Because a jealous ear hears all things: The logical connector because may be omitted since this line is simply another statement about God. The reference is to the jealous ear of God. Jealousy as applied to God is an extremely difficult problem in English, because, in English, jealousy is always a bad thing. In the Old Testament, God’s jealousy usually refers to his forbidding the worship of other gods; Good News Translation usually translates this “God tolerates no rivals.” Here no reference to other gods is implied. It is God’s authority rather than his uniqueness that ungodly people ignore. So Good News Translation translates “God will tolerate no challenge.” Translators may also say “God will not tolerate anyone who challenges his authority” or even “God will not tolerate anyone who says, ‘I will not obey you.’ ”

And the sound of murmurings does not go unheard: Murmurings refers to complaints (see Exo 16.8; Num 17.5). The author may be thinking of complaints about the things required and prohibited by God’s Law. The New English Bible rendering is striking: “no muttered syllable escapes that vigilant ear”; Contemporary English Version has “Nothing can escape being heard, not even a faint grumble.” While these approaches deserve the consideration of translators, most will find Good News Translation a better model.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Wisdom of Solomon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2004. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.