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Life is Brief and Death is Certain

A good reputation[a] is better[b] than precious[c] perfume;[d]
likewise,[e] the day of one’s[f] death[g] is better than the day of one’s birth.[h]
It is better to go to a funeral[i]
than a feast.[j]
For death[k] is the destiny[l] of every person,[m]
and the living should[n] take this[o] to heart.
Sorrow[p] is better than laughter,
because sober reflection[q] is good for the heart.[r]
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of merrymaking.[s]

Frivolous Living Versus Wisdom

It is better for a person to receive[t] a rebuke from those who are wise[u]
than to listen to the song[v] of fools.
For like the crackling of quick-burning thorns[w] under a cooking pot,
so is the laughter of the fool.
This kind of folly[x] also is useless.[y]

Human Wisdom Overturned by Adversity

Surely oppression[z] can turn a wise person into a fool;[aa]
likewise,[ab] a bribe corrupts[ac] the heart.[ad]
The end of a matter[ae] is better than its beginning;
likewise, patience[af] is better than pride.[ag]
Do not let yourself be quickly provoked,[ah]
for anger resides in the lap[ai] of fools.
10 Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these days?”[aj]
for it is not wise to ask that.[ak]

Wisdom Can Lengthen One’s Life

11 Wisdom, like[al] an inheritance, is a good thing;
it benefits those who see the light of day.[am]
12 For wisdom provides[an] protection,[ao]
just as[ap] money provides protection.[aq]
But the advantage of knowledge is this:
Wisdom preserves the life[ar] of its owner.

Wisdom Acknowledges God’s Orchestration of Life

13 Consider the work of God:
For who can make straight what he has bent?
14 In times of prosperity[as] be joyful,
but in times of adversity[at] consider this:
God has made one as well as the other,[au]
so that no one can discover what the future holds.[av]

Exceptions to the Law of Retribution

15 During the days of my fleeting life[aw] I have seen both[ax] of these things:
Sometimes[ay] a righteous person dies prematurely[az] in spite of[ba] his righteousness,
and sometimes[bb] a wicked person lives long[bc] in spite of his evil deeds.
16 So do not be excessively righteous or excessively[bd] wise;[be]
otherwise[bf] you might[bg] be disappointed.[bh]
17 Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool;
otherwise[bi] you might die before your time.
18 It is best to take hold of one warning[bj] without letting go of the other warning;[bk]
for the one who fears God will follow[bl] both warnings.[bm]

Wisdom Needed Because No One is Truly Righteous

19 Wisdom gives a wise person more protection[bn]
than ten rulers in a city.
20 For[bo] there is not one truly[bp] righteous person on the earth
who continually does good and never sins.
21 Also, do not pay attention to everything that people[bq] say;
otherwise,[br] you might even hear[bs] your servant cursing you.
22 For you know in your own heart[bt]
that you also have cursed others many times.

Human Wisdom is Limited

23 I have examined all this by wisdom;
I said, “I am determined[bu] to comprehend this”[bv]—but it was beyond my grasp.[bw]
24 Whatever has happened is beyond human[bx] understanding;[by]
it is far deeper than anyone can fathom.[bz]

True Righteousness and Wisdom Are Virtually Nonexistent

25 I tried[ca] to understand, examine, and comprehend[cb]
the role of[cc] wisdom in the scheme of things,[cd]
and to understand the stupidity of wickedness[ce] and the insanity of folly.[cf]
26 I discovered this:[cg]
More bitter than death is the kind of[ch] woman[ci] who is like a hunter’s snare;[cj]
her heart is like a hunter’s net and her hands are like prison chains.
The man who pleases God escapes her,
but the sinner is captured by her.
27 The Teacher says:
I discovered this while trying to discover the scheme of things, item by item.
28 What I have continually sought, I have not found;
I have found only[ck] one upright[cl] man among a thousand,
but I have not found one upright woman among all of them.
29 This alone have I discovered: God made humankind upright,
but they have sought many evil schemes.

Human Government Demonstrates Limitations of Wisdom

Who is[cm] a[cn] wise person? Who knows the solution[co] to a problem?[cp]
A person’s wisdom brightens his appearance,[cq] and softens[cr] his harsh countenance.[cs]
Obey the king’s command,[ct]
because you took[cu] an oath before God[cv] to be loyal to him.[cw]
Do not rush out of the king’s presence in haste—do not delay when the matter is unpleasant,[cx]
for he can do whatever he pleases.
Surely the king’s authority[cy] is absolute;[cz]
no one can say[da] to him, “What are you doing?”
Whoever obeys his[db] command will not experience harm,
and a wise person[dc] knows the proper time[dd] and procedure.
For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter,
for the oppression[de] of the king[df] is severe upon his victim.[dg]
Surely no one knows the future,[dh]
and no one can tell another person what will happen.[di]
Just as no one has power over the wind to restrain it,[dj]
so no one has power over the day of his[dk] death.
Just as no one can be discharged during the battle,[dl]
so wickedness cannot rescue the wicked.[dm]
While applying[dn] my mind[do] to everything[dp] that happens in this world,[dq] I have seen all this:
Sometimes one person[dr] dominates[ds] other people[dt] to their harm.[du]

Contradictions to the Law of Retribution

10 Not only that,[dv] but I have seen the wicked approaching[dw] and entering the temple,[dx]
and as they left the holy temple,[dy] they
boasted[dz] in the city that they had done so.
This also is an enigma.[ea]
11 When[eb] a sentence[ec] is not executed[ed] at once against a crime,[ee]
the human heart[ef] is encouraged to do evil.[eg]
12 Even though a sinner might commit a hundred crimes[eh] and still live a long time,[ei]
yet I know that it will go well with God-fearing people[ej]—for they stand in fear[ek] before him.
13 But it will not go well with the wicked,
nor will they[el] prolong their[em] days like a shadow,[en]
because they[eo] do not stand in fear[ep] before God.
14 Here is[eq] another[er] enigma[es] that occurs on earth:
Sometimes there are righteous people who get what the wicked deserve,[et]
and sometimes there are wicked people who get what the righteous deserve.[eu]
I said, “This also is an enigma.”

Enjoy Life In Spite of Its Injustices

15 So I recommend the enjoyment of life,[ev]
for there is nothing better on earth[ew] for a person to do[ex] except[ey] to eat, drink, and enjoy[ez] life.[fa]
So[fb] joy[fc] will accompany him in his toil
during the days of his life that God gives him on earth.[fd]

Limitations of Human Wisdom

16 When I tried[fe] to gain[ff] wisdom
and to observe the activity[fg] on earth—
even though it prevents anyone from sleeping day or night[fh]
17 then I discerned all that God has done:[fi]
No one really comprehends what happens[fj] on earth.[fk]
Despite all human[fl] efforts to discover it, no one can ever grasp[fm] it.[fn]
Even if[fo] a wise person claimed[fp] that he understood,
he would not really comprehend[fq] it.[fr]

Everyone Will Die

So I reflected on all this,[fs] attempting to clear[ft] it all up.
I concluded that[fu] the righteous and the wise, as well as their works, are in the hand of God;
whether a person will be loved or hated[fv]
no one knows what lies ahead.[fw]
Everyone shares the same fate[fx]
the righteous and the wicked,
the good and the bad,[fy]
the ceremonially clean and unclean,
those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.
What happens to the good person, also happens to the sinner;[fz]
what happens to those who make vows, also happens to those who are afraid to make vows.
This is the unfortunate fact[ga] about everything that happens on earth:[gb]
the same fate awaits[gc] everyone.
In addition to this, the hearts of all people[gd] are full of evil,
and there is folly in their hearts during their lives—then they die.[ge]

Better to Be Poor but Alive than Rich but Dead

But whoever is among[gf] the living[gg] has hope;
a live dog is better than a dead lion.
For the living know that they will die, but the dead do not know anything;
they have no further reward—and even the memory of them disappears.[gh]
What they loved,[gi] as well as what they hated[gj] and envied,[gk] perished long ago,
and they no longer have a part in anything that happens on earth.[gl]

Life is Brief, so Cherish its Joys

Go, eat your food[gm] with joy,
and drink your wine with a happy heart,
because God has already approved your works.
Let your clothes always be white,
and do not spare precious ointment on your head.
Enjoy[gn] life with your beloved wife[go] during all the days of your fleeting[gp] life
that God[gq] has given you on earth[gr] during all your fleeting days;[gs]
for that is your reward in life and in your burdensome work[gt] on earth.[gu]
10 Whatever you find to do with your hands,[gv]
do it with all your might,
because there is neither work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave,[gw]
the place where you will eventually go.[gx]

Wisdom Cannot Protect against Seemingly Chance Events

11 Again,[gy] I observed this on the earth:[gz]
the race is not always[ha] won by the swiftest,
the battle is not always won by the strongest;
prosperity[hb] does not always belong to those who are the wisest,
wealth does not always belong to those who are the most discerning,
nor does success[hc] always come to those with the most knowledge—
for time and chance may overcome[hd] them all.
12 Surely, no one[he] knows his appointed time.[hf]
Like fish that are caught in a deadly[hg] net, and like birds that are caught in a snare—
just like them, all people[hh] are ensnared[hi] at an unfortunate[hj] time that falls upon them suddenly.

Most People Are Not Receptive to Wise Counsel

13 This is what I also observed about wisdom on earth,[hk]
and it is a great burden[hl] to me:
14 There was once[hm] a small city with a few men in it,
and a mighty king attacked it, besieging[hn] it and building strong[ho] siege works against it.
15 However, a poor but wise man lived in the city,[hp]
and he could have delivered[hq] the city by his wisdom,
but no one listened to[hr] that poor man.
16 So I concluded that wisdom is better than might,[hs]
but a poor man’s wisdom is despised; no one ever listens[ht] to his advice.[hu]

Wisdom versus Fools, Sin, and Folly

17 The words of the wise are heard in quiet,
more than the shouting of a ruler is heard[hv] among fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner can destroy much that is good.

Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 7:1 tn Heb “name.” The Hebrew term שֵׁם (shem, “name”) is used metonymically for a person’s reputation (e.g., Prov 22:1; Deut 22:14, 19; Neh 6:13; also Gen 6:4; 12:2; 2 Sam 7:9; 8:13; 23:18, 22; 1 Chr 5:24; 12:31; 2 Chr 26:15; Neh 9:10; Isa 63:12, 14; Jer 32:20; Ezek 16:14; Dan 9:15); cf. HALOT 1549 s.v. שֵׁם D.2; BDB 1028 s.v. שֵׁם 2.b.
  2. Ecclesiastes 7:1 tn The comparative term טוֹב (tov, “better”) is repeated throughout 7:1-12. It introduces a series of “Better-than sayings,” particularly in 7:1-6 in which every poetic unit is introduced by טוֹב.
  3. Ecclesiastes 7:1 tn Heb “good.” The repetition of טוֹב (tov, “good”) forms an inclusion (a structural device that rounds off the unit), while the two internal terms מִשֶּׁמֶןשֵׁם (shem mishemen, “name…ointment”) create a paronomastic wordplay (see the note on the word “perfume”). The combination of these two sets of literary devices creates an AB:B'A' chiasm: מִשֶּׁמֶן טוֹב // שֵׁם טוֹב (tov shem // mishemen tov, e.g., “good name”// “ointment good”).
  4. Ecclesiastes 7:1 tn Or “oil”; or “ointment.” The term שֶׁמֶן (shemen) refers to fragrant “perfume; cologne; ointment” (Amos 6:6; Eccl 10:1; Song 1:2 [1:3 HT]; 4:10); see HALOT 1568 s.v. שֶׁמֶן A.2.c. Bodily oils were expensive (1 Kgs 17:12; 2 Kgs 2:4). Possession of oils and perfumes was a sign of prosperity (Deut 32:8; 33:24; Job 29:6; Prov 21:17; Ezek 16:13, 20). Wearing colognes and oils was associated with joy (Ps 45:8; Eccl 9:8; Isa 61:3) because they were worn on festive occasions (Prov 27:9). The similar sounding terms “name” (שֵׁם, shem) and “perfume” (שֶׁמֶן) create a wordplay (paronomasia). See W. G. E. Watson, Classical Hebrew Poetry (JSOTSup), 242-43; J. J. Glück, “Paronomasia in Biblical Literature,” Semitics 1 (1970): 50-78; A. Guillaume, “Paronomasia in the Old Testament.” JSS 9 (1964): 282-90; J. M. Sasson, “Wordplay in the OT,” IDBSup 968-70.
  5. Ecclesiastes 7:1 tn The vav prefixed to the form וְיוֹם (veyom) functions in a comparative sense, e.g., Job 5:7; 12:11; 16:21; Prov 25:25 (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 71, §437).
  6. Ecclesiastes 7:1 tn The word “one’s” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.
  7. Ecclesiastes 7:1 tn The article prefixed to הַמָּוֶת (hammavet, “death”) probably functions in an indefinite possessive sense or in a generic sense: “one’s death,” e.g., Gen 44:2 (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 19, §86, §92).
  8. Ecclesiastes 7:1 sn There are two ways to understand this proverb: (1) Happy times (characterized by celebration and “fragrant perfume”) teach us less than hard times (“the day of one’s death”) which can bring about moral improvement (“a good reputation”). (2) It is better to come to the end of one’s life (“day of one’s death”) with a good reputation (“a good name”) than to merely be starting life (“day of one’s birth”) in an auspicious manner in joy and wealth (“fine perfume”). Folly and wickedness could foil a good beginning so that a person ends life as a fool. For example, Solomon began as the wisest man who ever lived, only to end life as one of history’s greatest fools.
  9. Ecclesiastes 7:2 tn Heb “house of mourning.” The phrase refers to a funeral where the deceased is mourned.
  10. Ecclesiastes 7:2 tn Heb “house of drinking”; or “house of feasting.” The Hebrew noun מִשְׁתֶּה (mishteh) can denote (1) “feast; banquet,” occasion for drinking-bouts (1 Sam 25:36; Isa 5:12; Jer 51:39; Job 1:5; Esth 2:18; 5:14; 8:17; 9:19) or (2) “drink” (exilic/postexilic—Ezra 3:7; Dan 1:5, 8, 16); see HALOT 653 s.v. מִשְׁתֶּה 4; BDB 1059 s.v. שָׁתַה.sn Qoheleth recommended that people soberly reflect on the brevity of life and the reality of death (It is better to go to a house of mourning) than to waste one’s life in the foolish pursuit of pleasure (than to go to a house of banqueting). Sober reflection on the brevity of life and reality of death has more moral benefit than frivolous levity.
  11. Ecclesiastes 7:2 tn Heb “it”; the referent (“death”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  12. Ecclesiastes 7:2 tn Heb “the end.” The noun סוֹף (sof) literally means “end; conclusion” (HALOT 747 s.v. סוֹף 1; BDB 693 s.v. סוֹף). It is used in this context in reference to death, as the preceding phrase “house of mourning” (i.e., funeral) suggests.
  13. Ecclesiastes 7:2 tn Heb “all men” or “every man.”
  14. Ecclesiastes 7:2 tn The imperfect tense verb יִתֵּן, yitten (from נָתָן, natan, “to give”) functions in a modal sense, denoting obligation, that is, the subject’s obligatory or necessary conduct: “should” or “ought to” (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 31-32, §172; IBHS 508-9 §31.4g).
  15. Ecclesiastes 7:2 tn The word “this” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness.
  16. Ecclesiastes 7:3 tn NEB suggests “grief”; NJPS, “vexation.”
  17. Ecclesiastes 7:3 tn Heb “in sadness of face there is good for the heart.”
  18. Ecclesiastes 7:3 tn Or possibly “Though the face is sad, the heart may be glad.”
  19. Ecclesiastes 7:4 sn The expression the house of merrymaking refers to a banquet where those who attend engage in self-indulgent feasting and riotous drinking.
  20. Ecclesiastes 7:5 tn Heb “hear.”
  21. Ecclesiastes 7:5 tn Heb “rebuke of the wise,” a subjective genitive (“the wise” administer the rebuke).
  22. Ecclesiastes 7:5 tn Or “praise.” The antithetical parallelism between “rebuke” (גַּעֲרַת, gaʿarat) and “song” (שִׁיר, shir) suggests that the latter is figurative (metonymy of association) for praise/flattery which is “music” to the ears: “praise of fools” (NEB, NJPS) and “flattery of fools” (Douay). However, the collocation of “song” (שִׁיר) in 7:5 with “laughter” (שְׂחֹק, sekhoq) in 7:6 suggests simply frivolous merrymaking: “song of fools” (KJV, NASB, NIV, ASV, RSV, NRSV).
  23. Ecclesiastes 7:6 tn The term “thorns” (הַסִּירִים, hassirim) refers to twigs from wild thorn bushes which were used as fuel for quick heat, but burn out quickly before a cooking pot can be properly heated (e.g., Pss 58:9; 118:12).
  24. Ecclesiastes 7:6 tn The word “kind of folly” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.
  25. Ecclesiastes 7:6 tn It is difficult to determine whether the Hebrew term הֶבֶל (hevel) means “fleeting” or “useless” in this context. The imagery of quick-burning thorns under a cooking pot is ambiguous and can be understood in more than one way: (1) It is useless to try to heat a cooking pot by burning thorns because they burn out before the pot can be properly heated; (2) the heat produced by quick-burning thorns is fleeting—it produces quick heat, but lasts only for a moment. Likewise, the “laughter of a fool” can be taken in both ways: (1) In comparison to the sober reflection of the wise, the laughter of fools is morally useless: the burning of thorns, like the laughter of fools, makes a lot of noise but accomplishes nothing; (2) the laughter of fools is fleeting due to the brevity of life and certainty of death. Perhaps this is an example of intentional ambiguity.
  26. Ecclesiastes 7:7 tn Or “extortion.” Scholars debate whether the noun עֹשֶׁק (ʿosheq, “oppression; extortion”) in this context denotes “oppression” (HALOT 897 s.v. עֹשֶׁק 1) or “gain of extortion” (BDB 799 s.v. עֹשֶׁק 3). The parallelism between עֹשֶׁק and מַתָּנָה (mattanah, “bribe”) seems to suggest the latter, but the prominence of the theme of oppression in 7:8-10 argues for the former. Elsewhere in Ecclesiastes, the noun עֹשֶׁק denotes “oppression” (Eccl 4:1) and “extortion” (Eccl 5:8 [Heb 5:7]). The LXX rendered it as συκοφαντία (sukophantia, “oppression”). English translations are split between these two options: “extortion” (ASV, MLB, NIV), “oppression” (KJV, NAB, NASB, RSV, NRSV, YLT, Douay, Moffatt), as well as “cheating” (NJPS) and “slander” (NEB).
  27. Ecclesiastes 7:7 tn Or “Oppression drives a wise person crazy”; or “Extortion drives a wise person crazy.” The verb III הלל (“to be foolish”) denotes “to make foolish; to make a fool out of someone; to make into a madman” (Job 12:17; Isa 44:25); cf. HALOT 249 s.v. III הלל; BDB 239 s.v. II הלל. It has been handled variously: “makes a wise man mad” (KJV, NASB); “drives a wise man crazy” (NEB); “can make a fool of a wise man” (NAB); “makes the wise man foolish” (RSV, NRSV); and “turns a wise man into a fool” (NIV).
  28. Ecclesiastes 7:7 tn The vav prefixed to וִיאַבֵּד (viʾabbed, “corrupts”) may function in a comparative sense, e.g., Job 5:7; 12:11; 16:21; Prov 25:25 (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 71, §437).
  29. Ecclesiastes 7:7 tc The text has וִיאַבֵּד (viʾabbed, conjunction plus Piel imperfect third person masculine singular from אָבַד, ʾavad, “to destroy”), but the Dead Sea Scrolls text 4Q109 (Qoha), which reads ,ויעוה assumes ויעוה “twists” or “perverts” (conjunction plus Piel imperfect third person masculine singular from עָוָה I, ʿavah, “to bend; to twist.” See J. Muilenburg, “A Qoheleth Scroll from Qumran,” BASOR 135 [1954]: 27). The verb I עָוָה (“to bend; to twist”) is used in reference to moral perversion (e.g., 2 Sam 7:14; 19:20; 24:17; 1 Kgs 8:47; Job 33:27; Prov 12:8; Jer 9:4); cf. HALOT 796-97 s.v. עוה; BDB 730 s.v. I עָוָה. The verb ויאבד is used similarly in reference to moral corruption, e.g., Eccl 3:6; 9:18; Jer 23:1 (HALOT 3 s.v. I אבד; BDB 2 s.v. אָבַד 2).
