wisdom

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The Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge’ez, Latin, and Greek that is translated as “wisdom” in English is rendered in various ways:

  • Amganad Ifugao / Tabasco Chontal: “(big) mind”
  • Bulu / Yamba: “heart-thinking”
  • Tae’: “cleverness of heart” (source for this and all above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Palauan: “bright spirit (innermost)” (source: Bratcher / Hatton)
  • Ixcatlán Mazatec: “with your best/biggest thinking” (source: Robert Bascom)
  • Noongar: dwangka-boola, lit. “ear much” (source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018 — see also remember)
  • Kwere “to know how to live well” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Dobel: “their ear holes are long-lasting” (in Acts 6:3) (source: Jock Hughes)
  • Gbaya: iŋa-mgbara-mɔ or “knowing-about-things” (note that in comparison to that, “knowledge” is translated as iŋa-mɔ or “knowing things”) (source: Philip Noss in The Bible Translator 2001, p. 114ff. )
  • Chichewa: nzeru, meaning both “knowledge” and “wisdom” (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
  • Uma: “clearness” (source: Uma Back Translation)

In Hungarian Sign Language it is translated with a hand gesture referring to God to indicate a human quality to communicate that wisdom does not originate from man but is linked to and connected with the fear of God (source: Jenjelvi Biblia and Andrea Bokros):


“Wisdom” in Hungarian Sign Language (source )

See also wisdom (Proverbs) and knowledge.

Translation commentary on Sirach 4:11

Wisdom exalts her sons and gives help to those who seek her: The problem just spoken of in the introductory comments on this section involves the Greek word translated exalts. Good News Translation correctly translates this “raises … to greatness.” But the Hebrew says simply “teaches.” New Revised Standard Version and New American Bible have adopted this reading. Jerusalem Bible has found a beautiful way to handle this. It translates élève, which can mean “teaches” or “lifts up.” New Jerusalem Bible renders “brings up,” which seems a clever way of trying to duplicate in English what Jerusalem Bible does in French. The problem is that the Greek word does not mean to “bring up” in the sense of “raising” children. It means to “elevate, lift to a high position.” And the Hebrew means “teach.” In this case it is hard to see how the Hebrew explains the Greek, and the Handbook therefore recommends to that translators follow the Greek.

Good News Translation handles the Greek well. Notice that it reverses the lines effectively, since the second line in Good News Translation builds and expands on the first one. The only element of the Greek neglected in Good News Translation is sons. This may be important, since “son” was a keyword in verse 10, and its use here implies that person whom God treats as a son may be called the son of Wisdom. If the second clause in Good News Translation were reworded to say “she raises her children to greatness,” this would, at least for perceptive readers, make the connection.

An alternative model of this verse for those translators who cannot personify Wisdom is:

• The Lord takes care of the people who become truly wise, as if they were his children; he raises them to greatness [or, a high position].

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.