hearts of parents to their children\u201d).
\nit is written The Heb. participle haketuv is most often translated \u201cit is written.\u201d But this translation breaks up the consistent use of the participles in verses 5\u201310 to refer specifically to Elijah. This one must refer to the prophet as well. An alternative translation might be: \u201cThe one who is certainly appointed (or: enrolled) for the time.\u201d
\nrestore the tribes of Jacob Reflects Ben Sira\u2019s nationalistic eschatology; see Sir. 36:1\u201322.
\n11. Happy are those who saw you \u2026 For we also shall surely live The text of verse 11 is exceedingly difficult to understand. Possibly it has some eschatological meaning, but exactly what Ben Sira wrote and meant is unclear due to differences in the Greek manuscript tradition and a very fragmentary Hebrew text.
\n12. filled with his spirit \u2026 performed twice as many signs Elisha asks for and receives a double share of Elijah\u2019s spirit; see 2 Kings 2:9\u201315.
\n13\u201314. when he was dead, his body prophesied \u2026 in death his deeds were marvelous See 2 Kings 13:20\u201321. Although it is not clear what it might mean for Elisha\u2019s body to prophecy, the Heb. mi-tahetav, \u201cfrom below,\u201d that is, in his grave, suggests that in this passage Ben Sira is referring to this incident. The NRSV follows the Gk. en koim\u0113sei, \u201cwhen he slept\/was dead,\u201d for this phrase.
\n15. until they were carried off A second reference to the destruction of the Northern Kingdom; see Sir. 47:24 and the comment on Sir. 47:24\u201325.
\nThe people \u2026 the house of David These two lines plus verse 16 could conclude this section or begin the next on Hezekiah. In most cases, Ben Sira begins a section on a figure with the name or some specific description. Although the Northern Kingdom was destroyed, the Southern Kingdom survived with a Davidic ruler in Jerusalem.
\n16 This verse compresses into one short thought the history of the Judean kings down to Hezekiah.
\n17. brought water into its midst Hezekiah constructed a tunnel for water to get into the city in case of siege; see 2 Kings 20:20; 2 Chron. 32:30.
\n18\u201320. Sennacherib invaded the country The events of the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem are narrated in 2 Kings 18\u201319 (cf. Isa. 36) and 2 Chronicles 32.
\n21. The LORD struck down \u2026 his angel wiped them out According to 2 Kings 19:35\u201337 (cf. 2 Chron. 32:20\u201321), an angel went through the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000, which broke the siege. The Hebrew of Ben Sira reads literally, \u201cAnd he confused\/routed them with a plague,\u201d a cause not made explicit in 2 Kings.
\n23 Ben Sira follows Hezekiah with the prophet who was his primary advisor.
\nthe sun went backward \u2026 prolonged the life of the king For these events, see 2 Kings 20:1\u201311.
\n24. he saw the future For Ben Sira, Isaiah was able to see future events. The word translated as \u201cfuture\u201d in the NRSV can just as easily mean \u201cend.\u201d
\nmourners in Zion May be an allusion to Isa. 40:1, and if it is, then Ben Sira most likely knew all 66 chapters of Isaiah as a single work attributed to the 8th century BCE prophet. Scholars today recognize that our book of Isaiah is the work of three different prophets from different periods.
\n25. hidden things Has the connotation of \u201csecrets.\u201d
\n49:1. like blended incense \u2026 honey \u2026 music The comparisons here have no parallel in the biblical accounts of Josiah, but they serve to show his enduring name, which, like memory, has great value for Ben Sira.
\n2. reforming the people After reading a copy of a scroll found in the Temple, called \u201cthe covenant scroll\u201d in 2 Kings 23:2, Josiah cleansed the worship of non-Israelite gods from the land and celebrated the Passover in the manner prescribed in the scroll; see 2 Kings 23.
\n4\u20137 The events summarized in these verses refer to the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BCE.
\n5. gave their power Literally, \u201cgave their horn\u201d; see the comment on 47:5.
