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Sirach

Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus

About this book
Chapter 43

1 The pride of the heavenly heights is the clear sky, the appearance of heaven, in the spectacle of its glory. 2 The sun, when it appears, bringing tidings as it rises, is a marvelous instrument, the work of the Most High.⁠ 3 At noon, it dries up the land. Who can stand against its burning heat? 4 A man tending a furnace is in burning heat, but the sun three times more, burning up the mountains, breathing out fiery vapors, and sending out bright beams, it blinds the eyes. 5 Great is the Lord who made it. At his word, he hastens on its course. 6 The moon marks the changing seasons, declares times, and is a sign for the world. 7 From the moon is the sign of feast days, a light that wanes when it completes its course. 8 The month is called after its name, increasing wonderfully in its changing— an instrument of the army on high, shining in the structure of heaven, 9 the beauty of heaven, the glory of the stars, an ornament giving light in the highest places of the Lord. 10 At the word of the Holy One, they will stand in due order. They won’t faint in their watches. 11 Look at the rainbow, and praise him who made it. It is exceedingly beautiful in its brightness. 12 It encircles the sky with its glorious circle. The hands of the Most High have stretched it out. 13 By his commandment, he makes the snow fall and swiftly sends the lightnings of his judgment.⁠ 14 Therefore the storehouses are opened, and clouds fly out like birds. 15 By his mighty power, he makes the clouds strong and the hailstones are broken in pieces. 17 The voice of his thunder rebukes the earth. At his appearing, the mountains will be shaken.⁠ At his will, the south wind will blow. So does the northern storm and the whirlwind. Like birds flying down, he sprinkles the snow. It falls down like the alighting of locusts. 18 The eye is dazzled at the beauty of its whiteness. The heart is amazed as it falls. 19 He also pours out frost on the earth like salt.⁠ When it is freezes, it has points like thorns. 20 The cold north wind blows and ice freezes on the water. It settles on every pool of water. The water puts it on like it was a breastplate. 21 It will devour the mountains, burn up the wilderness, and consume the green grass like fire. 22 A mist coming speedily heals all things. A dew coming after heat brings cheerfulness. 23 By his counsel, he has calmed the deep and planted islands in it. 24 Those who sail on the sea tell of its dangers. We marvel when we hear it with our ears. 25 There are also those strange and wondrous works in it— variety of all that has life and the huge creatures of the sea. 26 Because of him, his messengers succeed. By his word, all things hold together.⁠ 27 We may say many things, but couldn’t say enough. The summary of our words is, “He is everything!”⁠ 28 How could we have strength to glorify him? For he is himself the greater than all his works. 29 The Lord is awesome and exceedingly great! His power is marvelous! 30 Glorify the Lord and exalt him as much as you can! For even yet, he will surpass that. When you exalt him, summon your full strength. Don’t be weary, because you can’t praise him enough. 31 Who has seen him, that he may describe him? Who can magnify him as he is? 32 Many things greater than these are hidden, for we have seen just a few of his works. 33 For the Lord made all things. He gave wisdom to the godly.

Texts in conversation

Compare Sirach 43:26 and Colossians 1:17

Deuterocanon · New Testament

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Summary

Colossians describes Jesus as the one who holds creation together, using language similar to earlier Jewish traditions found in Sirach, where the universe is described as being held together by God’s word.

Passages

Sirach 43:26

Deuterocanon · Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
24 Those who sail on the sea tell of its dangers. We marvel when we hear it with our ears. 25 There are also those strange and wondrous works in it— variety of all that has life and the huge creatures of the sea. 26 Because of him, his messengers succeed. By his word, all things hold together. 27 We may say many things, but couldn’t say enough. The summary of our words is, “He is everything!” 28 How could we have strength to glorify him? For he is himself the greater than all his works. 29 The Lord is awesome and exceedingly great! His power is marvelous! 30 Glorify the Lord and exalt him as much as you can! For even yet, he will surpass that. When you exalt him, summon your full strength. Don’t be weary, because you can’t praise him enough.
195–180 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Sirach

Colossians 1:17

New Testament
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, 16 for all things in heaven and on earth were created in him—all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers—all things were created through him and for him. 17 He himself is before all things, and all things are held together in him. 18 He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in the Son 20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross—through him, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
80–85 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Colossians

References

"... This specific verb in verse 17, 'holds together', is not used in this way in the parts of the Septuagint translated from the Hebrew Bible. Scholarly studies typically point to Wisdom of Solomon 1:7 ('and that which holds all things together knows what is said') and Sirach 43:26 ('and by his word all things hold together'), as well as to other Second Temple Jewish sources. A major difficulty with these 'parallels' lies in the fact that neither uses the same Greek verb for 'holding together' ... (and the underlying Hebrew is even more different). Is there any usage of terms, antecedent to these passages, against which the readers would have interpreted these texts? If the Hebrew Bible is not the source, then perhaps the proper background is something in the non-Jewish Hellenistic world whether it be from the philosophers, or from popular religion. There is already evidence for this phenomenon in the term 'providence', which, apparently borrowed from Hellenistic philosophers, appears in Jewish Second Temple material (e.g., Wisdom of Solomon 14:3, 17:2, 3 Maccabees 4:21; 5:30, 4 Maccabees 9:24, 13:19, 17:22), but not in the New Testament (in Acts 24:2 and Romans 13:14 it means something different), and then is widely attested in the early Christian apologists and theologians. It appears likely that the Pauline image of the people of God as a 'body' derives, at least in the form we find it in 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12, not from the Hebrew Bible, nor even from the Jewish milieu, but rather from the common Hellenistic image of a political population as a body ..."
C. John Collins, “Colossians 1,17 'Hold Together': A Co-opted Term,” Bib 95 (2014): 64–87.

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 43:26 and Colossians 1:17

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