E.D. Reymond, «Sirach 40,18-27 as ‘T@o=b-Spruch’», Vol. 82 (2001) 84-92

Although the series of comparisons that make up Sirach 40,18-27 are often characterized as ‘better-than’ proverbs or t@o=b-Sprüche, they do not convey a generic idea of degree, but rather express the superiority of items in the specific context of verbs’ semantic fields. This construction emphasizes the tangible benefit of the ‘superior’ elements, a nuance that the more typical t@o=b-Sprüche would not express. In addition, Ben Sira describes each superior item as unambiguously virtuous, implying a connection between righteous behavior and a joyous, satisfying and successful life.

        Not only are the tertiary items superior in the context of each verbal idea, they are also universally superior qualities or attributes, which often are unambiguously virtuous⁶. Therefore, each comparison implicitly connects moral behavior with joy, security and success. By utilizing this form of expression, Ben Sira evokes concrete, tangible benefits of moral behavior, giving nuances to his proverbs that the more generic t@o=b-Spruch would not allow him to express. To take another example from the poem, in v. 26a-b piety is juxtaposed to ‘wealth and power’. The superiority of piety, literally ‘fear of God’, is obvious and a simple statement to this effect, a typical t@o=b-Spruch, would almost be redundant. Instead, Ben Sira identifies a specific benefit of piety: It ‘gladdens the heart’ more than riches or authority.

        The text, based on the Masada scroll and recostructed from the Genizah manuscripts, the Greek and Syriac versions, is presented below for convenience⁷. Neither Yadin’s original publication, nor Beentjes’s recent publication offers a reconstruction of the entire text.

1. Text and Translation of Sirach 40,18-27⁸