\n6. as Jeremiah had foretold Here again emerges Ben Sira\u2019s position that the prophets told the future; see Jer. 36:6\u201310.
\n7. mistreated him See Jer. 20:7\u201310.
\neven in the womb See Jer. 1:5.
\nto pluck up \u2026 to plant See Jer. 1:10.
\n8. chariot Ben Sira refers to Ezekiel\u2019s vision in Ezek. 1 and 10. This passage, however, is the earliest reference to it as a vision of God\u2019s chariot-throne using the Heb. merkavah. Ascents to the chariot-throne would later become an important stream of Jewish mysticism.
\n10. the Twelve Prophets Ben Sira knows the 12 so-called minor prophets as one group. For \u201csend forth new life,\u201d see 46:12 and the comments on that verse.
\n11. signet ring See Hag. 2:23. Zerubbabel was governor of Judah when the exiles were allowed to return to the land.
\n12. Jeshua son of Jozadak See Zech. 3\u20134 on Zerubbabel, the governor, and Jeshua (or Joshua), the high priest.
\n13. raised our fallen walls Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, according to Neh. 2:11\u20137:1. A mystery is why Ben Sira ignores Ezra, who also returned from Babylon and was an important Jewish scribe and leader.
\n14\u201316 In these verses, Ben Sira begins the transition toward the next section, in which he praises Simon II. The exact reason for the figures treated here is not entirely clear.
\nhe was taken up from the earth Like Elijah, Enoch was taken into heaven; see Gen. 5:24.
\neven his bones were cared for See Gen. 50:24\u201325; Exod. 13:19.
\n16. Shem One of Noah\u2019s sons and an ancestor of Abraham. Seth and Enosh are Adam\u2019s son and grandson. Seth was born after the murder of Abel. He thus carries on the Adamic line after the banishment of Cain.
\nbut above every other created living being was Adam The Hebrew of this line has \u201cand above every creature is the splendor of Adam.\u201d This instance is the earliest in Jewish literature of the glorification or idealization of Adam found in later Jewish texts.
\n50:1\u201324 The praise of Simon culminates the Praise of the Ancestors. The high priest in question is Simon II, who held the office from 219 to 196 BCE and who is clearly a hero for Ben Sira. In his description of Simon, which is characterized by the theme of glory, Ben Sira shows how the dual roles of ruler and priest have by his time come together in the office of the high priest\u2014a situation of which Ben Sira apparently approves, since he displays no nostalgia for reviving a monarchy and since no real messianic theology appears in the book.
\n1\u20134 The activities attributed to Simon have all the earmarks of royal patronage and benefaction. Simon was high priest at a turbulent time, one in which Jerusalem was likely damaged as a result of warfare between the Ptolemies and the Seleucids. His actions compare with others whom Ben Sira praises; cf. in particular Hezekiah and Nehemiah.
\n5\u201311. How glorious he was \u2026 he made \u2026 the sanctuary glorious Ben Sira gives a splendid description of Simon bracketed by the word \u201cglorious\u201d in verses 5 and 11. The language recalls the description of Wisdom in Sir. 24, where roses, Lebanon, incense, the olive tree, and the cypress are all mentioned. He also invokes the different heavenly bodies that are praised in chapter 43 to give a sense of the vision of the high priest.
\n5. the house of the curtain The Temple. In verse 5a, the Hebrew has: \u201cHow glorious was he as he gazed out of the Tent,\u201d using the traditional term for the portable Tabernacle that the Israelites used in the wilderness.
\n11. went up to the holy altar Many scholars have argued that Simon\u2019s sacrificial service is for Yom Kippur. However, it could also be the daily offering (see Num. 28:1\u20138), already referred to in the section on Aaron (Sir. 45:14).
\nthe court of the sanctuary Means that the \u201caltar\u201d mentioned in the previous line is probably the bronze altar in the courtyard of the Temple.
