These parents who murder helpless lives is literally “parents, murderers of helpless souls”; the word “murderers” refers specifically to those who murder members of their own family. This line and the previous one are combined into one sentence in Good News Translation. It offers an adequate model, but it would be better to say “They practiced a bloody religion in which parents murdered their own defenseless children.”

Thou didst will to destroy by the hands of our fathers: The Greek sentence begun in verse 3 does not reach the verb until this point. In most languages it will be better to have a separate sentence here (see Good News Translation). The model of Contemporary English Version is very clear: “That’s why you decided to let our ancestors destroy 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.

Verses 11-15 are one long complex sentence in Greek. It begins with an “If” clause; the main clause does not appear until the last line of verse 14. Even Revised Standard Version restructures it into two sentences. The Handbook will assume that most translators will want to reduce the length of sentences even more.

A skilled woodcutter may saw down a tree easy to handle: Woodcutter is probably better rendered “woodworker” (Good News Translation). The Greek word literally refers to cutting wood, but a craftsperson works with wood by cutting it, and woodworkers have a more exacting skill than woodcutters, who simply cut down trees. The woodcutter is offered as an example, and translators could say so: “For example, a skilled woodworker….” Good News Translation expresses this with “A skilled woodworker may saw down…”; New English Bible has “Suppose some skilled woodworker fells with his saw…” and New Jerusalem Bible has “Take a woodcutter. He fells….” The adjective translated easy to handle is variously interpreted as “convenient” (New English Bible), “suitable” (Good News Translation, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible), “handy” (Reider), or “easy to move” (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Pliade). The idea seems to be that it is not a particularly impressive tree; it is one that can be cut down without trouble and moved easily enough. Revised Standard Version is probably pretty close, but if a language has a word to describe a tree just about that size, it could be described in terms of size—big enough to make things from, but not so big as to be a problem to move around and work with. The author is speaking scornfully of the woodworker as well as the tree. One way to express this scorn in the whole line is “Any ordinary woodworker with enough skill to do it can [go out and] saw down some little tree.”

And skilfully strip off all its bark: Skilfully may be ironic. No great skill is required to strip bark off a tree, but it can be done “deftly” (New English Bible), “neatly” (New Jerusalem Bible), or “expertly.”

And then with pleasing workmanship make a useful vessel that serves life’s needs: We can better approach these two lines as An American Translation does with “And shaping it nicely makes a dish suited to the uses of life.” A problem here is the sense of the adverb translated “nicely.” If this is what the author intends, it is surely to be taken as ironic. However, the word can mean, in some contexts, “plausibly, with good excuse.” The meaning seems to be that the woodworker almost casually makes something that will pass for the purpose, which is making some useful household object. (He will take much more care in making his idol in verses 13-15.) The vessel refers to any kind of object with practical use around the house, not necessarily a “dish.” That serves life’s needs is another way of saying the object is “practical.” The author will make a contrast between the casualness with which the woodworker makes a useful object and the great care he takes with making a useless one, the idol. New English Bible translates a useful vessel that serves life’s needs as “some vessel suitable for everyday use.” For the whole line we suggest “He works the wood into a shape suitable to make an object that will serve some useful purpose.”

An alternative model for this verse is:

• Suppose a skilled woodworker saws down a suitable [or, small] tree. He carefully peels off the bark. Then he works the wood into a shape suitable to make an object that will serve some useful purpose.

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.

They no longer keep either their lives or their marriages pure: Good News Translation may be used as a model, or we could say “They make no effort to live good lives or be faithful to their spouses” or “They live in such a way that it ruins their lives and their marriages.”

But they either treacherously kill one another, or grieve one another by adultery: The subject here is what one man does to another. The translation of Good News Translation is fairly clear, but may be changed slightly: “A man may treacherously kill [or, murder] another person or cause someone grief….”

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.

They were troubled for a little while as a warning: They were troubled for a little while may be rendered “Your people were attacked by the snakes for only a little while” or even “The snakes attacked your people for only….” Good News Translation is a good model for this line, but instead of “as a warning,” translators could say “to teach them a lesson.”

And received a token of deliverance to remind them of thy law’s command: Good News Translation renders received in the active voice with “you gave them.” The token of deliverance is a reference to Num 21.6-9. This is an incident the readers are not likely to be familiar with, and Good News Translation points them in the right direction by specifying “the bronze snake” as the “healing symbol.” New American Bible simply has “a sign of salvation.” Strictly speaking, it is not necessary that the reader remember or know the story of the bronze snake, only that God gave them “a sign of salvation.” However, the author is making the point with these comparisons that the Israelites benefitted from the same things that harmed the Egyptians. The Egyptians were plagued with vermin, and the Israelites were saved by a snake. Good News Translation provides a useful model, although translators might want to consider something like “a sign of healing [or, salvation]” rather than “a healing symbol.” It might not be going too far to say “a sign of hope.” An alternative for the first part of this line is “Then you gave them a metal snake as a healing symbol [or, as a sign of hope].” To remind them of thy law’s command may be rendered “to remind them of what your Law requires” (Good News Translation) or “to help them remember [or, obey] your Law.”

