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Sirach

Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus

About this book
Chapter 15

1 He who fears the Lord will do this. He who has possession of the law will obtain her.⁠ 2 She will meet him like a mother, and receive him like a wife married in her virginity.⁠ 3 She will feed him with bread of understanding and give him water of wisdom to drink. 4 He will be stayed upon her, and will not be moved. He will rely upon her, and will not be confounded. 5 She will exalt him above his neighbors. She will open his mouth in the midst of the congregation. 6 He will inherit joy, a crown of gladness, and an everlasting name. 7 Foolish men will not obtain her. Sinners will not see her. 8 She is far from pride. Liars will not remember her. 9 Praise is not attractive in the mouth of a sinner; for it was not sent to him from the Lord.⁠ 10 For praise will be spoken in wisdom; The Lord will prosper it.

Human Freedom and Responsibility

11 Don’t say, “It is through the Lord that I fell away;” for you shall not do the things that he hates.⁠ 12 Don’t say, “It is he that caused me to err;” for he has no need of a sinful man. 13 The Lord hates every abomination; and those who fear him don’t love them.⁠ 14 He himself made man from the beginning and left him in the hand of his own counsel.⁠ 15 If you choose, you can keep the commandments. To be faithful is a matter of your choice. 16 He has set fire and water before you. You will stretch forth your hand to whichever you desire. 17 Before man is life and death. Whichever he likes, it will be given to him.⁠ 18 For the wisdom of the Lord is great. He is mighty in power, and sees all things. 19 His eyes are upon those who fear him. He knows every act of man. 20 He has not commanded any man to be ungodly. He has not given any man license to sin.

Texts in conversation

Compare Sirach 15:3 and John 6:35

Deuterocanon · New Testament

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Summary

Sirach portrays wisdom as a mother who gives bread and water to those who follow the Torah. In John, Jesus uses similar language to describe himself giving eternal food and drink, which may represent his teaching and interpretation of the Torah.

Passages

Sirach 15:3

Deuterocanon · Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
1 He who fears the Lord will do this. He who has possession of the law will obtain her. 2 She will meet him like a mother, and receive him like a wife married in her virginity. 3 She will feed him with bread of understanding and give him water of wisdom to drink. 4 He will be stayed upon her, and will not be moved. He will rely upon her, and will not be confounded. 5 She will exalt him above his neighbors. She will open his mouth in the midst of the congregation. 6 He will inherit joy, a crown of gladness, and an everlasting name.
195–180 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Sirach

John 6:35

New Testament
32 Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the solemn truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but my Father is giving you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 So they said to him, “Sir, give us this bread all the time!” 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never go hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But I told you that you have seen me and still do not believe. 37 Everyone whom the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never send away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me.
90–110 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in John

References

"... I have argued that the common denominator underlying the wisdom motif in the Jewish literature mentioned is that God's wisdom is embodied in the Mosaic law, the obedience of which is the means for Israel's restoration. It can be seen, then, that John wishes to relocate wisdom; it dwells no longer in the law but in Christ ... The major point to be gleaned from these parallels is that whereas in the Jewish texts, wisdom, embodied in the Mosaic law, is the means for receiving light, the truth, substance and so on, for John such can be found only in Christ ..."
C. Marvin Pate, Communities of the Last Days: The Story of Israel, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2000), 227–229.

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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Sirach 15:3 and John 6:35

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