Flames, on the contrary, failed to consume the flesh of perishable creatures that walked among them: Compare 16.18. On the contrary refers to the irony that even though water could not put out the fire, the fire could not burn the flesh of the vermin sent to plague Egypt. “And yet” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version) expresses this connection better.

Nor did they melt the crystalline, easily melted kind of heavenly food: The reference is to manna. Compare 16.20-23. Good News Translation “and did not melt that heavenly food that would ordinarily have melted like frost” is quite clear.

As the Revised Standard Version footnote indicates, nor did they melt translates a corrected text. The manuscripts offer a confusing variety of readings, but most of them have “nor could be melted.” While there is undoubtedly a textual problem, both the received text and the corrected text ultimately mean the same thing. Consequently we believe that the Good News Translation translation can be accepted on purely translational grounds, with no footnote.

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.