And sharpen stern wrath for a sword: Other ways of saying this are “He will sharpen the sword of his stern anger,” “He will use his relentless anger as a sword,” “and fierce anger will be his sharp sword” (Contemporary English Version), and even “… will be like a sharp sword to him.”

And creation will join with him to fight against the madmen: Creation here, as in verse 17 (where a different Greek noun is used), means “the forces of nature” (Good News Translation), and the intent is the same. The forces of nature at work are described in the next several lines. Madmen is wrong. Good News Translation is on the right track, but “those who are foolish enough to oppose him” is not strong enough. The Greek word used here is much like one used earlier to describe foolishness (1.3; 3.2, 12; 5.4b). This word is stronger; it describes someone who has lost his mind. However, God’s opponents are not actually insane people (so Revised Standard Version), but they are insane by trying to fight God. “Those who are crazy enough to oppose him” would improve on Good News Translation.

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.