According to 1:1 and 1:12, the author was David’s son and a king over Israel from Jerusalem. Also, 12:9 speaks of the author as a writer of proverbs, so Solomon appears to be the author. Many scholars believe that Ecclesiastes was written too late in Israel’s history for this to be true, and they want to date the book at least five hundred years after Solomon’s time (later than 450 BC). However, strong evidence attests that the book does come from the age of Solomon. For instance, it displays a great knowledge of literature from early Mesopotamia and Egypt.
One example is that the book shows an awareness of the “Harper Songs,” poetry from Egypt that is much older than the age of Solomon. Ecclesiastes 9:7-9 is similar to that poetry, and it also resembles a portion of the famous Epic of Gilgamesh from Mesopotamia. It makes sense that Solomon, who had close contacts with Egypt and whose empire stretched up to the Euphrates River, would know and reflect on such texts. It is doubtful that an anonymous Jew writing five hundred or more years later, when Egyptian and Mesopotamian glory was finished and when Judah was a backwater nation, would have had access to these texts or could have understood them. By contrast, Ecclesiastes shows no similarities to the Greek philosophy that flourished in the fifth century BC and later. All of these conditions point to the traditional view that Solomon authored this book.
Ecclesiastes is Wisdom literature, meaning that it is in the part of the Bible especially concerned with helping readers cope with the practical and philosophical issues of life. It has roots in the Wisdom literature of Egypt and Babylon. Books like Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are the biblical answer to the search for truth. Proverbs is basic wisdom, giving the reader fundamental principles to live by. Ecclesiastes, by contrast, is for a more mature reader. It engages the question of whether death nullifies all purpose and meaning in life.
Ecclesiastes must be read with care because some of its verses, if read in isolation, seem to contradict other biblical teachings. It seems to deny the afterlife (3:18-22), to warn us against being too righteous (7:16), and to recommend a life of pleasure (10:19). But the real purpose of Ecclesiastes is to force us to take our mortality seriously and thus to consider carefully how we should live. Ecclesiastes knocks away all the façades by which we disguise the fact that life is short and we deny that all our accomplishments will pass away. In this sense, Ecclesiastes anticipates the NT teaching that only God’s grace, and not excessive zeal, saves us.
Ecclesiastes does not have the kind of structure we usually look for in a book of the Bible. At first glance it seems to move to and fro among various topics in a way that seems almost incoherent. It has no simple hierarchical outline, and it often jumps rapidly from one topic to the next. But a closer look reveals a structure that alternates between two perspectives: that of human existence apart from God and that of existence lived before God. If Ecclesiastes were music, it would be seen as antiphonal. The resolution of the tensions that permeate Ecclesiastes is found in the affirmation that the most important thing in life is to “fear God and keep his commands” (12:13).
Ecclesiastes gives an accurate summary of how most of our lives are spent. Ours is a checkered life. We are not long in any one state, and we quickly change from one condition to another—which is sometimes better, but sometimes worse. But let us never forget that eternal council chamber where Christ undertook to be our surety and substitute and, in due time, to die for us. It was with Christ, “a time to love.”
1The words of the Teacher, A son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2“Absolute futility,” says the Teacher.
“Absolute futility. Everything is futile.”
3What does a person gain for all his efforts
that he labors at under the sun?
4A generation goes and a generation comes,
but the earth remains forever.
5The sun rises and the sun sets;
panting, it returns to the place
where it rises.
6Gusting to the south,
turning to the north,
turning, turning, goes the wind,
and the wind returns in its cycles.
7All the streams flow to the sea,
yet the sea is never full;
to the place where the streams flow,
there they flow again.
8All things B are wearisome,
more than anyone can say.
The eye is not satisfied by seeing
or the ear filled with hearing.
9What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done;
there is nothing new under the sun.
10Can one say about anything,
“Look, this is new”?
It has already existed in the ages before us.
11There is no remembrance of those who C came before;
and of those who will come after
there will also be no remembrance
by those who follow them.
12 I, the Teacher, have been D king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I applied my mind to examine and explore through wisdom all that is done under heaven. God has given people E this miserable task to keep them occupied. 14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun and have found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind. F
15What is crooked cannot be straightened;
what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 I said to myself, “See, I have amassed wisdom far beyond all those who were over Jerusalem before me, and my mind has thoroughly grasped G wisdom and knowledge.” 17 I applied my mind to know wisdom and knowledge, madness and folly; I learned that this too is a pursuit of the wind.
18For with much wisdom is much sorrow;
as knowledge increases, grief increases.
