ESTUDIO DEL CAPÍTULO
Sirach 10 — Wisdom, Pride, and Honor
Sirach 10 links the quality of rulers to the quality of a people, traces pride to departure from the Lord, and makes the fear of the Lord the true measure of human honor.
Escritura
- 1.A wise magistrate will educate his people, and the rule of an understanding man will be well ordered.
- 2.Like the magistrate of the people, so are his officials; and like the ruler of the city, so are all its inhabitants.
- 3.An undisciplined king will ruin his people, but a city will grow through the understanding of its rulers.
- 4.The government of the earth is in the hands of the Lord, and over it he will raise up the right man for the time.
- 5.The success of a man is in the hands of the Lord, and he confers his honor upon the person of the scribe.
- 6.The Sin of Pride Do not be angry with your neighbor for any injury, and do not attempt anything by acts of insolence.
- 7.Arrogance is hateful before the Lord and before men, and injustice is outrageous to both.
- 8.Sovereignty passes from nation to nation on account of injustice and insolence and wealth.
- 9.How can he who is dust and ashes be proud? for even in life his bowels decay.
- 10.A long illness baffles the physician; the king of today will die tomorrow.
- 11.For when a man is dead, he will inherit creeping things, and wild beasts, and worms.
- 12.The beginning of man’s pride is to depart from the Lord; his heart has forsaken his Maker.
- 13.For the beginning of pride is sin, and the man who clings to it pours out abominations. Therefore the Lord brought upon them extraordinary afflictions, and destroyed them utterly.
- 14.The Lord has cast down the thrones of rulers, and has seated the lowly in their place.
- 15.The Lord has plucked up the roots of the nations, and has planted the humble in their place.
- 16.The Lord has overthrown the lands of the nations, and has destroyed them to the foundations of the earth.
- 17.He has removed some of them and destroyed them, and has extinguished the memory of them from the earth.
- 18.Pride was not created for men, nor fierce anger for those born of women.
- 19.Persons Deserving Honor What race is worthy of honor? The human race. What race is worthy of honor? Those who fear the Lord. What race is unworthy of honor? The human race. What race is unworthy of honor? Those who transgress the commandments.
- 20.Among brothers their leader is worthy of honor, and those who fear the Lord are worthy of honor in his eyes.
- 22.The rich, and the eminent, and the poor— their glory is the fear of the Lord.
- 23.It is not right to despise an intelligent poor man, nor is it proper to honor a sinful man.
- 24.The nobleman, and the judge, and the ruler will be honored, but none of them is greater than the man who fears the Lord.
- 25.Free men will be at the service of a wise servant, and a man of understanding will not grumble.
- 26.Concerning Humility Do not make a display of your wisdom when you do your work, nor glorify yourself at a time when you are in want.
- 27.Better is a man who works and has an abundance of everything, than one who goes about boasting, but lacks bread.
- 28.My son, glorify yourself with humility, and ascribe to yourself honor according to your worth.
- 29.Who will justify the man that sins against himself? And who will honor the man that dishonors his own life?
- 30.A poor man is honored for his knowledge, while a rich man is honored for his wealth.
- 31.A man honored in poverty, how much more in wealth! And a man dishonored in wealth, how much more in poverty!
Qué significa este pasaje
The chapter opens by tying wise government to education: a magistrate who educates produces officials and citizens who mirror his understanding, while an undisciplined king ruins his people. Verse 4 grounds earthly government in the Lord's hand, so that the rise of a suitable leader and the honor given to a scribe are gifts from God, not merely human achievements (verses 1–5).
The middle section turns sharply against pride. Pride is hateful before God and man, sovereignty shifts between nations because of injustice and insolence, and human beings are reminded they are dust whose bodies decay and become the inheritance of worms (verses 6–11, 18). The root diagnosis is that 'the beginning of man's pride is to depart from the Lord,' and history illustrates this pattern: the Lord casts down thrones, uproots nations, and plants the humble in their place (verses 12–17).
The final section redefines honor. Among brothers the leader is honored, but those who fear the Lord are honored in his eyes, and rich and poor alike find their glory in the fear of the Lord. It is wrong to despise an intelligent poor man or to honor a sinful one, and no rank surpasses fearing the Lord; humble self-exaltation and honest labor are then set against boastful display (verses 19–31).
Contexto
Chapter 10 sits within Sirach, a wisdom book whose full chapter text was not provided here, so any wider framing must be limited to what the chapter itself states. The note attached to the chapter records only that it was backfilled from material outside the P0/P1 priority set, with no further commentary on its themes or sources.
Within the chapter itself three movements are visible: a section on rulers and the quality of their people (verses 1–5), a section on pride as departure from the Lord (verses 6–18, introduced by the heading 'The Sin of Pride'), and a section introduced by headings on those deserving honor and on humility (verses 19–31). Verses 21 and 27 in the standard English numbering are absent from the supplied verse list, so the discussion reflects only the verses provided.
Preguntas frecuentes
Why does Sirach say sovereignty passes between nations?
The chapter itself explains the cause in the same line: sovereignty passes from nation to nation on account of injustice, insolence, and wealth, framed within its broader argument that pride begins by departing from the Lord.
What does Sirach 10 consider the true measure of honor?
Verses 19–24 teach that the human race is worthy of honor, but specifically those who fear the Lord; rich and poor alike find their glory in the fear of the Lord, and no office or wealth outranks a person who fears the Lord.
How does Sirach 10 describe pride?
The chapter calls pride hateful before God and man, traces its beginning to departing from the Lord and forsaking the Maker, and warns that clinging to it pours out abominations, with the Lord responding by casting down thrones and uprooting nations (verses 7, 12–17).