Good News Translation reverses verses 7 and 8a to put things in logical order. First the druggist makes the medicine (verse 8a) and then the doctor uses it (verse 7). We suggest translators follow this. We reverse these two lines in the discussion just below.

The pharmacist makes of them a compound: Even with the help of the parentheses around verses 5-6, readers will need to be reminded that we are talking about medicine here. Good News Translation translates “The druggist mixes these medicines,” translating them as “these medicines,” and makes … a compound as “mixes.”

By them he heals and takes away pain: Here he is the doctor, who takes the pharmacist’s mixture and uses it “to cure diseases and ease pain” (Good News Translation). Good News Translation observes here a distinction often made in English, where one speaks of God healing diseases, but doctors curing them.

Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation introduce the role of the pharmacist or “druggist” as separate from that of the doctor or physician. Such a distinction would not have been likely in ben Sira’s time. The doctor would have both mixed the medicines or herbs and administered them to his patients. This will still be true in many modern cultures. In such a case we may translate verses 7-8a as “Doctors mix the medicinal herbs and use them to cure diseases and ease pain” or “Doctors use the medicines mixed from these herbs to….”

His works will never be finished; and from him health is upon the face of the earth: The pronouns His and him refer to God. The Greek literally says “peace” rather than health (see the Revised Standard Version footnote) Most scholars believe health is the meaning in this context, since it seems that the activity of the Lord referred to here is his healing power. New Jerusalem Bible has “well-being.” So we may translate these two lines as “The Lord will always be at work bringing health to the people of 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.