1:2 The word translated "futile" could be rendered "fleeting." It literally means "breath," and implies that something only has fleeting value and then evaporates, like a puff of air. In Hebrew the word appears five times in this verse, twice in a construction that is translated into English as an intensification ("breath of breaths," or "absolute futility"). This is not the same word used for the "breath of life" (Gn 2:7). The verse is not saying that everything is worthless, but that everything is short-lived and quickly passing. Nothing under the sun lasts forever. This passage illustrates the unique character of OT language; where Western writers would use an abstraction ("futility"), the biblical author uses a more concrete expression.
1:8 We long for truth and knowledge but are never satisfied with the explanations given us. We are unable to voice what we cannot comprehend. Taken in its full context, this is not an expression of cynical distrust in all belief systems. It is, rather, a humble recognition of our limitations as mortals. Unable to explain the world, we can only turn to God Himself as the source of truth (Pr 30:1-4). Again, the concreteness of Hebrew thought is seen in the way the writer expressed our inability to understand; it is the eye and ear that fail, not the invisible intellect (see Mk 9:43-45).
2:3 It seems absurd that the author claimed to have sought out "how to grasp folly" while asserting that his mind was still guiding him "with wisdom." He was saying that he experimented in pleasure but never lost his perspective. In the process he came to a clear understanding that a life of refined self-gratification did not satisfy.
3:19-20 Ecclesiastes appears to be rejecting the idea of an afterlife. What the author was questioning, however, may have been the materialistic notions of afterlife that predominated in ancient Egypt, where people thought that after death a powerful man could continue to enjoy his possessions, his women, and the services of his slaves. In short, this theology did not take seriously the finality of physical death (the great pyramids of the pharaohs were expressions of this view). The Egyptian "Harpers' Songs," written about 1,000 years before the time of Solomon, criticized this refusal to face the significance of death, and reveals some striking parallels to Ec. (Solomon had cultural ties with Egypt, being married to the daughter of an Egyptian ruler, 1 Kg 3:1.) Biblical theology, by contrast, takes death seriously as "the last enemy" (1 Co 15:26); it is only by an act of God, the resurrection of Jesus, that we can overcome its finality (1 Co 15:55-57).
4:2-3 The author expressed his dissatisfaction with the wretched human situation in extreme terms, using hyperbole (exaggeration) to drive home his point. Statements such as "better than either of them is the one who has not yet existed" are not to be taken as literal assertions that the world would be a better place if people were never born. Nor are such declarations an indication of a depressed or suicidal state on Solomon's part. Hebrew wisdom literature operates by encircling an issue and approaching it from a variety of viewpoints (cp. the dialogues of the book of Jb). Later, Solomon came to a clear affirmation of the value of life (9:4-5).
4:5-6 These two proverbs illustrate the dialogue-like method of Hebrew wisdom literature (cp. Pr 26:4-5). Verse 5 attacks the fool for his laziness (cp. Pr 24:33-34), and verse 6 teaches that a life of vexation through overwork is miserable (cp. Ps 127:2). The proverbs are set side by side to force the reader to consider the folly both of laziness and of working to exhaustion. Instead of going straight toward his point, the writer moved toward it from one direction, then another. The proverbs are not contradictory, but complementary.
5:8-9 The translation of these verses varies considerably among English versions because the Hebrew is obscure, especially in verse 9. Verse 8 suggests that when governing officials (Solomon had appointed such officials, 1 Kg 4:7) conspire with one another up the chain of command, it is not surprising that the common people are treated unjustly. Verse 9 appears to continue the thought, extending the corruption to the king himself. But that passage could be translated differently: "An advantage for the land in every respect is a king for a cultivated field," see footnote). This could imply that a strong central authority is able to hold regional corruption in check, even in the agricultural areas. In any case, these verses neither advocate passive acceptance of bad government nor the overthrow of all governmental authority.
5:18 In saying that it is appropriate for a person to eat, drink, and find enjoyment in life "because that is his reward," the author did not mean these are life's only rewards because there is no afterlife (see 3:19-20). These are the rewards of a person's labor, and one should not neglect to take time out for some simple pleasures.
6:4-5 In verses 1-6, Ec says that a wealthy man who never learns to enjoy life is no better off than a "stillborn child." The description of the stillborn child is bleak: The child will have no experiences, no identity, and no place in the world. This was a rhetorical comparison to make the point that a life without joy is futile; the promise of the unborn child's life is frustrated by his premature death in the same way that an outwardly successful man might never come to experience the benefits of living. This is not a teaching about the nature of life in the womb or a statement that abortion is morally insignificant because the fetus has no personhood. To the contrary, it is the futility of a stillbirth—in which the child at least has "more rest"—that exposes the equal absurdity of the man who has received life's benefits but "aborts" his enjoyment of them.