A 1:1 Or of Qoheleth, or of the Leader of the Assembly
E 1:13 Or given the descendants of Adam
F 1:14 Or a feeding on wind, or an affliction of spirit ; also in v. 17
2I said to myself, “Go ahead, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy what is good.” But it turned out to be futile. 2 I said about laughter, “It is madness,” and about pleasure, “What does this accomplish? ” 3 I explored with my mind the pull of wine on my body — my mind still guiding me with wisdom — and how to grasp folly, until I could see what is good for people to do under heaven H during the few days of their lives.
4 I increased my achievements. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. 5 I made gardens and parks for myself and planted every kind of fruit tree in them. 6 I constructed reservoirs for myself from which to irrigate a grove of flourishing trees. 7 I acquired male and female servants and had slaves who were born in my house. I also owned livestock — large herds and flocks — more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. 8 I also amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I gathered male and female singers for myself, and many concubines, the delights of men. A,B 9 So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem; my wisdom also remained with me. 10 All that my eyes desired, I did not deny them. I did not refuse myself any pleasure, for I took pleasure in all my struggles. This was my reward for all my struggles. 11 When I considered all that I had accomplished C and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind. D There was nothing to be gained under the sun.
12 Then I turned to consider wisdom, madness, and folly, for what will the king’s successor E be like? He F will do what has already been done. 13 And I realized that there is an advantage to wisdom over folly, like the advantage of light over darkness.
14The wise person has eyes in his head,
but the fool walks in darkness.
Yet I also knew that one fate comes to them both. 15 So I said to myself, “What happens to the fool will also happen to me. Why then have I been overly wise? ” And I said to myself that this is also futile. 16 For, just like the fool, there is no lasting remembrance of the wise, since in the days to come both will be forgotten. How is it that the wise person dies just like the fool? 17 Therefore, I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me. For everything is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
18 I hated all my work that I labored at under the sun because I must leave it to the one who comes after me. 19 And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will take over all my work that I labored at skillfully under the sun. This too is futile. 20 So I began to give myself over G to despair concerning all my work that I had labored at under the sun. 21 When there is a person whose work was done with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and he must give his portion to a person who has not worked for it, this too is futile and a great wrong. 22 For what does a person get with all his work and all his efforts that he labors at under the sun? 23 For all his days are filled with grief, and his occupation is sorrowful; even at night, his mind does not rest. This too is futile.
24 There is nothing better for a person than to eat, drink, and enjoy H,I his work. I have seen that even this is from God’s hand, 25 because who can eat and who can enjoy life J apart from him? K 26 For to the person who is pleasing in his sight, he gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and accumulating in order to give to the one who is pleasing in God’s sight. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
H 2:3 Two Hb mss, LXX, Syr read the sun
A 2:8 LXX, Theod, Syr read and male cupbearers and female cupbearers ; Aq, Tg, Vg read a cup and cups ; Hb obscure
B 2:8 Or many treasures that people delight in
C 2:11 Lit all my works that my hands had done
D 2:11 Or a feeding on wind, or an affliction of spirit ; also in vv. 17,26
E 2:12 Lit the man who comes after the king
G 2:20 Lit And I turned to cause my heart
H 2:24 Syr, Tg; MT reads There is no good in a person who eats and drinks and enjoys
I 2:24 Lit and his soul sees good
3There is an occasion for everything,
and a time for every activity under heaven:
2a time to give birth and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to uproot; L
3a time to kill and a time to heal;
a time to tear down and a time to build;
4a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance;
5a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
a time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing;
6a time to search and a time to count as lost;
a time to keep and a time to throw away;
7a time to tear and a time to sew;
a time to be silent and a time to speak;
8a time to love and a time to hate;
a time for war and a time for peace.
QUOTE 3:8
I cannot comprehend how it is that some of us are so cold towards the Lord Jesus Christ. How is it that we can, even for a moment, tolerate that wicked, diabolical Laodicean lukewarmness towards him whose love is like a flaming fire?