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 if nothing disturbing frightened them: Again the connector For may be omitted. Nothing disturbing means “nothing that should actually disturb a sensible person.” For this line Good News Translation has “Even though nothing dangerous had actually happened.”

Yet, scared by the passing of beasts and the hissing of serpents: The animals and snakes are products of the peoples’ own imaginations. In their terror they imagined they heard snakes around them in the darkness, and thought they could hear wild animals coming for them. The word for beasts used here is the one used in 11.15 and 16.1, where Revised Standard Version has “animals”; see the notes there. It probably does not refer to large animals such as lions or bears, but to the same scurrying, loathsome vermin meant in those passages. For serpents see 11.15. In this context it refers to snakes. In Greek the main verb of this sentence does not come until the next line, but Good News Translation does well to translate this line as a main clause.

The verse could be translated as follows:

• Even though nothing dangerous was actually happening, they were terrified. They could hear snakes hissing, and repulsive creatures scurrying all around 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.

He conquered the wrath not by strength of body, and not by force of arms, but by his word he subdued the punisher: As both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation point out in their footnotes, the Greek text reads “crowd” and not wrath or “bitter difficulty” (Good News Translation), but this correction of the text is universally accepted. It involves only the position of two letters in the word. The wrath is God’s anger expressing itself in the punisher, and the two are parallel here. The punisher evidently refers to a destroying spirit sent among the Israelites to kill them with the plague. Compare “the destroyer” in verse 25. In 4Macc 7.11 it is referred to as a “fiery angel.” The account in Numbers does not mention it; it was a feature of Jewish legend that served to remove God from direct responsibility. The translator cannot go so far as to identify the punisher with God, since Aaron in no sense subdued God. Good News Translation averts the problem by saying “the punishment.” This is effective, but there is still “the destroyer” in verse 25, where Good News Translation translates “The Angel of Death.” There seems to be no reason why “the Angel of Death” could not be used here. We suggest that translators consult their translation of Exo 12.23, and use here whatever expression was used there for “the destroyer” (Revised Standard Version) or “the Angel of Death” (Good News Translation). We would suggest combining the wrath and the punisher, since the two are parallel. This could be done by rendering these three lines as follows: “He overcame the Angel of Death, not by physical strength [or, his own physical strength] or by military force [or, with weapons of war], but by his words [or, his prayer].” Prayer is not mentioned in the Numbers account, either. That too is a feature of Jewish legend around the incident, which is also found in other sources.

Appealing to the oaths and covenants given to our fathers: Compare Exo 32.12-13. Good News Translation is a simple, clear model.

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.

But let our might be our law of right: The thought is condensed here; translators may have to expand this into a longer sentence, as Good News Translation has done. Translators could say “If we are powerful enough to do what we want, that’s all the reason we need for doing it.” The adversative But should not be used since there is no contrast here.

For what is weak proves itself to be useless: The idiomatic rendering of Good News Translation captures the right tone. Another possibility is “We won’t gain anything by being weak.”

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.

Verses 3-6 repeat, with emphasis, the thought of 3.16-19. They deal with the destiny of the ungodly (compare 3.10-13a; 4.16-19). Some translators may wish to make this more obvious by setting off 4.3-6 as a separate section entitled “The destiny of the ungodly.” We do not recommend doing this, since to us the parallels to 3.16-19 in this section are more obvious.

But the prolific brood of the ungodly will be of no use: The adversative But may also be rendered “On the other hand.” While the author probably refers here to children “born of a forbidden union” (Good News Translation), he doesn’t actually say that here, and translators are urged to stay with ungodly, “unreligious,” “wicked,” or such. An alternative model for this line is “Unreligious people [or, People who do not worship God] may have many children, but it will do them no good.”

And none of their illegitimate seedlings will strike a deep root or take a firm hold: The writer returns to the tree imagery used in 3.15 (of the righteous). Seedlings are young plants just coming up from seed. For the most part, Good News Translation avoids the metaphor in this verse, using it in verses 4-5. It does this because, in English at any rate, it is easier to introduce the simile “Like trees” at the beginning of verse 4 rather than here. We could say, however, “If they were trees, none of their seedlings would ever develop deep roots, because they are illegitimate.”

That suggestion combines will strike a deep root or take a firm hold into one expression, “develop deep roots.” “Illegitimate” is applied in English to children born to an unmarried mother. Here the reference would be as well to children born to one Jewish parent and one Gentile parent; in the author’s thinking, those children would be illegitimate, since such a union was forbidden.

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.