Read & explore together
Wisdom tells of her dwelling and invites seekers
In this passage from the Catholic additional book of Sirach, Wisdom speaks for herself. She tells where she comes from, where the Creator placed her, and why those who desire her should come and listen.
Understanding the passage
Listening in context
Sirach 24:1–22 is wisdom and dialogue, not a narrative event report. Wisdom speaks in the congregation, describes her reach through creation, says the Creator gave her a dwelling in Jacob and Israel, uses images of trees and fragrance, and invites seekers to come to her.
Sirach 24:1–22Main takeaway
This passage presents Wisdom as coming from the Most High, being placed among the Lord’s people, and calling people to come, obey, and work with her.
Look closely at the words
Open a card to explore the full explanation and its Bible references.
01Wisdom speaks in the assemblyWisdom begins by praising her own glory among her people and in the congregation of the Most High.
Explanation
Wisdom begins by praising her own glory among her people and in the congregation of the Most High. She says she came out of the mouth of the Most High and covered the earth like a mist. The language is poetic, showing Wisdom’s exalted source and wide presence.
02Wisdom seeks rest and is given a dwellingWisdom describes her reach through high places, heaven, the abyss, sea, earth, and every people and nation.
Explanation
Wisdom describes her reach through high places, heaven, the abyss, sea, earth, and every people and nation. Yet she asks where she will lodge. The answer comes from the Creator, who commands her to dwell in Jacob and have her inheritance in Israel.
03Established from the beginning and rooted among God’s peopleWisdom then says, “He created me from the beginning, before the ages,” and also, “For all ages, I will not cease to exist.”
Explanation
Wisdom then says, “He created me from the beginning, before the ages,” and also, “For all ages, I will not cease to exist.” The passage states both her beginning and her enduring existence. She ministers in the holy tabernacle, is established in Zion and Jerusalem, and takes root in a people honoured as the Lord’s inheritance.
04Wisdom is pictured as rich and fruitfulThe next lines compare Wisdom to cedar, cypress, palm, olive, plane tree, perfume, and vine.
Explanation
The next lines compare Wisdom to cedar, cypress, palm, olive, plane tree, perfume, and vine. These images show beauty, strength, fragrance, grace, and fruitfulness. The passage is using poetic comparisons to describe what Wisdom is like, not saying Wisdom is literally a tree or spice.
05Wisdom invites seekers to comeWisdom calls those who desire her to come and be filled with her fruits. Her memory and inheritance are sweeter than honey, yet those who eat and drink still want more.
Explanation
Wisdom calls those who desire her to come and be filled with her fruits. Her memory and inheritance are sweeter than honey, yet those who eat and drink still want more. Her closing words are exact and practical: “He who obeys me will not be ashamed. Those who work with me will not sin.”
Questions to explore
Pause, look back at the verses and talk together.
01What does Wisdom say about her beginning and her continuing existence?
Read the two statements together and keep your answer close to the wording of the verse itself.
02How does the passage describe the place where Wisdom finally rests?
Trace the movement from Wisdom’s question about lodging to the Creator’s command, then note Zion, Jerusalem, and the people called the Lord’s inheritance.
03What response does Wisdom ask from people at the end of the passage?
Notice the invitation to come and be filled, and then the exact statements about obeying and working with Wisdom.
Read the Bible passages
World English Bible ClassicScripture quotation · Public domain
Sirach 24:1–17
1Wisdom will praise her own soul, and will proclaim her glory in the midst of her people.
2She will open her mouth in the congregation of the Most High, and proclaim her glory in the presence of his power.
3“I came out of the mouth of the Most High, and covered the earth as a mist.
4I lived in high places, and my throne is in the pillar of the cloud.
5Alone I surrounded the circuit of heaven, and walked in the depth of the abyss.
6In the waves of the sea, and in all the earth, and in every people and nation, I obtained a possession.
7With all these I sought rest. In whose inheritance shall I lodge?
8Then the Creator of all things gave me a command. He who created me made my tent to rest, and said, ‘Let your dwelling be in Jacob, and your inheritance in Israel.’
9He created me from the beginning, before the ages. For all ages, I will not cease to exist.
10In the holy tabernacle, I ministered before him. So I was established in Zion.
11In the beloved city, likewise he gave me rest. In Jerusalem was my domain.
12I took root in a people that was honored, even in the portion of the Lord’s own inheritance.
13I was exalted like a cedar in Lebanon, And like a cypress tree on the mountains of Hermon.
14I was exalted like a palm tree on the sea shore, like rose bushes in Jericho, and like a fair olive tree in the plain. I was exalted like a plane tree.
15Like cinnamon and aspalathus, I have given a scent to perfumes. Like choice myrrh, I spread abroad a pleasant fragrance, like galbanum, onycha, stacte, and as the smell of frankincense in the tabernacle.
16Like the terebinth, I stretched out my branches. My branches are glorious and graceful.
17Like the vine, I put forth grace. My flowers are the fruit of glory and riches.
Sirach 24:19–22
19“Come to me, all you who desire me, and be filled with my fruits.
20For my memory is sweeter than honey, and my inheritance than the honeycomb.
21Those who eat me will be hungry for more. Those who drink me will be thirsty for more.
22He who obeys me will not be ashamed. Those who work with me will not sin.”
Source passages
Source: Sirach 24 ↗Translation and source notes
Some verse numbers are represented by textual notes in World English Bible Classic. The reading below follows the text printed in the main passage.