\n12. portions \u2026 hearth of the altar Pictures Simon as offering a whole burnt offering in which the rendered animals would be completely consumed in the fire of the altar; see, for example, Exod. 29:15\u201318.
\ncedar \u2026 palm See Sir. 24:13\u201314.
\n15. poured a drink offering A libation was part of the daily offering; see Num. 28:7\u20138.
\n16. blew their trumpets Numbers 10:10 stipulates that trumpets shall be blown \u201con your joyous occasions \u2026 over your burnt offerings and your sacrifices of well-being.\u201d
\n20. Then Simon came down Simon descends from the altar before pronouncing the \u201cblessing of the LORD\u201d; see Lev. 9:22 (although there the blessing happens before Aaron descends) and Num. 6:22\u201327. If this is the priestly blessing of Num. 6, then we have here evidence that the Tetragrammaton (the four-letter name of God) was still pronounced in this period, unlike later times, when it ceased to be spoken.
\n23\u201324 These verses are very different in Hebrew and in Greek. The NRSV translates the Greek, but the Hebrew has, \u201cMay he grant to you wisdom of heart, and may he be among you in peace, and may his lovingkindness with Simon be steadfast, and may he raise up for him the covenant of Phinehas, so that it might not be cut off from him and from his seed, for the days of heaven.\u201d It looks as if Ben Sira\u2019s grandson was aware that Simon\u2019s line did not continue after Onias III, Simon\u2019s son, was murdered, and as a result, he has altered these two verses.
\n25\u201326. Two nations \u2026 and the third Although his reason for including it here is not clear, Ben Sira delivers a numerical proverb expressing hatred for three traditional Jewish enemies.
\nThose who live in Seir The Edomites.
\nthe foolish people that live in Shechem The Samaritans.
\n27 In this postscript, we learn the name of our author. Giving one\u2019s name as an author is relatively rare in the Second Temple period.
\n29 The comment that those who practice Ben Sira\u2019s teachings have \u201cthe fear of the LORD\u201d as \u201ctheir path\u201d confers a high level of authority on his book.
\n51:1\u201330 This chapter contains two first-person poems\u2014the first a prayer of thanksgiving for deliverance from enemies (vv. 1\u201312) and the second a description of the paradigmatic search for wisdom (vv. 13\u201330). The Hebrew of MS B adds a long litany of thanksgiving after verse 12, but it is certainly not original to the book.
\n1\u20136 This prayer of thanksgiving for deliverance has many linguistic parallels in the Psalms. The dangers from which God has rescued the sage begin with the kinds of speech that Ben Sira condemns throughout his book. The dangers escalate from \u201cthe trap laid by a slanderous tongue\u201d to \u201cfire \u2026 from the deep belly of Hades.\u201d Verse 6a returns to slanderous speech, forming an interior inclusio in the poem.
\n10\u201312 The text of the sage\u2019s prayer.
\n10. Father For Ben Sira\u2019s use of this term elsewhere in Sirach, see the prayer in 23:1\u20136, also given in the first person.
\n12. you saved me \u2026 rescued me A reprise of the theme of the poem expressed above in 51:2.
\nthank \u2026 praise \u2026 bless the name of the LORD The verbs as well as the use of the divine name form an inclusio for the entire prayer; see 51:1.
\n13\u201330 A first-person account of the sage\u2019s search for wisdom. The Hebrew manuscripts and the Greek differ quite a bit in these verses, such that it would be impossible to note them all in this short commentary. The NRSV primarily reflects the Greek, which is close to MS B from the Cairo Genizah. The fragments of Sirach from 11QPs reveal that the poem was composed as an alphabetic acrostic. A number of the lines here hark back to earlier admonitions by the sage to his students about how to find and acquire wisdom. So, for example, Ben Sira says he \u201csought wisdom openly in [his] prayer\u201d (Greek, MS B), which parallels what Ben Sira says the ideal sage does, in Sir. 39:5. He prays, and God gives him a spirit of understanding. The poem is erotically tinged at points; so, for example, for verse 19a, the version in 11QPs reads, \u201cI burned with desire for her.\u201d
\n23. lodge in the house of instruction The Heb. beit midrash (or beit musar, as some scholars want to read here) indicates a formal setting of pedagogy. Scholars debate about what a \u201cschool\u201d would have looked like in this period, however.
