But they supposed that either fire or wind or swift air … were the gods that rule the world: There is a long list of things in nature here which the author says are worshiped by some people. Translators will find this sentence more manageable by restructuring it, as does Good News Translation, so that the verse begins with the gods that rule the world: “Instead [or, Indeed], they suppose that the gods who rule the world are….” Swift air is probably not “storm” (Good News Translation), but a more poetic way of referring to the wind. There is not necessarily any sharp distinction. A translator could use two expressions with the same meaning (Revised Standard Version) or combine the two into something like “the blowing wind.”

Or the circle of the stars, or turbulent water: The stars are described here as circling through the night sky over the course of the year. In the Northern Hemisphere this is more easily observed since there is a star (the pole star) at the approximate point that the stars circle around. We could phrase this “the circling stars” (Good News Translation) or simply “the stars of the night sky.” Translators could even say “the signs of the zodiac” (or its equivalent) in cultures where this would be understood. Turbulent water is not still water or even smoothly flowing water, but water that is agitated and wild, such as in rapids or a waterfall.

Or the luminaries of heaven: Translators may say “the heavenly bodies” with Good News Translation, or simply “the sun and the moon.” The author has already mentioned the stars.

An alternative model for the verse is:

• Instead, they suppose that the gods who rule the world are fire, the swift blowing wind, the stars of the night sky, rapidly flowing water, or the sun and moon.

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.