I grew tall like a palm tree in En-gedi: The palm tree here is the date palm, which was a symbol of peace and prosperity. The date palm may reach over 30 meters (100 feet) in height. En-gedi was an oasis on the west shore of the Dead Sea, southeast of Jerusalem. Even though this place was surrounded by hostile terrain, plants grew readily there, but the date palms would have been by far the tallest. Another name for the place was Hazazon-tamar, which means “the rocky place of date palms” in Hebrew (2 Chr 20.2).

The Greek manuscripts have many variations on in En-gedi. As the footnotes in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation show, some read “on the seashore.” In En-gedi is almost certainly intended. It is read by the most textually conservative translations, such as An American Translation and La Bible Pléiade. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, which is very careful on textual matters, does not even give a footnote with the alternative “on the seashore.” This Handbook believes that no textual footnote is necessary.

And like rose plants in Jericho: The rose plants are not the flowering bushes known as roses in modern times. The reference is most likely to the oleander, a tall-growing (almost 4 meters, or 12 feet) flowering shrub that grew along stony riverbanks in Palestine. Translators may substitute the name of a similar plant more widely known to their readers, as translators into English have used “roses.” Another possibility is to use a less specific description, such as “tall flowering shrubs.” Jericho is the famous city just west of the Jordan River, near the Dead Sea, mentioned in the book of Joshua. Springs in the area of this city permitted extensive vegetation.

Like a beautiful olive tree in the field: The olive tree symbolized peace and security; see Hos 14.6. It was widely grown in Palestine as a cultivated tree in orchards.

And like a plane tree I grew tall: The plane tree is a tall, fast-growing tree with large leaves. It is very closely related to the tree known in North America as the sycamore, or buttonwood. For this line Good News Translation reads a Greek text that adds “beside the waters.” We recommend that this phrase be included in translation. It is included in New Revised Standard Version, New English Bible, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, and Luís Alonso Schökel. In our judgment a textual footnote is not necessary.

The Greek verb translated I grew tall occurs three times in verses 13-14. Good News Translation uses it only once, at the beginning of verse 13. Everything else in verses 13-14 in Good News Translation consists of clauses beginning with the word “like.” Since the items in the series in these verses have the same form, Good News Translation is free to put one right after the other without worrying about the length of the sentence. The real point is the series of trees and bushes named, each striking in its own way. Each seems to be placed in a geographical context (Lebanon, Hermon, En-gedi, Jericho, in the field, beside the waters) where that particular tree or bush would conspicuously stand out against its surroundings. Wisdom is like these trees; it stands out, it is conspicuous, it is beautiful, it is desirable.

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.