BIBLE CHAPTER STUDY
Sirach 6 — On Friends, Speech, and Seeking Wisdom
Sirach 6 contrasts false friendship with faithful friendship and calls the reader to pursue wisdom with patient, lifelong effort.
Scripture
1for a bad name incurs shame and reproach: so fares the double-tongued sinner.
2Do not exalt yourself through your soul’s counsel, lest your soul be torn in pieces like a bull.
3You will devour your leaves and destroy your fruit, and will be left like a withered tree.
4An evil soul will destroy him who has it, and make him the laughingstock of his enemies.
5Friendship, False and True A pleasant voice multiplies friends, and a gracious tongue multiplies courtesies.
6Let those that are at peace with you be many, but let your advisers be one in a thousand.
7When you gain a friend, gain him through testing, and do not trust him hastily.
8For there is a friend who is such at his own convenience, but will not stand by you in your day of trouble.
9And there is a friend who changes into an enemy, and will disclose a quarrel to your disgrace.
10And there is a friend who is a table companion, but will not stand by you in your day of trouble.
11In your prosperity he will make himself your equal, and be bold with your servants;
12but if you are brought low he will turn against you, and will hide himself from your presence.
13Keep yourself far from your enemies, and be on guard toward your friends.
14A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter: he that has found one has found a treasure.
15There is nothing so precious as a faithful friend, and no scales can measure his excellence.
16A faithful friend is an elixir of life; and those who fear the Lord will find him.
17Whoever fears the Lord directs his friendship aright, for as he is, so is his neighbor also.
18Blessings of Wisdom My son, from your youth up choose instruction, and until you are old you will keep finding wisdom.
19Come to her like one who plows and sows, and wait for her good harvest. For in her service you will toil a little while, and soon you will eat of her produce.
20She seems very harsh to the uninstructed; a weakling will not remain with her.
21She will weigh him down like a heavy testing stone, and he will not be slow to cast her off.
22For wisdom is like her name, and is not manifest to many.
23Listen, my son, and accept my judgment; do not reject my counsel.
24Put your feet into her fetters, and your neck into her collar.
25Put your shoulder under her and carry her, and do not fret under her bonds.
26Come to her with all your soul, and keep her ways with all your might.
27Search out and seek, and she will become known to you; and when you get hold of her, do not let her go.
28For at last you will find the rest she gives, and she will be changed into joy for you.
29Then her fetters will become for you a strong protection, and her collar a glorious robe.
30Her yoke is a golden ornament, and her bonds are a cord of blue.
31You will wear her like a glorious robe, and put her on like a crown of gladness.
32If you are willing, my son, you will be taught, and if you apply yourself you will become clever.
33If you love to listen you will gain knowledge, and if you incline your ear you will become wise.
34Stand in the assembly of the elders. Who is wise? Cleave to him.
35Be ready to listen to every narrative, and do not let wise proverbs escape you.
36If you see an intelligent man, visit him early; let your foot wear out his doorstep.
37Reflect on the statutes of the Lord, and meditate at all times on his commandments. It is he who will give insight to your mind, and your desire for wisdom will be granted.
What this passage means
The chapter opens with a warning about double-tongued speech (v. 1) and the destructive self-exaltation that leads to ruin, imaged as a bull torn in pieces, a tree stripped of leaves and fruit, and a soul mocked by enemies (vv. 2–4). Speech and pride are framed as the starting point of social breakdown.
Verses 5–17 distinguish kinds of companions. Fair words multiply friends, but only tested friends are trustworthy (vv. 5–7). Several portraits are drawn — the fair-weather friend, the friend who turns enemy, the table companion who disappears in trouble (vv. 8–13). Against these stands the faithful friend, described as shelter, treasure, and 'elixir of life' (vv. 14–16). Verse 17 grounds true friendship in the fear of the Lord, linking character with the kind of neighbor one attracts.
Verses 18–37 turn to wisdom. The reader is told to choose instruction from youth, to accept its harsh discipline, and to bind oneself to it like a yoke and collar (vv. 18–31). The metaphor shifts: what first feels heavy becomes 'a strong protection' and 'a glorious robe' (v. 29). The chapter closes with practical disciplines — listening, sitting at the feet of the wise, pondering the Lord's statutes — through which wisdom is granted (vv. 32–37).
Context
Sirach 6 sits within a wisdom book written in Hebrew (later translated into Greek and other languages) that collects sayings on conduct, speech, and the fear of the Lord. The chapter is unified by two movements — the testing of friends and the disciplined pursuit of wisdom — joined by the repeated claim that the fear of the Lord shapes both character and relationships.
The provided curated note identifies this chapter as part of a backfill outside a previously selected P0/P1 set, and no external commentary, cross references, or original-language data were supplied with this passage. Therefore this reference page describes only what the chapter itself states.
Common questions
What is the main point of Sirach 6?
The chapter teaches two paired lessons: test friendships before trusting them, and pursue wisdom with patient discipline. It grounds both in the fear of the Lord, presenting a faithful friend and true wisdom as linked gifts of a life ordered by God's commandments.
How does Sirach 6 describe a false friend versus a faithful friend?
False friends are those who are pleasant in good times but disappear or even become enemies in trouble (vv. 8–13). The faithful friend is called a sturdy shelter, a treasure, and an 'elixir of life' who is found by those who fear the Lord (vv. 14–16).
Why does Sirach 6 describe wisdom's discipline as both heavy and joyful?
The chapter first presents wisdom as harsh, like a heavy stone and fetters (vv. 20–25), then turns the image: those who persist find rest, the fetters become 'a strong protection,' and wisdom becomes 'a glorious robe' and 'a crown of gladness' (vv. 28–31). The point is that what costs effort at first yields joy in the end.