  30. Ecclesiastes 7:7 tn Or “and a bribe drives a person mad.” The noun לֵב (lev, “heart”) may be taken as a synecdoche of part (i.e., heart) for the whole (i.e., a person). HALOT 3 s.v. I אבד suggests that וִיאַבֵּד לֵב (viʾabbed lev, “destroys the heart”) is an idiom meaning, “drives a person mad.” The B-line is taken as a comparison with the preceding A-line. On the other hand, the A-line and B-line might be in synonymous parallelism in which case the two lines could be rendered: “Surely [the gain of] extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.” On the other hand, the lines could be rendered, “Surely oppression drives a wise man crazy, and a bribe drives a person mad.”
  31. Ecclesiastes 7:8 tn The term דָבָר (davar) denotes “matter; thing” here rather than “speech; word,” as the parallelism with “patience” suggests. The term was misunderstood as “speech; word” by the Vulgate (so also Douay).
  32. Ecclesiastes 7:8 tn Heb “the patient of spirit.”
  33. Ecclesiastes 7:8 tn Heb “the proud of spirit.”
  34. Ecclesiastes 7:9 tn Heb “Do not be hasty in your spirit to become angry.”
  35. Ecclesiastes 7:9 tn Heb “bosom.”
  36. Ecclesiastes 7:10 tn Heb “these.” “Days” does not appear in the Hebrew text as second time, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness.
  37. Ecclesiastes 7:10 tn Heb “It is not from wisdom that you ask about this.”
  38. Ecclesiastes 7:11 tn Or “Wisdom with an inheritance, is good”; or “Wisdom is as good as an inheritance.” This use of the preposition עִם (ʿim) may denote: (1) accompaniment: “together with,” or (2) comparison: “as good as; like; in comparison to” (HALOT 839-40 s.v. עִם; BDB 767-69 s.v. עִם). BDB 767 s.v. 1 suggests the accompaniment nuance “together with,” while HALOT 840 s.v. 2.c suggests the comparative sense “in comparison to.” The translations are also divided: “wisdom with an inheritance is good” (KJV, ASV margin, RSV, NASB, YLT); “wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing” (NIV); “wisdom is as good as an inheritance” (ASV, NRSV, MLB, NJPS, Moffatt); “wisdom is better than an inheritance” (NEB). Because v. 12 compares wisdom with money (i.e., an inheritance), v. 11 is probably making a comparison as well: “Wisdom, like an inheritance, is good” (7:11a) = “Wisdom provides protection, just as money provides protection” (7:12a). The “good thing” that wisdom—like an inheritance or money—provides is protection.
  39. Ecclesiastes 7:11 tn Heb “see the sun.”
  40. Ecclesiastes 7:12 tn Heb “wisdom is a shade.” When used with a predicate nominative in a verbless clause, the preposition ב (bet) which appears twice in the line בְּצֵל הַחָכְמָה בְּצֵל הַכָּסֶף (betsel hakhokhmah betsel hakkasef) denotes identity, the so-called bet of essence (HALOT 104 s.v. בְּ 3; BDB 88 s.v. בְּ 1.7; see also R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 45, §249).
  41. Ecclesiastes 7:12 tn The term צֵל (tsel, “shade, shadow”) refers to that which provides protection or a shelter from the sun (Gen 19:8; Judg 9:36; Isa 25:5; 32:2; Jer 48:45; Jonah 4:5). It is used often in a figurative sense (hypocatastasis) to connote “protection” from calamity (Num 14:9; Isa 49:2; Hos 14:8; Pss 17:8; 36:8; 57:2; 63:8; 91:1; 121:5; Lam 4:20).
  42. Ecclesiastes 7:12 tn The phrase “just as” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness and clarity.
  43. Ecclesiastes 7:12 tn Heb “Wisdom is a shade, money is a shade.” The repetition of בְּצֵל (betsel, “shade; protection”) suggests that the A-line and B-line function as comparisons. Thus the Hebrew phrases “Wisdom is a shade, money is a shade” may be nuanced, “Wisdom [provides] protection [just as] money [provides] protection.” This approach is adopted by several translations: “wisdom is a defense, as money is a defense” (ASV), “wisdom is protection just as money is protection” (NASB), “wisdom like wealth is a defense” (Moffatt), “the protection of wisdom is as the protection of money” (NAB), “the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money” (RSV, NRSV), “wisdom protects as wealth protects” (MLB), and “wisdom is a shelter, as money is a shelter” (NIV). The comparison is missed by KJV “wisdom is a defense, and money is a defense.” Less likely is taking ב (bet) in a locative sense: “to be in the shelter of wisdom is to be in the shelter of money” (NJPS).
  44. Ecclesiastes 7:12 tn The verb חָיָה (khayah, “to live”) in the Piel denotes (1) “to let live; to keep alive; to preserve alive; to allow to live happily” (Gen 12:12; Exod 1:17; Num 31:15; Deut 6:24; Josh 9:15; Isa 7:21; Jer 49:11) and (2) “to bring back to life” persons who are ill (Ps 30:4) or deceased (Hos 6:2); HALOT 309 s.v. חָיָה. Its parallelism with צֵל (tsel, “protection”) indicates that it means “to preserve someone’s life” from premature death or calamity. Therefore, “preserves the life” (RSV, NAB, ASV, NASB, NIV, NJPS) is preferable to “gives life to” (KJV, Douay, NRSV, YLT).
  45. Ecclesiastes 7:14 tn Heb “the day of good.”
  46. Ecclesiastes 7:14 tn Heb “the day of evil.”
  47. Ecclesiastes 7:14 tn Less probable renderings of this line are “God hath made the one side by side with the other” (ASV) and “God has set the one alongside the other” (NEB).
  48. Ecclesiastes 7:14 tn Heb “anything after him.” This line is misinterpreted by several versions: “that man may not find against him any just complaint” (Douay); “consequently, man may find no fault with Him” (NJPS); “so that man cannot find fault with him in anything” (NAB).
  49. Ecclesiastes 7:15 tn The word “life” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness and clarity.
  50. Ecclesiastes 7:15 tn As is the case throughout Ecclesiastes, the term הַכֹּל (hakkol) should be nuanced “both” rather than “all.”
  51. Ecclesiastes 7:15 tn Heb “There is.” The term יֵשׁ (yesh, “there is”) is often used in aphorisms to assert the existence of a particular situation that occurs sometimes. It may indicate that the situation is not the rule but that it does occur on occasion, and may be nuanced “sometimes” (Prov 11:24; 13:7, 23; 14:12; 16:25; 18:24; 20:15; Eccl 2:21; 4:8; 5:12; 6:1; 7:15 [2x]; 8:14 [3x]).
  52. Ecclesiastes 7:15 tn Heb “perishes.”
  53. Ecclesiastes 7:15 tn Or “in his righteousness.” The preposition ב (bet) on the terms בְּצִרְקוֹ (betsirqo, “his righteousness”) and בְּרָעָתוֹ (beraʿato, “his evil-doing”) in the following line are traditionally taken in a locative sense: “in his righteousness” and “in his wickedness” (KJV, NASB, NIV). However, it is better to take the ב (bet) in the adversative sense “in spite of” (e.g., Lev 26:27; Num 14:11; Deut 1:32; Isa 5:25; 9:11, 16, 20; 10:4; 16:14; 47:9; Pss 27:3; 78:32; Ezra 3:3); cf. HALOT 104 s.v. בְּ 7; BDB 90 s.v. בְּ 3.7. NJPS renders it well: “Sometimes a good man perishes in spite of his goodness, and sometimes a wicked one endures in spite of his wickedness.” In a similar vein, D. R. Glenn (“Ecclesiastes,” BKCOT, 993-94) writes: “The word ‘in’ in the phrases ‘in his righteousness’ and ‘in his wickedness’ can here mean ‘in spite of.’ These phrases…argue against the common view that in 7:16 Solomon was warning against legalistic or Pharisaic self-righteousness. Such would have been a sin and would have been so acknowledged by Solomon who was concerned about true exceptions to the doctrine of retribution, not supposed ones (cf. 8:10-14 where this doctrine is discussed again).”
  54. Ecclesiastes 7:15 tn Heb “There is.” The term יֵשׁ (yesh, “there is”) is often used in aphorisms to assert the existence of a particular situation that occurs sometimes. It may indicate that the situation is not the rule but that it does occur on occasion, and may be nuanced “sometimes” (Prov 11:24; 13:7, 23; 14:12; 16:25; 18:24; 20:15; Eccl 2:21; 4:8; 5:12; 6:1; 7:15 [2x]; 8:14 [3x]).
  55. Ecclesiastes 7:15 tn Heb “a wicked man endures.”
  56. Ecclesiastes 7:16 tn The adjective יוֹתֵר (yoter) means “too much; excessive,” e.g., 2:15 “excessively wise” (HALOT 404 s.v. יוֹתֵר 2; BDB 452 s.v. יוֹתֵר). It is derived from the root יֶתֶר (yeter, “what is left over”; cf. HALOT 452 s.v. I יֶתֶר) and related to the verb יָתַר (yatar, Niphal “to be left over” and Hiphil “to have left over”; cf. HALOT 451-52). In 2:15 the adjective יוֹתֵר is used with the noun יִתְרוֹן (yitron, “advantage; profit”) in a wordplay or pun: The wise man has a relative “advantage” (יִתְרוֹן) over the fool (2:13-14a); however, there is no ultimate advantage because both share the same fate—death (2:14b-15a). Thus, Qoheleth’s acquisition of tremendous wisdom (1:16; 2:9) was “excessive” because it exceeded its relative advantage over folly: it could not deliver him from the same fate as the fool. He strove to obtain wisdom, yet it held no ultimate advantage. Likewise, in 7:16, Qoheleth warns that wisdom and righteous behavior do not guarantee an advantage over wickedness and folly, because the law of retribution is sometimes violated.
