WHO _is_ as the wise _man_? │ AH, then, who is really wise,
and who knoweth the │ and who knows how to solve the
interpretation of a thing? a │ enigma of this matter? that
man’s wisdom maketh his face │ wisdom of humanity which
to shine, and ¹the boldness of │ enlightens his face, for the
his face shall be changed. │ haughty face is detestable.
│
¹ _Hebrew_ the strength. │
♦VIII. (1.) =Who is as the wise=? (the LXX., rendering _ad sensum_,
translate τίς οἶδεν σοφούς, ‘who knows wise men or things?’ which
E. and X. alter to σοφίαν, ‘wisdom.’ ‘Who is as _the_ wise?’ or, as
מי stands first, ‘ah, who is really wise?’ There is a double meaning
here――a lamentation over his own failure, and a natural reflection
on the superior wisdom of _the_ Wise One, or, as we should write, the
Omniscient) =and who= (‘and who too’) =knows a solution= (פשר occurs
Daniel ii. 4, 5, 6, etc., but in that prophet only, and is used to
signify the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, hence LXX. λύσις)
=of a reason=: (who then is so wise that he knows how to solve the
matter, or give it its true interpretation? The answer follows) =that
wisdom of a man enlightens= (but as חכמה follows חכם, it rises into
importance, ‘that wisdom of a man which enlightens’) =his countenance=
(there is a manifest allusion here to Proverbs xvi. 15, and the meaning
of ‘enlightens his face’ is, ‘gives him favour or satisfaction’),
=but= the =strength of his face= (which has the meaning of sternness
or wilfulness, see Deuteronomy xxvii. 50) =is hated= (the Masorets
propose the alteration from יְשֻׁנֶא to יְשֻׁנֶּה; but this was because they did
not understand the context; the LXX. render ἀναιδὴς προσώπῳ αὐτοῦ
μισηθήσεται, ‘but a man of shameless countenance will be hated,’ and
also the Syriac, but strictly ישנא is impersonal, ‘one hates.’ The
meaning then, read in the light of Proverbs xvi. 15, evidently is, that
obstinacy is that which a king hates, and of course _a fortiori_ the
Divine King).
♦ “VII.” replaced with “VIII.”
♠ “προσώπου” replaced with “προσώπῳ”
2 I _counsel thee_ to keep │ As for me, a royal word observe,
the king’s commandment, and │ and upon reasoning about the
_that_ in regard of the oath │ Divine decree, do not hasten.
of God. │
(2.) =I= (emphatic, none of the ancient versions take any notice
of this emphatic pronoun, a reason for which will appear presently)
=the mouth of a king= (not the king, thus the literal meaning is,
‘I, a king’s word’) =keep= it (the explanation is to be found in the
equivocal use of the word ‘king,’ which has an undertone of reference
to the Great King: compare also chapter ii. 12, and observe how
excellently a word of counsel suits the passage. The meaning therefore
is, I will give you a royal word to keep, or guard), and =upon
reasoning= (על דברת, see chapter iii. 18, and with the same meaning
‘upon the reasonings about,’ the Masorets put a strong distinctive
accent on וְעַ֕ל, thus separating it from the following words, but this
was because they did not see the exact meaning) =the oath of God= (see
Deuteronomy vii. 8, Jeremiah xi. 5; the oath of God then is that which
God has determined on, and we are especially to regard this, and take
care that we use no hasty words or expressions about it).
3 Be not hasty to go out │ From His presence canst thou go?
of his sight: stand not in │ Do not rest on any evil word,
an evil thing; for he doeth │ for all that His providence
whatsoever pleaseth him. │ ordains He does;
(3.) =Do not hasten= (this the LXX. and Syriac join on to the preceding
verse, against the accentuation of the Masorets, and this makes better
sense) =from his face thou shalt go= (but as ‘face’ is the emphatic
word, it is clear that the clause is in the nature of a question,
or rather with a note of admiration, _i.e._ ‘From his face are you
going!’), =do not stand= (‘abide,’ or ‘stay’) =in a reason which is an
evil one for all he provides= (יחפץ, the verb, of which חפץ is the root,
and which invariably means ‘Divine providence’ in this book) =he does=
(he always acts, therefore, according to the pleasure of his Divine
providence).
