For when a potter kneads the soft earth and laboriously molds each vessel for our service: There is no when in Greek; and the connector For may be omitted as in New Revised Standard Version since this verse begins a new section. Kneads refers to working the clay by hand until it is soft enough to put on the wheel. The verb molds may be misleading; it does not refer to casting clay in a mold, but to shaping it by hand. For our service refers to fashioning an object for practical use. Good News Translation is a good model for these two lines: “A potter works the soft clay and carefully shapes each object for our use.”

He fashions out of the same clay both the vessels that serve clean uses and those for contrary uses, making all in like manner: It is not clear what the author means by clean uses and contrary uses. The Good News Translation rendering “good use” for clean uses is surely wrong; whether an object is put to good use or not depends on the owner, not the maker, and the emphasis here is on the maker’s decision. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible “proper use” is closer, and New Jerusalem Bible “intended for a noble use” may be closer. We suggest saying “special use” and “ordinary use” for clean uses and contrary uses following this interpretation, Contemporary English Version has “ordinary dishes and special dishes.” Translators could restructure the material as follows for these three lines: “He makes some things for special use and some for ordinary use, but he makes them all from the same clay, and shapes them in the same manner.” Compare Rom 9.21.

But which shall be the use of each of these the worker in clay decides: Good News Translation translates clearly; so does Contemporary English Version with “and only the potters decide which ones will be ordinary or special.”

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Wisdom of Solomon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2004. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.