Though we speak much we cannot reach the end: The writer says that he could go on, but God’s power and wisdom are so great there is no place to end. Good News Translation expresses it well: “We could say much more and never finish.” Contemporary English Version is also good with “We could never finish telling what God has done.”

And the sum of our words is: “He is the all”: The sum of our words is may be rendered “Everything I have to say can be expressed in these words.” The phrase He is the all sounds very much like the language of Greek philosophy, but it is exactly what the Hebrew says. The author means that the Lord reveals himself in all his works, so when we talk about anything in creation, we are talking about God at the same time. It would not be wrong to translate “The Lord is everywhere, in everything.” It would be helpful to say “The Lord” here rather than He.

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.