Context at a Glance
Author:Traditional Attribution
Topic:sirach Chapter 51 Study
This chapter provides a foundational look at the theological themes of sirach, analyzed across multiple historic translations for maximum scholarly depth.
Sirach 51
New Revised Standard Version
1I give you thanks, O Lord and King, and praise you, O God my Savior. I give thanks to your name,
2for you have been my protector and helper and have delivered me from destruction and from the trap laid by a slanderous tongue, from lips that fabricate lies. In the face of my adversaries you have been my helper
3and delivered me, in the greatness of your mercy and of your name, from grinding teeth about to devour me, from the hand of those seeking my life, from the many troubles I endured,
4from choking fire on every side, and from the midst of fire that I had not kindled,
5from the deep belly of Hades, from an unclean tongue and lying words —
6the slander of an unrighteous tongue to the king. My soul drew near to death, and my life was on the brink of Hades below.
7They surrounded me on every side, and there was no one to help me; I looked for human assistance, and there was none.
8Then I remembered your mercy, O Lord, and your kindness from of old, for you rescue those who wait for you and save them from the hand of their enemies.
9And I sent up my prayer from the earth, and begged for rescue from death.
10I cried out, "Lord, you are my Father; do not forsake me in the days of trouble, when there is no help against the proud.
11I will praise your name continually, and will sing hymns of thanksgiving." My prayer was heard,
12for you saved me from destruction and rescued me in time of trouble. For this reason I thank you and praise you, and I bless the name of the Lord. The Hebrew text adds: Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever; Give thanks to the God of praises, for his mercy endures forever; Give thanks to the guardian of Israel, for his mercy endures forever; Give thanks to him who formed all things, for his mercy endures forever; Give thanks to the redeemer of Israel, for his mercy endures forever; Give thanks to him who gathers the dispersed of Israel, for his mercy endures forever; Give thanks to him who rebuilt his city and his sanctuary, for his mercy endures forever; Give thanks to him who makes a horn to sprout for the house of David, for his mercy endures forever; Give thanks to him who has chosen the sons of Zadok to be priests, for his mercy endures forever; Give thanks to the shield of Abraham, for his mercy endures forever; Give thanks to the rock of Isaac, for his mercy endures forever; Give thanks to the mighty one of Jacob, for his mercy endures forever; Give thanks to him who has chosen Zion, for his mercy endures forever; Give thanks to the King of the kings of kings, for his mercy endures forever; He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his loyal ones. For the children of Israel, the people close to him. Praise the LORD! An acrostic poem about the author's love for Wisdom
13While I was still young, before I went on my travels, I sought wisdom openly in my prayer.
14Before the temple I asked for her, and I will search for her until the end.
15From the first blossom to the ripening grape my heart delighted in her; my foot walked on the straight path; from my youth I followed her steps.
16I inclined my ear a little and received her, and I found for myself much instruction.
17I made progress in her; to him who gives wisdom I will give glory.
18For I resolved to live according to wisdom, and I was zealous for the good, and I shall never be disappointed.
19My soul grappled with wisdom, and in my conduct I was strict; I spread out my hands to the heavens, and lamented my ignorance of her.
20I directed my soul to her, and in purity I found her. With her I gained understanding from the first; therefore I will never be forsaken.
21My heart was stirred to seek her; therefore I have gained a prize possession.
22The Lord gave me my tongue as a reward, and I will praise him with it.
23Draw near to me, you who are uneducated, and lodge in the house of instruction.
24Why do you say you are lacking in these things, and why do you endure such great thirst?
25I opened my mouth and said, Acquire wisdom for yourselves without money.
26Put your neck under her yoke, and let your souls receive instruction; it is to be found close by.
27See with your own eyes that I have labored but little and found for myself much serenity.
28Hear but a little of my instruction, and through me you will acquire silver and gold.
29May your soul rejoice in God's mercy, and may you never be ashamed to praise him.
30Do your work in good time, and in his own time God will give you your reward. BARUCH
252BARUCH Introduction The book of Baruch was probably written sometime between
200and
60BCE; it is set, however, during the Babylonian exile of the early sixth century BCE and attributed to Jeremiah's friend and secretary, Baruch son of Neriah (Jer 32.12; 36.4; 43.3; 45.1). Although Jeremiah and Baruch both are reported in the book of Baruch and other Jewish sources (Seder Olam Rabbah 36; Midrash Rabbah Song 5.5; Babylonian Talmud Megillah 16b), that Baruch went to Babylon. The number of historical errors in the introduction (1.1-14) makes it unlikely that the book was written by Baruch or near the time of the exile. Although few clues to the date of the composition exist, allusions to Sir
24(ca.
180BCE) and Dan
9(ca.
165BCE) imply a date not earlier than the middle of the second century BCE. Most of Baruch is made up of pastiches of biblical passages copied or paraphrased (e.g., Dan 9; Job 28; Isa 40-66). This mosaic technique was popular in the late Second Temple period. Authors recombined texts in new ways both as a means of interpreting canonical literature and as a means of creating new literary entities. Baruch falls into two main sections, each of which consists of two parts. The first section, in prose, includes an introduction (1.1-14) and a corporate confession of sin (1.15-3.8) for Jews in Jerusalem to recite at the altar there, along with appropriate sacrifices, on various festival days and seasons. The idea of a letter or scroll written in Babylon to be read aloud in Jerusalem is derived from the exchange of letters recorded in Jer
29and the scroll of Jeremiah's oracles penned by Baruch and read before King Jehoiakim in
605BCE (Jer 36). The corporate confession is modeled on Dan 9.4-19 (cf. Ezra 9.6-15; Neh 9.637). BARUCH
253The second section consists of two poems. The first (3.9-4.4) is a paean of praise of Wisdom. Drawing on Job
28and Sir 24, it describes Wisdom as elusive but also as the Torah, God's precious gift to Israel. The second contains an address by Jerusalem to the people of Israel (4.5-29) and a rhetorical address to Jerusalem (4.30-5.9), inspired no doubt by Isa 51.17-52.10; 54; and 60-62. The text on which the following translation is based is the Greek Septuagint; ancient Syriac, Latin, Coptic, Ethiopic, Arabic, and Armenian versions based on the Greek also exist. The prose section (1.13.8) has long been viewed as a translation of a lost Hebrew originals. Each of the major sections of the book has distinctive stylistic aspects that may indicate different authors. For instance, different names for God are used in the confession ("Lord"), in the wisdom poem ("God"), and in the Zion poem ("the Everlasting"). Judgment as to whether Baruch is the product of a single author or of an editor who compiled already existing materials is complicated by the heavy dependence of the confession and the poems on various scriptural models, since the dependence may account for much of the variation in style and theological perspective. The book of Baruch would have well served Jewish communities in Judah and the Diaspora during the Seleucid and later eras of suffering and repression, since it deals with theological themes of particular interest to Jews at that time: the confession of corporate sin in the context of biblical history, the Torah as the gift of divine wisdom, and the restoration of Zion. There is no evidence, however, that any Jewish community afforded Baruch canonical status. In Christianity it is included among the deuterocanonical books of the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, but is listed in the Apocrypha by Protestant churches. BARUCH 254