For the elements changed places with one another: Since a new section begins here, the connector For may be omitted. In ancient thought the elements were fire, water, earth, and air. Air is not mentioned in this passage, but verses 19-20 give a good illustration of the kind of things the writer is thinking of. The ordinary workings of nature were suspended, and unexpected things happened. Good News Translation “the very elements entered into new combinations” is effective as an expression to arouse wonder, although it does not describe exactly what the author has in mind. Some translators may find that Revised Standard Version is a workable model. It would not be going too far, we believe, to specify the elements, and say “Earth, air, water, and fire exchanged functions with each other.” The Revised Standard Version footnote on changed merely provides a literal translation for this verb.

As on a harp the notes vary the nature of the rhythm, while each note remains the same: Technical terms from Greek music are used here. The most helpful explanation is provided in Vílchez, where he quotes a personal letter from the exegete Luís Alonso Schökel, himself a musician. The idea here, we learn, is that in a musical scale (our do, re, mi …) every note has a function that differs depending on which musical “mode” is being used (rather like our “key”). Even though that function varies from mode to mode, do is still do, re is still re, and so on. In a similar way fire remains fire, earth remains earth, and so on, but here there is a great change effected in which they change their functions or properties. They do not destroy the “tune,” the natural harmony, but they change it.

All of this is too technical to convey easily in translation. Most translations are content to use musical imagery in such a way as to convey the author’s point. Good News Translation translates “On a harp each string keeps its own pitch, but each sound can be combined with others to make different melodies.” Revised English Bible has “As the strings of a harp can make various tunes with different names though each string retains its own pitch.” New American Bible uses “[the elements] like strings of the harp, produce new melody, while the flow of music steadily persists.” Contemporary English Version has “Different tunes can be played on the same harp, though the strings remain the same.”

The Revised Standard Version footnote that the meaning of the verse is uncertain here is well taken. But the lack of clarity in the Greek comes from our lack of understanding of the technical terms used. It is not that the author’s point is not clear enough. Consequently we think translators need not use a footnote at this point.

The following is an alternative model for the first three lines of this verse. It follows Good News Translation by reversing the lines.

• On a harp each string always makes the same sound, even though it will sound different [to the ear] as the musician plays different tunes. It was like that in those days, when earth, air, fire, and water exchanged functions with each other.

This may be clearly inferred from the sight of what took place: The Good News Translation short sentence “Look at what happened!” is quite good. It expresses wonder and invites attention to what follows. Translators could also say “This can be clearly seen in things that happened.”

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.