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Sirach / Chapter 36

Sirach 36

28 verses • Latin Vulgate (Jerome)

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

A passionate prayer for the deliverance and restoration of Israel, calling upon God to display his power before the nations, gather the scattered tribes, and vindicate his people. The chapter then shifts to practical wisdom about discernment in choosing counselors, food, and especially a wife.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

The prayer section (vv. 1-19) is one of the few liturgical prayers in Sirach and has been incorporated into Jewish and Christian worship traditions. The plea that God act so the nations 'may know you, as we have known you' (v. 4) is a rare deuterocanonical expression of missionary theology -- Israel's restoration serves a universal revelatory purpose.

Translation Friction

The transition from the national prayer (vv. 1-19) to domestic wisdom about wives and food (vv. 20-31) is abrupt and has led scholars to question whether these originally belonged together. The Vulgate numbering diverges significantly from the Greek here.

Connections

Isaiah 49:6 (light to the nations); Psalm 79 (prayer for Israel's deliverance); Deuteronomy 30:3-5 (gathering of the exiles); Proverbs 31:10-31 (the worthy wife).

Sirach 36:1

Miserere nostri Deus omnium et respice nos et ostende nobis lucem miserationum tuarum.

Have mercy on us, O God of all, and look upon us, and show us the light of your compassion.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

miserationum
"compassion"

Miserationes (plural) conveys the depth and multiplicity of God's tender mercies, rendering the Hebrew rahamim (womb-love).

Translator Notes

  1. The prayer opens with a universal address -- God of all -- before narrowing to Israel's particular need, reflecting Ben Sira's theology that Israel's God is the universal sovereign.
Sirach 36:2

Et immitte timorem tuum super gentes quae non exquisierunt te ut cognoscant quia non est Deus nisi tu et enarrent magnalia tua.

And send your fear upon the nations that have not sought you, so that they may know there is no God but you, and that they may declare your mighty deeds.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

magnalia
"mighty deeds"

God's great acts of power in history, especially the Exodus and its associated wonders.

Translator Notes

  1. The 'fear' sent upon the nations is not terror for its own sake but serves a revelatory purpose: that they may come to know Israel's God.
Sirach 36:3

Alleva manum tuam super gentes alienas ut videant potentiam tuam.

Lift up your hand against the foreign nations, that they may see your power.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

manum tuam
"your hand"

The outstretched hand of God is an Exodus image (Exodus 6:6), symbolizing direct divine intervention.

Sirach 36:4

Sicut enim in conspectu eorum sanctificatus es in nobis sic in conspectu nostro magnificaberis in eis.

For just as you showed yourself holy among us in their sight, so may you be glorified among them in our sight.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

sanctificatus es
"showed yourself holy"

Reflexive sanctification: God demonstrates his own holiness through historical action, echoing Ezekiel 36:23.

Translator Notes

  1. A remarkable chiastic structure: God's holiness displayed to the nations through Israel, and God's glory displayed to Israel through the nations.
Sirach 36:5

Ut cognoscant te sicut et nos cognovimus quoniam non est Deus praeter te Domine.

So that they may know you, just as we have known you: that there is no God besides you, O Lord.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The aspiration that the nations share Israel's knowledge of God is a striking expression of universalism within a thoroughly particularist prayer.
Sirach 36:6

Innova signa et immuta mirabilia.

Renew your signs and perform new wonders.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

signa
"signs"

Signa renders the Hebrew otot -- visible acts of God that carry revelatory meaning beyond their immediate effect.

Translator Notes

  1. A bold petition: Ben Sira asks not merely for a repetition of past miracles but for fresh, unprecedented divine action.
Sirach 36:7

Glorifica manum et brachium dextrum.

Glorify your hand and your right arm.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

brachium dextrum
"right arm"

The divine warrior motif: God's right arm executes salvation and judgment (Psalm 89:13).

Sirach 36:8

Excita furorem et effunde iram.

Rouse your fury and pour out your wrath.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The prayer is unflinching in asking God to act with full force against Israel's oppressors.
Sirach 36:9

Tolle adversarium et afflige inimicum.

Destroy the adversary and afflict the enemy.

Sirach 36:10

Festina tempus et memento finis et enarrent mirabilia tua.

