ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 1:1–3 Introduction and Theme. The speaker introduces himself and his theme.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 1:1 the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. See Introduction: Author, Title, and Date.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 1:2 vanity of vanities! All is vanity. This extremely important thematic word (Hb. hebel, lit., “vapor,” taken figuratively as “vanity”; see esv footnote) occurs frequently throughout the book; at this early point, however, the Preacher leaves it unexplained. It is only as the book progresses that its meaning becomes clear (for further discussion of its meaning, see Introduction: Key Themes).
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 1:3 What does man gain? This repeated question (3:9; 5:15; cf. 2:11; 6:11; 10:11) is born out of the Preacher’s realization that “all is vanity” (1:2): if life frequently makes no sense and pleasures and achievements are “fleeting,” is there any significance to human existence? The phrase under the sun does not indicate a “secular” point of view, as is often claimed (the Preacher’s frequent references to God exclude such an interpretation) but rather refers to the world and to mankind in their current fallen state, much like NT expressions such as “this age” or “this present age.”
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 1:4–2:26 First Catalog of “Vanities.” The Preacher proceeds to give specific examples to prove his thesis that all is “vanity.”
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 1:4–11 The “Vanity” of the Natural World. The endless repetition of natural seasons and cycles never produces anything “new” (v. 9) and thus appears to be without direction or purpose.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 1:11 There is no remembrance of former things, nor … of later things. Or, if the reading in the footnote is accepted, “There is no remembrance of former people … nor … of later people” (see Lev. 26:45; Deut. 19:14; Eccles. 4:16). As the generations come and go (1:4), there are very few people who make any significant impact on the course of world history; the majority of the human race lives and dies in obscurity. The seemingly never-ending march of human generations thus appears to be as purposeless as the repetitive cycles of the natural world.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 1:12–18 The “Vanity” of Wisdom and Knowledge. The Preacher states his basic quest (namely, to understand all of reality) and summarizes its results.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 1:12 I the Preacher have been king over Israel. See Introduction: Author, Title, and Date.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 1:13 The Preacher perceives that in this world God has given an unhappy business, i.e., a troubling or burdensome task, to the children of man. The same Hebrew phrase occurs in 4:8 and 5:14 (“bad venture”), where it refers to the burdens and trials experienced by those who live under heaven (this phrase is interchangeable with the expression “under the sun”; cf. 1:14). For some inscrutable reason, God ordains that mankind should endure painful experiences in this present fallen order.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 1:14 The Preacher examined everything under the sun, just as he set out to do (v. 13). However, he is unable to comprehend it all and draws the conclusion that everything is vanity (see note on v. 2) and a striving after wind. This latter expression is almost always directly linked with the word for “vanity” (see 2:11, 17, 26; 4:4; 6:9).
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 1:15 Crooked is to be understood in the sense of “inscrutable,” rather than in an ethical sense of “wicked” or “corrupt.” There will always be aspects of life in a fallen world that remain mysterious because God has chosen not to reveal the answers to all of mankind’s questions.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 1:16 surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me. If anyone possessed the wisdom to comprehend the meaning of life, it was the Preacher.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 1:17 As part of his quest to know wisdom, the Preacher also seeks to comprehend madness and folly (see also 2:3, 12; 7:25). It is not that he seriously considers these to be viable alternatives to the path of wisdom (cf. 2:13–14; 9:3; 10:1, 13). Rather, his intent is to come to a better understanding of wisdom by simultaneously examining wisdom’s opposite (foolishness); cf. the Lord’s knowledge of “good and evil” (Gen. 3:22; see also Gen. 2:9, 17).
