A wife’s charm delights her husband: Instead of A wife’s charm, New Jerusalem Bible has “The grace of a wife,” which is better expressed as “A gracious wife,” as in Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, and New American Bible. Translators may choose between “A charming wife” or “A gracious wife” and alternatively translate the whole line as “A gracious [or, charming] wife pleases [or, delights] her husband.”

And her skill puts fat on his bones: Compare Pro 15.30b, where the Hebrew says literally “and good news fattens the bones.” In ancient Israel fatness was thought of as a good condition; it showed that one was wealthy enough to be well-fed and never hungry. It was a sign of God’s favor; compare Deut 31.20; Neh 9.25. The point here is that this wife’s knowledge and ability in managing a household (especially her cooking) contribute to her husband’s general well-being, not just to his size. The alternate translation in the Good News Translation footnote may be ignored. Good News Translation does not show that it is primarily the wife’s cooking ability that fattens her husband. Contemporary English Version shows this with “and her cooking skills keep him fat.”

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.