The interpretation timeline

Sir 47:19

How this passage has been read — the sources, oldest to newest.

From the early Church Fathers to now.

Sir 47:19 · Douay-Rheims
“And at the name of the Lord God, whose surname is, God of Israel.”
Patristic before A.D. 750
254
A.D.
Origen Patristic
c. A.D. 184–253
“If you reread what is written of Solomon, you will find that he, though being extremely wise, "drew near to many women," whereas the law of God says, "Do not have many wives, that they might make you commit fornication against your God." Even he, though extremely wise and of great merit before God, was nonetheless deceived, because he gave himself to many women. I think that the many women refer to the many dogmas and the various philosophies of the peoples: wanting to know and investigate them, as a man rich in knowledge and wisdom, he could not keep himself within the rule of the divine law. He was seduced by the philosophy of Moab, which persuaded him to sacrifice to the idol of Moab, and likewise to that of the Ammonites and of the other peoples. It is said that he received many women, building temples and sacrificing to their idols. Therefore: it is a great thing and truly a work of God to mix with many dogmas as with women and nevertheless to not deviate from the rule of truth but to say firmly, "There are sixty queens, and eighty concubines and young maidens without number, but one alone is my dove, my perfect one, the only daughter of her mother, the only daughter of the one who bore her."”
Source
Modern · 1953 →

The in-app commentary runs from the Fathers to the early-modern record, then stops — that's where the public-domain sources end, not where the reading does. For the modern reading, follow the sources directly.