4 Where the word of a king │ in Whose royal word is
_is_, _there is_ power: and │ authority, and who dare say to
who may say unto him, What │ Him, What doest Thou?
doest thou? │
(4.) =In whom= (or ‘in which,’ for it refers back to the whole idea of
God’s providence) =the matter of a king= is =powerful= (_i.e._ a power,
‘matter,’ דבר as usual being taken in its technical sense of the matter
reasoned about and the matter itself. The LXX. invert the order of
the words――a very unusual proceeding with them: it is, however, to be
observed that B. omits λαλεῖ, the word out of place), =and who shall
say to him, What doest thou?=
5 Whoso keepeth the │ Whoso keeps the commandment
commandment ¹shall feel no │ will not know a reason which
evil thing: and a wise man’s │ leads to wrong. For a wise
heart discerneth both time and │ heart does know that there is
judgment. │ a time and a judgment;
│
¹ _Hebrew_ shall know. │
(5.) =One keeping the command= (a participle, that which is commanded)
=does not know a matter= (as above) which is =evil, and time and
judgment knows= (repeated; thus the exact meaning is, ‘but time and
judgment’) =the heart of a wise man= (‘does know’).
6 ¶ Because to every purpose │ because to every providence
there is time and judgment, │ there is a time and a judgment;
therefore the misery of man │ because also, the wrong of
_is_ great upon him. │ Humanity is great upon him;
(6.) =For to every providence there is a time and a judgment= (that
is, a proper season for its occurrence, and a time when it will be
shown to be in the economy of providence), =for the wrong of man=
(generic, with the article) =is much upon him= (the LXX. here read דעת,
‘knowledge,’ γνῶσις; Symmachus and the Syriac read as the Hebrew. On
the whole, however, it appears that the text is fully entitled to stand
undisturbed, as it makes better sense, and, supposing an error in the
LXX., it might so readily occur from a misreading of letters so much
alike as ד and ר. The older forms, however, of these two letters were
not so much alike, as is shown by the Moabite stone, and hence caution
is required in coming to a judgment; but further, γνῶσις has already
been used in a bad sense, see chapter i. 18).
7 For he knoweth not that │ and because, he is not one who
which shall be: for who can │ knows what may be; and because,
tell him when it shall be? │ _how_ it will be, none can tell
│ him.
(7.) =For he is not knowing= (that is, man is not a creature that knows)
=what will be= (contract relative with the verb): =for how it will be,
who can tell him?= (the particle כי is introduced four times, and each
introduces an additional reason strengthening what went before. Thus
the wise heart will not know a matter which is bad――will not allow,
that is, that in its nature it is so, and he does know that there is an
appointed time and judgment which will set all right. First, because to
every providence whatever there is such a time and judgment; secondly,
because there is so much evil amongst mankind, which of course needs
rectification, and will have it, see chapter iii. 15; and because he
cannot tell what will be, and so right may be discovered and providence
vindicated in the future; and lastly, because as none can predict the
result of any event, so he is an imperfect judge concerning it. This
impotence of man is further set forth in what follows).
8 _There is_ no man that │ No man has power over the
hath power over the spirit │ spirit to restrain the spirit;
to retain the spirit; neither │ and there is no powerfulness in
_hath he_ power in the day │ the day of death; and there is
of death: and _there is_ no │ no putting off the weapons in
¹discharge in _that_ war; │ that warfare: but by no means
neither shall wickedness │ will _Impiety_ deliver those
deliver those that are given │ that resort to _it_.
to it. │
│
¹ _Or_, casting off │
_weapons_. │
(8.) =There is nothing= in (that is, There is not a single) =man caused
to have power= (LXX. ἐξουσιάζων) =with the spirit= (the LXX. render
with ἐν, ‘in’) =to the restraint of= (כלא――1 Samuel vi. 10; Jeremiah
xxxii. 3――is used of restraint in prison) =with respect to the spirit=
(את with the article, and the noun repeated, making it exceedingly
emphatic, which the LXX. note by their customary σὺν: ‘to have any
restraint with respect to that same spirit’ is the meaning) =and there
is no power= (that is, ‘power to rule or direct’) =in the day of death,
and there is no discharge= (occurs Psalms lxxviii. 49) =in the warfare,
and not delivers= (this standing first is emphatic; it is equivalent
to ‘but _this_ does not deliver’) even =impiety in respect of its lord=
(or, as our idiom would put it, ‘but impiety will not deliver those who
resort to it’).
9 All this have I seen, and │ With respect to all this I
applied my heart unto every │ have observed, with regard to
work that is done under the │ all the works which are done
sun: _there is_ a time wherein │ in this work-day world――and
one man ruleth over another to │ greatly am I impressed by it――a
his own hurt. │ time when humanity has a power
│ over itself to injure itself.
