FOR all this ¹I considered │ FOR with respect to all this,
in my heart even to declare │ I have laid to my heart that
all this, that the righteous, │ which is to be deduced from it
and the wise, and their works, │ all, which is, that right and
_are_ in the hand of God: no │ wisdom, and any service they
man knoweth either love or │ can render, are in the hand of
hatred _by_ all _that is_ │ the Almighty, and whether [an
before them. │ event be an indication of His]
│ love or displeasure either, no
¹ _Hebrew_ I gave _or_ set │ man knows from anything he sees
to my heart. │ before him,
IX. (1.) =For with respect to all this, I have given it to= (אל, not
את, which the LXX. render by εἰς) =my heart, and to sift out= (occurs
here only, but compare chapter iii. 18) =with respect to all this= (but
the LXX., dividing the words differently, evidently read ולבי ראת כל זה,
which would mean, ‘when that heart was seeing all this.’ The number
of various readings――see Stier and Theile, _Polyglot_――show that
this passage was early one of difficulty. The rendering of Symmachus,
preserved by Jerome, ‘omnia ita statui [fort. ἔταξα] in corde meo ut
ventilarem universa,’ conveys the meaning; which is, that Koheleth
set to his heart that which is the result when the matter is entirely
sifted) =which is the righteous and the wise= (generic and plural, all
those things which are right or wise generally; ‘right and wisdom,’ as
we speak, is the meaning) =and their works= (_i.e._ what they produce,
or, better still, their ‘services’) are =in the hand of the Deity,
also love= (in the abstract), =also hatred= (also abstract, and גם
being repeated gives the idea of both love and hatred too) =is nothing,
knowing the man= (the negative belongs to the noun, not to the verb,
and so the meaning must be ‘there is _no man_ who does know.’ Moreover,
the two nominatives absolute, ‘love’ and ‘hatred,’ are the subjects of
the whole sentence, ‘as to love or hatred either, there is no man who
knows,’ or, better still, ‘to whom is made known,’ giving the import
to the participle) =the whole= (generic) =before them= (distributive
plural, any of them, equivalent then ‘to anything which is before
them’).
2 All _things come_ alike │ evanescence being that which
to all: _there is_ one event │ belongs to all. That which
to the righteous, and to the │ happens is just the same to
wicked; to the good, and to │ the right and to the wrong, to
the clean, and to the unclean; │ good [_and to bad_, LXX.], and
to him that sacrificeth, and │ to clean and to unclean, and
to him that sacrificeth not: │ to the sacrificer as to one
as _is_ the good, so _is_ │ who never sacrifices; as the
the sinner; _and_ he that │ good, so the erring sinner,
sweareth, as _he_ that feareth │ the forsworn as though he had
an oath. │ feared the oath.
(2.) =The whole= (but all the ancient versions read here הבל,
‘_vanity_,’ and this makes better sense; the error, for such we believe
it to be, in the Masoretic text, was one so likely to occur, that,
considering the strong weight of testimony in favour of the LXX., and
the far better sense it makes with the context, we may well adopt it.
As an additional reason for following the LXX., we notice that the
Syriac reads (‡ Syriac phrase) ‘all that is before him is vanity, all
just as that which is to all,’ combining, therefore, both readings
together. Thus it appears that the variation in the texts was a very
ancient one. If this reading be adopted, then combining it with the
words which follow) =as= (or like this same) =to all= (the meaning
will be ‘transitoriness is exactly the same to all,’ or ‘all alike
are equally transitory.’ If, however, we retain the Masoretic text
and pointing, a good sense is made. ‘_The whole_ is as it were to
all,’ namely) =a happening= which is =one to the righteous, and to
the impious, to the good= (the LXX. add here _to the bad_), =to the
clean, and to the unclean, to the sacrificer, and to one who has not
sacrificed; as is the good so the sinner= (but general, including
things as well as persons), =the forsworn as one who an oath fears.=
3 This _is_ an evil among │ This evil is in all which is
all _things_ that are done │ performed in this work-day
under the sun, that _there is_ │ world: that there is but one
one event unto all: yea, also │ event to all, and so the heart
the heart of the sons of men │ of the human race overflows
is full of evil, and madness │ with wrong, and foolish
_is_ in their heart while they │ anticipations are in their
live, and after that _they go_ │ inmost hearts while they live,
to the dead. │ and what succeeds――it belongs
│ to the _dead_.
