章节研读
Sirach 15 — Wisdom, the Fear of the Lord, and Human Freedom
Chapter 15 of Sirach presents wisdom as a welcoming mother who rewards those who fear the Lord, then turns to insist that God does not cause sin but has left every person free to choose obedience or transgression.
经文
- 1.敬畏上帝的人必这样行，坚守律法的人必得智慧。The man who fears the Lord will do this, and he who holds to the law will obtain wisdom.
- 2.她要像母亲一样来迎接他，像他的青年妻子一样欢迎他。She will come to meet him like a mother, and like the wife of his youth she will welcome him.
- 3.她用悟道的食物养育他，并给他智慧的水喝。She will feed him with the bread of understanding, and give him the water of wisdom to drink.
- 4.他要倚靠她而不跌倒，要依靠她而不至羞耻。He will lean on her and will not fall, and he will rely on her and will not be put to shame.
- 5.她要使他在邻舍中超升，并在会中开他的口。She will exalt him above his neighbors, and will open his mouth in the midst of the assembly.
- 6.他必得喜乐和欢喜的冠冕，并且获得永存的名声。He will find gladness and a crown of rejoicing, and will acquire an everlasting name.
- 7.愚昧的人不能获得她，罪恶的人也不能看见她。Foolish men will not obtain her, and sinful men will not see her.
- 8.她远离骄傲的人，撒谎的人永不想念她。She is far from men of pride, and liars will never think of her.
- 9.罪人的嘴唇不适合唱赞美诗，因为它不是从主那里发出的。A hymn of praise is not fitting on the lips of a sinner, for it has not been sent from the Lord.
- 10.赞美诗应该用智慧说出来，主必使它兴旺。For a hymn of praise should be uttered in wisdom, and the Lord will prosper it.
- 11.选择的自由 不要说“因为上帝我离开了正道”，因为他不会做他所憎恨的事。Freedom of Choice Do not say, “Because of the Lord I left the right way”; for he will not do what he hates.
- 12.不要说“是他引诱我”，因为他用不着有罪的人。Do not say, “It was he who led me astray”; for he had no need of a sinful man.
- 13.主憎恶一切可憎之事，敬畏他的人也都憎恶这些事。The Lord hates all abominations, and they are not loved by those who fear him.
- 14.他一开始造人，并将人交给自己作主。It was he who created man in the beginning, and he left him in the power of his own inclination.
- 15.如果你愿意，你就能守住诫命，忠诚地行事完全取决于你的选择。If you will, you can keep the commandments, and to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice.
- 16.他在你面前摆设了火和水，你可以选择你所愿意的。He has placed before you fire and water: stretch out your hand for whichever you wish.
- 17.在人面前有生命和死亡，人所选择的就必赐给他。Before a man are life and death, and whichever he chooses will be given to him.
- 18.因为主的智慧甚大，他有大能，见万事；For great is the wisdom of the Lord; he is mighty in power and sees everything;
- 19.他的眼目照看敬畏他的人，他知道人所做的一切事。his eyes are on those who fear him, and he knows every deed of man.
- 20.他没有命令任何人不虔诚，也没有允许任何人犯罪。He has not commanded any one to be ungodly, and he has not given any one permission to sin.
这段经文的意思
The opening section (verses 1–10) personifies wisdom as a devoted figure who actively seeks out the person who fears the Lord. She comes to meet him like a mother, feeds him with bread of understanding and the water of wisdom, supports him so that he does not fall, and lifts him up before the assembly with an everlasting name. The point is not that the wise person discovers wisdom, but that wisdom herself comes to the one who fears the Lord and holds to the law. By contrast, the foolish, the arrogant, and liars are excluded from her; praise uttered without wisdom is said to be unsent by the Lord.
The second section (verses 11–17), headed in many English editions by a title such as “Freedom of Choice,” directly confronts two evasions: blaming God for one’s own waywardness, and blaming God for leading one astray. Sirach denies both. God created man and left him in the power of his own inclination; the commandments are within human capacity to keep. The chapter then offers the striking image of fire and water stretched out before a person’s hand, and life and death set before him, with the clear affirmation that whichever he chooses will be given to him. Moral agency is treated as real and non-transferable.
The closing verses (18–20) anchor the previous statements about human freedom in a confession of God’s character. The Lord’s wisdom is great, his power mighty, his sight comprehensive; his eyes are on those who fear him and he knows every deed. From this, the chapter draws a negative conclusion: he has not commanded anyone to be ungodly, and he has not given anyone permission to sin. Human freedom, in other words, is not unlimited; it operates under a watchful and morally consistent God who never authorizes ungodliness, so the responsibility for sin remains with the one who chooses it.
背景
The provided chapter material is limited to the 20 verses of Sirach 15 themselves. Within those verses the movement is clearly twofold: a vivid portrait of wisdom rewarding the God-fearing (1–10), followed by a doctrinal statement on moral freedom and God’s non-responsibility for sin (11–20). The curated note treats this chapter as part of a backfill of Sirach material outside a designated P0/P1 set, which simply notes its source category and does not add doctrinal claims. Because no cross-references or original-language word entries were provided, no inter-canonical connections or Hebrew/Greek word studies can be drawn from the supplied data.
常见问题
Why does Sirach 15 say God “left him in the power of his own inclination” (verse 14)?
Within the chapter, this statement grounds the affirmation of human moral freedom in verses 15–17: because God gave man to the power of his own inclination, keeping the commandments is something a person can actually do, and life and death are set before him to choose. The chapter uses it to make clear that responsibility for sin rests with the one who chooses it, not with God.
Does Sirach 15 teach that God ever leads people into sin (verses 11–12)?
The chapter answers in the negative. It explicitly warns against saying, “Because of the Lord I left the right way,” and against saying, “It was he who led me astray,” on the grounds that God hates abominations and has no need of a sinful man. Combined with verse 20, the teaching is that God never commands ungodliness and never permits sin.
What does the image of “fire and water” in verse 16 mean?
Within the text itself, fire and water are placed before a person’s hand, and verse 17 immediately glosses the image: “Before a man are life and death, and whichever he chooses will be given to him.” The elements function as a vivid figure for the two basic moral options open to the human agent, with the accompanying affirmation that the choice belongs to the chooser.