He reached out his hand to the cup and poured a libation of the blood of the grape: When the High Priest reached for the cup, one of the other priests would have handed it to him. Some translators may wish to make this clear; for example, the first line may be rendered “he reached for a cup that an assistant handed to him.” Libation refers to a drink offering; Good News Translation has moved this idea to a point later in the verse. Blood of the grape refers to wine (see 39.26). Good News Translation describes the wine as “sweet-smelling,” bringing this idea up from the last line of the verse. See Num 15.5-7; 28.7. But it is also possible to describe the wine as “blood-red” (Contemporary English Version) and begin this verse by saying “he reached for a cup of bloodred wine which an assistant handed him, and poured….”

He poured it out at the foot of the altar: The wine was not poured on the altar itself, but at its foot; The Mishnah says that the High Priest stooped to pour it out (Tamid 7.3).

A pleasing odor to the Most High, the King of all may be rendered “as a pleasant-smelling offering to the Lord Most High, the King of all [or, the One who rules over everything].” One Greek word is translated King of all. It is used nowhere else in Scripture.

An alternative model for this verse is:

• he reached for a cup of blood-red wine which an assistant handed him. Then he poured it out at the foot of the altar as a pleasant-smelling offering to the Lord Most High, the King of all [or, the One who rules over everything].

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.