(9.) =With respect to all this I have seen,= (_i.e._ ‘observed’),
=and setting= myself (infinitive absolute. Zöckler says the infinitive
absolute with copula prefixed indicates an action contemporaneous with
the main verb; hence the LXX. render ἔδωκα ... εἰς), =with respect to
my heart, to all the working which= (full relative) =is done= (niphal)
=under the sun, the time which= (the LXX. apparently take no notice
of עת, but render as if they had read את אשר; but if we take עת as in
apposition to תהת ה״, and notice that אשר is repeated, we shall see that
the sense is ‘I mean with regard to that time when,’ etc.) =rules= (or
has power) =the man= (mankind generally) =by a man to an injury to him=
(not exactly with the meaning of one man injuring another, but rather,
that when humanity has any power over itself in the person of other men,
it uses this power to injury for the most part, an instance of which
follows).
10 And so I saw the wicked │ And on this wise: I have seen
buried, who had come and gone │ the wicked honourably buried,
from the place of the holy, │ who used to come and go from
and they were forgotten in the │ the place of the holy, and were
city where they had so done: │ praised in the city where they
this _is_ also vanity. │ had done this: an instance this
│ of the evanescent.
(10.) =And in this wise= (ובכן, occurs only Esther iv. 16, in the sense
of ‘in this way’) =I have observed wicked ones= (not _the_ wicked,
but continually instances of the impiously wicked) =sepulchres= (the
Masorets point with ♣kubbutz, the ♦pual participle, the only other
instance of which occurs 1 Kings xiii. 31; but there the participle
is full: we cannot therefore accept the Masoretic pointing as
authoritative; it really amounts to an alteration of the unpointed
text. The LXX. considered קברים a noun plural, accusative to ובאו, and
translate εἰς τάφοῦς ♠εἰσαχθέντας, ‘carried into the tombs’) =and they
entered= (I would seek an explanation of the difficulty here in the
occurrence of this conjunction ‘and,’ of which a similar instance is
found at chapter ii. 15, ‘so they entered a place ... and they are
going,’ etc.; _i.e._ ‘did this as a habit’) =and from a place of
the hallowed one= (participle) =they go.= (The rendering of the LXX.
is easily explained; they translate as they do, because we have a
past tense joined with a present――יהלקו, thus giving the meaning of
imperfects. As the wicked could not be said to go after death into
the sepulchre, they rendered by a passive, ‘were taken,’ or because
they wished it to be made plain that it was not a mere entering and
departing, but that the wicked were buried, _i.e._ honoured, in their
graves). =And they were forgotten in the city in which= (full relative,
because it does not refer closely to the city only; they were forgotten,
not as regards that particular city, but as a general proposition)
=thus they did= (but twenty MSS. and all the ancient versions, except
the Syriac, in place of וישתכחו, ‘were forgotten,’ read ישתבחו, ‘praised,’
which not only makes better sense, but accounts for the hithpael with
its reflexive signification. Symmachus reads, ‘And when they had gone
round in the holy place, they returned, being praised in the city
where they had so done’――καὶ ὅποτε περιῆσαν ἐν τόπῳ ἁγίῳ ἀνέστρεφον
ἐπαινούμενοι ἐν τῇ πόλει.――See Field’s _Hexapla_, p. 396. He also gives
the explanatory gloss, ὡς δίκαια πράξαντες, ‘as those who had done
well.’ Hence, then, on the whole, we should prefer to take in substance
the LXX.’s rendering, and look upon this as setting forth a salient
example of successful hypocrisy. After all, the forced renderings of
certain critics are in effect alterations of the text, or yield no
sense at all. The remark) =This also= is =vanity= (equivalent to ‘this
then is besides, an instance of evanescence or transitoriness,’ is very
striking and appropriate at this point, as also what succeeds).
♣ “kibbutz” replaced with “kubbutz”
♦ “paul” replaced with “pual”
♠ “εἰσαχθεντες” replaced with “εἰσαχθέντας”
11 Because sentence against │ It amounts to this, however:
an evil work is not executed │ there is no speedy execution of
speedily, therefore the heart │ sentence for doing evil, and so
of the sons of men is fully │ the heart of the human race is
set in them to do evil. │ thus encouraged in them to do
│ that evil;
(11.) =Which= (standing at the beginning of a period is emphatic, and
thus the subject of the whole. ‘It amounts to this’ would render it
well) =there is nothing done as a sentence= (occurs Esther i. 20) =of
doing the evil speedily, therefore full= is the =heart of the sons of
man in them to the doing of an evil= (that is, ‘It amounts to this,
there is nothing inflicted as a penalty of doing the evil [_i.e._ evil
generally] speedily; on that account filled is the heart of men within
them in order to do that evil, the word evil being repeated’).
