Verses 20-21 are one long sentence. Many translators will wish to divide this long sentence into two or more shorter ones (see Good News Translation).

For if thou didst punish with such great care and indulgence the enemies of thy servants and those deserving of death: The connector For may be omitted. The big problem in these two lines is the meaning of the noun translated indulgence. It is not a common word, and although most translations have “indulgence” or something like it, this is little more than a guess that is based on one meaning of the word, which is “release, discharge, divorce.” This word is also a technical term in music, referring to the smallest detectable interval between two tones. This leads us to think that the meaning, “careful investigation,” is the proper one here (given in the appendix of Liddell and Scott’s Greek lexicon). It fits in with great care (that is, “attention”) in these lines, and with “strictness” (that is, “strict examination”) in verse 21a. The idea is not that God punished people indulgently (that is, mercifully), but that he carefully measured out his punishment on them (compare 11.20). So translators may render the first line as “You were very careful to punish them just enough, but not too much.” As in verse 7, thy servants may be translated “your children” or “your people.”

Granting them time and opportunity to give up their wickedness: Compare verses 2 and 10.

A possible approach to this verse is:

• The enemies of your children [or, servants] deserved to die, yet you were very careful to punish them just enough, but not too much. You gave them every opportunity [or, lots of time] to repent of their sins.

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.

For even in the beginning, when arrogant giants were perishing: The phrase For even in the beginning may be translated “Yes, even in ancient days” or even “When this world was still young” (Contemporary English Version). The giants appear in Gen 6.4; compare Sir 16.7; Bar 3.26. In some languages giants will be expressed as “huge and powerful men” or “very tall and powerful men.” Good News Translation “a proud race of giants” is better than arrogant giants the Genesis reference does not speak of them in negative terms. Were perishing is better than “was dying away” (Good News Translation), which hints that the perishing was slow. Probably their death in the flood is meant, so for the last part of this line we could say “while a proud race of giants was drowning.”

The hope of the world took refuge on a raft: The hope of the world refers to Noah, and the raft is the ark, or boat, that he made in which to ride out the flood. The hope of the world may be rendered “the man who was humanity’s only hope for survival [or, the only man who could save humanity].” If at all possible, translators should resist the temptation to name Noah here, since the author has gone out of his way never to speak of anyone by name. Perhaps it can be avoided by inserting a reference to the flood; see the model at the end of this paragraph. Noah’s ark was hardly a raft, yet that is what our author calls it. He probably means to highlight the utter smallness even of that vessel on a worldwide ocean. For the first two lines translators may say “Yes, even in ancient days, while a proud race of giants was drowning [in the flood], the only man who could save humanity found safety on a puny [or, tiny] wooden thing [or, raft].”

And guided by thy hand left to the world the seed of a new generation: This refers to the human race being given a new start by Noah’s descendants. Guided by thy hand definitely belongs with this line, and not the previous one, where Good News Translation has placed it. Hand is a figure of speech representing guidance and protection. Seed of a new generation refers to Noah’s family, from whom all people of the world were to be descended. The new generation itself would be Noah’s grandchildren. For this phrase Good News Translation has “a new generation to carry on the human race.” We would suggest a new sentence for the last line: “Under your protection, he left to [or, gave] the world a new generation to carry on the human race.”

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.

For when a potter kneads the soft earth and laboriously molds each vessel for our service: There is no when in Greek; and the connector For may be omitted as in New Revised Standard Version since this verse begins a new section. Kneads refers to working the clay by hand until it is soft enough to put on the wheel. The verb molds may be misleading; it does not refer to casting clay in a mold, but to shaping it by hand. For our service refers to fashioning an object for practical use. Good News Translation is a good model for these two lines: “A potter works the soft clay and carefully shapes each object for our use.”

He fashions out of the same clay both the vessels that serve clean uses and those for contrary uses, making all in like manner: It is not clear what the author means by clean uses and contrary uses. The Good News Translation rendering “good use” for clean uses is surely wrong; whether an object is put to good use or not depends on the owner, not the maker, and the emphasis here is on the maker’s decision. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible “proper use” is closer, and New Jerusalem Bible “intended for a noble use” may be closer. We suggest saying “special use” and “ordinary use” for clean uses and contrary uses following this interpretation, Contemporary English Version has “ordinary dishes and special dishes.” Translators could restructure the material as follows for these three lines: “He makes some things for special use and some for ordinary use, but he makes them all from the same clay, and shapes them in the same manner.” Compare Rom 9.21.

But which shall be the use of each of these the worker in clay decides: Good News Translation translates clearly; so does Contemporary English Version with “and only the potters decide which ones will be ordinary or special.”

