He who loves his son will whip him often, in order that he may rejoice at the way he turns out: Since ben Sira is talking about being a father, Good News Translation specifies “A father” as the subject of this sentence; this is helpful. We believe speaking of a father and his son is better in this context than speaking of parents and their children (so Contemporary English Version). In ordinary English the verb whip does not necessarily imply using the object called a “whip.” This verb can refer to spanking a small child with the bare hands, or using a switch or paddle on an older child. The Greek for will whip him often is literally “will continue [to lay] strokes on him.” Contemporary English Version says “spanking them whenever they do wrong.” Pro 13.24 and 23.13-14 speak of using a “rod” or “stick” to discipline children. Often seems to imply that the parent is arbitrary in the whipping of the child—he does it whenever he feels like it, even if the child has done no wrong. Contemporary English Version avoids this problem by saying “whenever they do wrong.” In order that he may rejoice is rendered “so that he can be proud” by Good News Translation and “Later those parents will be glad” by Contemporary English Version. At the way he turns out is literally “at his end [times],” and it is not clear whether this refers to the grown-up son or to the father’s old age. Good News Translation dodges the problem by saying “later.” This is not a bad approach, since the meaning is the same either way. But we could translate the last line of this verse as “so that he can be proud of him when he is grown” or “so that in his old age he will have a son to be proud of.” It is the translator’s choice.

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.