12 ¶ Though a sinner do │ which, however, is a wicked
evil an hundred times, and │ mistake merely because there
his _days_ be prolonged, yet │ is time and a prolongation of
surely I know that it shall │ impunity; for I am perfectly
be well with them that fear │ assured that it must be
God, which fear before him: │ well with those who fear the
│ Almighty,
(12.) =Which= (repeated at the beginning of a clause, equivalent
therefore to ‘And it also amounts to this’) =a sinning= (חטא, which the
Masorets point as a participle, and the LXX. confirm, rendering by a
verb) =doing an evil a hundred= (so stands the text at present, but it
clearly was not so in the text which the ancient versions used, all of
which read differently, except the Syriac, which follows the Hebrew.
The LXX. read either מאן or מעת. Symmachus, Aquila, and Theodotion read
מות. Jerome remarks the difficulty; and the Syriac Hexapla shows that
the text needed emendation at an early time. We believe the LXX. have
preserved the right reading; moreover, that they took אריך as a noun
in the sense of ‘prolongation,’ like אסיר, ‘a prisoner,’ Genesis xxxix.
20, 22; זעיר, ‘a little,’ Job xxxvi. 2, Isaiah xxviii. 10 and 13; for
ומאריך is not a participle hiphil, but is really the substantive אריך
with מ. When, however, this word was taken as a hiphil, מעת became
unintelligible, and was altered by conjecture to מאת, or מות; hence the
meaning is not) =caused to be prolonged= (as it stands in the text,
but rather ‘and from the prolongation’) =to him=: (emphatic, hence the
sense of the passage is, noticing the repetition of the מ, and the fact
that אשר also stands at the head of the verse, ‘And it amounts to this
as well: a wickedly mistaking one does evil from the time and from
the prolongation of it to HIM,’ _i.e._ ‘to the other above cited;’ and
hence the LXX. render αὐτῶν, also referring us back to the hypocritical
sinners spoken of above. Then follows a reason introduced with) =for in
addition= (besides its being a wicked mistake, a sin which it is always
folly to commit) =knowing am I= (_i.e._ ‘I do know, notwithstanding
appearances’) =this= also, =it will be a good to the fearers of God
who= (but full relative repeated, and so with the meaning ‘because they
are those who’) =fear= (emphatic, with double _jud_) =before him.=
13 But it shall not be well │ just because they do fear
with the wicked, neither shall │ before Him; and that it cannot
he prolong _his_ days, _which │ be good to the impious man, and
are_ as a shadow; because he │ he will not prolong his days,
feareth not before God. │ even like a shadow, because he
│ is _not_ one who fears before
│ God.
(13.) =And good= (repeated, ‘but good’) =it will not be to an impious=
person (or act) =and he will not cause to prolong days as a shadow=
(he does not prolong his days; they are prolonged indeed sometimes
by Divine providence in His inscrutable decrees, and they are as a
shadow,――a very impressive figure: the lengthened shadow of the old
sinner’s years so soon to end in darkness absolute) =which= (full
relative, in this equivalent to ‘because that’) =he is not a fearer
before God.=
14 There is a vanity which │ There is an instance of
is done upon the earth; that │ evanescence which occurs upon
there be just _men_, unto whom │ earth, and it is this: that
it happeneth according to the │ there are righteous persons to
work of the wicked; again, │ whom it results as if they had
there be wicked _men_, to whom │ acted like the impious; and,
it happeneth according to the │ on the other hand, there are
work of the righteous: I said │ impious persons to whom it may
that this also _is_ vanity. │ happen as though they had acted
│ like the righteous. So this,
│ said I, is another instance of
│ the transitory!