Hasten the appointed time and remember the end, that they may declare your wonders.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

finis
"the end"

Not merely cessation but the divinely appointed conclusion of the present age of oppression.

Translator Notes

  1. 'Remember the end' -- a petition for God to bring the eschatological timetable forward, expressing the urgency of the community's situation.
Sirach 36:11

In ira flammae devoretur qui salvatur et qui pessimant plebem tuam inveniant perditionem.

Let the one who escapes be devoured in fiery wrath, and let those who oppress your people meet destruction.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

perditionem
"destruction"

Complete ruin; the term carries overtones of final, irreversible judgment.

Sirach 36:12

Contere caput principum inimicorum dicentium non est alius praeter nos.

Crush the heads of the hostile rulers who say, 'There is no one besides us.'

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

principum inimicorum
"hostile rulers"

Princeps denotes those holding political authority; their hostility is directed specifically against God's people.

Translator Notes

  1. The arrogance attributed to foreign rulers -- claiming sole sovereignty -- is the precise inversion of the monotheistic confession 'there is no God besides you' (v. 5).
Sirach 36:13

Congrega omnes tribus Iacob et cognoscant te sicut et in initio cognoverunt.

Gather all the tribes of Jacob, that they may know you as they knew you from the beginning.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

tribus Iacob
"tribes of Jacob"

The twelve tribes as a unified whole; the use of 'Jacob' rather than 'Israel' may emphasize the covenant family over the political entity.

Translator Notes

  1. The prayer for the regathering of the twelve tribes echoes the prophetic hope of Ezekiel 37 and the eschatological expectations of Second Temple Judaism.
Sirach 36:14

Miserere plebi tuae super quam invocatum est nomen tuum et Israhel quem coaequasti primogenito tuo.

Have mercy on your people, upon whom your name is called, and on Israel, whom you made equal to your firstborn.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

primogenito
"firstborn"

A title of supreme honor and inheritance rights; Israel holds the position of God's firstborn among the nations (Exodus 4:22).

Translator Notes

  1. Israel as God's firstborn echoes Exodus 4:22. The name-calling formula signifies ownership and intimate relationship (cf. 2 Chronicles 7:14).
Sirach 36:15

Miserere civitati sanctificationis tuae Hierusalem civitati requiei tuae.

Have mercy on the city of your sanctuary, Jerusalem, the city of your rest.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

civitati requiei
"city of your rest"

Requies denotes God's chosen resting place, the location where his presence dwells permanently among his people.

Translator Notes

  1. Jerusalem as the place of God's 'rest' (requies) draws on the theology of Psalm 132:13-14, where God chose Zion as his dwelling place.
Sirach 36:16

Reple Sion inenarrabilibus verbis tuis et gloria tua populum tuum.

Fill Zion with your unspeakable words, and your people with your glory.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

inenarrabilibus verbis
"unspeakable words"

Divine utterances beyond human language; the superlative form emphasizes the transcendent quality of God's self-revelation.

Translator Notes

  1. 'Unspeakable words' (inenarrabilia verba) -- words so profound they exceed human capacity to articulate -- anticipates Paul's experience in 2 Corinthians 12:4.
Sirach 36:17

Da testimonium his qui ab initio creaturae tuae sunt et suscita praedicationes quas locuti sunt in nomine tuo prophetae priores.

Give testimony to those who have been yours from the beginning of creation, and fulfill the prophecies spoken in your name by the former prophets.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

prophetae priores
"former prophets"

The earlier prophetic voices whose oracles of restoration await fulfillment; in Jewish tradition, the 'Former Prophets' comprise Joshua through Kings.

Translator Notes

  1. A prayer that God vindicate the prophetic tradition by fulfilling what the prophets foretold -- a profound statement of trust in the reliability of prophetic speech.
Sirach 36:18

Da mercedem sustinentibus te ut prophetae tui fideles inveniantur et exaudi orationes servorum tuorum.

Give reward to those who wait for you, that your prophets may be found faithful, and hear the prayers of your servants.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

sustinentibus
"who wait for you"

Sustinere in this context means patient, expectant waiting -- enduring present hardship in trust of future divine action.

Translator Notes

  1. The prophets' credibility depends on fulfillment: if God acts, the prophets are vindicated as faithful messengers.
Sirach 36:19

Secundum benedictionem Aaron de populo tuo et dirige nos in viam iustitiae et sciant omnes qui habitant terram quia tu es Deus conspector saeculorum.

