For if they had the power to know so much that they could investigate the world: This verse has a logical relationship with the previous verse, so the connector for may be rendered as “because.” The power to know anything is “intelligence” as in Good News Translation. Investigate the world is better translated by Good News Translation with “speculate about the nature of the universe” (similarly New English Bible). The verb here speaks of speculating, making reasoned guesses, but it implies speculating about the nature or constitution of something. In this context the world means more than the earth. The Greek noun allows a broader meaning, and since we are speaking here about things not only on earth, but also the heavenly bodies (verse 2), “universe” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version) is more appropriate. Here is another way of stating this line: “If they have enough intelligence to think about [or, contemplate] the universe and all that is in it.” Even closer might be “… to think about the nature of the universe and draw conclusions from it.”

How did they fail to find sooner the Lord of these things?: The use of sooner seems to imply that these people did eventually find the Lord, but that is really not what the author means. Good News Translation is probably right in translating “never”: “why do they never find the Lord of all things?”

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.