Riches are not seemly for a stingy man: Not seemly means “not right [or, proper].” Stingy describes a miser—a person who is stingy not just with other people but with himself as well. It is not that he is “selfish” (Good News Translation); he is so tight, so “small-minded” (New Revised Standard Version) that he won’t spend money at all. Money is in the wrong hands here. A better rendering than Good News Translation is “It isn’t right [or, proper] for a miser [or, stingy person] to be rich,” or we may say “People who won’t spend money shouldn’t have money at all.”

And of what use is property to an envious man?: The envious person refers once again to a miser, one who is so covetous he cannot let go of anything he has. Property is better translated “money” since the context is speaking of wealth that does no good unless it is spent. The meaning seems to be that money does no good to a person too miserly to spend it. Good News Translation expresses this well: “What use is money to a stingy person?” The Greek could also mean “What good does money do [anyone] when in the hands of a miser?” This interpretation fits well with the first line of the verse. We could say “In the hands of a miser money does no one any good” or “Money in the hands of a person who won’t spend it does….” Note that this question is rhetorical, so it can be expressed as a statement.

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.