Commentary on Sirach
Tyrannius Rufinus (344–411)
"Benjamin, ravenous wolf, still eating by morning and by evening dividing the food. All these are the twelve sons of Jacob, and the words their father said to them as he blessed them. Each according to his blessing, he blessed them." I wish that those who insist on the letter would tell me what there could be in Benjamin of the ravenous wolf, or how, eating by morning, he could then divide the food in the evening. Even the coarse Jews reject the insult of the letter in this passage. Some refer it to the greediness of the altar, meaning that it was built on Benjamin's portion, since what is offered in the morning is divided in the evening by the priests. Others, with various stories, which are nonetheless fables, admit that these words can have no literal force. In the church, many hold the opinion that this passage refers to the apostle Paul. I do not reject or question this interpretation but try to do what is written: "Hearing a wise word, he praises it and adds another." And thus to the explanation that my predecessors have validly referred to Paul and that I do not deny, I nevertheless add another. Benjamin, it says, means "son of sorrow." By lot he obtained as his inheritance…
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