Verses 14-23 are the author’s reflection on the speech of the ungodly, paralleling 2.21-24.
Because the hope of the ungodly man is like chaff carried by the wind: The connector Because does not fit in this context. Contrast this verse with 2.22. The point of the verse is that the ungodly have no hope at all. This is illustrated by four comparisons, showing that the hope of the ungodly has no substance. Contemporary English Version conveys this better than the question form in Good News Translation with “Sinners have no more hope than….” Here their hope is compared to something carried off by the wind. The word translated chaff (the light husks on grain that have to be separated from the kernels) is better rendered “thistledown” (New Revised Standard Version, New American Bible) or “down” (New English Bible). This refers to the seeds of certain plants, such as the thistle or the dandelion, that are easily blown away by the wind or even light breezes. The Greek word can apply to any downy substance of such light weight that the slightest breeze can blow it away. Good News Translation “straw” is not really adequate, since straw is heavier and has more substance. An alternative model is “Sinners have no more hope than seeds carried by the wind.”
The Revised Standard Version footnote on chaff notes that some manuscripts have “dust” here. This is a textual matter, but from a purely translational point of view, “dust” could be substituted for “seeds” in the model above without damaging the sense. For translators in some regions it may prove easier.
And like a light hoarfrost driven away by a storm: Hoarfrost is frozen dew, but the connection with a storm is puzzling. Other manuscripts have “spider’s web” and others read “foam.” (The three Greek words involved resemble each other.) “Foam” makes the best sense here. It provides a description of the surface of a lake or the sea whipped up by strong winds, with foam from the waves blowing through the air. The Handbook suggests that translators follow Good News Translation and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible in reading “foam” (New Jerusalem Bible “fine spray”). Good News Translation provides a simple model for a textual footnote.
It is dispersed like smoke before the wind: This third comparison is clear enough. The translator’s problem in the first three lines is to sustain the comparison to the lack of hope for the ungodly. Good News Translation is effective in English. Another approach would be “Ungodly people have no stronger hope than that of seeds carried by the breeze, or ocean foam in a storm, or smoke in the wind.”
And it passes like the remembrance of a guest who stays but a day: Guest is probably a poor translation. It certainly makes a feeble comparison; sometimes it’s not hard at all to remember guests who stay only a day. The Greek word refers to “one who stays somewhere,” with “somewhere” not necessarily being anyone’s home. It is modified by an adjective meaning “one day.” What we have is a “one-day stayer,” a vagabond, someone who is constantly on the move and never stays more than one night in the same place. New American Bible is on the right track: “and like the passing memory of the nomad camping for a single day.” Translators might say “Their hope passes quickly by like a wanderer who never spends two nights in the same place,” or simply “Their hope lasts no longer than people remember some wanderer who passes by.”
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.