Those who survive her will recognize that nothing is better than the fear of the Lord: Those who survive her refers to people living after the woman’s death, the people who remember her only to curse her. Good News Translation expresses this as “After she is gone, everyone.” (The verse number 27 in Good News Translation belongs before the word “After” at the beginning of the sentence.) “After she is gone” of course means “After she has died.” The fear of the Lord refers to giving the Lord appropriate respect, honor, and obedience. Another model for this line is “After she has died, the people of the town will realize that it is always better to honor the Lord.”

And nothing sweeter than to heed the commandments of the Lord: Compare Psa 19.10; 119.103. Good News Translation preserves the original comparison involving sweetness. Instead of sweeter, we could say “more gratifying/satisfying.”

This reference to fearing the Lord and obeying his commandments is a fitting conclusion to this first main division of the book, which began at 1.1.

Some manuscripts add verse 28. Revised Standard Version includes it in a footnote at the end of verse 27. Good News Translation does not include it, but there is enough manuscript evidence for it that it probably should be included.

It is a great honor to follow God, and to be received by him is long life may be rendered “It is a great honor to obey God; those whom he approves of will live a long time.”

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.