Nor for the six hundred thousand men on foot, who rebelliously assembled in their stubbornness: The six hundred thousand men on foot is another direct object of “showed no pity for” in the previous verse, so that verses 9-10 are essentially one sentence. The reference here is to Num 14.20-35; ben Sira identifies the rebels there with the 600,000 people mentioned in Num 11.21 (see also Sir 46.8). Good News Translation inserts “through the wilderness” as a help to the reader who might know something of the biblical history. The Greek word translated men on foot actually means “foot soldiers,” and it is translated that way by New Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, and Luís Alonso Schökel. This is not only more accurate; it is simpler. So we may translate this verse as follows:

• nor did he have pity on those 600,000 soldiers in the wilderness who gathered together and were stubbornly rebellious against him [the Lord].

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.