Wisdom, the Fear of the Lord, and the Law

Sirach begins with the premise that “all wisdom is from the Lord” (πᾶσα σοφία παρὰ κυρίου, pasa sophia para kyriou) (1:1) and that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Ἀρχὴ σοφίας φοβεῖσθαι τὸν κύριον, Archē sophias phobeisthai ton kyrion; 1:14; compare 1:20; Prov 1:7; 9:10). The themes of fear of the Lord and wisdom “are interwoven from first to last, making it difficult to determine the dominant one” (Crenshaw, “Sirach,” 626).

The concept of the fear of the Lord is presented as:

• the source of true joy (1:12);

• resulting in discipline, faithfulness, and humility (1:27);

• the proper object of boasting and glory (9:16; 10:22; 25:6; 40:27);

• leading to obedience to the Law (1:26–7; 2:15; 15:1; 21:11);

• surpassing all things (25:10–11; 40:26).

At certain points, wisdom is equated with the fear of the Lord and obedience to the Law. Sirach 19:20 states, “The whole of wisdom is fear of the Lord, and in all wisdom there is fulfillment of the Law” (NRSV; compare 21:11; 25:10–11). Those who wish to understand wisdom must have a right relationship to God, the creator of wisdom. Collins states wisdom “is primarily an attitude of reverence for God and respect for received tradition” (Collins, Jewish Wisdom, 46–47). Di Lella contends that the primary theme of Sirach is “wisdom as fear of God … wisdom, which is identified with the Law, can be achieved only by one who fears God and keeps the commandments” (Skehan and Di Lella, Wisdom of Ben Sira, 76).

Sirach presents two types of wisdom—speculative wisdom (rooted in the mind) and practical wisdom (rooted in the will). In both cases, the fear of the Lord provides support for the pursuit—followers of God are to study the Law and maintain a close relationship with Him in order to carry it out (Skehan and Di Lella, Wisdom of Ben Sira, 79). For Ben Sira, both the understanding and application of wisdom comes from the Lord, which is expressed by fear of the Lord.