The root of wisdom is hidden from human mastery, yet Sirach will tell us where to find it. We cannot count the sea’s sand or measure eternity. We can bow before the Lord, receive His commandments, and learn a joy that does not depend on being the center of the world. Before this teaching begins, the translator asks for something equally humble: patient attention to words carried from one language into another.
A Grandson’s Labor of Love (Sirach 1:1-1g, translator’s prologue)
1 Whereas many and great things have been delivered unto us by the law and the prophets, and by others that have followed their steps, for the which things Israel ought to be commended for learning and wisdom: and whereof not only the readers must needs become skilful themselves, 1a but also they that desire to learn be able to profit them which are without, both by speaking and by writing: my grandfather Jesus, when he had much given himself to the reading of the law, and the prophets, 1b and other books of our fathers, and had gotten therein good judgment, was drawn on also himself to write something pertaining to learning and wisdom; to the intent that those which are desirous to learn, and are addicted to these things, might profit much more in living according to the law. 1c Wherefore let me intreat you to read it with favour and attention, and to pardon us, wherein we may seem to come short of some words, 1d which we have laboured to interpret; for the same things uttered in Hebrew, and translated into another tongue, have not the same force in them. And not only these things, but the law itself, and the prophets, 1e and the rest of the books, have no small difference, when they are spoken in their own language. For in the eight and thirtieth year coming into Egypt, when Euergetes was king, and continuing there some time, I found a book of no small learning: 1f therefore I thought it most necessary for me to bestow some diligence and travail to interpret it: using great watchfulness and skill in that space to bring the book to an end, and set it forth for them also, which in a strange country are willing to learn, 1g being prepared before in manners to live after the law.
The grandson distinguishes his work from his grandfather’s. Ben Sira studied the law, the prophets, and the books of Israel’s fathers, then wrote so that learning might become faithful living. His grandson undertook the labor of translation in Egypt for readers living away from their homeland. Both serve the same purpose: the good of people who need the word of God in the place where they actually live. Learning reaches its proper end when it makes another person able to obey and to help others.
The translator’s request for pardon is a confession of responsibility. Hebrew and Greek do not carry every expression with identical force. He therefore asks for favor and attention together. Favor without attention becomes carelessness; attention without charity becomes suspicion. His humility gives the reader a good beginning: receive Scripture gratefully, attend to its actual words, and let difficulty deepen patience. The prologue ends here. The sentence in the next section begins Ben Sira’s teaching about wisdom.
A Gift Beyond Our Measuring (Sirach 1:1h-10)
1h All wisdom cometh from the Lord, and is with him for ever. 2 Who can number the sand of the sea, and the drops of rain, and the days of eternity? 3 Who can find out the height of heaven, and the breadth of the earth, and the deep, and wisdom? 4 Wisdom hath been created before all things, and the understanding of prudence from everlasting. 6 To whom hath the root of wisdom been revealed? or who hath known her wise counsels? 8 There is one wise and greatly to be feared, the Lord sitting upon his throne. 9 He created her, and saw her, and numbered her, and poured her out upon all his works. 10 She is with all flesh according to his gift, and he hath given her to them that love him.
The first sentence settles the question of ownership: wisdom comes from the Lord and remains with Him. The questions that follow dismantle our claim to mastery. The sea, the rain, the heavens, and the deep exceed our measuring; wisdom exceeds it too. Verse 6 asks who has seen wisdom’s root. The answer will come in verse 20, where the root is identified with the fear of the Lord. We receive access through reverence, not through the illusion that we can stand above God and explain Him.
The poem speaks of wisdom as created and poured into God’s works. Within this passage she is God’s gift to creation and to those who love Him. Christians confess the Lord Jesus Christ as the eternal Wisdom of God, through whom creation came to be. The distinction matters: wisdom bestowed upon creatures is received; the Son who gives life is uncreated. Our growth in wisdom makes us more dependent on Him, more attentive to what He has made, and more grateful for the knowledge He shares.
