In an assembly of sinners a fire will be kindled, and in a disobedient nation wrath was kindled: Revised Standard Version translates the tenses of the verbs literally; the first verb is future, the second one is past. An interpretive question must precede translation here. Is this a general statement, a timeless truth about the fate of sinners? The Greek can be interpreted this way. 21.9 contains a similar statement, and there it is clearly a timeless truth. Revised English Bible offers a good translation here along this line:

• Where sinners assemble, fire breaks out;
retribution blazes up when a nation is disobedient.

On the other hand, is this verse a specific reference to an incident in the Bible, specifically the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram (Num 16.35; Psa 106.16-18)? Verses 7-10 certainly refer to events in biblical history. The Handbook suggests that translators proceed on the assumption that the first option (a general statement) is correct. Another question is raised by Good News Translation. Is an assembly of sinners deliberately intended to describe a smaller group than a disobedient nation, or is this merely a case of parallelism? We are inclined to think Good News Translation is correct, but perhaps it goes too far with “a small gathering of sinners.” A better model for this verse is:

• The Lord’s flaming anger will break out wherever sinners gather, whenever a nation is disobedient.

Notice that Good News Translation combines fire and wrath into “The Lord’s flaming anger.” However, in languages that cannot use the metaphor of fire to speak of anger, we may say:

• The Lord will become terribly angry with sinners who gather together, or with a whole nation that disobeys him.

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.