Texts in Conversation
Sirach states that God's works are beyond comprehension and nothing can be added or taken away, echoing Deuteronomy's command not to add or subtract from the covenant. This follows a wisdom tradition that emphasizes the value of divine instruction.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Deuteronomy 4:2
Hebrew Bible
1 Now, Israel, pay attention to the statutes and ordinances I am about to teach you, so that you might live and go on to enter and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. 2 Do not add a thing to what I command you nor subtract from it, so that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I am delivering to you. 3 You have witnessed what the Lord did at Baal Peor, how he eradicated from your midst everyone who followed Baal Peor. 4 But you who remained faithful to the Lord your God are still alive to this very day, every one of you.
Date: 750–400 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Sirach 18:6
Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
Deuterocanon
4 He has given power to declare his works to no one. Who could trace out his mighty deeds? 5 Who could measure the strength of his majesty? Who could also proclaim his mercies? 6 As for the wondrous works of the Lord, it is not possible to take from them nor add to them, neither is it possible to explore them. 7 When a man has finished, then he is just at the beginning. When he stops, then he will be perplexed. 8 What is mankind, and what purpose do they serve? What is their good, and what is their evil?
Date: 195–180 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... The one fresh phrase in the verse is 'do not subtract a thing,' a phrase found also in Deuteronomy 4:2 and 13:1: it is a formula found generally in ancient Near Eastern legal and wisdom texts ... Similar phraseology is found in Proverbs 30:6; Ecclesiastes 3:14; Sirach 18:6; 42:21; and Revelation 22:18-19 ..."
William Lee Holladay, Jeremiah 2: A Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah, Chapters 26-52 (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1989), 140.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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