He
“The mountains quake
Before him.
The hills melt.”
The Hebrew letter He indicates that the great mountains would quake before Yahweh, while the small hills would melt away before him, since the might of Yahweh was limitless.
the might
The great fire (Lam 2:3-2:3)
Gimel
“He has cut down,
In fierce anger,
All the might
Of Israel.
He has withdrawn
His right hand
From them
In the face
Of the enemy.
He has burned
Like a flaming fire
In Jacob,
Consuming all around.”
Yahweh was so angry that he cut down the might of Israel. He withdrew his supporting hand so that the enemy was able to succeed. He destroyed everything that belonged to Jacob by burning it up. This verse starts with the Hebrew consonant letter Gimel. Each verse after this will use the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet in this acrostic poem.
The prayer for deliverance from foreign countries (Sir 36:1-36:12)
“Have mercy upon us!
O Lord!
God of all!
Put all the nations
In fear of you!
Lift up your hand
Against foreign nations!
Let them see your might!
As you have used us
To show your holiness to them,
So use them
To show your glory to us.
Then they will know,
As we have known,
That there is no God but you.
O Lord!
Give new signs!
Work other wonders!
Make your hand glorious!
Make your right arm glorious!
Rouse your anger!
Pour out your wrath!
Destroy the adversary!
Wipe out the enemy!
Hasten the day!
Remember the appointed time!
Let people recount
Your mighty deeds!
Let survivors be consumed
In the fiery wrath!
May those who harm your people
Meet destruction!
Crush the heads of hostile rulers
Who say.
‘There is no one but ourselves.’”
Sirach directs his prayer for deliverance directly to God, the Lord of all. He wanted God to put his fear into all the nations of the world, but especially those foreign nations. Thus they might understand the might, the holiness, and the glory of the Lord, just as they had known the Lord. He wanted new signs and wonders so that others could see the glorious arm and hand of the Lord. He wanted the Lord to get angry and show his wrath against his enemies. They should be wiped out and destroyed. He wanted this to happen soon. He wanted his enemies crushed, especially those proud rulers who thought that they could exist by themselves without God.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 