7:16-17 The text explicitly tells us not to be "excessively righteous" or "overly wise," just as it tells us not to be "excessively wicked." This would seem to say that a little wickedness and folly are acceptable, and even preferable. Ecclesiastes is concerned with the wise man's efforts to gain control of life. Diligence is generally rewarded with prosperity and health, whereas those who are carefree or careless can quickly lose both. But the quest for prudence can go too far; a severely austere life can be joyless. By the same token, turning away from the constraints of a disciplined life can bring trouble—even premature death. No one can avoid sinning to some degree in this life; it is part of our human condition (v. 20; Rm 3:23), but the wise person will avoid such foolishness where possible, just as he or she will avoid carrying supposedly prudent behavior to a ridiculous extreme. The discussion here is not about God's final judgment upon our lives, but about our daily conduct; in typical wisdom style the writer played one pole of behavior against another. If part of the book's advice here seems to question what Jesus would later say about the need to "be perfect" (Mt 5:48), it is well to recall how Jesus illustrated that perfection in even-handed treatment of others reflected God's love for all people. Nothing Ecclesiastes says in these verses contradicts that teaching; if anything, in its balanced approach to living, it reinforces it.
7:26 Solomon wrote here out of his bitter personal experience with marriage. As a Near Eastern potentate he had a large harem, and his foreign wives led him astray (1 Kg 11:4). He was not a hater of women, but realized that an unwise marriage can become a trap. Like most Israelite wisdom literature, Ec was written for a male audience of educated elite, young men being trained for government service. Solomon viewed marriage from that perspective. Had the book been written for women, it would have spoken of the misery of the woman married to a cruel and brutal man. Much of Ec is taken up with reflections on Gn 3, the account of the first sin, which is one reason that the book is so concerned with death and the brevity of life (see Gn 3:19). It was the woman's being deceived—in which her husband, standing by ("with her," Gn 3:6), failed to intervene—that brought sin to the human scene, a condition in which all people now participate (Ec 7:20-29). In effect, Solomon urged his readers not to repeat Adam's mistake. But he was not devaluing marriage as such; indeed, a good, lifelong marriage is one of the great joys of life (9:9).
9:2 This verse does not deny that righteousness is important. It asserts that right living cannot free us from mortality (see Heb 9:27). Seen from the Christian perspective, this verse drives us to the grace of God, since nothing we can do will save us from the power of death.
9:8-9 These verses resemble passages in the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh and the "Harpers' Song" from Egypt. Both were composed long before the time of Solomon, and it seems clear that he knew them. It is not troubling to find that a biblical text reflects knowledge of other well-known literature of antiquity; this international character is a feature of Israelite wisdom. Because of Solomon's extensive international contacts we would expect him to be familiar with such literature, and the similarities to these other passages reinforce the Solomonic authorship of Ec.
10:7 Some would say that this verse shows prejudice in favor of the aristocracy and against people of humbler backgrounds. But 4:13 shows respect for a lowborn person who has drive and ability. The "slaves" in this verse were people who had neither dignity nor competence and yet were in a position of authority (see Pr 19:10). They may be highborn, but in their character they were fit only for menial service. Another possibility is to view this verse against the background of Israel's military ventures, in which the king's servant might be mounted while a defeated and captured prince of some subjugated nation must walk.
10:19 "Money is the answer for everything" looks like the ultimate expression of cynical greed. In reality, it only makes the point that people do need some mon-ey in order to get along in life. Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 and 6:1-6 have already shown that wealth is not the answer. But this verse gives balance to this picture: Affluence is not the source of happiness, but abject poverty is not a blissful condition (see Pr 30:8-9).
12:13 Some argue that these words, "fear God and keep His commands," are inconsistent with the rest of the book and that they must have been added by a later editor who wanted to make Ec appear more "orthodox." This view requires the interpreter to see the bulk of the book as the work of a cynical skeptic. In reality, Ec is not "cynical" at all. It calls on us to face the significance of mortality: We will die, and all our accomplishments will die with us. Because life is short and we are weak, we should enjoy the time we have. But we should also abandon excessive and prideful efforts to control life; it is in the hands of God, not our own, and ultimately our mortality drives us to Him as "the spirit returns to God who gave it" (v. 7).