9 What does the worker gain from his struggles? 10 I have seen the task that God has given the children of Adam to keep them occupied. 11 He has made everything appropriate A in its time. He has also put eternity in their hearts, B but no one can discover the work God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and enjoy the C good life. 13 It is also the gift of God whenever anyone eats, drinks, and enjoys all his efforts. 14 I know that everything God does will last forever; there is no adding to it or taking from it. God works so that people will be in awe of him. 15 Whatever is, has already been, and whatever will be, already is. However, God seeks justice for the persecuted. D
16 I also observed under the sun: there is wickedness at the place of judgment and there is wickedness at the place of righteousness. 17 I said to myself, “God will judge the righteous and the wicked, since there is a time for every activity and every work.” 18 I said to myself, “This happens so that God may test the children of Adam and they may see for themselves that they are like animals.” 19 For the fate of the children of Adam and the fate of animals is the same. As one dies, so dies the other; they all have the same breath. People have no advantage over animals since everything is futile. 20 All are going to the same place; all come from dust, and all return to dust. 21 Who knows if the spirits of the children of Adam go upward and the spirits of animals go downward to the earth? 22 I have seen that there is nothing better than for a person to enjoy his activities because that is his reward. For who can enable him to see what will happen after he dies? A
3:8 “A time to love and a time to hate.” This chapter gives an accurate summary of how most of our lives are spent. Ours is a checkered life. We are not long in any one state, and we quickly change from one condition to another—which is sometimes better, but sometimes worse. But let us never forget that eternal council chamber where Christ undertook to be our surety and substitute and, in due time, to die for us. It was with Christ, “a time to love.” Now may our thoughts fly onward to that period when the fullness of time for the birth of Christ had come. Will Christ leave his throne, his Father’s house, the company of the holy angels and “the spirits of righteous people made perfect” (Heb 12:23)? Yes, for it is with him now, once again, “a time to love.” Having become incarnate and having come to live on earth, it was absolutely necessary that a perfect righteousness should be worked out on behalf of his people. But in such a wicked world as this, it could only be accomplished through shame, reproach, rebuke, and slander of the most abominable kind. Did he endure all that? Yes, he did, for it was with him, “a time to love.” But has Christ ceased to love us now? Oh, no, for every day and every moment is with him, “a time to love.” Then, in due time, the resurrection will come, and amid the splendors of that long looked-for day, the great King, stepping down from his throne, will meet his spouse, his church, and clothing her with his own glory, will take her up to sit with him on his throne, and then, indeed, it will be with him, “a time to love.” I cannot comprehend how it is that some of us are so cold towards the Lord Jesus Christ. How is it that we can, even for a moment, tolerate that wicked, diabolical Laodicean lukewarmness towards him whose love is like a flaming fire? Come, Holy Spirit, give us coals of juniper! No, give us of your own divine sacred fire. Then it will indeed be with us, “a time to love.”
L 3:2 Lit uproot what is planted
B 3:11 Or has put a sense of past and future into their minds, or has placed ignorance in their hearts
4Again, I observed all the acts of oppression being done under the sun. Look at the tears of those who are oppressed; they have no one to comfort them. Power is with those who oppress them; they have no one to comfort them. 2 So I commended the dead, who have already died, more than the living, who are still alive. 3 But better than either of them is the one who has not yet existed, who has not seen the evil activity that is done under the sun.
4 I saw that all labor and all skillful work is due to one person’s jealousy of another. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind. B
5The fool folds his arms
and consumes his own flesh.
6Better one handful with rest
than two handfuls with effort and a pursuit of the wind.
7 Again, I saw futility under the sun: 8 There is a person without a companion, C without even a son or brother, and though there is no end to all his struggles, his eyes are still not content with riches. “Who am I struggling for,” he asks, “and depriving myself of good things? ” This too is futile and a miserable task.
9 Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts. 10 For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up. 11 Also, if two lie down together, they can keep warm; but how can one person alone keep warm? 12 And if someone overpowers one person, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not easily broken.
13 Better is a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer pays attention to warnings. 14 For he came from prison to be king, even though he was born poor in his kingdom. 15 I saw all the living, who move about under the sun, follow D a second youth who succeeds him. 16 There is no limit to all the people who were before them, yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
B 4:4 Or a feeding on wind, or an affliction of spirit ; also in vv. 6,16
5Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Better to approach in obedience than to offer the sacrifice as fools do, for they ignorantly do wrong. 2 Do not be hasty to speak, and do not be impulsive to make a speech before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. 3 Just as dreams accompany much labor, so also a fool’s voice comes with many words. 4 When you make a vow to God, don’t delay fulfilling it, because he does not delight in fools. Fulfill what you vow. 5 Better that you do not vow than that you vow and not fulfill it. 6 Do not let your mouth bring guilt on you, and do not say in the presence of the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry with your words and destroy the work of your hands? 7 For many dreams bring futility, so do many words. Therefore, fear God.