\n26. Put your neck under her yoke For a similar admonition to this line, also in the second person, see Sir. 6:24.
\n27\u201328 Note the parallelism in the two cola: little\u2014much\u2014little\u2014silver and gold. The acquisition of silver and gold suggests that by following Ben Sira\u2019s instruction, one will please God, who will reward those who are righteous\u2014as Ben Sira has repeatedly claimed throughout the book.
\n30. in good time \u2026 in his own time The final verse of the book restates one of Ben Sira\u2019s basic assumptions about the world. If one works \u201cin good time\u201d (here kairos in Gk., \u201cproper time\u201d) or \u201cin righteousness\u201d (bitzedakah) as MS B has it in Heb., God \u201cin his own time\u201d will give a reward.<\/p>\n
Pseudo-Phocylides, Sentences<\/p>\n
Pieter W. van der Horst<\/p>\n
The Sentences of Pseudo-Phocylides is a didactic Wisdom poem consisting of 230 hexameters in the old Ionic Greek dialect. The author draws heavily upon the ethical commandments in the Five Books of Moses in the Greek translation of the Septuagint (LXX), and also upon non-Jewish Hellenistic moralists.<\/p>\n
Authorship and History<\/p>\n
This poem was written by an otherwise unknown Jewish poet who lived probably between 50 BCE and 50 CE, possibly in Alexandria, although that remains uncertain. The Greek text has been preserved in more than 150 manuscripts dating from the 10th to the 16th century. The great number of manuscripts testifies to the popularity of this poem among Christians in the Middle Ages, though it was unknown in Jewish circles.
\nThe real Phocylides, a 6th-century BCE Greek gnomic poet from the Mediterranean coastal city of Miletus in Asia Minor, was famous throughout antiquity as a great authority in matters of ethics and correct behavior. His name was adopted by our Jewish poet, hence Pseudo-Phocylides, because he wanted to integrate Jewish and Greek culture (as long as it could be Judaized). In spite of his clever imitation of the style and diction of the real Phocylides, there are several linguistic traits (and also ethical convictions) that betray the much later date of the Jewish poet.<\/p>\n
Significance<\/p>\n
Although dependent upon the Bible, and upon \u201csummaries of the Torah\u201d such as those presented by Philo (Hypothetica 7.1\u20139) and Josephus (Ag. Ap. 2.190\u2013219) as well, one of the most striking characteristics of the poem is its studious avoidance of any specifically Jewish precepts such as Sabbath observance, circumcision, or kosher food. Biblical cultic rules are passed over in silence; only \u201cmoral\u201d precepts for conduct in daily life are given, with a heavy emphasis on the issues of fornication and greed, an emphasis found also in contemporary Jewish writings. Furthermore, a marked influence of Hellenistic moralists can be discerned, but precepts that come from pagan writers are here presented as God\u2019s commandments as well, apparently because the author regarded them as derived from or in essential accordance with the Torah. Although it is hard to say why Pseudo-Phocylides composed this mixture of biblical and nonbiblical ethical rules, possibly his intended audience was a strongly Hellenized Jewish readership to which he wanted to make clear that biblical and Greek ethics are not incompatible. Since even the famous Phocylides propagated biblical ethics, their own attachment to Judaism should not be slackened, because it is quite possible to remain Jewish within Greco-Roman culture.<\/p>\n
SUGGESTED READING<\/p>\n
Collins, John J. \u201cJewish Ethics in Hellenistic Dress: The Sentences of Pseudo-Phocylides.\u201d In Jewish Wisdom in the Hellenistic Age, 158\u201377. Louisville KY: Westminster\/John Knox, 1997.