  57. Ecclesiastes 7:16 tn Heb “So do not be overly righteous and do not be overly wise.” The Hitpael verb תִּתְחַכַּם (titkhakkam, from חָכַם, khakham, “to be wise”) means “to make or show yourself wise” (HALOT 314 s.v. חכם; BDB 314 s.v. חָכַם). The Hitpael may be understood as: (1) benefactive reflexive use which refers to an action done for one’s own behalf (e.g., Gen 20:7; Josh 9:12; 1 Kgs 8:33; Job 13:27): because the law of retribution is sometimes violated, it is not wise for a person to be overly dependent upon wisdom or righteousness for his own benefit; (2) estimative-declarative reflexive which denotes esteeming or presenting oneself in a certain state, without regard to the question of truthfulness (e.g., 2 Sam 13:5; Prov 13:6; Esth 8:17): it is useless to overly esteem oneself as wise or to falsely present oneself as wiser than he really is because the law of retribution sometimes fails to reward the wise. The enigma of this line—“overly righteous and overly wise”—may be resolved by proper classification of the Hitpael stem of this verb.
  58. Ecclesiastes 7:16 tn Heb “Why?” The question is rhetorical.
  59. Ecclesiastes 7:16 tn The imperfect of שָׁמֵם (shamem) functions in a modal sense, denoting possibility: “you might be…” (see IBHS 508 §31.4e).
  60. Ecclesiastes 7:16 tn Or “Why should you ruin yourself?”; or “Why should you destroy yourself?” The verb שָׁמֵם (shamem) is traditionally taken as “to destroy; to ruin oneself.” For its use here HALOT 1566 s.v. שׁמם 2 has “to cause oneself ruin”; BDB 1031 s.v. שָׁמֵם 2 has “cause oneself desolation, ruin.” Most English versions take a similar approach: “Why destroy yourself?” (KJV, ASV, NEB, NRSV, MLB, NIV); “Why ruin yourself?” (NAB, NASB). However, in the Hitpolel stem the root שׁמם never means this elsewhere, but is always nuanced elsewhere as “to be appalled; to be astonished; to be dumbfounded; to be confounded; to be horrified” (e.g., Ps 143:4; Isa 59:16; 63:5; Dan 8:27); cf. BDB 1031 s.v. שָׁמֵם 1; HALOT 1566 s.v. שׁמם 1. It is taken this way in the English version of the Tanakh: “or you may be dumbfounded” (NJPS). Likewise, Cohen renders, “Why should you be overcome with amazement?” (A. Cohen, The Five Megilloth [SoBB], 154). If a person was trusting in his own righteousness or wisdom to guarantee prosperity, he might be scandalized by the exceptions to the doctrine of retribution that Qoheleth had observed in 7:15. D. R. Glenn (“Ecclesiastes,” BKCOT, 994) notes: “This fits in nicely with Solomon’s argument here. He urged his readers not to be over-righteous or over-wise ‘lest they be confounded or astonished.’ He meant that they should not depend on their righteousness or wisdom to guarantee God’s blessing because they might be confounded, dismayed, or disappointed like the righteous people whom Solomon had seen perishing in spite of their righteousness [in 7:15].” See GKC 149 §54.c.
  61. Ecclesiastes 7:17 tn Heb “Why?” The question is rhetorical.
  62. Ecclesiastes 7:18 tn The word “warning” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation two times in this line for clarity.
  63. Ecclesiastes 7:18 sn The other warning. Qoheleth is referring to the two words of advice in 7:16-17. He is not, as some suggest, urging his readers to grasp righteousness without letting go of wickedness. His point is not that people should live their lives with a balance of modest righteousness and modest wickedness. Because he urges the fear of God in 7:18b, he cannot be inconsistent in suggesting that his readers offend the fear of God by indulging in some degree of sin in order to counterbalance an overly righteous life. Rather, the proper fear of God will prevent a person from trusting in righteousness and wisdom alone for his security, and it will also prevent indulgence in wickedness and folly.
  64. Ecclesiastes 7:18 tn Or “will escape both”; or “will go forth in both.” The Hebrew phrase יֵצֵא אֶת־כֻּלָּם (yetseʾ ʾet kullam, “he will follow both of them”) has been interpreted in several ways: (1) To adopt a balanced lifestyle that is moderately righteous while allowing for self-indulgence in moderate wickedness (“to follow both of them,” that is, to follow both righteousness and wickedness). However, this seems to unnecessarily encourage an antinomian rationalization of sin and moral compromise. (2) To avoid the two extremes of being over-righteous and over-wicked. This takes יֵצֵא in the sense of “to escape,” e.g., Gen 39:12, 15; 1 Sam 14:14; Jer 11:11; 48:9; cf. HALOT 426 s.v. יצא 6.c; BDB 423 s.v. יָצָא 1.d. (3) To follow both of the warnings given in 7:16-17. This approach finds parallels in postbiblical rabbinic literature denoting the action of discharging one’s duty of obedience and complying with instruction. In postbiblical rabbinic literature the phrase יְדֵי יֵצֵא (yetseʾ yede, “to go out of the hands of”) is an idiom meaning “to comply with the requirements of the law” (Jastrow 587 s.v. יָצָא Hif.5.a). This fits nicely with the context of 7:16-17 in which Qoheleth issued two warnings. In 7:18a Qoheleth exhorted his readers to follow both of his warnings: “It is best to grasp the first warning without letting go of the second warning.” The person who fears God will heed both warnings. He will not depend upon his own righteousness and wisdom, but upon God’s sovereign bestowal of blessings. Likewise, he will not exploit the exceptions to the doctrine of retribution to indulge in sin, rationalizing sin away just because the wicked sometimes do not get what they deserve.
  65. Ecclesiastes 7:18 tn Heb “both.” The term “warnings” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity. Alternately, “both [extremes]” or “both [fates].” The point of this expression is either (1) “ he achieves both things,” (2) “he escapes all these misfortunes,” (3) “he does his duty by both,” or (4) “he avoids both extremes.” See D. Barthélemy, ed., Preliminary and Interim Report on the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, 3:580-81.
  66. Ecclesiastes 7:19 tn Heb “gives strength.”
  67. Ecclesiastes 7:20 tn The introductory particle כִּי (ki) is rendered variously: “for” (KJV); “indeed” (NASB); not translated (NIV); “for” (NJPS). The particle functions in an explanatory sense, explaining the need for wisdom in v. 19. Righteousness alone cannot always protect a person from calamity (7:15-16); therefore, something additional, such as wisdom, is needed. The need for wisdom as protection from calamity is particularly evident in the light of the fact that no one is truly righteous (7:19-20).
  68. Ecclesiastes 7:20 tn The term “truly” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity. Qoheleth does not deny the existence of some people who are relatively righteous.
  69. Ecclesiastes 7:21 tn Heb “they”; the referent (people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  70. Ecclesiastes 7:21 tn Heb “so that you do not hear…”; or “lest you hear….”
  71. Ecclesiastes 7:21 tn The imperfect tense verb תִשְׁמַע (tishmaʿ; from שָׁמַע [shamaʿ, “to hear”]) functions in a modal sense, denoting possibility: “you might hear” (see IBHS 508 §31.4e).
  72. Ecclesiastes 7:22 tn Heb “your heart knows.”
  73. Ecclesiastes 7:23 tn The cohortative אֶחְכָּמָה (ʾekhkamah, from חָכַם, khakham, “to be wise”) emphasizes the resolve (determination) of Qoheleth to become wise enough to understand the perplexities of life.
  74. Ecclesiastes 7:23 tn Or “I am determined to become wise”
  75. Ecclesiastes 7:23 tn Or “but it eluded me”; Heb “but it was far from me.”
  76. Ecclesiastes 7:24 tn The word “human” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  77. Ecclesiastes 7:24 tn Heb “is far away.”
  78. Ecclesiastes 7:24 tn Heb “It is deep, deep—who can find it?” The repetition of the word “deep” emphasizes the degree of incomprehensibility. See IBHS 233-34 §12.5a.
  79. Ecclesiastes 7:25 tn Heb “I turned, I, even my heart.”
  80. Ecclesiastes 7:25 tn Heb “to seek.”
  81. Ecclesiastes 7:25 tn The phrase “the role of” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness.
  82. Ecclesiastes 7:25 tn The phrase חָכְמָה וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן (khokhmah vekheshbon, “wisdom and the scheme of things”) is a hendiadys (a figure of speech in which two nouns connote one idea): “wisdom in the scheme of things.” This is similar to the hendiadys עִצְּבוֹנֵךְ וְהֵרֹנֵךְ (ʿitsevonekh veheronekh, “pain and childbearing”) which connotes “pain in childbearing” (Gen 3:16).
  83. Ecclesiastes 7:25 tn Or “the evil of folly” The genitive construct phrase רֶשַׁע כֶּסֶל (reshaʿ kesel) may be taken as a genitive of attribution (“the wickedness of folly”) or as a genitive of attribute (“the folly of wickedness”). The English versions treat it in various ways: “wickedness of folly” (KJV); “wrong of folly” (YLT); “evil of folly” (NASB); “stupidity of wickedness” (NIV); “wickedness, stupidity” (NJPS); “wickedness is folly [or foolish]” (ASV, NAB, NRSV, MLB, Moffatt), and “it is folly to be wicked” (NEB).
