Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) — Chapter 51

A prayer of Jesus the son of Sirach: I will give glory to Thee, O Lord, O King, and I will praise Thee, O God my Saviour. The personal thanksgiving of Siracides: he addresses God as Lord, King, and Saviour—the full trilogy of divine sovereignty, majesty, and redemptive love. Lapide notes the Davidic character of this prayer and its parallels with the Psalms of thanksgiving.

Thou hast delivered my body from destruction, from the snare of an unjust tongue, and from the lips of them that forge lies; and in the sight of them that stood by Thou wast my helper. The multiple dangers from which God delivered Siracides: unjust accusations, lying lips, public accusation. Lapide treats this as a catalogue of the common dangers of anyone who pursues wisdom publicly—opposition from the envious, the malicious, and the powerful.

I called upon the Lord, the father of my Lord, that He would not leave me in the day of my trouble. The dual invocation—the Lord and the Father of the Lord—is treated by Lapide as a remarkable pre-Christian anticipation of Trinitarian faith. He notes that \"Father of my Lord\" can refer either to the Father of the Messiah or to the God and Father of all who hope in Him.

I called upon the Lord, the Father of my Lord, that He would not forsake me in the day of my affliction, and in the time of the proud without help. Prayer in the day of pride's assault: when the powerful and proud oppress, the wise man's only recourse is direct appeal to God. Lapide treats this as the universal prayer of the persecuted just.

From my youth I sought after her openly in my prayer; I prayed for her before the Temple, and unto the very end I will seek after her. The autobiographical pursuit of wisdom from youth: Siracides describes his lifelong search as a hunter follows his prey through its tracks. Lapide cites Themistocles, Theophrastus, and Timothy (2 Tim. 3:15) as parallel examples of those who pursued wisdom from earliest childhood.

Come over to me, all ye that desire me, and be filled with my fruits. Wisdom's universal invitation, spoken in Wisdom's own voice. Lapide treats this as the clearest Old Testament anticipation of Christ's invitation: \"Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest\" (Matt. 11:28).

Put your neck under the yoke, and let your soul receive discipline; she is to be found near at hand. The yoke of wisdom: those who submit to her discipline will find her not far away. Lapide treats the \"yoke\" as the specific weight of study, prayer, and mortification that wisdom's school requires—not a burden but ultimately a light load.

May your soul rejoice in His mercy, and you shall not be confounded in His praise. Work your works before the time, and He will give you your reward in His time. The final exhortation: act now, in the present moment of grace, and God will give His reward in His appointed time. Lapide closes the commentary with a meditation on the urgency of time and the certainty of divine reward for those who pursue wisdom faithfully to the end.