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 1:18 Wisdom is a mixed blessing: to gain wisdom and understanding is to gain a clearer view into the tragedies of life in a world marred by sin.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 2:1–11 The “Vanity” of Pleasures, Possessions, and Accomplishments. The Preacher turns to examine the significance of less “intellectual” pursuits.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 2:1–2 The Hebrew word for pleasure used here (simkhah) can mean either “joy” or “mirth,” and the reference to laughter in v. 2 indicates that the latter is what the Preacher has in mind (cf. 7:4, where mirth renders the related Hb. noun simkhah). A lighthearted approach to life is foolish, in view of the tragic realities of a fallen world.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 2:3 my heart still guiding me with wisdom. The Preacher did not indulge himself so excessively with wine that he lost his ability to think with genuine discernment. On his attempt to lay hold on folly, see the note on 1:17.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 2:10–11 The Preacher comes to the unpleasant realization (v. 11) that his work resulted in no permanent gain under the sun; nevertheless, he did receive a reward in return for his work (v. 10), namely, the pleasure which the work itself gave him.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 2:12–17 More on the “Vanity” of Wisdom. Although he knows wisdom is better than folly, the Preacher still finds “vanity” in his practice of it.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 2:12 The Preacher’s reign as king surpassed all others (1:16; 2:7, 9), and thus anyone who comes after the king will at best only be able to copy what has already been done. Having determined that even his own impressive reign was “vanity” (vv. 1–11), he turns again to examine the value of wisdom (cf. 1:12–18). On madness and folly, see the note on 1:17.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 2:13 there is more gain in wisdom than in folly. Despite the fact that wisdom is a mixed blessing (1:18) with distressing limitations (e.g., 2:14–16), it is incomparably superior to a life of foolishness.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 2:14–16 Wisdom, though infinitely better than folly, does not grant immortality to those who possess it: the same event (i.e., death, cf. v. 16) happens to both the wise and the foolish (cf. 3:19; 9:2–3, 11). To make matters still worse, even the wise are typically forgotten after their death and receive no enduring remembrance by others.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 2:17 The limitations of wisdom mentioned in vv. 14–16 lead the Preacher to say that he hated life. The fact that he elsewhere states that life is superior to death (9:4–5) and commends its enjoyment (e.g., 3:12–13; 9:9) indicates that this statement is not to be interpreted as a capitulation to utter despair. Rather, his use of “hate” in this instance is to be understood as the common rhetorical technique of stating a relative contrast in absolute terms (see the use of “hate” in Gen. 29:30–31; Deut. 21:15; Luke 14:26). The Preacher “hates” life in the sense that he finds it deeply disappointing in certain key respects; life has lost much of its sweetness for him.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 2:18–26 The “Vanity” of Labor. Considering the fruits of all his toil also leads the Preacher to declare it “vanity.”
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 2:18–20 I hated all my toil. See the note on v. 17 concerning the Preacher’s use of “hate.” While at times he found pleasure in his toil (vv. 10, 24), his enjoyment is severely diminished by the knowledge that he must eventually hand over his life’s work to someone else, and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? As the master of all that the Preacher has acquired and achieved, his successor has the potential to squander everything. This painful realization causes the Preacher to despair that his life’s work will, in the grand scheme of things, amount to anything significant (cf. 1:3; 2:11).
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 2:24–26 If one has no certainty of making a lasting impact on the world through the results of one’s work (vv. 11, 18–23), the best that one can hope for is to find enjoyment in toil and in God’s simple gifts of food and drink. Such enjoyment is to be viewed as a gift from the hand of God, granted to the one who pleases him, rather than to the sinner.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 3:1–8 Poem: A Time for Everything. There is an appropriate occasion for every human event or activity; life is endlessly complex. Several of the items mentioned in this poem have already been examined by the Preacher (e.g., compare v. 2 “a time to die” with 2:14–17; 3:2 “a time to plant” and v. 3 “a time to build up” with 2:4–5).
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 3:6 a time to lose. To give up looking for a lost item.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 3:8 a time to hate. While love for one’s neighbor is the norm for biblical ethics (Lev. 19:18; Gal. 5:14; James 2:8), there is also a righteous anger that is legitimate under the appropriate circumstances (see Ps. 15:4; 26:5; 31:6; 139:21–22).
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 3:9–15 Fear God, the Sovereign One. The “vanity” of life causes the Preacher to reflect on what is permanent and lasting, namely, God and his sovereign ordering of human affairs.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 3:11 Despite the repetitiveness of the natural world (1:4–11), the Preacher can see that God has made everything beautiful in its time. The problem is that God has also placed eternity (that is, a sense that life continues beyond this present existence) into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. The word “find,” or “find out” (Hb. matsa’) has the sense of “figure out, comprehend by study” in this verse and other places in the book (7:14, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29; 8:17). The Preacher thus realizes that both his desire to understand all of life, as well as the limitations on his ability to do so, have been ordained by God.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 3:12–13 Rather than becoming embittered by what God has not granted human beings (namely, the ability to comprehend all of reality), one should enjoy the gifts that God has given.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 3:14 The short-lived “vanities” of this world reveal all the more clearly the enduring work of God, to which nothing can be added. The absolute sovereignty of God and his purposes is meant to bring human beings to a sense of humble reverence and awe of him: God has done it, so that people fear before him (cf. 5:7; 12:13; also note on Acts 9:31). See Introduction: Key Themes.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 3:16–4:16 Second Catalog of “Vanities.” The Preacher returns to examining more of life’s “vanities” (cf. 1:4–2:26).
