To a senseless man education is fetters on his feet, and like manacles on his right hand: Fetters and manacles accurately translate the Greek nouns here. Fetters are chains placed around the ankles to restrict the movement of the feet. Manacles are chains placed around the wrists to restrict the movement of the hands. A similar device used by police today is called “handcuffs.” The use of this term in Good News Translation is not quite correct since handcuffs are a modern mechanical device. Since they do the same thing as manacles, however, “handcuffs” may be called an acceptable cultural equivalent. Good News Translation makes no attempt to translate fetters separately (there is no common word for this in modern English, although police call them “leg irons”), combining the two images into the one image of “handcuffs.” This is no great loss. The two lines are a simple example of synonymous parallelism, and the point is that people without good sense think of learning as a handicap, something that restricts their freedom, that keeps them from doing things they would really like to do. An alternative model for this verse is:

• People without any sense think of education as something that ties them down, like chains on their ankles or wrists.

The image of the chains, at least on the wrists, must be kept; see verse 21. Compare 6.29-31. However, it must be clear that the chains are not jewelry.

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.