Better is the man who hides his folly than the man who hides his wisdom: The meaning of this verse is subtle. Of the two men here, the first one is said to be better, even though he is foolish. He is better because he at least has sense enough to recognize that he is foolish, and tries to hide it. There is no sense at all in hiding wisdom. Wisdom is something to take pride in, something to share. Unlike money, a person can share wisdom without losing any of it himself. Good News Translation is good here, but alternative models that sharpen the point of this verse are:

• A foolish person who covers up his foolishness is better than a wise person who keeps his wisdom to himself

• A foolish person who doesn’t reveal how foolish he is, is better than a wise person who doesn’t teach others his wisdom.

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.