Read & explore together
The teacher voices hostility toward neighboring peoples
These two verses use strong, sharp language to name three neighbouring groups with contempt. Read as wisdom and dialogue, the passage shows the teacher’s hostility in direct speech without turning those brief words into a larger story.
Understanding the passage
Listening in context
In this short part of Sirach, the speaker says his soul is vexed with two nations and then adds a third group that he calls “no nation”. The next verse identifies the groups as those on the mountain of Samaria, the Philistines, and the people living in Shechem. This comes from the Catholic additional books.
Sirach 50:25–26Main takeaway
This passage records the speaker’s bitter judgement against three groups, so readers should notice both the intensity of the language and the exact groups named.
Look closely at the words
01A personal statement of vexationThe speaker begins with a first-person statement: “my soul is vexed”. That wording makes the feeling personal and intense.
Explanation
The speaker begins with a first-person statement: “my soul is vexed”. That wording makes the feeling personal and intense. The complaint is aimed at “two nations”, so the verse starts with a number that prepares readers to listen carefully for a list. The line is not neutral description. It is a declaration of deep displeasure.
02A third group called “no nation”The speaker then surprises the reader by adding “the third is no nation”. In the passage itself, this is an insult, not an explanation of political status.
Explanation
The speaker then surprises the reader by adding “the third is no nation”. In the passage itself, this is an insult, not an explanation of political status. The wording shows contempt. Because these are wisdom and dialogue verses, it is important to keep to what is said here and not build an extra narrative around the phrase.
03The three groups are namedThe next verse identifies the groups in order: those who sit on the mountain of Samaria, the Philistines, and the people living in Shechem.
Explanation
The next verse identifies the groups in order: those who sit on the mountain of Samaria, the Philistines, and the people living in Shechem. The last group is further called “foolish”. The passage does not explain why the speaker speaks this way here. It simply records the hostile labels and locations the speaker uses.
Questions to explore
01What words show that this is a personal expression of strong feeling?
Look for the first-person phrase and the emotional term in the opening line: “my soul is vexed”.
02How does the speaker treat the third group differently from the first two?
Notice that after mentioning “two nations”, the speaker says “the third is no nation”, which marks out the third group with extra contempt.
03Which three groups are actually named in the passage?
List each group exactly as verse 26 gives them: those on the mountain of Samaria, the Philistines, and the people who live in Shechem.
Read the Bible passage
World English Bible ClassicScripture quotation · Public domain
Sirach 50:25–26
25With two nations my soul is vexed, and the third is no nation:
26Those who sit on the mountain of Samaria, the Philistines, and the foolish people who live in Shechem.