(3.) =This wrong= is _in all which is done_ (niphal, and therefore
objective; men both do and suffer as though this were so) = under the
sun, how a happening= which is =one= (_i.e._ the same) =to all= (the
force of this reasoning is made apparent by what follows, as there
is no visible reward to these righteous persons as compared with the
wicked, wicked men presume); =and moreover, the heart of the sons of
Adam is full of= (‘overflows with’ would represent the idea) =evil,
and false expectations= (הוללות occurs chapter i. 17――see references;
the meaning deduced exactly suits this passage; it is the false hope
begotten of an evil action, a crime worse than a blunder, to invert a
celebrated aphorism) =in their hearts= (לבב is ‘the inmost heart’――see
Concordance, _sub voce_, for the shade of difference between לב and
לבב), =in their lives, and their future= (_i.e._ what comes afterwards)
=belongs to= (the preposition is אל, which the LXX. note, and render by
πρὸς) =the dead= (generic, with the article).
4 ¶ For to him that is │ For whoever he may be,
joined to all the living there │ he chooses altogether as
is hope: for a living dog is │ regarding the _living_, this
better than a dead lion. │ being his anticipation: for to
│ a dog alive it is indeed better
│ than the lion when he is dead.
(4.) =For whoever= (interrogative pronoun followed by אשר, compare
Exodus xxxii. 33; it has here the sense, ‘For whoever he be’) =chooses=
(the Kri reads ‘is joined to,’ which the LXX., Syriac, Targum, and
Symmachus all have; but this and the pointing as a pual is merely a
Masoretic conjecture: it would be better with the LXX. to take it in
an active sense, κοινωνεῖ, ‘participates.’ The Chetib is perfectly
intelligible, however, and is to be preferred) =towards= (אל, as in
verse 3) =all= (but כל is without the article; hence it has the meaning,
the ‘whole of’) =the lives= (with the article, and hence generic,
‘lives generally.’ Thus the meaning is, ‘For whoever he be, he is one
who chooses entirely with relation to the living’), =it is= (יש, it
exists as such) =an expectation= (בטחון, occurs 2 Kings xviii. 19, and
its parallel Isaiah xxxvi. 4 besides this place only, in the meaning
of a ‘confidence’ or ‘expectation,’ and this meaning gives excellent
sense here: ‘is his expectation that he will _live:_’ no man makes
plans on the supposition that he is going to _die_; he may indeed
provide for others after he is dead, but the horizon of his own hopes
is necessarily bounded by his life). =For= (an additional reason
confirming the above) =to a dog alive it is= (emphatic) =good above the
lion= (with the article, because this is generic; it is not _a_ lion,
but lion qualities generally), =the dead= (again generic, for the same
reason――‘a live dog is better than the lion when he is dead,’ is the
exact turn of thought).
5 For the living know that │ Yet the living are quite aware
they shall die: but the dead │ that they shall die; but the
know not any thing, neither │ dead are not aware of anything;
have they any more a reward; │ and they can have no further
for the memory of them is │ recompense, because a forgotten
forgotten. │ thing is their memorial:
(5.) =For the living= ones =are knowing that they will die= (this is an
additional reason to the above, and so may be rendered, ‘but the living
are certain that they will _die_‘), =but the dead= (plural, with the
article, ‘the dead persons generally’) =are not those who are knowing
anything= (it is not here, be it observed, the existence of knowledge
on the part of the dead which is denied, but that, from the author’s
point of view, the dead are persons who do not know anything: an
unevangelic sense has been given to this passage by not attending to
this distinction), =and there is nothing further to them= (emphatic)
which is a =hire= (or a reward in this life accruing to them as a
recompense for their toil), =because forgotten= (niphal in its usual
objective sense) is =their remembrance.=
6 Also their love, and their │ and then their love and their
hatred, and their envy, is now │ hatred also, and their envy as
perished; neither have they │ well, as far as this Present
any more a portion for ever in │ is concerned, are perished;
any _thing_ that is done under │ and there is no further
the sun. │ participation for them in the
│ age, in anything that may be
│ done within this work-day world.
