BIBLE CHAPTER STUDY
Sirach 9 — Solomon's Prayer for Wisdom
Solomon prays to God for the gift of wisdom so that he may rule God's people justly and build the temple.
Scripture
1Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom “O God of my fathers and Lord of mercy, who hast made all things by thy word,
2and by thy wisdom hast formed man, to have dominion over the creatures thou hast made,
3and rule the world in holiness and righteousness, and pronounce judgment in uprightness of soul,
4give me the wisdom that sits by thy throne, and do not reject me from among thy servants.
5For I am thy slave and the son of thy maidservant, a man who is weak and short-lived, with little understanding of judgment and laws;
6for even if one is perfect among the sons of men, yet without the wisdom that comes from thee he will be regarded as nothing.
7Thou hast chosen me to be king of thy people and to be judge over thy sons and daughters.
8Thou hast given command to build a temple on thy holy mountain, and an altar in the city of thy habitation, a copy of the holy tent which thou didst prepare from the beginning.
9With thee is wisdom, who knows thy works and was present when thou didst make the world, and who understand what is pleasing in thy sight and what is right according to thy commandments.
10Send her forth from the holy heavens, and from the throne of thy glory send her, that she may be with me and toil, and that I may learn what is pleasing to thee.
11For she knows and understands all things, and she will guide me wisely in my actions and guard me with her glory.
12Then my works will be acceptable, and I shall judge thy people justly, and shall be worthy of the throne of my father.
13For what man can learn the counsel of God? Or who can discern what the Lord wills?
14For the reasoning of mortals is worthless, and our designs are likely to fail,
15for a perishable body weighs down the soul, and this earthy tent burdens the thoughtful mind.
16We can hardly guess at what is on earth, and what is at hand we find with labor; but who has traced out what is in the heavens?
17Who has learned thy counsel, unless thou hast given wisdom and sent thy holy Spirit from on high?
18And thus the paths of those on earth were set right, and men were taught what pleases thee, and were saved by wisdom.”
What this passage means
Sirach 9 is presented as Solomon's prayer for wisdom. Solomon addresses God as the one who made all things by his word and formed man by his wisdom to rule over creation (vv. 1–2). He asks that the wisdom seated beside God's throne not reject him, identifying himself as a servant, weak and short-lived, with limited understanding of judgment and law (vv. 4–5).
The prayer continues by recalling that even a perfect human, apart from God's wisdom, is regarded as nothing (v. 6). Solomon recounts being chosen as king and judge over God's people and being commanded to build a temple and altar as a copy of the holy tent prepared from the beginning (vv. 7–8). He asks that wisdom be sent from the holy heavens to be with him, so that his works will be acceptable and he will judge God's people justly (vv. 10–12).
The closing section reflects on the limits of human understanding: mortal reasoning is worthless, a perishable body weighs down the soul, and what is in the heavens cannot be traced out unless God gives wisdom and sends the holy Spirit from on high (vv. 13–17). Through such wisdom, the paths of those on earth are set right and men are taught what pleases God and are saved by wisdom (v. 18).
Context
The provided full chapter text and cross-references for Sirach 9 do not supply further surrounding context. The chapter stands as a unified prayer attributed to Solomon, asking for wisdom to rule and to build the temple, and acknowledging that such wisdom comes only as a gift from God through his Spirit.
The curated note indicates that this chapter was backfilled from remaining chapters of Sirach outside P0/P1 priority sets, without additional commentary.
Common questions
Who is the speaker in Sirach 9?
The chapter is framed as Solomon's prayer, addressing God as creator and asking for wisdom to judge God's people and to build the temple.
What does Solomon ask God for?
Solomon asks that wisdom, who sits by God's throne, be sent from the holy heavens to be with him, so that his works will be acceptable and he will judge God's people justly.
Why does the prayer emphasize human weakness?
The prayer stresses that mortal reasoning is worthless, the perishable body weighs down the soul, and what is in the heavens cannot be traced out, so that wisdom and the holy Spirit must come from God alone.