\nDerron, Pascale. Pseudo-Phocylide: Sentences. Paris: Les Belles Lettres, 1986.
\nVan der Horst, Pieter W. The Sentences of Pseudo-Phocylides. Leiden: Brill, 1978.
\nWalter, Nikolaus. \u201cPseudo-Phokylides.\u201d J\u00fcdische Schriften aus hellenistisch-r\u00f6mischer Zeit, IV 3, 182\u2013216. G\u00fctersloh: Verlagshaus Gerd Mohn, 1983.
\nWilson, Walter T. The Sentences of Pseudo-Phocylides. Berlin: W. de Gruyter, 2005.<\/p>\n
COMMENTARY<\/p>\n
1\u20132 These verses form the so-called seal, by means of which an author identifies himself and states the subject of his poem (here, \u201ccommandments of God\u201d).
\nwisest of men An allusion to (the real) Phocylides\u2019s high reputation, but for Jewish readers it also evokes the fame of King Solomon, who was regarded as the greatest wisdom poet ever; see Ant. 8.24 (cf. Wis. 6\u20139). The author\u2019s aim is lofty: he reveals the will of God for humans.
\n3\u20138 These verses summarize the Decalogue (Exod. 20:2\u201317; Deut. 5:6\u201321) and mention several themes to which the author will return. Note that, following the LXX (but against the Masoretic Text (MT), he puts the prohibition of adultery before that of murder. Philo, too, stresses that the first sin mentioned on the second table of the Decalogue is adultery because it is the worst of all sins (Decalogue 121; Spec. Laws 3.8). Cf. Luke 18:20; Rom. 13:9.
\n9\u201341. (omitted) These deal with justice, honesty, and mercy, drawing upon many passages from the Greek Bible.
\n42\u201347 The danger of love of money is a stock theme in the Hellenistic gnomic tradition; cf. 1 Tim. 6:10.
\n44. Gold, originator of evil \u2026 would that you were not such a desirable calamity Personifying money and addressing this personification harshly, as here, has several parallels in Greek literature; see, e.g., Anacreontea 58.18\u201320; Palladas in Anth. Gr. 9.394; Timocreon, frag. 5. Note the oxymoron \u201cdesirable calamity\u201d in verse 45; cf. Pindar, Pyth. 2.40.
\n48\u201396 These verses inculcate the traditional Greek virtues of honesty, modesty, self-control, and moderation.
\n49. nor change yourself in every situation like a polyp The polyp\u2014typically, a cylindrical coral attached at one end and with a tentacled mouth at the other end\u2014had been held up as a symbol of adaptability or unprincipled vacillation in Greek literature since Theognis, 215\u201316. Here, the author cuts against tradition in criticizing excessive adaptability.
\n53 Based on Jer. 9:22.
\n55 In antiquity, the liver was often seen as the seat of emotions.
\n63\u201366 Underlying these verses is the Stoic distinction of three types of anger (see Lives 7.113\u201314) and two types of zeal (see SVF 3:413 and Tusc. 4.17).
\n70\u201375 Here, the author warns against the baleful effects of envy (a major topic of ancient moral literature), which the \u201cheavenly ones\u201d (or heavenly bodies) are said not to have. The idea that envy has no place in the heavenly realm originates in Greek philosophy; see, for example, Phaedr. 247a and Tim. 29e. Since heavenly bodies were often regarded as angels, they are personified here.
\n71. heavenly ones Gk. Ouranidai. Although this word usually designates the gods, its use here does not imply that the author considered the \u201cheavenly ones\u201d fully divine; neither does the use of makares, \u201cthe blessed,\u201d in v. 75.
\n76. Practice self-restraint Self-restraint was one of the four cardinal virtues in ancient Greek ethics.
\n80 The utilitarian principle of reciprocity expressed here is typically Hellenistic but has Jewish parallels (e.g., Ant. 2.262).
\n83 This line is based upon Exod. 22:24.