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 3:16–4:3 The “Vanity” of Mortal Life. The fact that people die is a further aspect of “vanity.”
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 3:16–17 The effects of the fall extend to human relationships (cf. Genesis 4), and thus in a fallen world one suffers outright injustice and wickedness at the hand of other human beings. What makes this sad reality tolerable is the certainty that God will judge the righteous and the wicked, i.e., ultimately justice will be done.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 3:18–19 The children of man … are but beasts in the sense that both human beings and animals die (vv. 19–21). In terms of mortality, then, man has no advantage over the beasts.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 3:21 Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward. For the Preacher, the human spirit is a mysterious entity: while he affirms that the spirit returns to God when a person dies (12:7), he does not know how it comes to reside in the human body in the first place (11:5). In this verse the verb “know” has either the sense of “to comprehend, to understand completely” (as in, e.g., 1:17; 7:25; 8:16) or else “to perceive, to observe” (as in 2:14; 3:12, 14).
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 4:2–3 Some people’s circumstances are so tragic that they even welcome death. The Preacher, however, considers those who have not yet lived or died to be even more fortunate than those who die in such misery, thus indicating that he would still consider death to be an “enemy” (1 Cor. 15:26), despite its ability to provide relief from earthly suffering.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 4:4–12 More on the “Vanity” of Labor. This continues and develops the theme of 2:18–26.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 4:4–6 The Preacher observes that much of what is achieved by skillful human labor stems from a man’s envy of his neighbor. The term translated “envy” (Hb. qin’ah) can have either negative or positive moral connotations, depending on the context (much like English “jealousy” and “zeal”). Here the Preacher focuses on the vanity that comes to those who make such striving their ultimate good, rather than a desire to serve the Lord (cf. Col. 3:24). If a man folds his hands—i.e., refuses to work—he only ruins himself. Finally, the Preacher adds a word of caution against excessive striving: instead of two hands full of toil and striving after wind (something fleeting; see Eccles. 4:8), one should learn to be content with less (one single handful of quietness).
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 4:7–11 The Preacher makes a sharp contrast in these verses. On the one hand there is one person who continues in endless toil, yet who is never satisfied even though he acquires great riches for himself (he has no other). This, the Preacher says, is vanity and an unhappy business. On the other hand the Preacher affirms how much better two are … than one. Thus the wise person will work side by side with another, enjoying a good reward and finding help in times of need.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 4:9 Two … have a good reward for their toil. The wise person will pursue cooperative ventures rather than give in to jealous striving to be first (contrast vv. 8, 10, 11), a striving that isolates him from others.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 4:12 A threefold cord stands for the great value of “plurality” (more than one or even two) as opposed to being alone (vv. 7–11).
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 4:13–16 More on the “Vanity” of Wisdom. The Preacher relates an instance he observed of how the results of wisdom can be fleeting. In contrast to an old and foolish king, there once was a poor and wise youth (v. 13) who managed to rise above his humble beginnings and ascend to the throne (v. 14) and an influential reign (vv. 15–16a). Yet later generations would not rejoice in him (v. 16b); his success and popularity, even though gained by true wisdom, did not last.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 5:1–7 Fear God, the Holy and Righteous One. The previous exhortation to “fear God” was motivated by God’s sovereignty (3:9–15); in this section, it is motivated by his holy and righteous character.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 5:4 When you vow a vow to God. The Preacher wishes to keep people from uttering rash or meaningless words during the worship of God (vv. 1–2), and in particular he has in mind the careless taking of a religious vow as an act of piety (cf. Deut. 23:21–23). By taking a vow, a worshiper would promise to perform a specific act (such as making a sacrifice) if God would respond favorably to a particular petition (Gen. 28:20–22; Judg. 11:30–31; 1 Sam. 1:11). Since making a sacrifice was costly, however, people often looked for some excuse to avoid following through with it (e.g., Eccles. 5:6).
