Skip to Content
intertextual.bible
Go to Related Reading
About this book

Jesus Ben Sira

Sirach

Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus

About this book

Caution in Relationships

Chapter 9

1 Don’t be jealous over the wife you embrace, and don’t teach her an evil lesson against yourself. 2 Don’t give your soul to a woman and let her trample down your strength. 3 Don’t go to meet a woman who plays the prostitute, in case you fall into her traps. 4 Don’t associate with a woman who is a singer, in case you are caught by her tricks. 5 Don’t gaze at a virgin, in case you stumble and are penalized because of her.⁠ 6 Don’t give your soul to prostitutes, so that you do not lose your inheritance.

7 Don’t look around in the streets of the city. Don’t wander in its deserted places.⁠ 8 Turn your eye away from a beautiful woman, and don’t gaze at another’s beauty. Many have been led astray by the beauty of a woman, and with this, passion is ignited like a fire.⁠ 9 Don’t dine at all with a woman who has a husband, or drink wine in celebration with her, in case your soul turns toward her, and you slide in spirit into destruction.⁠

Old Friends and Wise Company

10 Don’t abandon an old friend, for a new one is not comparable to him. A new friend is like new wine. If it ages, you will drink it with gladness.⁠ 11 Don’t envy the success of a sinner, for you don’t know what his end will be. 12 Don’t take pleasure in the pleasures of the ungodly. Remember they will not go unpunished before they reach the grave.

13 Stay away from the man who has power to kill, and you will not be troubled by the fear of death. If you come to him, commit no fault, in case he takes away your life. Know for certain that you move among traps and walk on a city’s battlements. 14 As well as you can, aim to know your neighbors, and consult with the wise. 15 Let your conversation be with men of understanding. Let all your discussion concern the law of the Most High. 16 Let righteous people be companions at your table. Let your boasting be in the fear of the Lord.⁠

Skill in Work and Speech

17 A work is praised because of the skill of the artisan, and he who rules the people will be considered wise for his speech. 18 A loudmouthed man is dangerous in his city. He who is reckless in his speech will be hated.⁠

Continue to 1 Esdras

Texts in conversation

Compare Jesus Ben Sira, Sirach 9:8 and Matthew 5:28

Deuterocanon · New Testament

Share:

Summary

In Matthew, Jesus tells people not to look at a woman with desire, echoing Sirach, which teaches people not to look at another's beauty to avoid temptation. Both extend rules to guard thoughts as well as actions, a practice called fencing the Torah.

Passages

Jesus Ben Sira, Sirach 9:8

Deuterocanon · Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
3 Don’t go to meet a woman who plays the prostitute,
in case you fall into her traps. 4 Don’t associate with a woman who is a singer,
in case you are caught by her tricks. 5 Don’t gaze at a virgin,
in case you stumble and are penalized because of her. 6 Don’t give your soul to prostitutes,
so that you do not lose your inheritance. 7 Don’t look around in the streets of the city.
Don’t wander in its deserted places. 8 Turn your eye away from a beautiful woman,
and don’t gaze at another’s beauty.
Many have been led astray by the beauty of a woman,
and with this, passion is ignited like a fire. 9 Don’t dine at all with a woman who has a husband,
or drink wine in celebration with her,
in case your soul turns toward her,
and you slide in spirit into destruction.
195–175 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Jesus Ben Sira, Sirach

Matthew 5:28

New Testament
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away! It is better to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into hell. 30 If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away! It is better to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into hell.
70–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Matthew

References

"... The sage begins by emphasizing respect for marriage. The young man is to avoid jealousy toward his wife, else she may be provoked to evil. In 9:2 Ben Sira displays his cautious outlook (33:20): giving power to a woman could enable her to disgrace her husband by trampling on his dignity (Proverbs 31:3). Moreover, the male student should avoid intimacy with a strange (or foreign) woman, who might catch him in her snares (Proverbs 7:23). Sirach 9:5 advises against lustful thoughts toward a virgin (Job 31:1; Matthew 5:28). Moreover, the student associating too closely with a married woman will go down in blood to the grave (Proverbs 2:18; 7:27), probably a reference to the death penalty stipulated for adulterers (Leviticus 20:10) or to the husband’s revenge (Proverbs 6:34) ..."
Daniel Durken, ed., The New Collegeville Bible Commentary: In One Volume (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2017), 1238.

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

Your feedback

Jesus Ben Sira, Sirach 9:8 and Matthew 5:28

Leave a comment

Your questions and comments are welcome!

Comments

Glossary

Search the Library