\n84\u201385 These are among the most typically Jewish lines of the poem, being a versification of Deut. 22:6\u20137, which was viewed as an important commandment by the Rabbis; see, for example, M. Hul. 12:1.
\n87 Found only in two inferior manuscripts, this verse is not considered part of the original text.
\n97\u2013115 In this section on death and afterlife, the author proclaims both the specifically Jewish idea of resurrection of the body (vv. 103\u20134) and the Greek conception of immortality of the soul (sometimes called \u201cspirit\u201d by Pseudo-Phocylides; see vv. 106, 108, 115).
\n98. your lamentations The translation of these words is based upon a conjecture. All the known manuscripts of the Sentences have theoisi (gods), which causes insurmountable problems for the translator (\u201cmake measures for [or: \u2018be moderate in\u2019] the gods\u201d does not make any sense).
\n99 An admonition to bury the dead. Cf. the emphasis on this topic in Tobit, although burying the dead was also one of the so-called Buzygian laws of Greek ethics and plays a central role in Sophocles\u2019s Antigone (see Hypoth. 8.7.7 and Dio Chrysostom, 76.5).
\n100\u2013102 These verses criticize the practice of dissection (practiced in Alexandria). Because Jews expected the resurrection of the body, they believed it should remain as intact as possible.
\n103\u20134. we really hope \u2026 they will be gods Here, \u201chope\u201d does not imply uncertainty but rather expresses confidence that the righteous deceased will be resurrected. Verse 104 calls them \u201cgods\u201d because the resurrected were often regarded as angels, and angels were sometimes called \u201cgods\u201d in early Judaism; in Greek and Latin literature the deceased may be called gods as well.
\n106. For the spirit is \u2026 his image The biblical idea of humans as God\u2019s image is transformed here into the Hellenistic motif that it is only humankind\u2019s spiritual principle that is regarded as God\u2019s image (cf. Creation 69).
\n107\u20138. we have a body out of earth \u2026 we are but dust Echoes the familiar concept of \u201cdust to dust\u201d (cf. Gen. 3:19; Eccles. 12:7); the motif is also frequent in Greek literature and tomb inscriptions.
\n112. eternal home This expression derives from Eccles. 12:5, but is also frequent in Jewish and Greek epitaphs.
\n116\u201374. (omitted) These verses deal with the instability of fortune; speech and wisdom as the gifts distinguishing humans from animals; precepts concerning how to deal with social outsiders (including enemies); and the usefulness and importance of work.
\n175\u2013206 These verses deal with marriage and exhort the reader to practice family building (see Gen. 1:28) and chastity. This section and the following (vv. 207\u201327) strongly resemble the so-called Household Codes in the New Testament (Col. 3:18\u20134:1 and Eph. 5:22\u20136:9) in that they discuss how to deal with wives (and women), children, and slaves. Many of the warnings not to engage in deviant sexual behavior are inspired by passages in the Torah.
\n177\u201378 These verses seem to imply that the likeness of children to their parents is determined solely by the male semen, which was a common ancient theory of how embryos form and develop, although not the only one.
\n181. with your father\u2019s concubines Alludes to the story of Reuben\u2019s intercourse with Bilhah in Gen. 35:22 and 49:4; cf. Jub. 33:1\u20139 and T. Reub. 3:11\u201315 (see also 2 Sam 3:7).
\n184\u201385. A woman should not destroy an unborn babe \u2026 nor \u2026 throw it away Abortion and exposure of infants were current methods of family planning in Greco-Roman antiquity; the Jewish condemnation of these practices is often based upon interpretations of Exod. 21:22\u20133; see, for example, Spec. Laws 3.108\u201319, Hypoth. 8.7.7, and Ag. Ap. 2.202; cf. B. Sanh. 57b.
\n187. Do not cut the male procreative organ For this prohibition of castration, cf. again Hypoth. 8.7.7, and Ag. Ap. 2.270\u20131; also B. Sanh. 56b.