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.

At this point the writer shifts to speaking about the blessings God gave Israel. A paragraph break would be helpful here, as in Good News Translation.

Instead of these things thou didst give thy people the food of angels: In the phrase food of angels, the reference is to manna; see Exo 16.14-21. Angels in some languages will be rendered “heavenly messengers,” “heavenly helpers,” or even “God’s heavenly helpers” (see the model below). The introductory sentence in Good News Translation (“But this disaster did not strike your people”) is not in Greek, but is intended only as a help to the reader. Since we do not suggest a section heading here, a lengthy introduction like this is not really necessary. We could say something like “But as for your [own] people, you gave them the food that angels [or, your heavenly helpers] eat.” Compare Psa 78.25.

And without their toil thou didst supply them from heaven with bread ready to eat: Without their toil refers to the work going into making bread. Good News Translation represents this with “and they did not have to prepare it.” In languages that have the same word for “heaven” and “sky,” translators may express from heaven as “from where you live.” In cultures where bread is not eaten, a general term for “food” may be used.

Providing every pleasure and suited to every taste: Num 11.8 describes the taste of manna as like that of bread baked with oil. Later Jewish tradition, which our author is referring to, said that when a person ate the manna it tasted like whatever tasted best to that person. This will be made clear in the next verse. For suited to every taste, Nueva Biblia Española has “of a thousand tastes.” Good News Translation is a reasonable model for this line: “The food you gave delighted everyone, no matter what his taste.”

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.

For their enemies deserved to be deprived of light and imprisoned in darkness may be rendered “But those others [or, their enemies] deserved to have light taken from them, to be imprisoned in darkness.” Or translators may say “But when those others [or, their enemies] were shut up in darkness, deprived of any light, they deserved it” or even “But when you shut their enemies up in darkness, not allowing them to see any light, they deserved it.” Note that the connector For is better rendered as “But” in this context.

Those who had kept thy sons imprisoned: This second line of the verse is closely linked with both the first line and the third line, yet it is difficult to express this verse as one sentence and keep it easily understood. The solution of Good News Translation is to use two sentences. It makes this line part of the first one with “… because they had made prisoners of your people.” Then it repeats “your people” in the last line. This makes “your people” the obvious point of connection.

Through whom the imperishable light of the law was to be given to the world: Good News Translation has a good translation of this line, and furnishes a fairly simple model; but we may also use the active voice: “And it was through your people that you would give the eternal light of your Law to the world.” Here God’s law is compared to light because it makes clear to people how they should live. If the metaphor is difficult, another possible rendering is “And it was through your people that you would give the Law, which would always show people how they should live.”

An alternative model for this verse is:

• But when you shut their enemies up in darkness, not allowing them to see any light, they deserved it. This was because they had imprisoned [or, made prisoners of] your people. And it was through your people that you would give the eternal light of your Law to the world.

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.

The punishments did not come upon the sinners without prior signs in the violence of thunder: In Jewish tradition the disaster that overtook the Egyptians at the Red Sea was accompanied by a ferocious storm. Compare Psa 77.16-19. This verse begins a new section, and since the previous verse talked about the Israelites, it will be good to begin this verse with something like “In contrast to what happened to your people, a violent thunderstorm warned their wicked enemies that they would be punished.”

For they justly suffered because of their wicked acts may be rendered “They suffered a well-deserved punishment for their great wickedness” or even “You punished them as they deserved for the wicked things they had done.” The connector For may be omitted.

For they practiced a more bitter hatred of strangers: Their hatred of strangers was worse than that of the men of Sodom (Gen 19). Good News Translation avoids raising questions about the people with whom the Egyptians are being compared by saying “No nation had ever hated strangers so bitterly,” and this is effective. We may also translate “They hated strangers more bitterly than any nation before them.”

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.

For inquiry will be made into the counsels of an ungodly man: The connector For may be omitted. Good News Translation provides a good model for translators who can use the passive voice. Those who cannot use the passive will have a problem here, since in the next line the results of this inquiry are brought to the Lord, who then acts. This raises the question of who does the inquiring, if not the Lord. Is it Wisdom? Or justice? The text doesn’t say. One possible solution to this would be a translation more literal than that of Revised Standard Version: “There will be an examination into the intentions of ungodly people.” Those translators who cannot use the passive may say something like “They [unknown subjects, people in general] will examine the intentions [or, plans] of ungodly [or, evil] people” or even “Wisdom will examine….” For ungodly refer to 1.16.

And a report of his words will come to the Lord, to convict him of his lawless deeds may be rendered “The Lord will learn about their wickedness, and they will get the punishment they deserve [or, he will punish them as they deserve].”

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.