This dissertation explores the role of reciprocity and gift exchange in the book of Sirach, contextualizing these themes within the author's understanding of "charity." Along with other necessary prolegomena, Chapter 1 situates this study relative to anthropological, sociological, and historical study of reciprocity and gift exchange. A brief exegesis of Sir 22:23-26 introduces the theme in Ben Sira.Chapter 2 examines a text, Sir 14:3-19, which stresses the importance of "generosity" for a life well-lived. Generosity aims at the proper enjoyment of "good," and includes a marked interest in the circulation of good in cycles of "giving, receiving, and enjoying oneself." Such generosity here likely refers above all to gift exchange among "friends." Chapter 3 examines Sir 18:15-18 and Sir 20:9-17. Both texts are concerned that gifts be coupled with proper speech, and both emphasize that words and gifts alike do things—having the potential to reinforce social solidarity (or to destroy it), and to elicit return gifts. Chapters 4 and 5 explore themes clustered around expressions for "repayment" from God. Chapter 4 looks first at Sir 35:1-13 and the concept of the sacrificial cult articulated there. Sacrifice is understood as a "gift" for God—a gift that God will reciprocate. Significantly, this passage brings both ordinary or "self-interested" generosity as well as more "altruistic" generosity within the ambit of sacrificial repayment. It is argued that this accounts for the move found in Sir 12:1-5a, where a strong claim is made about divine repayment of "ordinary," intrahuman generosity. The final sections of Chapter 4—and all of Chapter 5—then attempt to account for the incorporation of ordinary generosity into the sacrificial economy by pointing to the history of effects of texts such as Deut 26:13; Prov 10:2, 11:4, 19:17; and Deut 15:1-18.This study finds that the presence of "charity" does not abolish the category of "reciprocity" for Ben Sira. Rather, the former opens up the possibility of generosity in cases where the latter is likely to fail, while simultaneously allowing reciprocity to remain a legitimate source of social solidarity.