(14.) =There exists a vanity done= (_i.e._ which occurs or happens to
men) =under the sun= (the LXX. render by a perfect, πεποίηται), =which
is, that there exists righteous= (full relative) =which= (persons or
acts) =it reaches= (hiphil participle, Genesis xxviii. 12) =to them=
(emphatic) =according to the doing of the wicked ones=, (generic; they
attain the same ends as the wicked ones do, in this world at least,
for ‘under the sun’ is put in as a qualifying clause), =and there are
wicked ones which= it =reaches= (here we have the contract relative
instead of the full one above. So accurate a writer as Koheleth
could hardly have done this without reason. We have already noticed
the subjunctive sense the contract relative gives to the verb it
joins――possibly he intends a limitation; it is an occurrence which
_sometimes_ happens, the _rule_ however is after all the other way)
=to them according to the working= of the =righteous ones, I said which
also= (שגם――see chapter i. 17, ii. 15, the only other two instances in
which this combination occurs; it clearly gives an interrogatory force,
with a tone of surprise) is =vanity?=
15 Then I commended mirth, │ Then I, for my part, expressed
because a man hath no better │ a preference with regard to
thing under the sun, than to │ enjoyment, because there is
eat, and to drink, and to be │ no real good to a man in this
merry: for that shall abide │ work-day world, except to eat,
with him of his labour the │ and drink, and be delighted,
days of his life, which God │ and that same conjoined with
giveth him under the sun. │ his toil during the days of
│ his life; and because also
│ it is appointed to him of the
│ Almighty in this work-day world.
(15.) =And I praised, I myself, with respect to= (which the LXX. note
by σὺν adverbial) =the gladness= (which is both generic and abstract,
‘I came, that is, to a strong conclusion as to the value of present
happiness’), =because there is no good to a man under the sun, except
to eat, and to drink, and to rejoice, and that= (emphatic) =to abide
with him in= (or by means of) =his toil during the days of his life=
(_i.e._ no other real good except this gratification immediately
arising from the toil) =which= is =a gift to him= (emphatic) =of Divine
Providence= (and so not the result of his labour, but a mercy for which
he ought to thank God) =under the sun= (which is in this case reserved
to the end of the sentence, and indeed the period, for the next clause
is a summing up).
16 ¶ When I applied mine │ Whence it results, that having
heart to know wisdom, and to │ set my heart to know wisdom,
see the business that is done │ and to observe with regard to
upon the earth: (for also │ the uncertainty which is
_there is that_ neither day │ suffered upon earth (for indeed,
nor night seeth sleep with his │ by day and by night also, _rest_
eyes:) │ does no human eye behold)――
(16.) =As then I have given with respect to my heart= (with את) =to
the knowledge of wisdom, and to the appearances= (וְלִרְאוֹת; this infinitive
with וְ is peculiar to Ecclesiastes――occurs chapters iii. 18, v. 17, and
here; see the peculiar shade of meaning given by the conjunction) =with
respect to the anxiety= (see chapter i. 13; generic with את, of which,
however, the LXX. take no special notice) =which is done on earth=
(but we must write ‘endured upon earth’ to express the meaning, which
amounts to this, ‘As, then, I have given my heart to the knowledge of
wisdom, _i.e._ a scientific knowledge, with regard to the spectacle of
that anxious uncertainty which is suffered on the earth’), for =also
by day and by night sleep= (the Masorets with great taste put ‘sleep’
in a clausule by itself) =with his eyes he is not seeing= (_i.e._ this
uncertainty is incessant).
17 Then I beheld all the │ so I perceive, with respect to
work of God, that a man cannot │ the whole working of the
find out the work that is done │ Almighty, how impossible is it
under the sun: because though │ for humanity to discover the
a man labour to seek _it_ out, │ working out of anything with
yet he shall not find _it_; │ respect to what is done within
yea farther, though a wise │ this work-day world. Yet it is
_man_ think to know _it_, yet │ on account of this that man
shall he not be able to find │ toils, that he may seek it
_it_. │ out, but he does not discover
│ it: and if he thinks wisdom
│ will enable him to know it,
│ it is not sufficient for the
│ discovery either.
(17.) =And I saw= (so I saw, the apodosis of the above) =with respect
to all the working of Divine providence, how that is not able= (_not_
is emphatic) =humanity to the finding out of= (‘or a discovery’ of)
=with regard to= (the LXX. again write σὺν) =the work= (generic) =which
is done= (or suffered, or endured, as being a niphal) =under the sun,
because of= (בשל occurs Jonah i. 7 only) =which toils humanity in order
to seek it, and does not find it; and also if he says the wisdom=
(_i.e._ wisdom generically) =to know it= (‘that wisdom is given him to
know it’) =he is not able= (or rather not enabled) =to find it.= בשל
in this place is no doubt used to express a new idea, ‘for this,’ or
‘which cause.’ The object of man’s toil, _i.e._ the object he has in
his labour, is to find out some method by which he may rectify what
appears wrong in the course of God’s providence: in the strict sense
of the term this is impossible. The principle which pervades Koheleth’s
reasoning is, that enjoyment, as such, is God’s gift, and that toil is
useless. Labour, however, which is distinguished from toil, is to be
done in the fear of God, and the result left to his providence. The
argument which is to follow further enforces this.