8 If you see oppression of the poor and perversion of justice and righteousness in the province, don’t be astonished at the situation, because one official protects another official, and higher officials protect them. 9 The profit from the land is taken by all; the king is served by the field. E
10 The one who loves silver is never satisfied with silver, and whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with income. This too is futile. 11 When good things increase, the ones who consume them multiply; what, then, is the profit to the owner, except to gaze at them with his eyes? 12 The sleep of the worker is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich permits him no sleep.
13 There is a sickening tragedy I have seen under the sun: wealth kept by its owner to his harm. 14 That wealth was lost in a bad venture, so when he fathered a son, he was empty-handed. 15 As he came from his mother’s womb, so he will go again, naked as he came; he will take nothing for his efforts that he can carry in his hands. 16 This too is a sickening tragedy: exactly as he comes, so he will go. What does the one gain who struggles for the wind? 17 What is more, he eats in darkness all his days, with much frustration, sickness, and anger.
18 Here is what I have seen to be good: It is appropriate to eat, drink, and experience good in all the labor one does under the sun during the few days of his life God has given him, because that is his reward. 19 Furthermore, everyone to whom God has given riches and wealth, he has also allowed him to enjoy them, take his reward, and rejoice in his labor. This is a gift of God, 20 for he does not often consider the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with the joy of his heart.
6Here is a tragedy I have observed under the sun, and it weighs heavily on humanity: A 2 God gives a person riches, wealth, and honor so that he lacks nothing of all he desires for himself, but God does not allow him to enjoy them. Instead, a stranger will enjoy them. This is futile and a sickening tragedy. 3 A man may father a hundred children and live many years. No matter how long he lives, B if he is not satisfied by good things and does not even have a proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. 4 For he comes in futility and he goes in darkness, and his name is shrouded in darkness. 5 Though a stillborn child does not see the sun and is not conscious, it has more rest than he. 6 And if a person lives a thousand years twice, but does not experience happiness, do not both go to the same place?
7All of a person’s labor is for his stomach, C
yet the appetite is never satisfied.
8 What advantage then does the wise person have over the fool? What advantage is there for the poor person who knows how to conduct himself before others? 9 Better what the eyes see than wandering desire. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind. D
10 Whatever exists was given its name long ago, E and it is known what mankind is. But he is not able to contend with the one stronger than he. 11 For when there are many words, they increase futility. What is the advantage for mankind? 12 For who knows what is good for anyone in life, in the few days of his futile life that he spends like a shadow? Who can tell anyone what will happen after him under the sun?
QUOTE 6:10
Since I am such an ephemeral creature, the insect of an hour, an aphid creeping on the bay leaf of existence, how dare I think of contending with God, who was long before the mountains were brought forth and who will be when mountains are gone forever?
QUOTE 6:12
The Lord did very well without us before we were born, and he will do very well without us after we are dead. It is not for me to be worried because of what happens to me, or to quarrel with God about it.
6:10 “But he is not able to contend with the one stronger than he.” Solomon urges that it is idle and vain for one to attempt to contend with God. There is no hope for us in such contention, yet how frequently do we—even we who are his children—begin to contend with our God. If he chastens us, if he takes away our comforts, if he permits us to be disappointed in our aspirations, immediately we begin to enquire, “Why is this?” Our dear one was taken away and we called God cruel. If we did not say as much, we thought it. And we have kept the anniversary of that bereavement, year after year, still unforgiving toward our God. That kind of rebellious spirit creates ten times more pain than the affliction itself did. We ought to feel how absurd it is that we, who are but as a fly, should fight with the flame, for we can but burn ourselves by such folly. Since I am such an ephemeral creature, the insect of an hour, an aphid creeping on the bay leaf of existence, how dare I think of contending with God, who was long before the mountains were brought forth and who will be when mountains are gone forever?
6:12 “For who knows what is good for anyone in life, in the few days of his futile life that he spends like a shadow? Who can tell anyone what will happen after him under the sun?” Humanity is but vapor; we appear for a little while and then vanish away. We are as thin and airy and insubstantial as our own breath. We come and we go—we are here such a little while that we can scarcely be said to be, for we do but begin to be before we close our being so far as this world is concerned. We do not know what is best for us—not even in temporal things, much less in spiritual things. Which is better for someone in this life—wealth or poverty, health or sickness, fame or obscurity? All depends on our being where God puts us. We had better be content to remain just as we are and be satisfied and thankful to be where God has placed us in his providence. Who knows what is good for us? God does, and that is better than for us to know. Furthermore, it is not for us to know what will happen when we are called away from the earth. Many are plotting and planning to settle what will happen after they are gone, yet much of their scheming is in vain. Somebody else will take that house we have had such trouble to build. Are we not to leave the future as we leave the present—in the hands of God? And will not all be well? The Lord did very well without us before we were born, and he will do very well without us after we are dead. It is not for me to be worried because of what happens to me, or to quarrel with God about it. It is for you and me to know that God sees further than we do and not to begin to measure his work with our ruler. Just leave it all with him, you who are troubled either about the present or the future.
