A poor man is honored for his knowledge, while a rich man is honored for his wealth: Knowledge renders the word used in the Greek text, while “good sense” in Good News Translation expresses the Hebrew word here. Either sense fits this context. This verse does not say that all poor people are wise, nor that all rich people deserve to be honored. It does not even say that rich people cannot be wise. But some poor people do have good sense, and they can be respected for that, so the first line of this verse may be rendered “People can honor [or, respect] poor people who have good sense.” It is also true that some wealthy people are respected for their wealth. Good News Translation uses the word “can” in both lines to keep the statement from being misunderstood as applying to all the poor and all the rich. The writer is really pointing out that even poor people have a source of honor.

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.