For she is an initiate in the knowledge of God: This verse does not have a logical relationship with the previous verse, so the connector For may be omitted (see Good News Translation). In the comments on 6.22 the Handbook mentioned the “mystery religions” of the ancient Mediterranean world. A person entered one of those religions by a ceremony in which he or she was “initiated.” Usually this initiation involved being taught certain knowledge, which was thought necessary to salvation. The noun used here, initiate, was used to describe a member of a mystery religion. The original readers of this book would have understood the reference. Knowledge of God here means knowledge that God has, not knowledge about God. The author is saying that Wisdom shares knowledge with God, that she knows things that God knows. She is an “insider.” Good News Translation translates “She is familiar with God’s mysteries,” and Contemporary English Version has “She understands God’s mysteries.” These are both good, but a better rendering is “She has the privilege of knowing things that God knows” or “She is like an initiate learning things that God knows.”

And an associate in his works is literally “and chooser of his works.” This probably reflects the idea of Wisdom as working with God in creating the world; compare Pro 8.23-31. Good News Translation “and helps determine his course of action” is a possible translation, but Contemporary English Version “and works together with him” is better.

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.