7A good name is better than fine perfume,
and the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth.
2It is better to go to a house of mourning
than to go to a house of feasting,
since that is the end of all mankind,
and the living should take it to heart.
3Grief is better than laughter,
for when a face is sad, a heart may be glad.
4The heart of the wise is in a house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in a house of pleasure.
5It is better to listen to rebuke from a wise person
than to listen to the song of fools,
6for like the crackling of burning thorns under the pot,
so is the laughter of the fool.
This too is futile.
7Surely, the practice of extortion turns a wise person into a fool,
and a bribe corrupts the mind.
8The end of a matter is better than its beginning;
a patient spirit is better than a proud spirit.
9Don’t let your spirit rush to be angry,
for anger abides in the heart of fools.
10Don’t say, “Why were the former days better than these? ”
since it is not wise of you to ask this.
11Wisdom is as good as an inheritance
and an advantage to those who see the sun,
12because wisdom is protection as silver is protection;
but the advantage of knowledge
is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.
13Consider the work of God,
for who can straighten out
what he has made crooked?
14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that no one can discover anything that will come after him.
15 In my futile life A I have seen everything: someone righteous perishes in spite of his righteousness, and someone wicked lives long in spite of his evil. 16 Don’t be excessively righteous, and don’t be overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself? 17 Don’t be excessively wicked, and don’t be foolish. Why should you die before your time? 18 It is good that you grasp the one and do not let the other slip from your hand. For the one who fears God will end up with both of them.
19Wisdom makes the wise person stronger
than ten rulers of a city.
20There is certainly no one righteous on the earth
who does good and never sins.
21 Don’t pay attention B to everything people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you, 22 for in your heart you know that many times you yourself have cursed others.
23 I have tested all this by wisdom. I resolved, “I will be wise,” but it was beyond me. 24 What exists is beyond reach and very deep. Who can discover it? 25 I turned my thoughts to know, explore, and examine wisdom and an explanation for things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity and folly is madness. 26 And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a trap: her heart a net and her hands chains. The one who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner will be captured by her. 27 “Look,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find out the explanation, 28 which my soul continually searches for but does not find: I found one person in a thousand, but none of those was a woman. 29 Only see this: I have discovered that God made people upright, but they pursued many schemes.”
7:1 “A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth.” I do not think by “a good name” he merely meant a good reputation. A person truly has a good name if he deserves to be held in high esteem, though he may, for Christ’s sake, be in disrepute. His name is good, whatever people may say about it. His name is, indeed, all the better in the sight of God because he has been slandered and reproached for the sake of the truth of God. His name shall shine out like the stars of heaven when Christ comes—even the name of the one of whom the world was not worthy. It is, after all, a small matter to be judged by human judgment—our record is on high. A good character may be understood here and, assuredly, that is better than the rarest luxury of kings.
But a truly good name is a name written on the heart of Christ, written in the Lamb’s book of life. Otherwise, if the day of our birth was a bad day, the day of our death will be a thousand times worse—for when we die, what will happen to us unless we have that good name? But if we have that good name, our death day is better than our birth day. Infancy can be a very dangerous passage for a tiny boat unfitted to bear rough buffetings. Those first few years are full of rocks and quicksand, and many scarcely begin life before they end it. He who is newly born and is ordained to endure through a long life is like a warrior who puts on his harness for battle—and is he not in a better case who takes it off because he has won the victory?
7:8 “The end of a matter is better than its beginning; a patient spirit is better than a proud spirit.” We must take the text as it stands with a grain or two of salt. It is relatively true rather than absolutely true. It is true, or we would not find it in Scripture. But the application of its truth is particular, not universal. There are some things that are worse in their ending than in their beginning. It is true, I believe, of all things that proceed according to God’s order. In such cases I say the end is better than the beginning—but the text must not be taken to be absolutely and indiscriminately true in all cases.
8Who is like the wise person, and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A person’s wisdom brightens his face, and the sternness of his face is changed.
