What does Ecclesiasticus Chapter 26 say, and which statements belong to its speaker?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Good-wife years, heart and household images remain chapter assertions. Fear, jealousy and daughter cautions retain their actual comparisons. Warrior and sensible-person grief precede trade warnings and separate edition gloss.

Chapter breakdown

Ecclesiasticus 26 praises the good-wife husband as happy with doubled years, virtuous-wife joy and life in peace, and a good portion given among God-fearing people for good deeds. Rich or poor, a good heart's face is cheerful. These are attributed chapter statements rather than a medically verified doubled lifespan. The speaker fears three things and trembles at a fourth: city accusation, people's gathering and false calumny, said worse than death, followed by jealous woman's grief and mourning. Jealous tongue communicates to all; wicked woman resembles moving ox-yoke and grasped scorpion. A drunken woman's wrath, shame and reproach cannot hide; fornication is said known by haughty eyes and eyelids. The assembly is not specified as a mob uprising.

Watch a daughter who does not turn away lest opportunity lead self-abuse; heed eye-impudence without surprise at being slighted. Thirsty traveler/fountain, all nearby waters, every hedge and quiver open to arrows until failure are the text's comparisons. Diligent woman delights husband and fats bones; discipline is God's gift, wisdom and silence valued with instructed soul, holiness and shamefacedness grace upon grace, continence beyond price. Beauty resembles rising sun adorning house, ripe-age face a lamp upon holy candlestick, steady feet gold pillars on silver bases, divine commandments in holy heart everlasting rock foundations. Neither a golden temple fixture nor a universal bodily-strength guarantee is added.

Two griefs and third anger are warrior fainting through poverty, sensible man despised and one passing justice to sin whom God prepares for sword. Two callings are hard and dangerous: merchant hardly free of negligence, huckster not justified from lip sins. The separate edition note explains neglect of divine service because worldly mammon can displace loving God and neighbors, and identifies huckster also as wine retailer exposed to personal sin and accessory to others' sins. It does not specify veteran starvation, wise public leaders or only customers' drunkenness.

The story inside

Opening: Good-wife years, heart and household images remain chapter assertions. Development: Fear, jealousy and daughter cautions retain their actual comparisons. Conclusion: Warrior and sensible-person grief precede trade warnings and separate edition gloss.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Good-wife years, heart and household images remain chapter assertions.
2
Fear, jealousy and daughter cautions retain their actual comparisons.
3
Warrior and sensible-person grief precede trade warnings and separate edition gloss.

Test your recall

Which images and requests does the speaker use, and what does the chapter leave unresolved?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 75854–75855
26:1. Happy is the husband of a good wife: for the number of his years is double.
Lines 75860–75861
26:3. A good wife is a good portion, she shall be given in the portion of them that fear God, to a man for his good deeds.
Lines 75917–75918
26:23. As golden pillars upon bases of silver, so are the firm feet upon the soles of a steady woman.
Lines 75932–75934
26:28. Two sorts of callings have appeared to me hard and dangerous: a merchant is hardly free from negligence: and a huckster shall not be justified from the sins of the lips.
Lines 75936–75942
From negligence.... That is, from the neglect of the service of God: because the eager pursuit of the mammon of this world, is apt to make men of that calling forget the great duties of loving God above all things, and their neighbours as themselves.—Ibid. A huckster.... Or, a retailer of wine. Men of that profession are both greatly exposed to danger of sin themselves, and are too often accessary to the sins of others.