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 5:7 God is the one you must fear. Cf. 3:14; 12:13; and see Introduction: Key Themes.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 5:8–7:24 Life “Under the Sun.” Having demonstrated that all things are “vanity” and that the proper human response is, first and foremost, to “fear God,” the Preacher makes further observations on the hardships of life in a fallen world and provides practical counsel for dealing with them.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 5:8–9 Injustice. In a world like this, it is no surprise to find officials violating justice. the high official is watched. The political maneuvering of sinful ruling officials results in suffering for the powerless.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 5:10–6:9 Greed vs. Contentment. The Preacher observes the destructive nature of greed and concludes that contentment is a key characteristic of the godly life in this world (cf. Phil. 4:11; 1 Tim. 6:6, 8; Heb. 13:5).
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 5:13–14 Riches were kept … to his hurt, i.e., the owner endured hardship and sacrifice in order to acquire his wealth but was never able to enjoy it, as it was lost in a bad venture, so that he neither enjoyed his riches nor did anything worthwhile with them. To make matters worse, he had a family to provide for.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 5:17 This continues the story begun in v. 13. The man’s selfish, fearful greed resulted in a truly wretched life.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 5:20 he will not much remember … his life. This does not indicate an unreflective attitude toward life but simply means that the one to whom God grants contentment will not allow the darker realities of human existence to overshadow divinely bestowed blessings.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 6:3–6 In the OT era, long life and numerous children were considered some of the highest of all earthly blessings (e.g., Gen. 15:15; Psalm 127), but a discontented heart will be unsatisfied even with these in excessive measure. Even a stillborn child—who does not have the prolonged conscious experience of suffering—is better off than such a discontented individual. Since all go to one place (i.e., the grave: Eccles. 3:20; 9:10), one is well advised to learn contentment in this life.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 6:10–7:24 Wisdom for Living “Under the Sun.” In the face of “vanity,” it is still possible to know and do what is good.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 6:10–11 God is the one who has already named all things. To “name” something is to exercise authority over it (Gen. 2:19–20). The Preacher thus confesses that God rules over all things, and he points out that it would be foolish for mankind to dispute with God’s sovereign ordering of the world; to do so would only produce more words and more vanity.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 6:12 For who knows what is good for man? The proverbs that follow (7:1–24) are clustered around the thematic words “good” or “better” (7:1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 10, 11, 14, 18, 20), and they attempt to provide at least a partial answer to this question. From one perspective, even the greatest wisdom teachers cannot give infallible advice based upon an absolutely certain knowledge of what will be; nevertheless, the sanctified counsel of the wise is a useful source of guidance for ordinary living.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 7:1 A precious ointment was a costly luxury in ancient Israel (see Est. 2:12; Ps. 45:8; Amos 6:6; Matt. 26:7). The verses which follow (esp. Eccles. 7:2, 4) indicate that the day of death refers not to one’s own passing but rather to that of another. Bereavement, while painful, is a more effective prod to growth in spiritual wisdom and maturity than the elation one feels over a newborn child.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 7:6 The crackling of thorns under a pot refers to the meaningless roar of a fire.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 7:7 In this instance, oppression refers to “extortion” or “blackmail” (see Lev. 6:4).
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 7:11–12 A fool squanders his birthright (cf. Luke 15:11–32), but wisdom is good with an inheritance and enables one to make good use of it. Wisdom is similar to money in that both offer the possessor some real protection against the misfortunes of life. A point in favor of wisdom, however, is that it preserves the life of him who has it. As a general rule, living wisely receives God’s blessing, including long life, even if it cannot provide eternal life.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 7:13 crooked. See note on 1:15.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 7:15 a righteous man … a wicked man … in his evildoing. In the OT, the terms “righteous” and “righteousness” do not refer exclusively to ethical or moral behavior but can also refer to being “right” or “just” in one’s cause (e.g., in a legal case; see Deut. 25:1), which appears to be the sense that the Preacher has in mind here. He has observed instances in which a person who was technically in the right still lost his case, while someone who was actually in the wrong won the dispute (cf. Eccles. 8:14).
