For the elements changed places with one another: Since a new section begins here, the connector For may be omitted. In ancient thought the elements were fire, water, earth, and air. Air is not mentioned in this passage, but verses 19-20 give a good illustration of the kind of things the writer is thinking of. The ordinary workings of nature were suspended, and unexpected things happened. Good News Translation “the very elements entered into new combinations” is effective as an expression to arouse wonder, although it does not describe exactly what the author has in mind. Some translators may find that Revised Standard Version is a workable model. It would not be going too far, we believe, to specify the elements, and say “Earth, air, water, and fire exchanged functions with each other.” The Revised Standard Version footnote on changed merely provides a literal translation for this verb.

As on a harp the notes vary the nature of the rhythm, while each note remains the same: Technical terms from Greek music are used here. The most helpful explanation is provided in Vílchez, where he quotes a personal letter from the exegete Luís Alonso Schökel, himself a musician. The idea here, we learn, is that in a musical scale (our do, re, mi …) every note has a function that differs depending on which musical “mode” is being used (rather like our “key”). Even though that function varies from mode to mode, do is still do, re is still re, and so on. In a similar way fire remains fire, earth remains earth, and so on, but here there is a great change effected in which they change their functions or properties. They do not destroy the “tune,” the natural harmony, but they change it.

All of this is too technical to convey easily in translation. Most translations are content to use musical imagery in such a way as to convey the author’s point. Good News Translation translates “On a harp each string keeps its own pitch, but each sound can be combined with others to make different melodies.” Revised English Bible has “As the strings of a harp can make various tunes with different names though each string retains its own pitch.” New American Bible uses “[the elements] like strings of the harp, produce new melody, while the flow of music steadily persists.” Contemporary English Version has “Different tunes can be played on the same harp, though the strings remain the same.”

The Revised Standard Version footnote that the meaning of the verse is uncertain here is well taken. But the lack of clarity in the Greek comes from our lack of understanding of the technical terms used. It is not that the author’s point is not clear enough. Consequently we think translators need not use a footnote at this point.

The following is an alternative model for the first three lines of this verse. It follows Good News Translation by reversing the lines.

• On a harp each string always makes the same sound, even though it will sound different [to the ear] as the musician plays different tunes. It was like that in those days, when earth, air, fire, and water exchanged functions with each other.

This may be clearly inferred from the sight of what took place: The Good News Translation short sentence “Look at what happened!” is quite good. It expresses wonder and invites attention to what follows. Translators could also say “This can be clearly seen in things that happened.”

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 perverse thoughts separate men from God: The connector For is not needed to begin this verse (see Good News Translation). The Greek word translated perverse basically means “twisted” or “crooked.” This line is probably a reverse parallel to the preceding line. If one trusts God, God manifests himself. If one’s thinking is wrong, the opposite happens: you get separated from God. The thoughts here are “twisted” in that they are incorrect, false, wrong-headed. The reference is to judges who try to pass judgment by testing God. Perhaps we may translate as follows: “But anyone who doesn’t think straight is only separating himself from God” or “But anyone who thinks in a crooked [or, twisted] way is only….”

And when his power is tested, it convicts the foolish: This line refers back to the first line of verse 2. New Revised Standard Version is better than Revised Standard Version: “and when his power is tested, it exposes the foolish.” The idea is that if you, as judge, propose to give God a test, it will only demonstrate how foolish you are being. So we may translate “If you try to test God’s power, that power is only going to put you to shame [or, make you lose face].”

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.

Let us condemn him to a shameful death: The question here is whether condemn is to be taken literally of a judicial sentence to death, or more broadly, of seeing to it that the righteous are so afflicted that they die in disgrace. We should probably favor the former, on the grounds that the writer is putting words in the mouths of people who are in positions of power, and can use their position or their influence to cause the death of poor people. A shameful death would point in this direction also. Although a good person might die painfully, normally he would die with dignity and be surrounded by family and friends. A criminal sentenced to death would be deprived of this comfort, knowing the community looked on his death as a sign of disgrace and shame. Good News Translation keeps the word “condemn,” whereas Contemporary English Version has “We will sentence them to….” The meaning is the same.

For, according to what he says, he will be protected: For is rendered “After all” in Good News Translation. This is a possible alternative. He will be protected is literally “there will be a visitation [or, divine intervention] for him.” While the sense of the preposition translated according to is not really clear here, the meaning for this line is almost surely “they say that God will protect them” if they are in danger. Perhaps the idea of God’s “visitation” (see Gen 50.24-25) can be expressed here more vividly, and with appropriate irony: “Let’s condemn them to die in shame, like criminals. After all, they seem to think that God will come and save them.”

