He who reflects in his mind on her ways will also ponder her secrets: The two lines of this verse are simply synonymous relative clauses in the original Hebrew. They extend the description of the person who is blessed (verse 20). Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation read the Greek of this verse as a separate sentence. In the first line her ways (Good News Translation “the ways of Wisdom”) are presumably lessons available to everyone. But in the second line her secrets are presumably lessons available only to those who are seriously concerned with the search for Wisdom. Good News Translation, in translating “learn,” goes a bit farther than the Greek, which only says that the person will “ponder [or, study/think about]” her secrets. In the structure the Handbook is following for verses 20-27, the elements of this verse may be combined as follows: “They study the ways of Wisdom, even her deeper secrets” or “They carefully follow the paths that lead to wisdom [or, to becoming wise], even wisdom’s secrets.”

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.