Sirach — Footnotes
Chapter 1
1:3 — And the depth of the deep, follows the Latin. Most Greek manuscripts read 'and the deep and wisdom'.
1:4 — allotted. Greek: 'created' (ektistai). Translated here as 'allotted' to reconstruct the probable lost Hebrew root (ḥēleq). In surviving Hebrew manuscripts for this book (cf. 7:15; 38:1), the Greek translator idiosyncratically renders ḥēleq as 'created'. Verse 5 is not in the best Greek manuscripts.
1:6 — secrets, based on the Hebrew word used at Sirach 42:18, which contains the same Greek word as this verse. Also compare Job 11:6. Verse 7 is not in the best Greek manuscripts.
1:8 — This verse follows the Syriac version.
1:9 — Most Greek manuscripts read, 'He himself allotted her, and saw, and numbered her'.
1:10 — Syriac reads to those who fear him.
1:14 — interwoven, literally 'knit together with' or 'joined together with.' See Ps 139:13.
1:16 — them refers back to the men in verse 15 and possibly also their seed.
1:18 — crown, or wreath. May refer to a type of crown made from plants. The crown is what is blossoming in the second part of the verse.
1:20 — Verse 21 in Greek is not likely to be the original text.
Chapter 2
2:1 — son. This is the normal mode of addressing pupils. The Greek reads, 'child', but also does so in the Hebrew parts of Sirach where the literal reading is 'son'. For example see Sir 3:8, 12, 17, 4:1. to the fear of Yahweh follows the Syriac reading, Greek reads 'to serve'.
2:18 — Verse 18 follows the Syriac which has these two lines instead of four.
Chapter 3
3:1 — sons, in Greek: 'children'; see footnote at Sir 2:1.
3:2 — sons is literally 'children' in Greek, but see footnote at 2:1; also compare Prov 1:8 and 6:20.
3:6 — God, follows the Syriac word often used for God in Hebrew. Greek reads, 'the Lord'. The Hebrew version does not contain verse 7.
3:13 — leave him alone, in the sense of 'do not bother him'. See similar phrases at Mark 14:6 and 2 Kings 4:27.
3:14 — breaking it down, see similar phrase at Job 19:10, 24:20 and Psalm 52:5. Also compare Sirach 3:14-15 to Job 24:19-20.
3:18 — The Hebrew version does not contain verse 19.
3:24 — Verse 25 has been omitted since it has varying wording and appears in different places in different manuscripts.
Chapter 4
4:2 — The translation of the word 'misery' is somewhat uncertain due to the difficulty in determining the underlying Hebrew word.
4:8 — Peace - In Hebrew, 'Shalom', a common word of greeting.
4:14 — The translation of the last half of this verse is uncertain. It is reconstructed here based on transposing two letters in one Hebrew word (אהלו) and reading different word spacing in another (במאויה).
4:15 — The Hebrew version does not contain verse 16.
4:20 — your soul refers to 'yourself'.
Chapter 6
6:4 — excessive desire, this phrase is also used at Isaiah 56:11.
6:5 — Peace - In Hebrew, 'Shalom', a common word of greeting.
6:6 — Peace - In Hebrew, 'Shalom', a common word of greeting.
6:22 — The Hebrew text of verses 23-24 is not available. Translations from other languages exist, but could differ substantially from the original.
6:25 — The Hebrew text of verse 26 is not available. See footnote at verse 22.
6:28 — [it] - Based on the Hebrew, what is changed to a delight does not refer to wisdom, rest, bundle, or stone. It could mean that the time afterward will change to a delight. Or perhaps it refers to some previous hardship.
6:33 — The Hebrew text of verse 34 is not available. See footnote at verse 22.
Chapter 7
7:9 — This is verse 9 in Hebrew. See footnote at verse 15.
7:14 — There is no Hebrew text at verse 15. However, a similar text is at verse 9.
7:31 — Parts of the list of offerings are uncertain in the Hebrew text. They have been reconstructed by comparing the other versions.
Chapter 8
8:4 — your words is literally 'the nobles' in Hebrew. The readings have similar letters in Hebrew. 'Nobles' was perhaps repeated in error from Sirach 8:2.
Chapter 10
10:2 — This verse in Hebrew is located at 10:2. However, the location in other sources places it at 10:3.