  84. Ecclesiastes 7:25 tn Or “the folly of madness” The genitive construct phrase וְהַסִּכְלוּת הוֹלֵלוֹת (vehassikhelut holelot) may be taken as a genitive of attribution (“the stupidity of wickedness”) or a genitive of attribute (“the evil of folly”). The phrase is rendered variously: “foolishness and madness” (KJV); “foolishness of madness” (NASB); “madness of folly” (NIV); “madness and folly” (NJPS); “the foolishness which is madness” (NEB); and “foolishness [or folly] is madness” (ASV, NAB, NRSV, MLB, Moffatt).
  85. Ecclesiastes 7:26 tn The word “this” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness.
  86. Ecclesiastes 7:26 tn The phrase “kind of” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity (see the following note on the word “woman”).
  87. Ecclesiastes 7:26 tn The article on הָאִשָּׁה (haʾishah) functions in a particularizing sense (“the kind of woman”) rather than in a generic sense (i.e., “women”).
  88. Ecclesiastes 7:26 tn Heb “is snares.” The plural form מְצוֹדִים (metsodim, from the noun I מָצוֹד, matsod, “snare”) is used to connote either intensity, repeated or habitual action, or moral characteristic. For the function of the Hebrew plural, see IBHS 120-21 §7.4.2. The term II מָצוֹד “snare” is used in a concrete sense in reference to the hunter’s snare or net, but in a figurative sense of being ensnared by someone (Job 19:6; Prov 12:12; Eccl 7:26).
  89. Ecclesiastes 7:28 tn The word “only” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness.
  90. Ecclesiastes 7:28 tn The word “upright” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation twice, here and in the following line, for clarity.
  91. Ecclesiastes 8:1 tn The preposition כ (kaf) prefixed to כְּהֶחָכָם (kehekhakham, “wise man”) is traditionally taken in a comparative sense: “Who is like [or as] the wise man?” On the other hand, it may denote identity, e.g., Gen 1:26; Num 11:1; 1 Sam 20:3; 2 Sam 9:8; Neh 7:2; Job 10:9; Nah 3:6 (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 47, §261; IBHS 202-4 §11.2.9b).
  92. Ecclesiastes 8:1 tn The definite article on הֶחָכָם (hekhakham, “wise man”) may be taken in an individualizing (“the wise man”) or generic sense (“a wise man”).
  93. Ecclesiastes 8:1 tn Or “the explanation.” The noun פֵּשֶׁר (pesher) denotes “solution; explanation; interpretation; meaning” (HALOT 982-83 s.v. פֵּשֶׁר; BDB 833 s.v. פֵּשֶׁר). The Hebrew term is an Aramaic loanword from פִּשְׁרָא (pishraʾ, “diagnosis; meaning; solution”). The Aramaic noun פְּשַׁר (peshar, “interpretation of a dream or prophecy”) and verb פְּשַׁר (peshar, “to interpret a dream or prophecy”) reflect a later meaning not present in Ecclesiastes, but current at the time of Daniel (Dan 2:5-7; 4:3, 15, 16; 5:12, 15, 16; 7:16) and Qumran (e.g., 1QpHab).
  94. Ecclesiastes 8:1 tn Heb “a thing.”
  95. Ecclesiastes 8:1 tn Heb “makes his face shine.”
  96. Ecclesiastes 8:1 tc The MT vocalizes the consonantal form ישנא as יְשֻׁנֶּא (yeshunneʾ, Pual imperfect third person masculine singular from I שָׁנָה, shanah, “to change”). However, the LXX μισθήσεται (misthēsetai) reflects an alternate vocalization tradition of יִשָּׂנֵא (yissaneʾ, Niphal imperfect third person masculine singular from שָׂנֵא, saneʾ, “to hate”), while the Vulgate’s commutabit reflects יְשַׁנֶּה (yeshanneh, Piel imperfect third person masculine singular from II שָׁנָה, shanah, “to repeat”).tn Heb “the strength of his face is changed.”
  97. Ecclesiastes 8:1 tn Heb “the strength of his face is changed.” The expression עֹז פָּנָיו (ʿoz panayv, “strength of his face”) is an idiom for “boldness; impudence” (BDB 739 s.v. עֹז 4) or “hard face” = harsh countenance (HALOT 805 s.v. I עֹז 1.c).
  98. Ecclesiastes 8:2 tc The Leningrad Codex (the basis of BHS) reads אֲנִי (ʾani, first person common singular independent personal pronoun): “I obey the king’s command.” Other medieval Hebrew mss and all the versions (LXX, Vulgate, Targum, Syriac Peshitta) preserve an alternate textual tradition of the definite accusative marker אֶת (ʾet) introducing the direct object: אֶת־פִּי־מֶלֶךְ שְׁמוֹר (ʾet pi melekh shemor, “Obey the command of the king”). External evidence supports the alternate textual tradition. The MT is guilty of simple orthographic confusion between similar looking letters. The BHS editors and the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project adopt אֶת as the original reading. See D. Barthélemy, ed., Preliminary and Interim Report on the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, 3:582-83.
  99. Ecclesiastes 8:2 tn The phrase “you took” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness.
  100. Ecclesiastes 8:2 tn The genitive-construct שְׁבוּעַת אֱלֹהִים (shevuʿat ʾelohim, “an oath of God”) functions as a genitive of location (“an oath before God”) or an adjectival genitive of attribute (“a supreme oath”).
  101. Ecclesiastes 8:2 tn The words “to be loyal to him” do not appear in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  102. Ecclesiastes 8:3 tn Or “do not stand up for a bad cause.”
  103. Ecclesiastes 8:4 tn Heb “word.”
  104. Ecclesiastes 8:4 tn Heb “supreme.”
  105. Ecclesiastes 8:4 tn Heb “Who can say…?”
  106. Ecclesiastes 8:5 tn The word “his” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness and clarity.
  107. Ecclesiastes 8:5 tn Heb “the heart of a wise man.”
  108. Ecclesiastes 8:5 tn The term עֵת (ʿet, “time”) connotes “a proper, suitable time for an event; the right moment” (HALOT 900 s.v. עֵת 6; BDB 773 s.v. עֵת 2.b); e.g., “it was the time for rain” (Ezra 10:13); “a time of judgment for the nations” (Ezek 30:3); “there is an appropriate time for every occasion” (Eccl 3:1); “the time when mountain goats are born” (Job 39:1); “the rain in its season” (Deut 11:14; Jer 5:24); “the time for the harvest” (Hos 2:11; Ps 1:3); “food in its season” (Ps 104:27).
  109. Ecclesiastes 8:6 tn Heb “evil”; or “misery.”
  110. Ecclesiastes 8:6 tn Heb “the man.”
  111. Ecclesiastes 8:6 tn Heb “upon him.”
  112. Ecclesiastes 8:7 tn Heb “what will be.”
  113. Ecclesiastes 8:7 tn Heb “Who can tell him what will be?”
  114. Ecclesiastes 8:8 tn Heb “There is not a man who has mastery over the wind to restrain the wind.”
  115. Ecclesiastes 8:8 tn The word “his” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.
  116. Ecclesiastes 8:8 tn Heb “There is no discharge in war.”
  117. Ecclesiastes 8:8 tn Heb “its owners.”
  118. Ecclesiastes 8:9 tn The term נָתוֹן (naton, Qal infinitive absolute from נָתַן, natan, “to give”) is a verbal use of the infinitive absolute, used with vav to indicate an action that took place simultaneous to the main verb (see IBHS 596-97 §35.5.2d). Thus, the clause וְנָתוֹן אֶת־לִבִּי (venaton ʾet libbi, “while applying my mind…”) indicates contemporaneous action to the clause, “All this I have seen” (אֶת־כָּל־זֶה רָאִיתִי, ʾet kol zeh raʾiti). This is view is taken by several translations: “All this I have seen, having applied my mind to” (NEB); “All this I observed while applying my mind to” (RSV); “All this I saw, as I applied my mind to” (NIV); “All this I saw, as thoughtfully I pondered” (Moffatt). On the other hand, the LXX took the vav in a coordinating sense (“and”) and the infinitive absolute as an independent verb: “I saw all this, and I applied my heart”. This reading is adopted by other English versions (KJV, NAB, ASV, NASB, NJPS).
  119. Ecclesiastes 8:9 tn Heb “my heart.”
  120. Ecclesiastes 8:9 tn Heb “every work”; or “every deed.”
  121. Ecclesiastes 8:9 tn Heb “that is done under the sun.” The phrase “that is done under the sun” (אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשָׂה תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ, ʾasher naʿasah takhat hashamesh) is an idiom for “what happens in this world” or “on the earth” (BDB 1039 s.v. שֶׁמֶשׁ 4.c). Moffatt renders this idiom, “what goes on within this world.”
  122. Ecclesiastes 8:9 tn Heb “the man.” The article on הָאָדָם (haʾadam, “the man”) can be taken in a particularizing sense (“one person”) or in a collective sense as humankind as a whole (“humankind”); see HALOT 14 s.v. I אָדָם 1; BDB 9 s.v. אָדָם 2. So LXX: “All the things in which man has power over [his fellow] man to afflict him.” This is adopted by the RSV (“man lords it over man to his hurt”); NJPS (“men still had authority over men to treat them unjustly”); Moffatt (“men have power over their fellows, power to injure them”); MLB (“man has mastery over another to harm him”); and YLT (“man hath ruled over man to his own evil”). On the other hand, 8:1-9 focuses on the absolute power of the king, so the referent of הָאָדָם is probably the king. The article functions in an individualizing, particularizing sense. The particularization of הָאָדָם is reflected in many English versions: “one man” (KJV, ASV, NEB, NAB, Douay), “a man” (NASB, NIV), and “one person” (NRSV).
