For both we and our words are in his hand, as are all understanding and skill in crafts: The connector For does not need to be repeated here. Although we could be interpreted to mean all humanity, the Handbook interprets it to refer to “the wise” of the preceding verse. It is clear from the following verse that Solomon includes himself in that number. Contemporary English Version keeps the metaphor hand with “… are all in the hands of God.” In languages where “hand” can refer to power, translators are encouraged to follow this model. Good News Translation, however, expresses we … are in his hand as “We are under his power and authority.” This is the meaning, although “We are under his authority” would be just as good. Good News Translation then names some specific ways in which our God-given wisdom shows itself: “we ourselves, our words, all our understanding and skills.” Skill in crafts refers to “craftsmanship” (Winston), the ability to make beautiful or useful things; compare Exo 35.30-31. Vílchez translates this “talent,” which is a good equivalent that covers about everything included in the phrase. It is possible to restructure the verse as follows:

• We ourselves, our words, all our understanding and skills are under God’s authority.

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.

As a child I was by nature well endowed: The words by nature well endowed translate a single Greek adjective. It describes a person in favorable terms, but it may refer to physical or nonphysical endowments. Scholars and translators are divided as to which is intended here. Good News Translation chooses the second one (“a pleasant personality”), and along the same line, New Jerusalem Bible has “I was a boy of happy disposition.” New Revised Standard Version is better with “As a child I was naturally gifted” or even Contemporary English Version with “I was an intelligent child.” This directs attention away from mere personality to the intellectual side, which fits the context better. Translators might word this as follows: “I was unusually intelligent [even] as a child.” However, the Handbook prefers to think of the Greek word as referring to physical endowments. In the context of verses 19-20, we think Solomon begins by talking about his physical endowments (verse 19a), then his soul (verse 19b), and then refining his thought in verse 20 to speak of a soul within a body rather than in addition to it. This line could be rendered “As a child I was strong and healthy.”

And a good soul fell to my lot: Scholars disagree as to whether the author here is speaking of the common idea in Greek philosophy that the human soul is preexistent, that is, that souls exist before the body is created. In light of what the author says elsewhere, such as in 15.11, we doubt this. But the point still is that the author is making a clean separation between body and soul. See 7.27. Solomon describes his soul as good, and as strange as it sounds, that may be the best way to deal with this line. So we may translate “born with a good soul” (Contemporary English Version). Fell to my lot means that he was fortunate enough to have a good soul.

Perhaps translators could render this verse as follows:

• As a child I was strong and healthy, and was fortunate enough to have a good soul as well.

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.

She protected him from his enemies, and kept him safe from those who lay in wait for him: Good News Translation is a good model for these lines. Another approach, suggested by New Jerusalem Bible, would be “She protected him from his enemies, and kept him safe from the traps they set for him.” The enemies could be Laban or Esau, or perhaps the men of Shechem (see Gen 34.30).

In his arduous contest she gave him the victory: His arduous contest is a reference to Jacob’s fight with the mysterious stranger in Gen 32.24-32. An alternative model is “When he wrestled hard with a heavenly being, he was victorious.”

So that he might learn that godliness is more powerful than anything: The “man” or angel (see Hos 12.4-5) who wrestled with Jacob represented God. From this the author argues that piety, devotion to God, is the strongest of all things (since it can overcome God). Good News Translation renders godliness as “serving God.” This is not bad, but “reverence for God” or “devotion to God” is closer. Translators could render this line as follows: “so that he might realize [or, learn] that no one has more power than a person who is devoted to [or, obeys] God.”

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.

Thou sparest all things, for they are thine, O Lord who lovest the living: To “spare” means “not to destroy.” For Thou sparest all things, Good News Translation has “You have allowed it all to exist.” Everything that exists does so because God is willing to allow it, and he allows it because he loves every living thing. Good News Translation does well by translating the connector for with “because.” In Greek the clause who lovest the living is an adjective, which is used almost like a title for God: “O life-loving Lord.” Although all things and they are neuter, referring to everything living and non-living, the adjective “life-loving” not only concentrates on living things, but especially on human life. We would not be far off to translate “O Lord who loves people” or even “O Lord who loves us.”

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 as they live among his works they keep searching: Instead of the connector For, the adversative “But” is better in this context (see the model below). Good News Translation “Surrounded by” is a literal rendering of the participle found in the Greek text. It may be taken in the sense of time, as in Revised Standard Version as they live … or “While they are surrounded…”; but more likely it should be understood as a concessive clause: “Even though they are surrounded….” The word for searching indicates careful searching. For this line we might say “Even though they are surrounded by things God has made, they keep on searching” or “Things that God has made are all around them, but still they keep on searching.”

And they trust in what they see, because the things that are seen are beautiful: The author would not disagree with what Good News Translation has here, but it is not what he said. The problem for all translators here is the interpretation of the verb translated trust in. New American Bible translates “are distracted by,” and we think this is right. The word means “persuade,” but in this case it refers to being persuaded (it is passive) in a bad sense, that is, misled. For this line we suggest something like “and the things they see [really] are beautiful, and they are misled [or, this misleads them].”

It is possible to reverse the lines of this verse and say:

• But they are misled, because the things they see [really] are beautiful. And so they go on searching even though they are surrounded by the things God has made.

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.

And the multitude, attracted by the charm of his work, now regarded as an object of worship the one whom shortly before they had honored as a man: We suggest reordering the material in this verse. A suitable model is as follows: “Then the people, who formerly [or, earlier] had honored their king as a human being, were so impressed by the work of art that they would start thinking of him as a god for them to worship.”

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.

Instead of this punishment thou didst show kindness to thy people: Instead of this punishment may be rendered “But you did not punish your people in this way” (similarly Good News Translation). Thou didst show kindness may be expressed as “instead, you showed them kindness” (Good News Translation) or “you treated them with kindness [or, were kind to them].”

And thou didst prepare quails to eat: This is actually the third line of the verse in Greek. The reference is to Exo 16.9-13; Num 11.18-20, 31-33; compare Psa 78.26-29; 105.40. In cultures where quails are unknown, we may say something like “birds named quails or even “special birds,” since the exact type of bird is not important here. There is a danger for translators here, illustrated by Revised Standard Version, which sounds like God was going to eat the quails. Possible alternative models are “You provided quails for them to eat” and “You sent them quails to eat.”

A delicacy to satisfy the desire of appetite: This line and the previous one are translated more literally in An American Translation, which has “And to satisfy the desire of their appetite, you prepared something with a strange taste—Quails for food.” “Strange taste” is always interpreted as meaning what Good News Translation says with “a rare, delicious food.” This line may be combined with the previous line: “You provided [them with] quails, a rare, delicious food, to satisfy their hunger.” But in some languages translators may prefer to use two sentences: “You provided [or, sent] them quails to satisfy their hunger. These were a rare and delicious food.”

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.

And no power of fire was able to give light: Good News Translation offers a good translation, but any translator using it as a model should take careful notice that in the phrase, “to give them light,” the pronoun “them” refers to the people, not the ghosts. So we may translate “No fire was bright enough to give those people light.”

Nor did the brilliant flames of the stars avail to illumine that hateful night: New Jerusalem Bible has a good translation with “nor could the brightly blazing stars illuminate that dreadful night.” So does Revised English Bible with “nor were the brilliant, flaming stars adequate to pierce that hideous darkness.” We suggest the following model: “not even the brilliant flames of the stars could bring light into that dismal [or, fearful] darkness.”

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.