For as a man destroys his enemy, so you have destroyed the friendship of your neighbor: This verse is closely connected with verse 17. The friendship destroyed here is the friendship that was betrayed in verse 17. Good News Translation makes that clear by referring to “that friendship.” Good News Translation‘s rendering makes reference to your neighbor unnecessary since that person is the “friend” mentioned in the previous verse. Good News Translation “killed that friendship” uses a common English idiom. It means to destroy a friendship, to turn a friend into an enemy.

Virtually all the Greek manuscripts read his enemy, and we believe this should be translated. Those using Ziegler’s text should note that he has emended this to read “his dead one,” which is difficult to understand.

An alternative model for this verse is:

• You have destroyed that friendship just as surely as a man would kill an enemy.

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.