For they still recalled the events of their sojourn: The connector For may be rendered “And”; for example, “And they still remembered….” Their sojourn refers to the years the Hebrews had spent in Egypt. Good News Translation “what life had been like when they were slaves” is misleading. It directs the reader to consider the next lines as a description of how terrible life had been for them as slaves, pestered with gnats and frogs. But the point is that the Egyptians were plagued with gnats and frogs. These were miraculous events of their sojourn that they still recalled. A better rendering for this line may be “They still remembered what had happened in the days before they were freed [or, became free people].”

How instead of producing animals the earth brought forth gnats, and instead of fish the river spewed out vast numbers of frogs: The idea of the earth producing animals is a reference to Gen 1.20-25. These two lines give examples of the whole creation changing (verse 6): whereas at the creation the earth produced animals and the waters produced fish, here they produced gnats and frogs (see Exo 8.1-19). Animals is translated by Good News Translation and several other translations as “cattle.” This is apparently with reference to Gen 1.24; the Greek says simply animals. Gnats are tiny flying insects that sting. The exact meaning of the Hebrew word used in Exo 8.1-19 is not known. It has been translated as gnats, lice, mosquitoes, fleas, or maggots. If gnats are unknown to translators, a descriptive phrase such as “small flying stinging insects” will be suitable.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• And they still remembered what had happened in the days before they were freed. Instead of producing animals, the earth produced gnats, and instead of producing fish, the river churned [or, swirled] with huge numbers of frogs.

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.