To fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: This is substantially the same as Pro 1.7 (compare Job 28.28; Psa 111.10; Pro 9.10; 15.33). The beginning of wisdom can be interpreted here as “the first step to Wisdom” (Good News Translation); or as the most important thing about becoming wise (see Good News Translation‘s footnotes to Pro 1.7 and Psa 111.10); or as “the essence of wisdom” (New English Bible)—what wisdom really consists of. The first of these options is to be preferred, because (a) it takes the Greek noun for beginning in its most common sense, and (b) it fits ben Sira’s purpose in writing the book—to help those who want to acquire wisdom. He tells them here that if they really want to be wise, the very first thing to do is realize their own position before God, and give him due honor. There is an ancient rabbinic proverb, which says “if there is no wisdom there is no fear [of God], if there is no fear [of God] there is no wisdom” (The Mishnah, Aboth 3.18). The formula here, “to fear the Lord is the X of wisdom,” will be repeated at verses 16, l8, and 20. An alternative model for this initial line is “When a person reveres [or, respects and obeys] the Lord, that person is starting to be wise.”

She is created with the faithful in the womb: Those who are faithful, who truly commit themselves to doing God’s will and obeying his commands, may be said to be endowed with wisdom from the beginning of their lives—even before birth. This line strengthens the connection between reverence for the Lord and wisdom made in the preceding line. The meaning is (though this is not a model for translation) that truly religious people are wise by nature. The present tense is created is a legitimate way of rendering the Greek past tense here. The author is stating this as an eternal truth, not an observation about the past. When God creates faithful people, he creates wisdom for them at the same time, and it is theirs from before birth. Good News Translation is a good translation, though “Wisdom is created for the faithful…” might be a shade closer to the Greek. God is of course the one who creates or gives this wisdom.

An alternative model for this verse is:

• When a person reveres the Lord, that person is starting to be wise;
in fact the Lord makes faithful people wise from the time they are in their mothers’ wombs.

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.