2 Keep C the king’s command because of your oath made before God. 3 Do not be in a hurry; leave his presence, and don’t persist in a bad cause, since he will do whatever he wants. 4 For the king’s word is authoritative, and who can say to him, “What are you doing? ” 5 The one who keeps a command will not experience anything harmful, and a wise heart knows the right time and procedure. 6 For every activity there is a right time and procedure, even though a person’s troubles are heavy on him. 7 Yet no one knows what will happen because who can tell him what will happen? 8 No one has authority over the wind A to restrain it, and there is no authority over the day of death; no one is discharged during battle, and wickedness will not allow those who practice it to escape. 9 All this I have seen, applying my mind to all the work that is done under the sun, at a time when one person has authority over another to his harm.
10 In such circumstances, I saw the wicked buried. They came and went from the holy place, and they were praised B in the city where they did those things. This too is futile. 11 Because the sentence against an evil act is not carried out quickly, the heart of people is filled with the desire to commit evil. 12 Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, I also know that it will go well with God-fearing people, for they are reverent before him. 13 However, it will not go well with the wicked, and they will not lengthen their days like a shadow, for they are not reverent before God.
14 There is a futility that is done on the earth: there are righteous people who get what the actions of the wicked deserve, and there are wicked people who get what the actions of the righteous deserve. I say that this too is futile. 15 So I commended enjoyment because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat, drink, and enjoy himself, for this will accompany him in his labor during the days of his life that God gives him under the sun.
16 When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe the activity that is done on the earth (even though one’s eyes do not close in sleep day or night), 17 I observed all the work of God and concluded that a person is unable to discover the work that is done under the sun. Even though a person labors hard to explore it, he cannot find it; even if a wise person claims to know it, he is unable to discover it.
8:4 “For the king’s word is authoritative, and who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’” Kings in Solomon’s day had a vast amount of power, for their word was absolute. When such a monarch happened to be wise and good, it was a great blessing to the people. But if he was of a hard, tyrannical nature, his subjects were mere slaves, and groaned beneath a yoke of iron. There is, however, blessed be the Lord, one King whose power we do not wish in any degree to limit. God does as he wills among the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of this lower world; none can stay his hand or say to him, “What are you doing?” In this we greatly rejoice. The personal rule of one individual would be the best form of government if that individual were perfectly good, infinitely wise, and abundant in power. And the reason why an autocrat turns into a despot is that there is no man who is perfectly good, unselfish, or wise. God has no fault or failing, and therefore it is a joy that he does according to his will. He never wills anything that is not strictly just. In the exercise of absolute sovereignty he is neither unjust nor unmerciful; it is not possible for him to err, and therefore it is a great subject for joy that “The Lord reigns! He is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed, enveloped in strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken” (Ps 93:1).
8:10 “In such circumstances, I saw the wicked buried. They came and went from the holy place, and they were praised in the city where they did those things. This too is futile.” If we judged rightly, when a hypocrite died we would do him no honor. If people could but see a little deeper than the skin and read the thoughts of the heart, they would not patronize this great black lie and lead a long string of carriages through the streets. They would say, “No, the man was good for nothing. He was the outward skin without the life. He professed to be what he was not—he lived the scornful life of a deceiver. Let him not have a funeral at all! Let him be cast away as loathsome carrion, for that is all he is.” If we had eyes to see invisible things and we could break the lid of the hypocrite’s coffin, we should see a great deal there. There lie all his hopes. The wicked one may come and go from the place of the holy, but he has no hope of being saved! He thought, because he had attended the place of the holy regularly, therefore he was safe for another world. There lie his hopes and they are to be buried with him. Of all the frightful things that a man can look upon, the face of a dead hope is the most horrible! His epitaph is contained in these short words—“This too is futile.”
C 8:2 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg, Tg, Syr; other Hb mss read I, keep
B 8:10 Some Hb mss, LXX, Aq, Theod, Sym; other Hb mss read forgotten
9Indeed, I took all this to heart and explained it all: The righteous, the wise, and their works are in God’s hands. People don’t know whether to expect love or hate. Everything lies ahead of them. 2 Everything is the same for everyone: There is one fate for the righteous and the wicked, for the good and the bad, A for the clean and the unclean, for the one who sacrifices and the one who does not sacrifice. As it is for the good, so also it is for the sinner; as it is for the one who takes an oath, so also for the one who fears an oath. 3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: there is one fate for everyone. In addition, the hearts of people are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live; after that they go to the dead. 4 But there is hope for whoever is joined B with all the living, since a live dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead don’t know anything. There is no longer a reward for them because the memory of them is forgotten. 6 Their love, their hate, and their envy have already disappeared, and there is no longer a portion for them in all that is done under the sun.