According to the blessing of Aaron over your people, direct us in the way of righteousness, and let all who dwell on earth know that you are the God who watches over the ages.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

conspector saeculorum
"who watches over the ages"

A unique title: God as the one who oversees all of history, past and future, with active vigilance.

Translator Notes

  1. The prayer concludes by invoking the Aaronic blessing (Numbers 6:24-26) and expanding it to universal scope. 'God who watches over the ages' combines divine providence with cosmic sovereignty.
Sirach 36:20

Omnem escam manducabit venter et est cibus cibo melior.

The stomach will eat any food, but one food is better than another.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. An abrupt shift from liturgical prayer to practical wisdom. The observation about food quality becomes an analogy for discernment in all areas of life.
Sirach 36:21

Fauces contingunt cibum ferae et cor sensatum verba mendacia.

The palate tastes game meat, and the discerning heart detects lying words.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

cor sensatum
"discerning heart"

A heart that possesses practical intelligence and moral sensitivity; sensatus implies both intellectual and ethical perception.

Translator Notes

  1. Just as a trained palate identifies the quality of meat, a wise heart discerns deception.
Sirach 36:22

Cor pravum dabit tristitiam et homo peritus resistet illi.

A crooked heart causes grief, but a person of experience will resist it.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

peritus
"person of experience"

One who has gained wisdom through lived experience, not merely theoretical knowledge.

Sirach 36:23

Omnem masculum excipiet mulier virum autem meliorem virum quaerit.

Any woman will accept a husband, but one daughter is better than another.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verse begins a section on marriage that, while reflecting the patriarchal assumptions of its era, recognizes the agency of women in evaluating suitors.
Sirach 36:24

Species mulieris exhilarat faciem viri sui et super omnem concupiscentiam hominis superducit desiderium.

A woman's beauty gladdens her husband's face, and surpasses every other desire of a man.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

species
"beauty"

Outward appearance and attractiveness; Ben Sira acknowledges physical beauty as a genuine good while elsewhere insisting it must be paired with virtue.

Sirach 36:25

Si est lingua curationis est et mitigationis et misericordiae non est vir illius secundum filios hominum.

If she has a tongue that heals, soothes, and shows mercy, her husband is not like other men.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

lingua curationis
"tongue that heals"

Speech with therapeutic power -- the capacity to restore, calm, and mend through words.

Translator Notes

  1. Speech as healing is a wisdom tradition theme (Proverbs 12:18, 15:4). A wife whose words heal elevates her husband above the common lot.
Sirach 36:26

Qui possidet mulierem bonam inchoat possessionem adiutorium secundum illum est et columna requiei.

He who gains a good wife gains a treasure; she is a helper fit for him and a pillar of rest.

Notes & Key Terms 2 terms

Key Terms

adiutorium
"helper"

Echoes the Genesis 2:18 ezer -- a term denoting strength and rescue, not subordination.

columna requiei
"pillar of rest"

An architectural metaphor: the wife as the load-bearing structure that makes domestic peace possible.

Translator Notes

  1. 'Helper fit for him' echoes Genesis 2:18 (ezer kenegdo). 'Pillar of rest' suggests she is the structural support of domestic peace.
Sirach 36:27

Ubi non est saepes diripietur possessio et ubi non est mulier ingemescit egens.

Where there is no hedge, property is plundered; and where there is no wife, a man wanders groaning in need.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

saepes
"hedge"

A protective boundary, especially around agricultural land; the metaphor implies that a wife provides structure and protection for the household.

Translator Notes

  1. The hedge metaphor (saepes) compares a wife's role to the protective enclosure around a vineyard -- without it, everything is vulnerable.
Sirach 36:28

Quis credit ei qui non habet nidum et deflectens ubicumque obscuraverit quasi succinctus latro exiliens de civitate in civitatem.

Who trusts a man who has no home and lodges wherever night finds him, like a roving bandit leaping from city to city?

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

nidum
"home"

Literally 'nest'; the domestic image underscores that a settled household is the foundation of social trust.

Translator Notes

  1. The homeless, rootless man is compared to a bandit -- not because homelessness is criminal, but because an unsettled life makes a person appear unreliable in the ancient social economy.
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