  123. Ecclesiastes 8:9 tn The verb שָׁלַט (shalat) denotes “to domineer; to dominate; to lord it over” (HALOT 1522 s.v. שׁלט; BDB 1020 s.v. שָׁלַט). The English versions have: “rule over” (KJV, YLT, Douay), “have power over” (NEB, ASV), “lord it over” (RSV, NIV), “have authority over” (NJPS), “exercise authority over” (NASB, NRSV); “have mastery over” (MLB); “tyrannize” (NAB).
  124. Ecclesiastes 8:9 tn Heb “man.” The word “other” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity. The singular noun אָדָם (ʾadam, “man”) functions as a collective singular, connoting “men, people” (cf. HALOT 14 s.v. אָדָם 1; BDB 9 s.v. אָדָם 2). The absence of the article might suggest an indefinite rather than an individual, particular sense.
  125. Ecclesiastes 8:9 tn Heb “a man exercises power over [another] man to his harm” [or “to his own harm”]. The third person masculine singular singular pronominal suffix לוֹ (lo, “to his”) may refer to the antecedent אָדָם (ʾadam, “man” or “men”), being understood either in a singular sense (so NEB, RSV, NRSV, NAB, ASV, NASB) or in a collective sense (Moffatt, NJPS, NIV margin). However, the antecedent might be הָאָדם (haʾadam, “[one] man” = the king) with the suffix functioning reflexively: “to his own harm” (KJV, ASV margin, YLT, Douay, NIV).
  126. Ecclesiastes 8:10 tn Heb “Then…” The construction בְכֵן (vekhen) means “then; thereupon; on this condition” (cf. Eccl 8:10; Esth 4:16; Sir 13:7; see GKC 384 §119.ii; BDB 486 s.v. כֵּן 3.b; HALOT 483 s.v. כֵּן 8.c). The line could be rendered, “It is was then that I saw.”
  127. Ecclesiastes 8:10 tc There are three textual options: (1) The MT reads קְבֻרִים וָבָאוּ וּמִמְּקוֹם (qevurim vavaʾu umimmeqom, “they were buried, and they came, and from the place”). קְבֻרִים is a Qal passive participle masculine plural from קָבַר, qavar, “to bury.” The MT reading is retained by most translations: “[And so I saw the wicked] buried, who had come and gone from the place [of the holy]” (KJV); “[Then I saw the wicked] buried; they used to go in and out of the [holy] place” (RSV, NRSV); “[I saw how the wicked] were buried, who had gone in and out from the [holy] place” (MLB); “[I have seen the wicked] buried, those who used to go in and out from the [holy] place” (NASB); “[Then too, I saw the wicked] buried—those who used to come and go from the [holy] place” (NIV); and “[And then I saw] scoundrels coming from the [Holy] Site and being brought to burial” (NJPS). (2) The LXX reflects the reading קְבָרִים מוּבָאִים וּמִמְּקוֹם (qevarim muvaʾim umimmeqom, “to the tombs they are brought, and from the place”). The LXX reflects the consonantal text of קברים but τάφους (taphous, “tombs”) reflects a vocalization tradition of קְבָרִים (“tombs”). (3) Several scholars suggest emending the text to קרבים ובאים וממקום (“approaching and coming to the place”). The emendation involves קרבִים (Qal active participle mpl from קרב “to approach; to draw near”). The emendation is adopted by several English versions: “I saw wicked men approach and enter…the sacred place” (NAB); “I saw wicked men approaching and even entering the holy place” (NEB). The emendation makes good sense because קָרַב (qarav, “to approach; to draw near”) is a synonym to בּוֹא (boʾ, “to enter”), and is often used in reference to a person approaching the Lord at the tabernacle or temple. The textual defect would be due to transposition of ב (bet) and ר (resh) in קָרַב (qarav, “to approach”) and קָבַר (qavar, “to bury”). See D. Barthélemy, Preliminary and Interim Report on the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, 3:584.
  128. Ecclesiastes 8:10 tn The phrase “the temple” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness. Note the reference to the sanctuary in the next line.
  129. Ecclesiastes 8:10 tn Heb “the holy place.”
  130. Ecclesiastes 8:10 tc The MT reads וְיִשְׁתַּכְּחוּ (veyishtakkekhu, “and they were forgotten”; Hitpael imperfect third person masculine plural from שָׁכַח, shakhakh, “to forget”). Apart from the MT reading here, the verb שָׁכַח “to forget” never occurs elsewhere in the Hitpael (HALOT 1490 s.v. I שׁכח; BDB 1013 s.v. שָׁכַח). Many medieval Hebrew mss read וישׁתבּחו “and they boasted” (Hitpael imperfect third person masculine singular from שָׁבַח, shavakh, “praise, boast”). This alternate textual tradition is reflected in the Greek versions, e.g., Old Greek: και ἐπῃνέθησαν (kai epēnethēsan, “and they were praised”), Aquila and Theodotion: και ἐκαυχήσαντο (kai ekauchēsanto, “and they boasted”), and Symmachus: και ἐπαινούμενοι (kai epainoumenoi, “and they were praised”). This is also reflected in the Vulgate. The English versions are divided; several follow the MT and translate “they were forgotten” (KJV, ASV, NASB, MLB, NJPS), but a good number adopt the alternate textual tradition and translate either “they were praised” or “they boasted” (NEB, RSV, NAB, NIV, NRSV). The context of 8:10-17, which focuses on the enigmatic contradictions in divine retribution (sometimes the wicked are not punished), favors the alternate tradition. The wicked boast that they can come and go as they please in the temple, flaunting their irreligion without fearing divine retribution (8:10). This thought is continued in v. 11: failure to execute a sentence against a criminal emboldens the wicked to commit more crimes, confident they will not suffer retribution. It is likely that the original reading of וישׁתבחו was confused for וישׁתכחו because the root שָׁבַח (“to praise; to boast”) is much rarer than the common root שָׁכַח (“to forget”). The phrase is best rendered “they boasted” (NEB “priding themselves”) rather than “they were praised” (NAB, RSV, NRSV, NIV)—the verb שָׁבַח means “to praise” in Piel, but “to boast” in Hitpael (Ps 106:47; 1 Chr 16:35; HALOT 1387 s.v. I שׁבח; BDB 986 s.v. שָׁבַח). This approach is adopted by the committee for the Jerusalem Hebrew Bible Project: see D. Barthélemy, ed., Preliminary and Interim Report on the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, 3:584-85.
  131. Ecclesiastes 8:10 tn The term הֶבֶל (hevel) here means “enigmatic,” that is, difficult to grasp mentally. This sense is derived from the literal concept of breath, vapor or wind that cannot be seen; thus, the idea of “obscure, dark, difficult to understand, enigmatic” (HALOT 236-37 s.v. I הֶבֶל; BDB 210-11 s.v. I הֶבֶל). It is used in this sense in reference to enigmas in life (6:2; 8:10, 14) and the future which is obscure (11:8, 10).
  132. Ecclesiastes 8:11 tn The particle אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher) is used as a conjunction in a conditional/temporal clause to introduce the protasis (“when” or “if”), and עַל־כֵּן (ʿal ken) introduces the apodosis (“then”); cf. BDB 83 s.v. אֲשֶׁר 8.d.
  133. Ecclesiastes 8:11 tn The noun פִתְגָם (fitgam, “decision; announcement; edict; decree”) is a loanword from Persian patigama (HALOT 984 s.v. פִּתְגָם; BDB 834 s.v. פִּתְגָם). The Hebrew noun occurs twice in the OT (Eccl 8:11; Esth 1:20), twice in the Apocrypha (Sir 5:11; 8:9), and five times in Qumran (11QtgJob 9:2; 29:4; 30:1; 34:3; 1QapGen 22:27). The English versions consistently nuance this as a judicial sentence against a crime: “sentence” (KJV, NEB, NAB, ASV, NASB, RSV, NRSV, MLB, YLT), “sentence for a crime” (NIV), “sentence imposed” (NJPS), “sentence on a crime” (Moffatt).
  134. Ecclesiastes 8:11 tn Heb “is not done.” The verb עָשַׂה (ʿasah, “to do”) refers to a judicial sentence being carried out (HALOT 892 s.v. 2). The Niphal can denote “be executed; be carried out” of a sentence (Eccl 8:11) or royal decree (Esth 9:1; BDB 795 s.v. 1.a). Similarly, the Qal can denote “to execute” vengeance (Judg 11:36) or judgment (1 Sam 28:18; Isa 48:14; Ezek 25:11; 28:26; Ps 149:7, 9; BDB 794 s.v.).
  135. Ecclesiastes 8:11 tn Heb “the evil.”
  136. Ecclesiastes 8:11 tn Heb “the heart of the sons of man.” The singular noun לֵב (lev, “heart”) is used collectively. The term לֵב is often used figuratively (metonymy) in reference to inclinations and determinations of the will (BDB 525 s.v. 4), moral character (BDB 525 s.v. 6), and as a synecdoche for the man himself (BDB 525 s.v. 7).
  137. Ecclesiastes 8:11 tn Heb “is full to do evil.” The verb מָלֵא (maleʾ, “to fill”) is used figuratively (metonymy): the lack of swift judicial punishment only emboldens the wicked to commit more crimes without fear of retribution. Most English versions translate the term literally: “are filled” (NIV, MLB, YLT), “is fully set” (KJV, ASV, RSV, NRSV). However, several versions nuance it figuratively: “emboldened” (ASV, NJPS) and “boldly” (NEB). Moffatt renders the line, “Because sentence on a crime is not executed at once, the mind of man is prone to evil practices.”
  138. Ecclesiastes 8:12 tn Heb “does evil one hundred [times].”
  139. Ecclesiastes 8:12 tn Heb “and prolongs his [life].”
  140. Ecclesiastes 8:12 tn Heb “those who fear God.”
  141. Ecclesiastes 8:12 tn Heb “they fear.”
  142. Ecclesiastes 8:13 tn Heb “he.”
  143. Ecclesiastes 8:13 tn The word “their” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness.