(6.) =Moreover their love, moreover their hatred, moreover their
envy= (the triple repetition of גם brings this word into prominence,
equivalent to ‘their love also; yes, their hatred and envy too’) =in
this present= (כבר, see chapter i. 10, references; the word occurs
again in its technical sense of the ‘present state of things,’ and
makes excellent sense here), =perish= (abstract ‘is a thing perished’)
=in all which= (full relative) =is done under the sun.= On this follows
the most touching piece of sarcasm in the whole work. There is a force
and pungency about it which is very striking.
7 ¶ Go thy way, eat thy │ Go then, eat thy bread with
bread with joy, and drink thy │ gladness, and drink in good
wine with a merry heart; for │ heart thy wine, if in the
God now accepteth thy works. │ present the Almighty prospers
│ thy works.
(7.) =Go, eat= (_i.e._ enjoy) in =pleasure thy bread, and drink in
heart= of =good thy wine; for so in the present hath prospered the
Deity thy workings.=
8 Let thy garments be always │ At every opportunity let thy
white; and let thy head lack │ garments be white, and the oil
no ointment. │ to thy head do not spare.
(8.) =In all season= (עת, a providential season――see chapter iii. 1, 19)
=let them be= (even) =thy garments white= (it is hardly possible here,
when we remember the constant use in Scripture of _white_ garments, not
to discover one of those hidden allusions with which this book abounds
to a pure as alone a happy life; the garments of the sensualist and
drunkard are, in the emphatic language of the apostle, ‘spotted with
_the flesh_’), =and oil= (see chapter vii. 1, as the symbol of luxury
and wealth) =on thy head do not spare= (chapter iv. 8; ‘do not stint’
or ‘save it as for another time,’ is the meaning: ‘use it when you have
the occasion’).
9 ¹Live joyfully with the │ Enjoy life with that woman
wife whom thou lovest all the │ whom thou lovest, all the days
days of the life of thy vanity,│ of thy evanescent life, which
which he hath given thee under │ He grants thee in this hot
the sun, all the days of thy │ work-day world,――all these
vanity: for that _is_ thy │ evanescent days, I say, for
portion in _this_ life, and in │ _that_ is all thou canst
thy labour which thou takest │ possess in thy life, and from
under the sun. │ that toil thyself art toiling
│ ever in this same work-day
¹ _Hebrew_ See _or_ enjoy │ world.
life. │
(9.) =See lives together with the woman which thou lovest= (it is to
be remarked here that Koheleth speaks of a woman in the singular; the
idea thus implied is cognate with that of the white garments, it is
pure domestic love) =all the days of the lives of thy vanity= (_i.e._
thy evanescent life) =which= He =gives to thee= (the nominative is no
doubt the Deity; but as this nominative is so far off, the verb becomes
almost an impersonal) =under the sun all the days of thy vanity=
(repeated); =for that same is thy portion in lives in thy toil which
thou= (emphatic) =toilest at under the sun= (repeated, and therefore
having the meaning, ‘under that same sun,’ the whole being thus
strictly limited to the horizon of this world).
10 Whatsoever thy hand │ All that thy hand finds to do,
findeth to do, do _it_ with │ to the utmost do it, because
thy might; for _there is_ │ there is no work, nor device,
no work, nor device, nor │ nor wisdom, nor knowledge in
knowledge, nor wisdom, in the │ the grave, and that is whither
grave, whither thou goest. │ thou art hastening.
