He sets his heart on plowing furrows: This means that the farmer concentrates on his plowing. A farmer behind the plow is especially concerned with making the furrows straight. This is what the farmer concentrates on as he plows. So Good News Translation says “He takes great pains [or, is very careful] to plow a straight furrow.” Plowing furrows may also be rendered “plowing in straight lines.” An alternative model for this line is “He is very careful to get the oxen to plow in straight lines.”

And he is careful about fodder for the heifers: Fodder is food for animals that has been cut in the fields and stored. The Greek noun translated is careful means “sleeplessness.” Good News Translation renders it as “will work far into the night,” and we urge translators to follow this. Other possible models are “will work hard even at night” and “will not go to bed until.” Heifers are young female cattle. Again, Good News Translation generalizes, saying “animals.” Of course the farmer feeds all his animals, not just the heifers.

The point of this verse is that if, while in the field, the farmer has to concentrate on his plowing, and if, in the evening, he has to feed the animals, he certainly has no time for the study and thinking necessary to gain knowledge.

Translators should notice that the words beginning the two lines of this verse in Greek (rendered He sets his heart and he is careful) occur again at the end of verses 27 (of the jeweler), 28 (of the blacksmith), and 30 (of the potter). In 39.5 the phrase “He will set his heart” is used of the scholar, and reference is made to what he does early in the morning. For this reason it will be a bonus if a phrase can be found to translate sets his heart (Good News Translation “takes great pains”) that will be appropriate both to these workers and to the scholar. In English “takes great pains” seems more appropriate to the worker’s careful toil than to the scholar’s getting up early, so Good News Translation translates it differently in 39.5, saying “is his practice.” Phrases that might work in both contexts in English are “takes great care,” “spares no effort,” and “is very careful.”

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.