Voicu, Sever J., ed. Apocrypha. ACCS:OT 15. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2010. Selections from the Church Fathers on the Deuterocanonical books, including Sirach.

Box, G. H., and W. O. E. Oesterley. “Sirach.” In The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament, ed. R. H. Charles, 1:268–517. Oxford: Clarendon, 1913. Though dated, this technical commentary remains invaluable for its comprehensive, scholarly introduction and complete critical text detailing Sirach’s many textual variants. Assumes knowledge of Hebrew and Greek.

Bullard, Roger A., and Howard A. Hatton. A Handbook on Sirach. UBS Handbook Series. New York: United Bible Societies, 2008. Focuses on exegetical, linguistic, and cultural issues related to the translation of Sirach, yet also serves as an excellent, nontechnical commentary. Follows the RSV and GNT, based on the Greek text with some insights from the Hebrew.

Kearns, C. J. “Ecclesiasticus, or the Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach.” In A New Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture, ed. Reginald C. Fuller et al., 541–62. London: Thomas Nelson, 1969. Concise yet robust scholarly and theological Catholic introduction to Sirach, with some very brief notes on the text.

Oesterley, W. O. E. The Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach or Ecclesiasticus. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1912. Older, technical, exhaustive scholarly commentary that details Sirach’s textual variants and highlights some correlations with rabbinic literature. Similar to Box and Oesterley, above.

Phua, Michael. “Sirach, Book of.” In Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry and Writings, ed. Tremper Longman III and Peter Enns, 720–28. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2008. Concise overview of Sirach’s historical background, literary analysis, wisdom teachings, and connections with the New Testament. No commentary on the text.

Skehan, Patrick W., and Alexander A. Di Lella. The Wisdom of Ben Sira. AB. New York: Doubleday, 1987. A massive scholarly work; to this day the most comprehensive introduction and commentary on Sirach.

Wilson, Walter T. The Wisdom of Sirach. Eerdmans Critical Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2023. A robust, extensive commentary that follows the NRSV translation. Although intended for nonspecialists and more readable than Skehan and Di Lella, it is heavily footnoted, drawing richly from ancient and modern works, and will appeal especially to more scholarly readers.

Coggins, R. J. Sirach. Guides to Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic, 1998. Useful, concise guide that topically surveys the major historical, linguistic, social, religious, and theological issues in Sirach. No verse-by-verse commentary.

Corley, Jeremy. Sirach. The New Collegeville Bible Commentary 21. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2013. Light, readable, nontechnical Catholic introduction and commentary. Follows the NABRE, which is largely based on the Hebrew text.

Crenshaw, James L. “Sirach: Introduction, Commentary, and Reflections.” In The New Interpreter’s Bible, ed. Leander E. Keck et al., 5:601–867. Nashville: Abingdon, 1997. Comprehensive introduction and commentary by one of wisdom literature’s foremost experts. Treats each section with a commentary on the text, followed by practical reflections.

Di Lella, Alexander A. “Sirach.” In The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, ed. Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, 496–509. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1990. A concise, nontechnical introduction and commentary by one of the authors of the Anchor Bible volume.

Crenshaw, James L. “Sirach.” In Harper’s Bible Commentary, ed. James L. Mays, 836–54. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988. A brief introduction and commentary on each section of the text, rather than verse-by-verse; much more concise than Crenshaw’s work in the New Interpreter’s Bible, listed above.

Hahn, Scott, Curtis Mitch, and André Villeneuve, with Mark Giszczak and Dennis Walters. The Books of Wisdom and Sirach: Commentary, Notes, and Study Questions. Ignatius Catholic Study Bible. San Francisco: Ignatius, 2020. Introduction, text (RSV-2CE), and notes from a Catholic perspective.

Harrington, Daniel J. Jesus Ben Sira of Jerusalem: A Biblical Guide to Living Wisely. Collegeville, MN: Michael Glazier, 2005. Seeks to open up ancient Jewish wisdom by focusing on Ben Sira and his book, its relationship to other wisdom books, content, literary forms, and social world, and how to read it as a handbook for personal and spiritual formation and “way of life.”

———. “Sirach.” In The International Bible Commentary, ed. William R. Farmer et al., 923–50. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1998. A Catholic and ecumenical commentary addressed to the educated faithful, especially pastors and teachers. Comments on Sirach by section rather than verse-by-verse.

Reardon, Patrick Henry. Wise Lives: Orthodox Christian Reflections on the Wisdom of Sirach. Chesterton, IN: Ancient Faith Publishing, 2009. Unique Orthodox perspective focusing on the broad ideas and lessons taught in each chapter of Sirach.

Snaith, John G. Ecclesiasticus or the Wisdom of Jesus, Son of Sirach. London: Cambridge University Press, 1974. Brief introduction, full text (New English Bible translation), and simple, accessible notes.

———. “Sirach.” In Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible, ed. James D. G. Dunn and John W. Rogerson, 779–98. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003. Very short introduction, followed by a readable commentary on the text.

Clifford, Richard J. The Wisdom Literature. Interpreting Biblical Texts. Nashville: Abingdon, 1998. Excellent, concise introduction to biblical wisdom, highlighting parallels with comparable ancient Near Eastern texts and examining the content and rhetoric of each wisdom book.

Crenshaw, James L. Old Testament Wisdom: An Introduction. 3rd ed. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2010. Perhaps the most comprehensive one-volume introduction to the Old Testament wisdom books; includes an analysis of the legacy of wisdom in the biblical canon and in other cultures.

Kealy, Sean P. The Wisdom Books of the Bible—Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, Ben Sira, Wisdom of Solomon: A Survey of the History of Their Interpretation. Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen, 2012. A scholarly survey of the secondary literature on the biblical wisdom books, summarizing modern scholarship, Church Fathers, medieval authorities, and contemporary interpretations by artists and theologians.

Murphy, Roland E. The Tree of Life: An Exploration of Biblical Wisdom Literature. 3rd ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002. A standard introduction to the wisdom literature of the Bible, discussing aspects of wisdom such as “the fear of the Lord,” moral formation, the universality of human experience, the mysteries of creation, and others.