(10.) =All which shall find thy hand in order to do= (that is,
everything which it is in thy power to perform in regard of the above),
=in thy might do it, because= there is =nothing= of =a work, or a
contrivance, or a knowledge, or a wisdom= (all these being without the
article, and singular) =in Sheol, which= (is the ‘place,’ or ‘end,’
etc.; for we have in English to supply some general word here) =thou=
(emphatic) =art going unto= (the meaning is, ‘and _that_ is whither
_thou_ art going unto’).
11 ¶ I returned, and saw │ But to return, I perceived
under the sun, that the race │ how in this work-day world that
_is_ not to the swift, nor the │ not to the swift ones is the
battle to the strong, neither │ race, nor to the strong ones
yet bread to the wise, nor yet │ the battle, nor even to wise
riches to men of understanding,│ ones bread, nor yet to prudent
nor yet favour to men of skill;│ ones wealth, nor yet to the
but time and chance happeneth │ instructed ones favour. For
to them all. │ time and chance happens with
│ regard to them all.
(11.) =I turned=, and =see under the sun= (‘see’ is rightly joined by
the accents to the word which follows it; it is, as this formula of
introduction shows, another aspect of the same truth as that set forth
above) =how not to swift= is =the race= (מרוץ, occurs here only), =and
not= to =mighty ones the war, and also not to wise ones bread, and also
not to prudent ones= (occurs Genesis xli. 33 of Joseph, and 1 Kings
iii. 12 of Solomon) =an increase, and not to knowing ones a favour=:
(these three nouns, ‘bread,’ etc., are singular and without the article,
the other two are with it), =for time= (the providential season, that
is) and =chance= (occurs 1 Kings v. 4 as a noun only; the meaning
of the verb, which occurs frequently, is, ‘to meet,’ ‘to approach’)
=happens with respect to= (את, which the LXX. notice by making the verb
compound, συναντήσεται) =all.=
12 For man also knoweth not │ For so also Humanity knows not
his time: as the fishes that │ its time, but just like fishes
are taken in an evil net, and │ which have been caught in a
as the birds that are caught │ net, or birds held fast in a
in the snare; so _are_ the │ snare, just like them the sons
sons of men snared in an evil │ of men are ensnared in some
time, when it falleth suddenly │ evil time, as it falls upon
upon them. │ them――suddenly.
(12.) =For also not knows= (it is the verb which is here negatived)
=the man= (humanity) =his time= (with את, which the LXX. note by the
article), =as fishes which may be caught= (contract relative and plural
niphal) =in a net, the evil one= (an evil net), =and like also birds=
when =caught in a snare= (notice the difference between שנאחזים, which
is niphal participle plural, occurs Genesis xxii. 13, and האחזות, pual
participle, ‘the fishes are _caught_, the birds are _held_’); =like
them= _are_ =ensnared= (יוקשים, see Deuteronomy vii. 25) =the sons
of the Adam to a time= (which is) =evil, as when it falls upon them
suddenly.= (It would result from this reasoning that wisdom is of no
use at all; but in order to meet this objection, Koheleth cites an
instance where it was of great value.)
13 ¶ This wisdom have I seen │ Nevertheless, I have observed
also under the sun, and it │ the following instance of
_seemed_ great unto me: │ wisdom in this work-day world,
│ and which appeared to me of
│ great moment.
(13.) =Moreover, this I have seen= (_i.e._ an instance of) =a wisdom
under the sun= (_i.e._ in this world, where wisdom avails so little),
=and great= (but the noun is an abstract, ‘of great value’ or
importance, ‘a really great thing’) =is it with regard to me= (LXX.,
πρὸς, _i.e._ he considered that, notwithstanding the observation above,
he ought to take it as of considerable account; here was an unexpected
deliverance, by means of wisdom, from one of those snares, מצודים,
spoken of above).
