Ben Sira’s Hebrew Poetry in Comparison with the Psalter

Many similarities exist between the psalms and Ben Sira. His descriptive hymns of praise (e.g., Sir 39:12-35) echo the psalms of praise (e.g., Psalm 33), and his individual thanksgiving (Sir 51:1-12) exhibits parallels with thanksgiving psalms (e.g., Psalm 40). His nationalistic prayer (Sir 36:1-22) recalls the Psalter’s communal laments (e.g., Psalm 79), and his Praise of the Ancestors (Sir 44:1-50:24) has parallels with historical psalms (e.g., Psalm 105). Motifs from the royal psalms (e.g., Psalm 89) find an echo, not only in his portraits of kings (e.g., Sir 47:2-22), but also in his depiction of priestly figures (e.g., Sir 50:1-24).