Eat like a human being what is set before you: There are other interpretations of this line besides that found in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation; for example, New English Bible says “Eat what is set before you like a gentleman,” and New American Bible has “Behave at table like a favored guest.” New American Bible is reading the Hebrew. New Revised Standard Version and New Jerusalem Bible attribute their translation “like a well brought-up person” to the Hebrew. New English Bible “like a gentleman” is not much different, nor is Traduction œcuménique de la Bible “like a well-mannered man,” but neither has a textual note. Presumably they are reading this meaning into the Greek, legitimately, we think. The Hebrew here presents difficult problems of its own, and we do not recommend that translators depend on it for support. We believe that the Greek can be interpreted either of these two ways: “When you get your food, eat it like a decent person” or “When you get your food, don’t eat like an animal.” Translators may choose either, but we would choose the second one.

And do not chew greedily, lest you be hated: Chew greedily (Good News Translation “smack and slurp”) translates a Greek verb that describes greedy, hog-like eating. “Nobody can stand that” in Good News Translation represents lest you be hated. “Hate” is not the right word here. When someone next to you is eating like an animal, what is your reaction to such bad manners? That’s what we want here. Good News Translation is good. We could even say “That’s disgusting.” So an alternative model for this verse is:

• When you get your food, don’t gobble it down like an animal; people find that disgusting.

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.