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Sirach

Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus

About this book
Chapter 42

1 of repeating and speaking what you have heard, and of revealing secrets. So you will be ashamed of the right things and find favor in the sight of every man. Don’t be ashamed of these things, and don’t sin to save face:

Things That Should Not Cause Shame

2 of the law of the Most High and his covenant, of judgment to do justice to the ungodly, 3 of settling accounts with a partner and with travelers, of a gift from the inheritance of friends, 4 of accurate scales and weights, of getting much or little, 5 of bargaining and dealing with merchants, of frequent correction of children, and of making the back of an evil slave bleed. 6 A seal is good where an evil wife is. Where there are many hands, lock things up. 7 Whatever you hand over, let it be by number and weight. In giving and receiving, let all be in writing. 8 Don’t be ashamed to instruct the unwise and foolish, and one of extreme old age who argues with those who are young. So you will be well instructed indeed and approved in the sight of every living man.

Anxiety about Daughters

9 A daughter is a secret cause of wakefulness to a father. Care for her takes away sleep: in her youth, for fear that she will move past the bloom of her youth, when she is married, for fear that she will be hated,⁠ 10 in her virginity, for fear that she will be defiled and become pregnant in her father’s house, when she has a husband, for fear that she will do wrong, and when she is married, for fear that she will be unable to have children. 11 Keep a strict watch over a headstrong daughter, so that she does not make you a laughingstock to your enemies, a byword in the city and notorious among the people, and shame you in public. 12 Don’t gaze at every beautiful body. Don’t sit among women. 13 For a moth comes from garments, and a woman’s wickedness comes from a woman. 14 A man’s wickedness is better than a pleasant woman, a woman who puts you to shame and disgrace.

God’s Wisdom in Creation

15 I will now mention the works of the Lord, and will declare the things that I have seen. The Lord’s works are in his words.⁠ 16 The sun that gives light looks at all things. The Lord’s work is full of his glory. 17 The Lord has not given power to the holy ones to declare all his marvelous works, which the Almighty Lord firmly settled, so that the universe might be established in his glory. 18 He searches out the deep and the heart. He has understanding of their secrets. For the Most High knows all knowledge. He sees the signs of the world. 19 He declares the things that are past and the things that will be, and reveals the traces of hidden things. 20 No thought escapes him. There is not a word hidden from him. 21 He has ordered the mighty works of his wisdom. He is from everlasting to everlasting. Nothing has been added to them, or taken away from them. He had no need of any counselor. 22 How desirable are all his works! One may see this even in a spark. 23 All these things live and remain forever in every kind of uses. They are all obedient. 24 All things are in pairs, one opposite the other. He has made nothing imperfect. 25 One thing establishes the good things of another. Who could ever see enough of his glory?

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Texts in conversation

Compare Jesus Ben Sira, Sirach 42:15 and John 1:3

Deuterocanon · New Testament

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Summary

Sirach teaches that the world was created through God’s word, reflecting a Jewish view that divine speech has creative power. John echoes this idea and applies it to Jesus, presenting him as the Word that participated in creation.

Passages

Jesus Ben Sira, Sirach 42:15

Deuterocanon · Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
13 For a moth comes from garments,
and a woman’s wickedness comes from a woman.
14 A man’s wickedness is better than a pleasant woman,
a woman who puts you to shame and disgrace.
15 I will now mention the works of the Lord,
and will declare the things that I have seen.
The Lord’s works are in his words.
16 The sun that gives light looks at all things.
The Lord’s work is full of his glory.
17 The Lord has not given power to the holy ones to declare all his marvelous works,
which the Almighty Lord firmly settled,
so that the universe might be established in his glory.
195–175 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Jesus Ben Sira, Sirach

John 1:3

New Testament
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. 2 The Word was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were created by him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. 5 And the light shines on in the darkness, but the darkness has not mastered it.
90–110 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in John

References

"... As a preparation for the Praise of the Ancestors (44:1–50:24), Ben Sira celebrates God’s marvelous creation. According to 42:15, the purpose of the hymn is to recall God’s actions (Psalm 77:12) and recount what the sage has seen (Job 15:17). God created the universe through the word (Genesis 1:3; John 1:3), and the divine glory shines as clearly as sunlight (Psalm 19:2-7; Romans 1:20). Despite being in God’s presence, angels (“holy ones”) are not fully aware of the marvels of divine power (Job 15:15). The omniscient God searches inscrutable regions (42:18), not only the depths of the sea (Job 38:16), but also the human heart (Proverbs 15:11; Judith 8:14). According to 42:18-22, God’s knowledge includes the past and the future (Isaiah 41:21-23), since God sees all the ages (39:20) while remaining unchanging. Hence there is no addition or subtraction with God (Ecclesiastes 3:14), nor is there any need for an advisor (Isaiah 40:13; Romans 11:34). Ben Sira next acknowledges the beautiful harmony of creation (42:23-25), in which everything created has a stable form of existence. Ben Sira does not mean that every creature lives forever, since both humans and animals die (14:17-18; 41:3). Rather, each creature exists for a particular purpose. In fact, God has created the world with a balance of opposites (11:14; 33:14-15), such as light and darkness (Genesis 1:3-5; Isaiah 45:7) ..."
Daniel Durken, ed., The New Collegeville Bible Commentary: In One Volume (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2017), 1277.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Jesus Ben Sira, Sirach 42:15 and John 1:3

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