They are bought at any cost, but there is no breath in them: The sense of the verse is “People are willing to pay any price for these things, things that have no life.” Breath renders the same Greek word that is often translated “spirit.” There is no breath in them means they are not living things; in other words, “there is no life in them” (Contemporary English Version). Compare Psa 135.17; Jer 10.14; Hab 2.19.

Good News Translation and New Jerusalem Bible bring out the irony in the passage: whether you buy a cheap image or a fine, expensive one, you’re getting the same thing—a lifeless object.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• No matter how much money people pay to buy these idols, there is no life in them.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Shorter Books of the Deuterocanon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2006. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.