fear (of God)

The Hebrew and Greek that are translated as “fear (of God)” (or: “honor,” “worship,” or “respect”) is translated as “to have respect/reverence for” (Southern Subanen, Western Highland Purepecha, Navajo, Javanese, Tboli), “to make great before oneself” (Ngäbere), “fear-devotion” (Kannada — currently used as a description of the life of piety), “those-with-whom he-is-holy” (those who fear God) (Western Apache) (source for this and above: Reiling / Swellengrebel), “revere God” Lalana Chinantec, “worship God” (Palantla Chinantec) (source for this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.), “obey” (Chichewa) (source: Ernst Wendland), or with a term that communicates awe (rather than fear of an evil source) (Chol) (source: Robert Bascom).

Bullard / Hatton (2008, p. 8) say the following about this concept: “As the writer of Proverbs states in 1:7, ‘The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.’ (…) ‘The fear of the Lord,’ that is, human fear of God, is an exceptionally difficult concept to express, at least in English. Other languages may have more appropriate terms. The idea probably is rooted in the most ancient days when people were indeed afraid of any deity. But in Israel the concept of fearing God was transformed by God’s revelation into a much fuller idea. Basically, as used in the Bible, the fear of God refers to the proper attitude of reverence and awe before the Holy One. To fear God is to recognize one’s own place as a mere mortal before the Creator, one’s place as a sinner before the Judge, one’s place as a child before the Father, one’s place as the recipient of God’s love. It thus involves submission, repentance, trust, and grateful love toward the One who is fearsome in holiness, in justice, in power that both protects and punishes, and in love. Using the word “fear” is sometimes as good as we can do, but often we will alternate that word with terms like ‘reverence’ or ‘awe.’”

See also fear of the LORD (Isa 11:2) and complete verse (Genesis 22:12) et al.

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Translation commentary on Sirach 26:15

A modest wife adds charm to charm: The wife is described here as modest; that is, she is someone who knows what ben Sira regards as her proper place, and who keeps to it. She does not put herself forward or call attention to herself. For adds charm to charm, Good News Translation does well with “has endless charm.”

And no balance can weigh the value of a chaste soul: While it is possible that the Greek is talking about “chastity” (New Revised Standard Version) in the sense of sexual fidelity, it is more likely that chaste is here a synonym for modest. This is why Good News Translation expresses the idea by referring back to the first line as follows: “it [the wife’s modesty] is a quality….” The balance refers to scales, a device used to weigh items, especially bits of precious metal, to determine their value. Good News Translation expresses the idea without referring to the device by rendering no balance can weigh as “too precious to measure.” We may also translate the whole line as “it has a value that is impossible to measure.”

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Sirach. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on Sirach 27:18

For as a man destroys his enemy, so you have destroyed the friendship of your neighbor: This verse is closely connected with verse 17. The friendship destroyed here is the friendship that was betrayed in verse 17. Good News Translation makes that clear by referring to “that friendship.” Good News Translation‘s rendering makes reference to your neighbor unnecessary since that person is the “friend” mentioned in the previous verse. Good News Translation “killed that friendship” uses a common English idiom. It means to destroy a friendship, to turn a friend into an enemy.

Virtually all the Greek manuscripts read his enemy, and we believe this should be translated. Those using Ziegler’s text should note that he has emended this to read “his dead one,” which is difficult to understand.

An alternative model for this verse is:
• You have destroyed that friendship just as surely as a man would kill an enemy.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Sirach. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on Sirach 28:21

Its death is an evil death: This means that when a person meets death as a result of vicious talk, it is an agonizing death. He suffers through a long period of pain, mental if not physical, before death comes.

And Hades is preferable to it: Hades is the world of the dead (see the comments on 14.16). The author is saying that a person is “better off dead” (Good News Translation) than going through the shame, embarrassment, and pain caused by vicious talk.

Contemporary English Version‘s model for this verse is much clearer than Good News Translation‘s model and will be helpful for many translators:
• Cruel words cause suffering
worse than death itself.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Sirach. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on Sirach 30:1

He who loves his son will whip him often, in order that he may rejoice at the way he turns out: Since ben Sira is talking about being a father, Good News Translation specifies “A father” as the subject of this sentence; this is helpful. We believe speaking of a father and his son is better in this context than speaking of parents and their children (so Contemporary English Version). In ordinary English the verb whip does not necessarily imply using the object called a “whip.” This verb can refer to spanking a small child with the bare hands, or using a switch or paddle on an older child. The Greek for will whip him often is literally “will continue [to lay] strokes on him.” Contemporary English Version says “spanking them whenever they do wrong.” Pro 13.24 and 23.13-14 speak of using a “rod” or “stick” to discipline children. Often seems to imply that the parent is arbitrary in the whipping of the child—he does it whenever he feels like it, even if the child has done no wrong. Contemporary English Version avoids this problem by saying “whenever they do wrong.” In order that he may rejoice is rendered “so that he can be proud” by Good News Translation and “Later those parents will be glad” by Contemporary English Version. At the way he turns out is literally “at his end [times],” and it is not clear whether this refers to the grown-up son or to the father’s old age. Good News Translation dodges the problem by saying “later.” This is not a bad approach, since the meaning is the same either way. But we could translate the last line of this verse as “so that he can be proud of him when he is grown” or “so that in his old age he will have a son to be proud of.” It is the translator’s choice.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Sirach. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on Sirach 31:10

Who has been tested by it and been found perfect?: This question does not expect an answer; ben Sira clearly believes the answer is “No one.” Good News Translation restructures the question as a conditional clause: “If anyone has ever passed this test.” We may also say “If anyone has ever been tested by money and didn’t do anything wrong.” This is accurate and economical.