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 7:16 Be not overly righteous. The Preacher is not advocating moral laxity (cf. 8:12–13). Bearing in mind that he is using the term “righteous” in the sense of being “right in one’s cause” (see note on 7:15), his counsel is a warning against the obsession of always being proved right in an argument or dispute. To insist on this is ultimately self-destructive: people who have to win every argument will eventually alienate everyone around them. See 1 Cor. 6:7 for Paul’s advice on this.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 7:17–18 Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. By the same token (cf. note on v. 16), a willingness to suffer wrong, if not tempered with the wisdom to know when to insist on the justice of one’s cause, can also lead to self-destruction. One must strike the proper balance between the two principles (v. 18).
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 7:25–29 The Heart of the Problem: Sin. The Preacher has already made numerous references to human sinfulness (3:16–17; 4:1; 5:8; 7:7, 20); this short section provides insight as to how this sorry condition came about in the first place.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 7:25 to know the wickedness of folly. See note on 1:17.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 7:27 this is what I found … the scheme of things. The verb “to find” is a key word in this section (vv. 26, 27, 28, 29) and has the meaning of “find out, figure out, comprehend” (see note on 3:11). As stated earlier (1:13), the Preacher is on a quest to understand all of reality.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 7:28–29 One man … I found, but a woman … I have not found. The term “found” here means “figured out, comprehended by study” (see notes on 3:11 and 7:27). The Preacher is admitting that he is unable to “figure out” (see note on v. 27) the vast majority of people he encounters, whether male or female; even his successes in understanding his own sex are extremely unimpressive (only “one man among a thousand”). The one firm conclusion he is able to draw is that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes, i.e., they were not content to remain in their state of uprightness but instead rebelled against God (cf. Genesis 3).
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 8:1–12:7 More on Life “Under the Sun.” The Preacher continues his observations on life in a fallen world, and gives appropriate counsel for living wisely.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 8:1–9 Wisdom in Dealing with Foolish Authorities. Kings are sinners like the rest of mankind (7:20, 29) and they abuse their authority (8:9). The nearly unlimited power they possessed in the ancient world meant that those who had to deal directly with them required exceptional wisdom.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 8:1 Who is like … and who knows … ? The questions are rhetorical, not in the sense of denying that such wise men exist but in indicating that true wisdom is a rare commodity (Job 28:12, 20; Prov. 2:1–4). For the one who possesses such wisdom, however, it makes his face shine—it is as evident to others as if it were “written all over his face,” just as a fool’s stupidity is obvious to others (Eccles. 10:3).
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 8:2 Keep the king’s command. Lit., “keep the mouth of the king”; the verb “keep” in this instance indicates not so much “obeying” as “protecting, guarding, keeping watch over” (cf. Prov. 21:23; Mic. 7:5). The Preacher is reminding the king’s counselor that he is obligated to help restrain the king from making foolish decisions on account of his “oath to God” (esv footnote), i.e., his taking an oath of service to the king in God’s name (cf. Ex. 22:11; 2 Sam. 21:7; 1 Kings 2:43).
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 8:3 In a fallen world, there are foolish kings who issue imprudent commands, but that does not mean that a counselor is free to disassociate himself completely from his master. At the same time, however, he ought not to exercise such unthinking obedience to the king that he becomes implicated in an evil cause.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 8:4–6 Given the nearly absolute authority of monarchs in the ancient world, it would take a great deal of courage for someone to question the wisdom of the king’s decision, i.e., to say to him, “What are you doing?” The wise counselor, however, will find the proper time and the just way for doing so.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 8:7–8 It is a risky proposition to offer correction to the king, and one cannot be absolutely certain ahead of time how it will be received (cf. Prov. 13:1). But, lest the counselor be intimidated into silent submission, he should remember that no man—not even the king—has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death, and that wickedness will surely be judged.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 8:10–13 The Importance of Fearing God. See Introduction: Key Themes. The Preacher has already pointed out that people do not always get what they deserve in this life (3:16; 4:1; 5:8), and here he notes that the wicked—who do not fear God—apparently do not get punished for their sins but instead live long lives (8:12) and receive the treatment due to the righteous, such as an honorable burial (v. 11). While God undoubtedly has a reason for allowing this to happen, he has not revealed it to mankind; hence it is an inexplicable vanity (v. 10). One ought not to conclude from this, however, that it makes no difference whether or not one fears God: the Preacher insists that it will be well with those who fear God and that it will not be well with the wicked. The Preacher trusts divine revelation to be more reliable than his own empirical observation and knows that, ultimately, justice will be done (vv. 12–13; see also 3:17).