7 Go, eat your bread with pleasure, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already accepted your works. 8 Let your clothes be white all the time, and never let oil be lacking on your head. 9 Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your fleeting C life, which has been given to you under the sun, all your fleeting days. For that is your portion in life and in your struggle under the sun. 10 Whatever your hands find to do, do with all your strength, because there is no work, planning, knowledge, or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.
11 Again I saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, or the battle to the strong, or bread to the wise, or riches to the discerning, or favor to the skillful; rather, time and chance happen to all of them. 12 For certainly no one knows his time: like fish caught in a cruel net or like birds caught in a trap, so people are trapped in an evil time as it suddenly falls on them.
13 I have observed that this also is wisdom under the sun, and it is significant to me: 14 There was a small city with few men in it. A great king came against it, surrounded it, and built large siege works against it. 15 Now a poor wise man was found in the city, and he delivered the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man. 16 And I said, “Wisdom is better than strength, but the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not heeded.”
17The calm words of the wise are heeded
more than the shouts of a ruler over fools.
18Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner can destroy much good.
9:10 “Whatever your hands find to do, do with all your strength, because there is no work, planning, knowledge, or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.” It is possible that the royal preacher intended our text to be sarcasm, addressing those persons of an epicurean spirit who consider this world to be everything, and will not believe there is a world to come, but I do not think so. I think the common interpretation is the true one, and that would make it run parallel with the saying of our Lord, “We must do the works of him who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work” (Jn 9:4). It is an address to people, commending to them promptness, determination, and practical earnestness. Inasmuch as they have but one life here on earth, they should give diligence to accomplish all the right purposes that they have formed for this world. Seeing that once dead they cannot return, nor in the grave can they carry out any of their resolves, they should do quickly what they mean to do. May God give us grace to make a right use of this exhortation!
10Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil ferment and stink;
so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
2A wise person’s heart goes to the D right,
but a fool’s heart to the left.
3Even when the fool walks along the road, his heart lacks sense,
and he shows everyone he is a fool.
4If the ruler’s anger rises against you, don’t leave your post,
for calmness puts great offenses to rest.
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, an error proceeding from the presence of the ruler:
6The fool is appointed to great heights,
but the rich remain in lowly positions.
7I have seen slaves on horses,
but princes walking on the ground like slaves.
8The one who digs a pit may fall into it,
and the one who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.
9The one who quarries stones may be hurt by them;
the one who splits logs may be endangered by them.
10If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen its edge,
then one must exert more strength;
however, the advantage of wisdom is that it brings success.
11If the snake bites before it is charmed,
then there is no advantage for the charmer. A
12The words from the mouth of a wise person are gracious,
but the lips of a fool consume him.
13The beginning of the words from his mouth is folly,
but the end of his speaking is evil madness;
14yet the fool multiplies words.
No one knows what will happen,
and who can tell anyone what will happen after him?
15The struggles of fools weary them,
for they don’t know how to go to the city.
16Woe to you, land, when your king is a youth
and your princes feast in the morning.
17Blessed are you, land, when your king is a son of nobles
and your princes feast at the proper time —
for strength and not for drunkenness.
18Because of laziness the roof caves in,
and because of negligent hands the house leaks.
19A feast is prepared for laughter,
and wine makes life happy,
and money B is the answer for everything.
20Do not curse the king even in your thoughts,
and do not curse a rich person even in your bedroom,
for a bird of the sky may carry the message,
and a winged creature may report the matter.
11Send your bread on the surface of the water,
for after many days you may find it.
2Give a portion to seven or even to eight,
for you don’t know what disaster may happen on earth.
3If the clouds are full, they will pour out rain on the earth;
whether a tree falls to the south or the north,
the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.
4One who watches the wind will not sow,
and the one who looks at the clouds will not reap.
5Just as you don’t know the path of the wind,
or how bones develop in A the womb of a pregnant woman,
so also you don’t know the work of God who makes everything.
QUOTE 11:5
I have not half the desire to know that I have to believe and to love.
6In the morning sow your seed,
and at evening do not let your hand rest,
because you don’t know which will succeed,
whether one or the other,
or if both of them will be equally good.
7Light is sweet,
and it is pleasing for the eyes to see the sun.
8Indeed, if someone lives many years,
let him rejoice in them all,
and let him remember the days of darkness, since they will be many.
All that comes is futile.
9Rejoice, young person, while you are young,
and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth.
And walk in the ways of your heart
and in the desire of your eyes;
but know that for all of these things God will bring you to judgment.
10Remove sorrow from your heart,
and put away pain from your flesh,
because youth and the prime of life are fleeting.