  144. Ecclesiastes 8:13 tn The phrase “like a shadow” (כַּצֵּל, katsel) modifies the verb (“prolong”) rather than the noun (“days”). Several English versions misconstrue the line: “he will not prolong his days, [which are] like a shadow” (KJV, ASV); “the man who does not fear God is like a shadow” (NEB); and “he will not prolong his shadowy days” (NAB). It should be rendered “he will not prolong his days like a shadow” (RSV, NRSV, NASB, MLB, NIV). Unlike a shadow that lengthens at sunset, the wicked do not normally live long.
  145. Ecclesiastes 8:13 tn Heb “he.”
  146. Ecclesiastes 8:13 tn Heb “they do not fear.”
  147. Ecclesiastes 8:14 tn Heb “there is.” The term יֶשׁ (yesh, “there is”) is often used in aphorisms to assert the existence of a particular situation that occurs sometimes. It may indicate that the situation is not the rule but that it does occur on occasion, and may be nuanced “sometimes” (Prov 11:24; 13:7, 23; 14:12; 16:25; 18:24; 20:15; Eccl 2:21; 4:8; 5:12; 6:1; 7:15 [2x]; 8:14 [3x]).
  148. Ecclesiastes 8:14 tn The word “another” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness.
  149. Ecclesiastes 8:14 tn Or “vanity” (again at the end of this verse). The Hebrew term הֶבֶל (hevel) here denotes “enigma,” that is, something that is difficult to understand. This sense is derived from the literal referent of breath, vapor or wind that cannot be seen; thus, “obscure; dark; difficult to understand; enigmatic” (see HALOT 236-37 s.v. I הֶבֶל; BDB 210-11 s.v. I הֶבֶל). It is used in this sense in reference to enigmas in life (6:2; 8:10, 14) and the future which is obscure (11:8, 10).
  150. Ecclesiastes 8:14 tn Heb “to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked”; or “who are punished for the deeds of the wicked.”
  151. Ecclesiastes 8:14 tn Heb “to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous”; or “who are rewarded for the deeds of the righteous.”
  152. Ecclesiastes 8:15 tn Heb “the enjoyment.” The phrase “of life” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.
  153. Ecclesiastes 8:15 tn Heb “under the sun.”
  154. Ecclesiastes 8:15 tn The phrase “to do” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness.
  155. Ecclesiastes 8:15 tn The construction אִםכִּי (ki ʾim) is used as a particle of exception to limit the preceding clause (“except; nothing but”). See, e.g., Gen 28:17; 39:9; Lev 21:2; Num 14:30; Deut 10:12; 1 Sam 30:22; 2 Kgs 4:2; 5:15; 2 Chr 21:17; Esth 2:15; 5:12; Eccl 3:12; Isa 42:19; Dan 10:21; Mic 6:8 (cf. HALOT 471 s.v. אִם כִּי B.2; BDB 474 s.v. אִם כִּי 2.a).
  156. Ecclesiastes 8:15 sn Except to eat, drink, and enjoy life. Qoheleth is not commending a self-indulgent lifestyle of Epicurean hedonism. Nor is he lamenting the absolute futility of life and the lack of eternal retribution. He is submitting to the reality that in a sin-cursed world there is much of human existence marked by relative futility. Since the righteous man cannot assume that he will automatically experience temporal prosperity and blessings on this earth, he should—at the very least—enjoy each day to its fullest as a gift from God. D. R. Glenn (“Ecclesiastes,” BKCOT, 997) notes, “Each day’s joys should be received as gifts from God’s hands and be savored as God permits (3:13; 5:19).”
  157. Ecclesiastes 8:15 tn The term “life” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness.
  158. Ecclesiastes 8:15 tn The vav introduces a logical conclusion.
  159. Ecclesiastes 8:15 tn Heb “it”; the referent (enjoyment of life) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  160. Ecclesiastes 8:15 tn Heb “under the sun.”
  161. Ecclesiastes 8:16 tn Heb “I applied my heart.”
  162. Ecclesiastes 8:16 tn Heb “to know.”
  163. Ecclesiastes 8:16 tn Heb “and to see the business which is done.”
  164. Ecclesiastes 8:16 tn Heb “for no one sees sleep with their eyes either day or night.” The construction גַםכִּי (ki gam) expresses a concessive sense: “even though” (e.g., Ps 23:4; Prov 22:6; Eccl 4:14; Isa 1:15; Lam 3:8; Hos 8:10; 9:16); cf. HALOT 196 s.v. גַּם 9; BDB 169 s.v. גַּם 6; 473 s.v. כִּי 2.c.
  165. Ecclesiastes 8:17 tn Heb “all the work of God.”
  166. Ecclesiastes 8:17 tn Heb “the work that is done.”
  167. Ecclesiastes 8:17 tn Heb “under the sun.”
  168. Ecclesiastes 8:17 tn Heb “his”; the referent (man, in a generic sense) has been specified in the translation as the adjective “human” for clarity.
  169. Ecclesiastes 8:17 tn Heb “find.”
  170. Ecclesiastes 8:17 tn The term “it” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness.
  171. Ecclesiastes 8:17 tn The particle אִם (ʾim, “even if”) introduces the protasis in a real conditional clause (“If a wise man…”); see IBHS 636-37 §38.2d; R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 74, §453.
  172. Ecclesiastes 8:17 tn The imperfect tense verb יֹאמַר (yoʾmar, “to say”) functions in a modal sense, denoting possibility (see IBHS 508 §31.4e; R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 31, §169).
  173. Ecclesiastes 8:17 tn Heb “he cannot find”; or “he does not find.”
  174. Ecclesiastes 8:17 tn The term “it” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is an implied direct object and has been supplied in the translation for smoothness and stylistic reasons.
  175. Ecclesiastes 9:1 tn Heb “I laid all this to my heart.”
  176. Ecclesiastes 9:1 tn The term וְלָבוּר (velavur, conjunction plus Qal infinitive construct from בּוּר, bur, “to make clear”) denotes “to examine; to make clear; to clear up; to explain” (HALOT 116 s.v. בור; BDB 101 s.v. בּוּר). The term is related to Arabic baraw “to examine” (G. R. Driver, “Supposed Arabisms in the Old Testament,” JBL 55 [1936]: 108). This verb is related to the Hebrew noun בֹּר (bor, “cleanness”) and adjective בַּר (bar, “clean”). The term is used in the OT only in Ecclesiastes (1:13; 2:3; 7:25; 9:1). This use of the infinitive has a connotative sense (“attempting to”), and functions in a complementary sense, relative to the main verb.
  177. Ecclesiastes 9:1 tn The words “I concluded that” do not appear in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
  178. Ecclesiastes 9:1 tn Heb “whether love or hatred.”
  179. Ecclesiastes 9:1 tn Heb “man does not know anything before them.”
  180. Ecclesiastes 9:2 tn Heb “all things just as to everyone, one fate.”
  181. Ecclesiastes 9:2 tc The MT reads simply “the good,” but the Greek versions read “the good and the bad.” In contrast to the other four pairs in v. 2 (“the righteous and the wicked,” “those who sacrifice, and those who do not sacrifice,” “the good man…the sinner,” and “those who make vows…those who are afraid to make vows”), the MT has a triad in the second line: לַטּוֹב וְלַטָּהוֹר וְלַטָּמֵא (lattov velattahor velattameʾ, “the good, and the clean, and the unclean”). This reading in the Leningrad Codex (ca. a.d. 1008)—the basis of the BHS and BHK publications of the MT—is also supported by the Ben Asher text of the First Rabbinic Bible (“the Soncino Bible”) published in a.d. 1488-94. On the other hand, the Greek version in B (Aquila) has two pairs: “the good and the bad, and the clean and the unclean.” Either Aquila inserted καὶ τῷ κακῷ (kai tō kakō, “and the bad”) to fill out a pair and to create six parallel pairs in v. 2, or Aquila reflects an early Hebrew textual tradition tradition of לַטּוֹב וְלַרָע (lattov velaraʿ, “the good and the bad”). Since Aquila is well known for his commitment to a literal—at times even a mechanically wooden—translation of the Hebrew, with no room for improvisation, it is more than likely that Aquila is reflecting an authentic Hebrew textual tradition. Aquila dates to a.d. 130, while the Leningrad Codex dates to a.d. 1008; therefore, the Vorlage of Aquila might have been the original Hebrew textual tradition, being much earlier than the MT of the Leningrad Codex. The alternate textual tradition of Aquila is also seen in the Syriac and Latin versions (but these are dependent upon the Greek = Aquila). On the other hand, the editors of BHK and BHS suggest that the presence of the anomalous לַטּוֹב was an addition to the Hebrew text, and should be deleted. They also suggest that the Greek pair τῷ ἀγαθῷ καὶ τῷ κακῷ (tō agathō kai tō kakō, “the good and the bad”) does not reflect an alternate textual tradition, but that their Vorlage contained only לַטּוֹב: the Greek version intentionally added καὶ τῷ κακῷ (kai tō kakō, “and the bad”) to create a pair. The English versions are divided. Several follow the Greek: “the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean” (NEB, NAB, RSV, NRSV, NIV, Moffatt, NLT). Others follow the Hebrew: “the good and the clean and the unclean” (KJV, ASV, MLB, NJPS). None, however, delete “the good” (לַטּוֹב) as suggested by the BHK and BHS editors. If the shorter text were original, the addition of καὶ τῷ κακῷ would be intentional. If the longer text were original, the omission of וְלַרָע (“and the bad”) could have caused by unintentional homoioarcton (“similar beginning”) in the three-fold repetition of לט in וְלַרָע וְלַטָּהוֹר וְלַטָּמֵא לַטּוֹב (lattov velaraʿ velattahor velattameʾ, “the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean”). The term וְלַרָע (“and the bad”) was accidentally omitted when a scribe skipped from the first occurrence of לט in לַטּוֹב to its second occurrence in the word וְלַטָּהוֹר (“the clean”).