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 8:14–17 The Limits of Human Knowledge. The puzzling situation described in vv. 10–13 leads the Preacher to draw a larger conclusion regarding the limits of human understanding.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 8:14–15 Not only is it an inexplicable vanity that the wicked appear to escape judgment and receive blessings (vv. 10–13), there is also no satisfying explanation for the fact that the righteous receive the treatment due to the wicked. Since this mystery cannot be completely solved, one should not become so obsessed with attempting to unravel it that he neglects to enjoy God’s gifts.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 8:17 man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. True wisdom includes the humility to admit that man cannot fully “figure out” (see note on 3:11) all of reality in a fallen world.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 9:1–6 The Unpredictability of Life and Certainty of Death. No one knows whether a person’s life in this world will be pleasant or difficult, regardless of whether the person is righteous or wicked. Nevertheless, in spite of this apparent “randomness,” one can be assured that the godly person is in the hand of God (v. 1). However, one unpleasant reality is certain for everyone: death (v. 3; cf. 2:14–17). No matter how difficult or humble a person’s circumstances may be, they are to be preferred to dying, because a living dog is better than a dead lion. (Here the “dog” is seen as an unclean scavenger, while the “lion” is a powerful predator.)
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 9:7–10 Find Enjoyment as Circumstances Allow. Life is superior to death (vv. 4–6), but there is no predicting whether one’s life in this world will be hard or easy (vv. 1–3). Therefore, one is advised to enjoy life when circumstances are conducive for it. When godly people do so, they will acknowledge that it is due to God’s “approval” or “favor” (v. 7; cf. 2:24–26; 3:13; 5:19–20).
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 9:11–12 More on the Unpredictability of Life. While not denying God’s sovereign ordering of human affairs (e.g., 3:1–15; 7:14), the Preacher admits that from a finite, fallible human perspective, many things that occur in the world have the appearance of being the result of pure chance (cf. 9:1–6).
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 9:13–11:6 The Paths of Wisdom and Foolishness. The following section is somewhat loosely organized, but two contrasting key themes that appear throughout are “wisdom” (9:13, 15–18; 10:1–2, 10, 12) and “folly” (9:17; 10:1–3, 6, 12–15).
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 9:13–18 The Power of Wisdom. Wisdom can achieve much good and is therefore worth pursuing, and yet its benefits can be undone by evil.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 9:13–16 The Preacher has observed an instance of wisdom’s ability to snatch a remarkable victory from the jaws of defeat. Even when such wisdom is forgotten or despised by others, it is still to be prized over earthly might.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 9:17–18 The Preacher balances his praise of wisdom’s power and effectiveness (vv. 13–16) by observing that, just as one wise man can successfully overcome the worst odds, so also one sinner destroys much good.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 10:1–20 Proverbs Concerning Wisdom and Foolishness. Observations and advice on everyday life.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 10:2 right … left. The “right hand” is often associated with strength and blessing in the OT (e.g., Ex. 15:6, 12; Ps. 16:11; 17:7; Isa. 41:10, etc.), and the Preacher is either referring to the “left hand” with a correspondingly negative connotation (Gen. 48:14; Judg. 3:15) or else is simply stating that wisdom and foolishness invariably reveal themselves in one’s behavior (cf. Eccles. 10:3; see also the note on 8:1).
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 10:6–7 The Preacher has observed folly, i.e., a foolish person, placed in a position of authority where rich people and princes belong. He is aware that the poor can also possess wisdom (4:13–14; 9:15–16) and that those from the wealthy ruling classes are not immune to corruption (5:8–12; 10:16–17; cf. Luke 6:24; James 2:6; 5:1). Nevertheless, the Bible often associates wealth with prudent, godly living (Prov. 10:4) and poverty with foolishness (Prov. 6:11; 13:18); moreover, the wealth of the nobleman affords him greater opportunity to pursue learning and wisdom. Thus, the Preacher is surprised by the situation described here.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 10:8, 12 The various calamities described in vv. 8–11 are all accidental in nature, indicating that the one who digs a pit is not necessarily doing so with malicious intent (contrast Ps. 7:15; 57:6; Prov. 26:27; 28:10). The point is simply that fools destroy themselves by their own foolishness.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 10:14 The fact that no man knows what is to be does not prevent a fool from multiplying words about it, i.e., making many groundless predictions.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 10:15 A fool’s toil in the fields is more tiring than others’ because he is ignorant of important fundamental truths that would make his work easier, such as how to get back to the city.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 10:19 Bread … wine … money. The Preacher comments favorably here on each of these, but he concludes by saying that money answers everything: i.e., money is freely exchangeable and has the ability to exert a powerful influence over the course of affairs to produce the result one desires. Money, however, can never satisfy (cf. 5:10).
