The blow of a whip raises a welt, but a blow of the tongue crushes the bones: A welt is the mark left on the body by a whip or “lash.” For the first line of this verse Contemporary English Version has “Whips leave painful stripes on the skin.” A blow of the tongue refers to damage done by vicious talk or “cruel words” (Contemporary English Version). Crushes the bones is a figurative way of saying that vicious talk can do much more serious damage than a whip. Another way to translate the last line of this verse is “But vicious talk [or, cruel words] can break a person’s spirit just like breaking bones.”

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.