10:3 — This verse in Hebrew is located at 10:3. However, the location in other sources places it at 10:2.
10:4 — This verse in Hebrew is located at 10:4. However, the location in other sources places it at 10:5.
10:5 — This verse in Hebrew is located at 10:5. However, the location in other sources places it at 10:4.
10:14 — The Hebrew text of verse 15 is not available.
10:20 — The Hebrew text of verse 21 is not available.
Chapter 11
11:14 — Verses 15 and 16 are not included. They are considered to be later expansions to the text due to manuscript and internal evidence.
11:18 — one who hides - the underlying Hebrew is unclear. The translation here is reconstructed based on similar Hebrew letters and the context.
11:25 — The Hebrew text of verse 26 is not available.
Chapter 12
12:7 — The Hebrew numbering of verses 4-7 is different than other manuscripts.
Chapter 13
13:13 — The Hebrew version does not contain verse 14.
Chapter 14
14:6 — The Hebrew version does not contain verses 7-8.
14:12 — The 'decree of Sheol' refers to the unknown timing of each individual's death, distinct from the universal statute of mortality in v17. The phrase may also invert Isaiah 28:15, where the rulers boast 'we have made a covenant with death'—Ben Sira's point is the opposite. The Syriac and Latin versions independently attempt to smooth this difficult reading by changing the verb or removing the negative.
Chapter 15
15:10 — it refers to 'praise' in verses 9-10.
Chapter 16
16:14 — Verses 15 and 16 are not likely to be part of the original text. They are in the Hebrew, Syriac, and a small number of Greek manuscripts. However, the content and style of the verses are suspect.
16:17 — Verses 18 and 19 are not likely to be part of the original text. The content and style of the verses are suspect.
16:22 — the decree is set - the translation of this phrase is uncertain. Alternatively: the decree is distant. The meaning seems to be that the outcome of things is either a) already set and there's nothing that can be done about it (similar to the idiom: 'the die is cast'); or b) a very long time away in the future.
Chapter 17
17:5 — Verses 5-10 generally follow the Syriac version which includes, omits, and orders differently than the Greek version.
17:15 — Verses 16, 18, and 21 are not likely to be part of the original text.
Chapter 18
18:2 — The rest of verse 2 and 3 are not likely to be part of the original text.
Chapter 19
19:17 — Verses 18 and 19 are not likely to be part of the original text.
19:20 — Verse 21 is not likely to be part of the original text.
Chapter 22
22:8 — Verses 9 and 10 are not likely to be part of the original text.
Chapter 23
23:1 — Verses 1-5 have been reconstructed based on an emended Greek text and partially on Syriac.
23:27 — Verse 28 is not likely to be part of the original text.
Chapter 24
24:17 — Verse 18 is not likely to be part of the original text.
24:23 — Verse 24 is not likely to be part of the original text.
Chapter 25
25:11 — Verse 12 is not likely to be part of the original text.
25:23 — The rest of this chapter includes only the verses contained in Hebrew.
Chapter 26
26:18 — Verses 19-27 are not likely to be part of the original text.
26:28 — One ancient translation: 'a rich man'; Greek 'man of war'.
Chapter 30
30:24 — In Greek, verses 30:25-33:16 come after 33:16-36:11. Hebrew, Syriac, and Latin preserve the correct order which is used here.
Chapter 31
31:4 — The order of verses 14 and 15 have been switched.
Chapter 32
32:1 — This verse has been reconstructed.
Chapter 33
33:3 — The text of this verse is uncertain.
33:25 — The text of verse 26 is omitted in Syriac and uncertain in others.
Chapter 37
37:20 — Verse 21 is not likely to be part of the original text.
37:4 — The order of verses 24 and 25 have been switched.
Chapter 38
38:18 — Verse 19 is not present in Hebrew. The meaning is uncertain in other texts.
Chapter 39
39:11 — Verse 11 is reconstructed. Greek is uncertain.
Chapter 40
40:1 — the mother of all living - i.e. the earth.
Chapter 46
46:16 — A clause should be here but is not present in any of the versions. The above bracketed text is supplied from 1 Samuel 7:9.
Chapter 50
50:2 — The order of verses 2 and 3 have been switched.