THE WISDOM OF SIRACH. Eerdmans Critical Commentary. By Walter T.Wilson. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2023. Pp. xvi + 620. $85.99.

Wilson's fine new commentary is explicitly intended for “nonspecialists.” This is a curious editorial decision for a critical series that has “offered scholars exceptional biblical commentaries since 1999” (emphasis mine) but does nothing to detract from Wilson's characteristically clear and insightful work. Readers benefit from Wilson's expertise in wisdom literature from antiquity, among so many other things, even if it lies beneath the surface of these pages. His introduction deals with familiar matters of authorship, language(s), and date (between 195 and 175 BCE). In addition to major themes, sources, and expressions, the author constructs a setting for the book of a scribal class supporting a priestly theocratic group of advisors and administrators at odds with the wealthy and powerful. The commentary proper is organized according to Wilson's understanding of the book's structure, comprised of five wisdom hymns followed by four loosely connected thematic sections. For each unit, the English text is presented (in the NRSV), followed by the author's commentary, which typically begins with remarks concerning the context before moving to literary forms. Wilson deals with units of text, making for a fluid and readable explanation rather than a more technical, verse-by-verse exposition. There are no complicated philological discussions, and exegetical observations are frequently located within broader discussions of Jewish literature from antiquity, as well as other sources. It is surprising to find the use of terms like “intertestamental” and “noncanonical” in this book since designations of this nature are generally regarded as anachronistic and have long fallen out of use among specialists in Second Temple Judaism. Nonetheless, it is evident that the commentary is undergirded by current scholarship even though explicit engagement with it is minimal, and the few points of debated issues are largely addressed in the introduction. Readers are sometimes directed to other works in footnotes, and Wilson's bibliography is complete and up to date. The indices of authors, subjects, and texts ensure the volume's utility for study.