The sand of the sea, the drops of rain, and the days of eternity—who can count them?: The form of this verse is parallel to the next verse. Both of these verses recall “numerical proverbs” such as those in Pro 30.18-19, 21-23, 24-28, and 29-31, even though no number is given. Good News Translation accents the poetic structure by repeating the question “Who can count…?” Moving the question to the beginning of the verse makes the meaning clearer. Good News Translation also places “the days of eternity” at the end of the verse to give it a forceful climax. The question in this verse is rhetorical, and must be asked in such a way as to invite the answer, “No one.” In some languages we may use strong statements; for example:

• No one [but the Lord] can count the raindrops or the grains of sand along the seashore.
Day follows after day forever, and no one can count how many days there will be.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Sirach. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.