\n188 Cf. Exod. 22:18; Lev. 18:23; Spec. Laws 3.43\u201350; M. Sanh. 7:4; B. Yev. 59b.
\n190\u201392 These verses forbid same-sex activities; cf. Lev. 18:22; 20:13; Spec. Laws 2.50, 3.37\u201342; Ag. Ap. 2.199, 215, 273; B. Sanh. 73a.
\n194. For eros is not a god Eros (desire, sexual passion) was regarded as a god by the Greeks (see Theog. 120; Euripides, frag. 269).
\n195\u201397 A paraphrase of Homer, Od. 6.182\u201384, which was proverbial in antiquity.
\n198 Renders Exod. 22:15.
\n199\u2013204 Here, the author paraphrases some well-known lines (Elegies 183\u2013190) of Theognis, a Greek poet of the 6th century BCE.
\n205. Do not add marriage to marriage The author is most probably dissuading the reader not from remarriage but rather from polygamy, which was still permitted but no longer encouraged in early Judaism; contrast Ant. 17.14, with CD 4:21.
\n207\u201322 These verses define relations between parents and children.
\n207\u20139 A free and mitigating rendition of Deut. 21:18\u201321, in which Pseudo-Phocylides omits the father\u2019s right of chastisement and highlights that of the mother (contrast Spec. Laws 2.232).
\n210\u201312 Long hair for men was often seen as a sign of effeminateness in antiquity.
\n215\u201316. Guard a virgin \u2026 and let her not be seen The ideal of locking up unmarried Jewish women is also attested in 2 Macc. 3:19; 3 Macc. 1:18; 4 Macc. 18:7; Spec. Laws 3.169, 171; Flaccus 89.
\n220\u201321. yield to the elderly your seat On yielding a seat to the elderly, see Lev. 19:32 (cf. Gen. 31:35), although it reflects a general sentiment in Greco-Roman antiquity as well (e.g., Mem. 2.3.16; Sen. 18.63).
\n223\u201327. Provide your servant In this discussion of the relations between slaves and masters, it is conspicuous that unlike most of his contemporaries, the author mentions only duties of masters toward slaves, not the reverse.
\n225. Do not disgrace your servant Usually, branding of slaves was done only when they were fugitives or had committed a grave transgression. The Rabbis seem to allow the branding of slaves also in order to prevent them from running away (T. Mak. 4:15), following the general practice of the imperial period, but our author is against such a humiliating disgrace in any case.
\n226. Do not harm a slave by slandering him to his master Apparently based upon Prov. 30:10, although the author seems to follow here the Hebrew original rather than the free Greek rendering of the LXX; he may have known a Greek translation that was closer to the MT than was the LXX.
\n228\u201330 The epilogue of the poem refers back to the opening lines in vv. 1\u20132: the \u201cmysteries of righteousness (dikaiosyne)\u201d (v. 229) are the \u201ccommandments of God in his holy judgments (dikai)\u201d (v. 1); cf. also \u201ca good life\u201d (v. 230) with \u201cgifts of blessing\u201d (v. 2). \u201cMysteries\u201d suggests the revelatory nature of Pseudo-Phocylides\u2019s admonitions (cf. \u201cmade known\u201d or \u201crevealed\u201d in v. 1). Although the text and translation of v. 228 are debated, the line probably implies that purity of the soul is given priority over that of the body (cf. Let. Aris. 144 and 234; Mark 7:15) and that purification rituals are given a spiritual meaning. Purity language here neatly dovetails with mystery language. The final words, \u201cuntil the threshold of old age,\u201d echo a well-known Homeric phrase ending (Il. 22.60; Od. 15.348).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
28:10\u201322, where angels ascended and descended a stairway to the sky, but the connection with that biblical episode is not unequivocal. 10:12. kept him safe from those who lay in wait Refers to an episode between Jacob and Esau that is not reflected in Genesis. In fact, in Gen. 33:4\u201316, Jacob and Esau part amicably … <\/p>\n