Gems from the Fathers 💎
St. Athanasius directly cites Sirach 1:9-10 in Discourse II Against the Arians §79. He distinguishes wisdom impressed upon the world from the Only-begotten Son, the true Wisdom who creates. In §78 he begins, “Now the Only-begotten and very Wisdom of God is Creator and Framer of all things”; in §80 he states the distinction: “For It is Creative and Framer; but Its impress is created in the works, as the copy of the image.”1 Creation can reveal God’s wisdom precisely because it receives what it cannot originate. The Christian seeks wisdom in order to know the Giver, rather than confusing His gifts with His divine essence.
The Root That Bears Joy (Sirach 1:11-20)
11 The fear of the Lord is honour, and glory, and gladness, and a crown of rejoicing. 12 The fear of the Lord maketh a merry heart, and giveth joy, and gladness, and long life. 13 Whoso feareth the Lord, it shall go well with him at the last, and he shall find favour in the day of his death. 14 To fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and it was created with the faithful in the womb. 15 She hath built an everlasting foundation with men, and she shall continue with their seed. 16 To fear the Lord is fulness of wisdom, and filleth men with her fruits. 17 She filleth all their house with things desirable, and the garners with her increase. 18 The fear of the Lord is a crown of wisdom, making peace and perfect health to flourish. 19 Wisdom raineth down skill and knowledge of understanding, and exalteth them to honour that hold her fast. 20 The root of wisdom is to fear the Lord, and the branches thereof are long life.
The repeated phrase “fear of the Lord” is surrounded by gladness, peace, fruit, and rejoicing. Reverence restores the soul to reality: God is holy, our lives are His gift, and His commandments deserve our trust. This fear differs from the anxious expectation that God is waiting to reject us. The person who bows before Him discovers a firmer ground than personal brilliance or public approval. The heart becomes merry because it no longer has to carry the weight of pretending to be its own god.
Verse 20 answers verse 6. Wisdom’s root is the fear of the Lord, and the branches grow from that hidden loyalty. A tree cannot sustain its fruit by polishing its leaves. In the same way, religious competence cannot replace the quiet obedience from which a Christian life draws nourishment. The promises of long life, health, and full storehouses describe the life-giving direction of wisdom; they are not a guarantee that the faithful will avoid illness, poverty, or early death. The chapter itself looks toward the day of death. Its deepest promise is favor before the Lord at the end, when appearances and possessions can no longer shelter us.
Patience and the Undivided Heart (Sirach 1:22-30)
22 A furious man cannot be justified; for the sway of his fury shall be his destruction. 23 A patient man will bear for a time, and afterward joy shall spring up unto him. 24 He will hide his words for a time, and the lips of many shall declare his wisdom. 25 The parables of knowledge are in the treasures of wisdom: but godliness is an abomination to a sinner. 26 If thou desire wisdom, keep the commandments, and the Lord shall give her unto thee. 27 For the fear of the Lord is wisdom and instruction: and faith and meekness are his delight. 28 Distrust not the fear of the Lord when thou art poor; and come not unto him with a double heart. 29 Be not a hypocrite in the sight of men, and take good heed what thou speakest. 30 Exalt not thyself, lest thou fall, and bring dishonour upon thy soul, and so the Lord discover thy secrets, and cast thee down in the midst of the congregation, because thou camest not in truth to the fear of the Lord, but thy heart is full of deceit.
The first test of wisdom is close at hand: what happens when anger presses for an immediate answer? Fury sways the person who imagines himself in control. Patience can bear a season of silence and wait for joy to spring up. Such silence is an act of strength when it keeps us from wounding a neighbor; it must never be used to prevent someone from reporting harm or asking for protection. Verse 26 then brings the lesson into focus. Whoever desires wisdom should begin with the commandments already given. A neglected duty will often teach us more about ourselves than another interesting religious question.
The final warnings concern a double heart, hypocrisy, and self-exaltation before the congregation. A divided person wants the comfort of belonging to God while reserving a place where God may not speak. Poverty can expose this division when hardship tempts us to abandon reverence; success can conceal it beneath admiration. Christ heals both by drawing us into truthful prayer and repentance. We can bring Him the actual resentment, concealed ambition, or fear, and ask for the grace to become the same person before Him and before our neighbors.
The Church’s Voice in Worship ⛪
An older printed Holy Pascha book preserves Sirach 1:1-14 for Monday’s First Hour and Tuesday’s Third Hour, and Sirach 1:18-27 for Monday’s Eleventh Hour. These are historical printed witnesses, not a claim about current universal practice. Their call to reverence and patient obedience can still help the reader approach Christ’s Passion with an attentive, truthful heart.
