Verse 1. Sirach. This prayer may be in imitation of the book of Wisdom. Bible.—Grotius assigns it to the grandson, without reason; as the author continues to speak of his travels, and so forth He seems to have lived under Onias III. and under Seleucus and Antiochus Epiphanes, of Syria, to whom he was probably accused, and hence took occasion to retire into Egypt, where Ptolemy Epiphanes was king. Calmet.—Others think ( Bible.) that he was accused before Ptolemy Lagus, when he took Jerusalem. Menochius.—We know too little of his life to decide any thing. Calmet. See chapter 50:1. Bible.—Saviour. When we are not able to make a return, we must shew greater marks of gratitude, and particularly to God, for the favours which we have not deserved. Worthington.
Sirach
Verse 3. By. To accuse me. Zechariah 3:1. Calmet.
Sirach
Verse 5. Gates. Greek “many.” Bible.—He exaggerates the danger to which he was exposed, as he was not miraculously delivered from the flames, and so forth ( Calmet.) though this might be the case. At least he thanks God for preserving him ( Bible.) from the various torments which were then in use.
Sirach
Verse 6. In. Greek “from the midst of a fire which I did not enkindle,” or deserve by any crime.
Sirach
Verse 7. Hell. The grave. I was preserved like Jonas. Calmet.—Unjust. Greek “the accusation was made to the king, by an unjust tongue. My soul approached unto death, and my life,” and so forth Bible.
Sirach
Verse 11. World. Shewn to Noe, Joseph, and so forth Calmet.—Nations. Greek “enemies.” verse 12.
Sirach
Verse 13. Thou. Greek “I raised my supplicating voice from the earth, and I,” and so forth Bible.
Sirach
Verse 14. The Father. Grotius asserts boldly, that it should be, “my Father,” and that some Christian has changed this. But his authority may be rejected, when he brings no proof; and Bossuet has solidly refuted him. The passage clearly proves the belief of the second person, and seems to allude to Psalms 109:1. Drus. Vat. and so forth Calmet.
Sirach
Verse 18. When. He now gives some account of himself, and exhorts all to seek for wisdom. Bible.—He was advanced in years, when he fell into the aforesaid danger, after his travels. Calmet. 34:9. Calmet.—Wisdom is most easily acquired, while a person is innocent. Eccle. 12. Worthington.
Sirach
Verse 19. After her. Being convinced that prayer is requisite for the preservation and improvement of such a treasure. See 3 Kennicott. 3:8. Calmet.—And. Greek “from the flower as of a ripening grape. My heart,” and so forth
Sirach
Verse 22. Wisdom. Greek “instruction for myself.” Bible.
Sirach
Verse 25. Wrestled. Against pleasure, idleness, and so forth This shews how arduous a task it is to attain wisdom. Calmet.—Confirmed. Greek, “in earnest.”
Sirach
Verse 27. Knowledge. Greek Alex. “time of harvest.” Grabe substitutes, “in purification,” ( Bible.) or the practice of virtue. Wisd. 1:4.
Sirach
Verse 28. Heart. Or understanding, as the Hebrew place this in the heart. 3 Kennicott. 3:9.
Sirach
Verse 29. Her. I did it, with all solicitude. Song of Songs 5:4. Jeremiah 4:19. Calmet.
Sirach
Verse 30. Tongue. Eloquence, ( Menochius.) which I will exert in praising him.
Sirach
Verse 31. Gather. Greek “dwell in the,” and so forth Bible.—He addresses those who are walking in the broad road.
Sirach
Verse 33. Silver. Only good-will is necessary, which all may have. Isaiah 55:1. Romans 10:6. Wisd. 6:13.
Sirach
Verse 36. Gold. The wise man has more opportunities of enriching himself than others; but he despises unnecessary wealth. Calmet.—We must labour for wisdom more than for riches, and we shall be rewarded hereafter. Worthington.
Sirach
Verse 38. The time. It is never too soon to be wise. In doing good let us not fail, (Galatians 6:9) in order to obtain that food, which remains for ever. Isaiah 6:7. Fear God, and keep his commandments, for this is all man. Eccle. 12:13. Calmet.—This is the sum of the sapiential works, and of all the Scriptures: To depart from evil is understanding. Job 28:28. Bible.
ON THE PROPHETS
We come now to another division of the Bible, specified by our Saviour: All things must needs be fulfilled which are written in the law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning me. Luke 24:44. He more frequently comprises all the Scriptures under the titles of Moses, or the Law and the Prophets; (ib. verse 27) as in effect, all the sacred writings refer ultimately to him, who is the end of the law; (Romans 10:4) and the Jews comprise under the name of the first prophets, the histories of Josue, and so forth Bible.—God has kept up a succession of prophets from the beginning, who either by word of mouth or by writing, established the true religion. Their predictions are the most convincing proof of its divine of its divine origin. Isaiah 41:23. They contain many things clear, and others obscure: having, for the most part, a literal, and a mystical sense. Calmet.—Yet some relate solely to Christ, while others must not be applied to him. Bossuet.—The Fathers, in imitation of the ancient Jews, and of the apostles, discover frequently a spiritual sense, concealed under the letter, as Christ himself declared that Jonas, in the whale’s belly, prefigured his burial and resurrection on the third day. See Matthew 12:39. Mar. 9:11. Galatians 4:24. When the figurative sense is thus authorized, it may serve to prove articles of faith; and such arguments must be more cogent in disputes with the Jews, than what can be drawn from their authors. They must confess that the New Testament contains a true history, or they cannot require that we should pay greater deference to the Old. Tertullian (Præs.) well observes, that heretics have no right to the Scriptures: But if they will quote them, they must receive them all, and adopt the sense given to them by the Church. Calmet.—The providence of God, in giving the prophets, and other guides to direct his people, was ever an object of admiration and gratitude. The prophets were enabled, by a supernatural light, superior to that of faith, though beneath that of glory, to announce the secrets of futurity, as eye-witnesses; whence their predictions are styled visions, as such witnesses deserve the utmost credit. We have the writings of the four great, and the twelve less prophets. In these, many things are hard to be understood, which must not be interpreted by the private spiri. 2 Peter 1. A large commentary would be requisite to explain these to the bottom, and we must refer the curious to the works of the Fathers, and so forth as the subsequent notes will be rather briefer than usual. Worthington.—The Septuagint varies much from the original in Isaias. But we cannot specify every particular. Calmet.—S. Jerom has frequently given a double version in his learned comments on the prophets, as he would not peremptorily decide which exhibited the sense of God’s word more accurately. Bible.