11:5 “Just as you don’t know the path of the wind, or how bones develop in the womb of a pregnant woman, so also you don’t know the work of God who makes everything.” There are great mysteries we can never comprehend. God alone knows how the soul comes into the body or even how the body is fashioned. This must remain with him. We do not know how sinners are regenerated. We know not how the Spirit of God works on the human mind and transforms the sinner into a saint. There are some who know too much already. I have not half the desire to know that I have to believe and to love. Oh, that we loved God more and trusted God more! We might then get to heaven if we knew even less than we do.
11:8 “Indeed, if someone lives many years, let him rejoice in them all, and let him remember the days of darkness, since they will be many. All that comes is futile.” Take Christ away and this is a truthful estimate of human life. Put Christ into the question and Solomon does not hit the mark at all. If we have Christ with us, whether the days are light or dark, we walk in the light and our soul is happy and glad. But apart from Christ, the estimate of life given here is an exactly accurate one—a little brightness and long darkness, a flash and then midnight. God save us from living a merely natural life! May we get out of the lower life of the mere animal into the higher life of the regenerated soul!
12So remember your Creator in the days of your youth:
Before the days of adversity come,
and the years approach when you will say,
“I have no delight in them”;
2before the sun and the light are darkened,
and the moon and the stars,
and the clouds return after B the rain;
3on the day when the guardians of the house tremble,
and the strong men stoop,
the women who grind grain cease because they are few,
and the ones who watch through the windows see dimly,
4the doors at the street are shut
while the sound of the mill fades;
when one rises at the sound
of a bird,
and all the daughters of song grow faint.
5Also, they are afraid of heights and dangers on the road;
the almond tree blossoms,
the grasshopper loses its spring, A
and the caper berry has no effect;
for the mere mortal is headed to his eternal home,
and mourners will walk around in the street;
6before the silver cord is snapped, B
and the gold bowl is broken,
and the jar is shattered at the spring,
and the wheel is broken into the well;
7and the dust returns to the earth as it once was,
and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
8 “Absolute futility,” says the Teacher. “Everything is futile.”
9 In addition to the Teacher being a wise man, he constantly taught the people knowledge; he weighed, explored, and arranged many proverbs. 10 The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and write words of truth accurately. 11 The sayings of the wise are like cattle prods, and those from masters of collections are like firmly embedded nails. The sayings are given by one Shepherd. C
12 But beyond these, my son, be warned: there is no end to the making of many books, and much study wearies the body. 13 When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: fear God and keep his commands, because this is for all D humanity. 14 For God will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil.
12:1a “So remember your Creator in the days of your youth.” Now we get on solid ground. There is an irony in the advice, “Rejoice, young person, while you are young, and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth. And walk in the ways of your heart and in the desire of your eyes” (11:9). But there is no irony here—there is solid, sound advice. May every young man take this advice and carry it out.
12:1b “Before the days of adversity come, and the years approach when you will say, ‘I have no delight in them.’” The commentary on these “days of adversity” is found in verses 2-6. These arms and hands of ours shake by reason of weakness. These limbs, these legs of ours, begin to bend under the weight they have to support. The teeth are gone. The eyesight begins to fail. The old man sleeps very lightly; anything awakens him. He hides away from public business. The doors are shut in the streets. There is none of the courage of youth. Daring is gone—prudence, not to say cowardice—sits on the throne. The hair is white and gray, like the early peach or almond tree in the beginning of the year. A little trouble weighs the old man down. He has no energy now. The grasshopper is a burden. The circulation of the blood begins to fail, the heart grows weak. It will soon stop. The man’s career is nearly over.
12:7 “The dust returns to the earth as it once was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.” This will happen to us all, either to return to dust or else return to God. Whether we die and return to dust, or live until the coming of Christ, our spirit shall return to God who gave it. May the return be a joyous one for each of us!
12:11 “The sayings of the wise are like cattle prods, and those from masters of collections are like firmly embedded nails. The sayings are given by one Shepherd.” They prick us onward, as the goad does the bullock, when he is trying to stop instead of plowing in the furrow. The words of the wise are driven home, like nails, and clinched. There is one Shepherd who, by means of his servants’ words, leads his flock where he would have them go.
12:14 “For God will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil.” Depend on it that it will be so. At the last great day, there will be a revealing of everything, whether it is good or whether it is evil. No need for the righteous to fear that revelation, for they will only magnify in that day the amazing grace of God that has put all their iniquities away—and then all men will know how great the grace of God was in passing by iniquity, transgression, and sin.