Sirach Chapter 23 Summary - Key Points & Themes

Read Sirach Chapter 23 Summary

The teacher prays: 'O Lord, Father and Governor of all my whole life', asking for discipline over his thoughts and to be spared a proud look, gluttony and lust. He then teaches the discipline of the mouth: do not accustom yourself to swearing or to naming the Holy One, for the man who swears much fills his house with calamities, and remember your parents when you sit among great men. The rest concerns adultery: the adulterer thinks the walls hide him, but the eyes of the Lord are 'ten thousand times brighter than the sun', and the unfaithful wife will be brought before the congregation.

Characters in This Chapter

Noah

Found perfect and righteous, kept as a remnant when the flood came, with an everlasting covenant

Abraham

Father of many nations, faithful when tested, to whom God swore to bless the nations in his seed

Moses

Beloved of God and men, brought into the cloud and given the law of life; the law he commanded is identified with Wisdom

Aaron

Given an everlasting priesthood; his vestments are described at length

David

Chosen out of Israel, slayer of Goliath, singer who set singers before the altar, given a covenant of kings

Solomon

Wise king of peace who built the temple, then stained his honour through his women

Elijah

Prophet 'as fire', taken up in a chariot of fire and appointed to turn the heart of the father to the son

Ben Sira

Author and sage of Jerusalem, who signs the book, praises the fathers and closes with his own prayer

Jacob

Father of the Twelve Tribes of Israel

Places in This Chapter

Jerusalem

City where Wisdom finds her rest, for which the author prays, and whose walls and temple the Praise of the Fathers recalls

The Temple

Rebuilt after the exile and repaired by the high priest Simon, whose liturgy there crowns the Praise of the Fathers

The Tabernacle

Holy tent where Wisdom ministered before God before settling in Sion

Position in Book

The Fear of the LordChapters 1-2

Parents, the Poor and Wisdom's DisciplineChapters 3-4

Speech, Friendship and PrudenceChapters 5-9

Pride, Wealth and GenerosityChapters 10-14

Free Will and God's MercyChapters 15-18

The Tongue and the FoolChapters 19-23

Gossip, silence, lies and oaths, the contrast between the wise man and the fool, and a prayer for the discipline of the mouth and of desire.

Wisdom Praises HerselfChapters 24

Wives and the HouseholdChapters 25-26

Honest Dealing and ForgivenessChapters 27-32

God's Order, True Worship and a Prayer for IsraelChapters 33-36

Counsellors, Physicians and the ScribeChapters 37-39

Life, Death and the Glory of CreationChapters 40-43

The Praise of the FathersChapters 44-50

Thanksgiving and the Search for WisdomChapters 51