This is the end of the long quotation beginning in verse 1.

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 was caught up lest evil change his understanding or guile deceive his soul may be rendered “God takes them away to protect their minds and souls from the influence of evil and falsehood.”

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.

A mighty wind will rise against them, and like a tempest it will winnow them away: Good News Translation combines mighty wind and tempest into one phrase, “Great windstorms.” Winnow refers to the action of grain farmers when they toss grain into the air so that the husks (chaff) will blow away. Good News Translation does not use the term, but conveys the meaning and something of the imagery with “will blow them away like straw.”

Lawlessness will lay waste the whole earth: Lawlessness is pictured as turning the earth into a desert, or at least a place without people. It would not be going too far to say “Lawlessness will bring ruin upon the whole earth,” “Lawlessness will turn the whole earth into a desert,” or even “People breaking the Law will turn….”

And evil-doing will overturn the thrones of rulers may be expressed as “and wrongdoing will cause kingdoms [or, governments] to fall.” This last line, dealing with the downfall of kings, ends the author’s discussion of the destinies of the righteous and the ungodly, and prepares the reader for the address to the kings of the world with which the first main division of the book will close (6.1; compare 1.1).

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.

This verse reflects the ideas in 6.12-21, where a person seeks Wisdom, but at the same time Wisdom seeks the person. Here Solomon prays for Wisdom, but Wisdom finds him.

Therefore I prayed, and understanding was given me: The introductory clause in Good News Translation, “Realizing that I was only human,” corresponds to the word Therefore. It is a helpful addition, particularly at the beginning of a new section. The idea is that Solomon prays for Wisdom because he recognizes his human weaknesses.

I called upon God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me: The phrase upon God does not appear in Greek, but is clearly implied from I prayed in the first line. Good News Translation has combined I prayed and I called upon God, although it does not include the word God. The spirit of wisdom here is equivalent to wisdom itself, as in 1.6. If “The spirit of Wisdom came to me” (Good News Translation) is difficult, translators may simply say “Wisdom came to me” or “he [God] gave me Wisdom.”

An alternative model for this verse is:

• Realizing that I was human, I prayed to [or, asked] God to give me Wisdom, and he answered my prayer.

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 10-16 present a problem. The narrator of the book is the mature Solomon, yet he speaks here of past events and present conditions as still future. He is taking us back to his youth, when these things were still ahead of him. He is telling us what he, as a young man, thought the rewards of wisdom would be. Good News Translation does well to introduce these verses with a helpful “I thought to myself” and then to place the rest of the material through verse 16 in quotation marks. New English Bible and Revised English Bible use no quotation marks, but do insert “I thought.” The Handbook urges translators to mark this material in a similar way. Otherwise the future tense will confuse many readers.

Because of her I shall have glory among the multitudes may be rendered “If I have Wisdom, I will be admired by all the people” or “… all the people [or, everyone] will honor [or, respect] me.” Multitudes refers to the people governed by King Solomon.

And honor in the presence of the elders, though I am young: Elders can often mean “leaders,” but here the contrast with young makes it advisable to use the literal meaning, “old people.” Good News Translation is a good model for translators: “The old men will respect me, even though I am young.”

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 when an unrighteous man departed from her in his anger: Presumably Cain had Wisdom, but became so angry that he left her and went out to kill his brother. It is hard to suggest an English verb that is appropriate here; neither departed from nor “abandoned” (Good News Translation) sounds natural. “Rejected” is close. The idea of “turn one’s back on” probably fits this context more naturally; for example, “But there was an evil [or, unrighteous] man who turned his back on [or, refused to follow] Wisdom.” Good News Translation has moved in his anger to the end of the verse by combining it with in rage and translating “in a fit of anger,” which means “he became so angry that.” This works well.

He perished because in rage he slew his brother: Good News Translation (so also New English Bible) renders perished as “destroyed himself,” which is better in the context. This must not be mistaken for suicide, however. It means that by killing his brother Cain brought about his own ruin. He did not, of course, die immediately. His punishment is reported in Gen 4.9-16.

An alternative model for this verse is:

• There was an evil man who turned his back on Wisdom. He became terribly angry and killed his brother. Because of this he brought about his own ruin [or, destruction].

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.