Let it be for him a ground for boasting: New English Bible is good with “Then he has good cause to be proud.” Another possible rendering is “he has something to boast about” (similarly Contemporary English Version).

Who has had the power to transgress and did not transgress, and to do evil and did not do it?: Again, this question implies the answer “No one” but does not expect an answer. These two lines mean almost exactly the same thing, and can be easily combined, as in Good News Translation. Good News Translation is more specific about the kind of sin involved than the Greek, but “cheating someone” is the kind of sin you have to commit if you are going to get rich by sinful means. It does not read too much into the text. “Cheating someone” (Good News Translation) could be rendered “cheating people.” An alternative model for these two lines is “Has anyone ever known [or, realized] that he could cheat someone to get more money, and yet remained honest?” As a statement, they could be translated “No one has ever realized that he could make money by cheating someone, and yet remained honest.”

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Sirach. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on Sirach 32:11

Leave in good time and do not be the last: Ben Sira is again talking about manners at a banquet. So translators should make this clear; for example, Good News Translation says “Leave the party at the right time and never be the last to go.”

Go home quickly and do not linger: The Greek says nothing about lingering “at the door,” as in Good News Translation, but “linger at the door” is natural English. Revised Standard Version is a better model. Contemporary English Version has “just say good-by and go home. Don’t wait around.” However, we may slightly restructure the verse as follows:
• When you are at a dinner party [or, banquet], at the proper time say good-by and go straight home. Don’t wait around and be the last to leave.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Sirach. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on Sirach 33:21

While you are still alive and have breath in you, do not let any one take your place: The two clauses in the first line are repetitive, but emphatic. A translator may find two equivalent clauses, or combine them into one emphatic expression, as Good News Translation has tried to do. Do not let any one take your place means, as Good News Translation has it, “don’t let anyone lead your life for you.” For the whole verse we could say:
• As long as you are alive, don’t allow anyone to make decisions for you that affect your life.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Sirach. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on Sirach 34:28

When one builds and another tears down, what do they gain but toil?: After someone tears down what another has built, there is nothing left, but there has been a lot of work to get nothing. Good News Translation does well here, but some may be more comfortable expressing this rhetorical question as a statement; for example, two possibilities are:
• When one person builds and somebody else tears down, nothing has been accomplished but hard work.
• … they gain nothing from their hard work.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Sirach. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on Sirach 36:12

Crush the heads of the rulers of the enemy, who say, “There is no one but ourselves”: Compare Isa 47.10. Crush the heads of the rulers of the enemy is intended metaphorically, but it is an unfamiliar idiom for English, where it could be taken literally. Good News Translation therefore simply says “Crush all those enemy rulers.” This would not be taken literally. Crush the heads may also be expressed as “Completely destroy.” For the quotation Good News Translation shifts to indirect discourse, but many languages will require direct discourse. An alternative model for this verse is:
• Completely destroy those enemy rulers who say, “We are the only important people in the world.”

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Sirach. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on Sirach 37:16

Most translations and commentaries place these three verses with the next section, but we agree with Snaith that they make more sense as a conclusion to the section on seeking advice. Here we are told that there may be consultation and discussion before any action, but anything the human mind deals with can be boiled down to four fundamental issues: good and evil, life and death. But no matter what is thought about in the mind, it is what is actually done—spoken—that counts.
• Before you begin a project, plan very carefully and get advice.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Sirach. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on Sirach 38:19

In calamity sorrow continues, and the life of the poor man weighs down his heart: Commenting on the translation of this verse in his commentary, Di Lella says, “The translation given for the verse is subject to grave doubts” (1987; page 440). So, we might say, is any other translation. The Greek text is uncertain, and no matter how the textual problems are solved, the meaning of the verse and its relation to the context are still unclear. The verse does not appear in the Hebrew text at all. It would be pointless to discuss all the problems, since at the end of the discussion nothing would be made clear. Rather, we would suggest that translators use Revised English Bible as a model here. It is a brave attempt to come to terms with the text, its meaning, and its context; it is the most satisfying approach to this obscure verse that we have seen. It reads:
• With the burial, grief should pass;
a life of misery is an affliction to the heart.

An alternative model following Revised English Bible is:
• After the person is buried, you should stop grieving.
Otherwise you will be depressed and sorrowful for the rest of your life.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Sirach. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.