Spiritual Fruit 🍇
1. Receive the word with a teachable mind. The translator asks for favor and attention because holy learning requires both charity and care. Before the next Scripture reading, put the phone away and ask God to show one thing you need to obey. When a phrase seems difficult, return to its surrounding verses before forming a quick conclusion. This practice loosens the need to master everything immediately and makes room for the patience through which understanding grows.
2. Let reverence become a beginning of joy. Verses 11-13 connect fear of the Lord with gladness and a merry heart. At the start of each morning this week, read one of those verses, then name one responsibility you will place under God’s care. A worried person need not manufacture cheerful feelings. The act of entrusting the day to the Lord is already a refusal to make anxiety the final authority over it.
3. Give anger time to lose its command. Verse 23 promises joy after patient endurance. Choose one ordinary place where you answer too quickly, perhaps a family disagreement or an irritating message. Delay the reply long enough to pray and decide what truth and love require. If protection or an urgent duty calls for immediate action, act. Where only wounded pride demands haste, let silence keep you from creating another wound.
4. Bring the divided heart into the light. Verse 28 concerns the person who approaches God while hiding another loyalty. In preparation for confession, name one difference between your public religious life and your private habits. Ask for mercy without defending the contradiction, and choose one small act of obedience that addresses it. Grace makes truthful repentance possible; exposure before Christ can become the beginning of healing rather than humiliation.
The Lord who knows the hidden root also knows the smallest new growth. Place the day before Him without display. Ask that the words you read may take root deeply enough to bear patience, sincerity, and quiet joy.
Teaching Notes
Timing: Allow 55-65 minutes: 5 for the opening, 35-40 for the passage sections, 10 for Spiritual Fruit, and 5-10 for prayer and discussion. Adjust the balance to the needs of the group.
A Grandson’s Labor of Love (Sirach 1:1-1g, translator’s prologue)
- Ask: How does the translator join careful reading to a charitable heart?
- Watch for: Distinguish the grandson’s prologue from Ben Sira’s opening wisdom sentence.
- Key phrases to say slowly: “Favor and attention belong together.”; “Learning reaches its end in faithful living.”
A Gift Beyond Our Measuring (Sirach 1:1h-10)
- Ask: Why does received wisdom lead to gratitude rather than self-importance?
- Watch for: Created wisdom in the works must not be confused with the uncreated Son.
- Key phrases to say slowly: “Wisdom is received before it is practiced.”; “The gift leads us to the Giver.”
The Root That Bears Joy (Sirach 1:11-20)
- Ask: Which images show that the fear of the Lord can make a heart joyful?
- Watch for: Do not turn proverbial promises of flourishing into judgments against sick or poor people.
- Key phrases to say slowly: “The root feeds the branches.”; “Reverence gives joy a firm ground.”
Patience and the Undivided Heart (Sirach 1:22-30)
- Ask: Where does the desire to appear wise compete with obedience?
- Watch for: Patient restraint never requires silence about abuse or danger.
- Key phrases to say slowly: “Begin with the commandment already given.”; “Bring Christ the actual heart.”
Sources
Primary sources
Embedded Scripture is from Brenton’s English Septuagint (LXX).
Brenton labels the translator’s prologue 1 and 1a-1g; 1h begins the wisdom teaching, corresponding to the familiar opening verse. His text has no numbered 5, 7, or 21. All supplied text is retained. Holy Pascha assignments above are historical printed witnesses preserved in @andraws/lectionary-data 1.3.3.
St. Athanasius, Discourse II Against the Arians §§78-80, a direct witness to Sirach 1:9-10; see the footnote. St. Mary Ottawa, Holy Pascha, Lent 1734 A.M. (2018), is the historical printed witness preserved in @andraws/lectionary-data 1.3.3.
Secondary academic sources
None used.
Coptic Orthodox and pastoral sources
No separately cited modern pastoral source is used in this study.
Web pages and non-academic sources
New Advent provides access to the patristic primary text cited above.
Footnotes
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St. Athanasius, Discourse II Against the Arians §§78-80, especially §79 on Sirach 1:9-10, NPNF II/4, primary text. ↩