  182. Ecclesiastes 9:2 tn Heb “As is the good (man), so is the sinner.”
  183. Ecclesiastes 9:3 tn Heb “evil.”
  184. Ecclesiastes 9:3 tn Heb “under the sun.”
  185. Ecclesiastes 9:3 tn The term “awaits” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness and stylistic reasons.
  186. Ecclesiastes 9:3 tn Heb “also the heart of the sons of man.” Here “heart” is a collective singular.
  187. Ecclesiastes 9:3 tn Heb “and after that [they go] to [the place of] the dead.”
  188. Ecclesiastes 9:4 tn The consonantal text (Kethib) has “is chosen, selected.” The translation follows the marginal reading (Qere), “is joined.” See BDB 288 s.v. חָבַר Pu.
  189. Ecclesiastes 9:4 tn Heb “all the living.”
  190. Ecclesiastes 9:5 tn Heb “for their memory is forgotten.” The pronominal suffix is an objective genitive, “memory of them.”
  191. Ecclesiastes 9:6 tn Heb “their love.”
  192. Ecclesiastes 9:6 tn Heb “their hatred.”
  193. Ecclesiastes 9:6 tn Heb “their envy.”
  194. Ecclesiastes 9:6 tn Heb “under the sun.”
  195. Ecclesiastes 9:7 tn Heb “your bread.”
  196. Ecclesiastes 9:9 tn Heb “see.”
  197. Ecclesiastes 9:9 tn Heb “the wife whom you love.”
  198. Ecclesiastes 9:9 tn As discussed in the note on the word “futile” in 1:2, the term הֶבֶל (hevel) has a wide range of meanings, and should not be translated the same in every place (see HALOT 236-37 s.v. I הֶבֶל; BDB 210-11 s.v. I הבֶל). The term is used in two basic ways in OT, literally and figuratively. The literal, concrete sense is used in reference to the wind, man’s transitory breath, evanescent vapor (Isa 57:13; Pss 62:10; 144:4; Prov 21:6; Job 7:16). In this sense, it is often a synonym for “breath; wind” (Eccl 1:14; Isa 57:13; Jer 10:14). The literal sense lent itself to the metaphorical sense. Because breath/vapor/wind is transitory and fleeting, the figurative connotation “fleeting; transitory” arose (e.g., Prov 31:30; Eccl 6:12; 7:15; 9:9; 11:10; Job 7:16). In this sense, it is parallel to “few days” and “[days] which he passes like a shadow” (Eccl 6:12). It is used in reference to youth and vigor (11:10) or life (6:12; 7:15; 9:9) which are “transitory” or “fleeting.” In this context, the most appropriate meaning is “fleeting.”
  199. Ecclesiastes 9:9 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  200. Ecclesiastes 9:9 tn Heb “under the sun”
  201. Ecclesiastes 9:9 tc The phrase כָּל יְמֵי הֶבְלֶךָ (kol yeme hevlekha, “all your fleeting days”) is present in the MT, but absent in the Greek versions, other medieval Hebrew mss, and the Targum. Its appearance in the MT may be due to dittography (repetition: the scribe wrote twice what should have been written once) from כָּל יְמֵי חַיֵּי הֶבְלֶךָ (kol yeme khayye hevlekha, “all the days of your fleeting life”) which appears in the preceding line. On the other hand, its omission in the alternate textual tradition may be due to haplography (accidental omission of repeated words) with the earlier line.
  202. Ecclesiastes 9:9 tn Heb “in your toil in which you toil.”
  203. Ecclesiastes 9:9 tn Heb “under the sun.”
  204. Ecclesiastes 9:10 tn Heb “Whatever your hand finds to do.”
  205. Ecclesiastes 9:10 tn Heb “Sheol.”
  206. Ecclesiastes 9:10 tn Or “where you are about to go.”
  207. Ecclesiastes 9:11 tn Heb “I returned and.” In the Hebrew idiom, “to return and do” means “to do again.”
  208. Ecclesiastes 9:11 tn Heb “under the sun.”
  209. Ecclesiastes 9:11 tn The term “always” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation (five times in this verse) for clarity.
  210. Ecclesiastes 9:11 tn Heb “bread.”
  211. Ecclesiastes 9:11 tn Heb “favor.”
  212. Ecclesiastes 9:11 tn Heb “happen to.”
  213. Ecclesiastes 9:12 tn Heb “man.” The term is used here in a generic sense and translated “no one.”
  214. Ecclesiastes 9:12 tn Heb “time.” BDB 773 s.v. עֵת 2.d suggests that עֵת (ʿet, “time”) refers to an “uncertain time.” On the other hand, HALOT 901 s.v. עֵת 6 nuances it as “destined time,” that is, “no one knows his destined time [i.e., hour of destiny].” It is used in parallelism with זְמָן (zeman, “appointed time; appointed hour”) in 3:1 (HALOT 273 s.v. זְמָן; BDB 273 s.v. זְמָן). Eccl 3:9-15 teaches God’s sovereignty over the appointed time-table of human events. Similarly, Qoheleth here notes that no one knows what God has appointed in any situation or time. This highlights the limitations of human wisdom and human ability, as 9:11 stresses.
  215. Ecclesiastes 9:12 tn Heb “bad, evil.” The moral connotation hardly fits here. The adjective would seem to indicate that the net is the instrument whereby the fish come to ruin.
  216. Ecclesiastes 9:12 tn Heb “the sons of man.”
  217. Ecclesiastes 9:12 tn The Masoretes pointed the consonantal form יוקשׁים (“are ensnared”) as יוּקָשִׁים (yuqashim, Pual participle mpl from יָקֹשׁ , yaqosh, “to be ensnared”). This is an unusual form for a Pual participle: (1) The characteristic doubling of the middle consonant was omitted due to the lengthening of the preceding short vowel from יֻקָּשִׁים to יוּקָשִׁים (GKC 74 §20.n and 143 §52.s), and (2) The characteristic prefix מ (mem) is absent, as in a few other Pual participles, e.g., Exod 3:2; Judg 13:8; 2 Kgs 2:10; Isa 30:24; 54:11 (GKC 143 §52.s). On the other hand, the consonant form יוקשים might actually be an example of the old Qal passive participle which dropped out of Hebrew at an early stage, and was frequently mistaken by the Masoretes as a Pual form (e.g., Jer 13:10; 23:32) (GKC 143 §52.s). Similarly, the Masoretes pointed אכל as אֻכָּל (ʾukkal, Pual perfect third person masculine singular “he was eaten”); however, it probably should be pointed אֻכַל (ʾukhal, old Qal passive perfect third person masculine singular “he was eaten”) because אָכַל (ʾakhal) only occurs in the Qal (see IBHS 373-74 §22.6a).
  218. Ecclesiastes 9:12 tn Heb “evil.” The term רָעָה (raʿah, “evil; unfortunate”) is repeated in v. 12 in the two parts of the comparison: “fish are caught in an evil (רָעָה) net” and “men are ensnared at an unfortunate (רָעָה) time.”
  219. Ecclesiastes 9:13 tn Heb “under the sun.”
  220. Ecclesiastes 9:13 tn The term “burden” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.
  221. Ecclesiastes 9:14 tn The verbs in this section function either as past definite actions (describing a past situation) or as hypothetical past actions (describing an imaginary hypothetical situation for the sake of illustration). The LXX uses subjunctives throughout vv. 14-15 to depict the scenario as a hypothetical situation: “Suppose there was a little city, and a few men [lived] in it; and there should come against it a great king, and surround it, and build great siege-works against it; and should find in it a poor wise man, and he should save the city through his wisdom; yet no man would remember that poor man.”
  222. Ecclesiastes 9:14 tn The two perfect tense verbs וְסָבַב (vesavav, “he besieged”) and וּבָנָה (uvanah, “he built”) may be taken in a complementary sense, qualifying the action of the main perfect tense verb וּבָא (uvaʾ, “he attacked it”).
  223. Ecclesiastes 9:14 tn The root גדל (“mighty; strong; large”) is repeated in 9:13b for emphasis: “a mighty (גָדוֹל, gadol) king…building strong (גְדֹלִים, gedolim) siege works.” This repetition highlights the contrast between the vast power and resources of the attacking king, and the meager resources of the “little” (קְטַנָּה, qetannah) city with “few” (מְעָט, meʿat) men in it to defend it.
  224. Ecclesiastes 9:15 tn Heb “was found in it”; the referent (the city) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  225. Ecclesiastes 9:15 tn Or “he delivered.” The verb וּמִלַּט (umillat, from מָלַט, malat, “to deliver”) is functioning either in an indicative sense (past definite action: “he delivered”) or in a modal sense (past potential: “he could have delivered”). The literal meaning of זָכַר (zakhar, “to remember”) in the following line harmonizes with the indicative: “but no one remembered that poor man [afterward].” However, the modal is supported by v. 16: “A poor man’s wisdom is despised; no one ever listens to his advice.” This approach must nuance זָכַר (“to remember”) as “[no one] listened to [that poor man].” Most translations favor the indicative approach: “he delivered” or “he saved” (KJV, RSV, NRSV, NAB, ASV, NASB, MLB, NIV); however, some adopt the modal nuance: “he might have saved” (NEB, NJPS, NASB margin).
  226. Ecclesiastes 9:15 tn Heb “remembered.”
  227. Ecclesiastes 9:16 tn Or “power.”
  228. Ecclesiastes 9:16 tn The participle form נִשְׁמָעִים (nishmaʿim, Niphal participle masculine plural from שָׁמַע, [shamaʿ] “to listen”) is used verbally to emphasize a continual, durative, gnomic action.
  229. Ecclesiastes 9:16 tn Heb “his words are never listened to.”
  230. Ecclesiastes 9:17 tn The phrase “is heard” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness. Note its appearance in the previous line.