Texts in Conversation
Sirach echoes the language of Psalm 139, describing wisdom as obedience to the Torah and emphasizing to avoid speculation about divine truths that are hidden and have not been revealed to humanity.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Psalm 139:6
Hebrew Bible
4 Certainly my tongue does not frame a word without you, O Lord, being thoroughly aware of it. 5 You squeeze me in from behind and in front; you place your hand on me. 6 Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension; it is so far beyond me, I am unable to fathom it. 7 Where can I go to escape your Spirit? Where can I flee to escape your presence?
Sirach 3:21
Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
Deuterocanon
20 For the power of the Lord is great, and he is glorified by those who are lowly. 21 Don’t seek things that are too hard for you, and don’t search out things that are above your strength. 22 Think about the things that have been commanded you, for you have no need of the things that are secret. 23 Don’t be overly busy in tasks that are beyond you, for more things are shown to you than men can understand. 24 For the conceit of many has led them astray. Evil opinion has caused their judgment to slip.
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Notes and References
"... Strophe two (Sirach 3:21–24) may also have a literary frame. In the parallelism of verse 21, manuscript C juxtaposes the “marvelous things” (verse 21a) with “evil things” (verse 21b). Skehan proposes that these terms may originally have been singular and that the Hebrew in 3:21b may have been רם (“high”). This suggestion brings the bicolon into line with biblical parallels (Psalms 131:1; 139:6). While this is plausible, another possibility should be kept open. It is conceivable that ben Sira wants his readers to think of the biblical parallels. ..."
Argall, Randal A.
1 Enoch and Sirach: A Comparative Literary and Conceptual Analysis of the Themes of Revelation, Creation and Judgment
(p. 74) Scholar's Press, 1995
* 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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