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 11:1–6 Wise Practices in Light of the Unpredictability of Life. Since life in a fallen world is largely unpredictable (vv. 2, 6; see also 9:1, 11; 10:14), this section gives wise counsel in such a world.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 11:1 To cast … bread upon the waters is a metaphor without any contemporary parallels, so interpreters are uncertain about its meaning. Three suggestions are most common: (1) It refers to maritime commerce. (2) It refers to taking steps to spread out one’s financial resources in multiple directions. (3) In older Jewish and Christian interpretation, it was taken to refer to giving to the poor, in which case finding it again represents others being kind in return.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 11:2 Rather than speculating about such uncertainties (see note on vv. 1–6), it is financially more prudent to explore multiple avenues for making one’s living and investing one’s resources (vv. 2, 6), which could involve giving a “portion” or “compensation” to several different areas (seven, or even to eight), because such diversification gives protection against unforeseen disaster in one or two of the areas.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 11:4 Too much time spent trying to “read the skies” will only distract one from the task at hand, and those who always wait for the “perfect” time to begin a project will not sow and will not reap.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 11:5 the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb. See note on 3:21. There is variation in the Hebrew manuscripts at this point (see esv footnote).
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 11:7–12:7 Aging and the “Vanity” of Mortal Life. Being confronted with others’ mortality causes one to grow in spiritual wisdom (e.g., 7:1–4); in this section, the Preacher urges his readers to embrace wisdom in view of their own mortality.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 11:7–8 Light … darkness refers to the contrast between life and death.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 11:9 Proper enjoyment of life is possible only within the moral boundaries established by God, who will evaluate all human deeds according to his righteous judgment (cf. 12:13–14).
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 11:10 Remove vexation … put away pain. Whatever woes or ailments one has, one should not dwell on them excessively.
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 12:1 In this context, evil days refers not to the consequences of wicked living but rather to the unpleasantness of physical deterioration in old age (see vv. 2–7).
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 12:2–7 This section contains a metaphorical description of the aging process and death. In many instances the specific metaphor is clear (e.g., in v. 3 the grinders refer to teeth), though some are more difficult to interpret. The common link between most of the images used in v. 6 (bowl … pitcher … wheel broken at the cistern) appears to be that they are water receptacles: since water is a symbol of life (2 Sam. 14:14; John 4:14; Rev. 21:6; 22:1, 17), the destruction of these various items indicates the moment when mortal life ceases and the spirit returns to God who gave it (see note on Eccles. 3:21).
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 12:8–14 Final Conclusion and Epilogue. The Preacher restates his claim that all is “vanity” (v. 8; cf. 1:2). The epilogue affirms the wisdom of the Preacher by pointing out the care which he took in writing (12:9–10), summons the reader to pay careful attention to the words of the wise (vv. 11–12), and summarizes the overall message of the book (vv. 13–14).
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 12:11 The words of the wise are like goads, i.e., they help guide one along the proper path. (A “goad” is a long, pointed stick used for prodding and guiding oxen while plowing.) Moreover, the words of the wise provide moral and intellectual stability like nails firmly fixed. Ultimately, such wisdom is given by one Shepherd, God (see Introduction: Author, Title, and Date).
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON 12:13–14 The Preacher has already pointed out the need to fear God (see the notes on 3:14 and 5:7) and to keep his commandments (cf. 5:4–6; 7:17–18). The whole duty of man thus involves genuine faith in God, as well as works, which are the inevitable result of true faith (cf. James 2:14, 17, 26). God will bring every deed into judgment (cf. Eccles. 11:9), thus the importance of obeying his commands.