I loved her more than health and beauty: Beauty does not necessarily apply only to human beauty, but almost certainly that is what it means here. Good News Translation has “good looks” to make it clear that Solomon is talking of his own appearance. “Good looks” is a more appropriate description of a man’s appearance in English than beauty. Contemporary English Version has a good alternative model for this line: “I preferred Wisdom more than a healthy and handsome body.”

And I chose to have her rather than light, because her radiance never ceases: Her radiance never ceases is more literally “her kind of radiance never sleeps.” Good News Translation has an effective translation of these lines by reversing them, beginning with “Hers is a brightness that never grows dim,” and then saying “… any other light.” Translators could perhaps improve on this by saying “Her kind of brightness never grows dim….”

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Wisdom of Solomon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2004. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.