Reflect on the statutes of the Lord, and meditate at all times on his commandments: Here we come to the summary of the whole section. Good News Translation puts this in a separate paragraph, which is a good move. Good News Translation also does some rewording. Reflect on … and meditate at all times on becomes “Devote all your time to studying … and thinking about.” Statutes of the Lord and his commandments are combined as “the Lord’s commands … them.” There does seem to be a difference in the Greek between reflect and meditate to which Good News Translation does not do justice. Perhaps a closer rendering is “Study the Lord’s commands, and carry them out at all times,” “… bear them in mind at all times,” or even “… never stop considering them.”
It is he who will give insight to your mind: The Revised Standard Version footnote informs us that will give insight to translates the Hebrew; the Greek reads “will confirm [or, make strong].” The Greek makes good sense, but it is true that in Hebrew the difference between the two readings is very small indeed, and either reading could be easily mistaken for the other. The conservative course here, which we recommend, is to follow the Greek text. Good News Translation is worded in such a way that it could be a fair representation of either text; the meaning is ultimately the same. The phrase to your mind (literally “to your heart”) is really unnecessary after insight. Good News Translation loses nothing by omitting it.
Your desire for wisdom will be granted: Good News Translation‘s combination of the last two lines into “He will give you the insight and wisdom you are looking for” is a useful model, but there is a subtle difference between the two lines. This last line states the end result, the successful attainment of a goal you have struggled for long and hard. The preceding line tells you how you will get there: the Lord will make it possible. We suggest “He will give you insight, and you will reach your goal of Wisdom,” “… you will attain Wisdom—your long-sought goal,” or even “… you will reach your goal of gaining 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.