14 _There was_ a little │ There was a little city, and
city, and few men within it; │ the men therein were a few; and
and there came a great king │ there came a great king against
against it, and besieged it, │ it, and invested it, and built
and built great bulwarks │ a net-work [of fortifications]
against it: │ around it.
(14.) =A city small, and the men= (אנשים, ‘weak men’) =in it= (emphatic,
‘in that same’) =a few, and there came against it a king= (who was)
=great, and he surrounded it, and built over against it networks very
great ones;=
15 Now there was found in it │ Now there was found therein
a poor wise man, and he by his │ a poor wise working man, and
wisdom delivered the city; yet │ _he_ it was who saved the city
no man remembered that same │ by his wisdom; yet men did
poor man. │ not remember that same person
│ because he was a poor working
│ man.
(15.) =and was found in it= (again emphatic) =a man= (איש, the rest
are אנשים) =poor= (chapter iv. 13, and here only, מסכן, LXX. πένητα. The
meaning of πένης is that kind of poverty which seeks its food by labour,
and differs from πτωχὸς, which signifies a mendicant. Fuerst gives the
derivation, ס־כן, of the root, which would imply such a meaning as the
LXX. have), =wise= (there is no copula between these two qualifying
words. It is not a poor _and_ wise man, but a man economically
wise――who could make his wisdom go a long way), =and saved= (even)
=he= (the turn of meaning is, that the safety of the city was found
in himself, as the embodiment of wisdom) =the city= (with את emphatic,
which the LXX. notice by the rendering, δ ι α σώσῃ αὐτὸς τ ὴ ν πόλιν)
=in his wisdom; and a man= (not exactly ‘humanity,’ which we have seen
would require the article, but ‘man’ as representing the individuals
generally) =did not remember= (the verb follows the nominative), =with
respect to that man= (את, with the article, which the LXX. notice by
σὺν, with a _genitive_! but in reality the genitive is governed by the
verb, σὺν being adverbial), =the poor one, even that same=. (The shade
of meaning given by the article is, that mankind, as a rule, do not
adequately remember, and so neither reward, wisdom when associated
with poverty. ‘The poor inventor and his sorrows,’ have passed into a
proverb.)
16 Then said I, Wisdom │ Yet _I_ should say myself that
_is_ better than strength: │ wisdom was a real good, and
nevertheless the poor man’s │ better than strength, yet the
wisdom _is_ despised, and his │ wisdom of the poor working man
words are not heard. │ is despised, and his words just
│ those which are not listened to.
(16.) =Then said I= (in opposition to ‘man,’ above), =good= is =wisdom
above might; and the wisdom of the poor= (with the article) =is
despised, and his words= (or reasonings, used still in the technical
sense common to this book) are those =which are not listened to.=
17 The words of wise _men │ These words of the wise in
are_ heard in quiet more than │ a silence are heard:
the cry of him that ruleth │
among fools. │ More than the shriek of a
│ ruler with fools.
(17.) =Those words= (repeated) of =wise men in rest are heard= (but
notice בנחת is an ambiguous word,――see Job xxxvi. 16; the root נחת is to
press down, and hence the equivoke. These words of the wise man in ‘a
going down’ are those which are heard, _i.e._ in a ‘time of pressure,’
or in distress; ‘in quiet,’ is also a meaning, and a very good one,
being that which expresses, without doubt, the main intent in the
passage) =above the cry= (Genesis xviii. 20. Fuerst considers that צעק
is an older form and זעק modern, yet both are used in Genesis xviii.
20, 21, but the references will be seen to support the idea that זעקה
is the ‘cry of emotion,’ while צעקה is any ‘loud cry;’ if so, there is
a special reason why it should be used in this place. Again, מזעקה might
be a participle meaning a ‘cry of distress,’ thus giving force to the
equivoke), =of a ruler with the befooled.=
18 Wisdom _is_ better than │ A real good is wisdom above
weapons of war: but one sinner │ weapons of fight: but a single
destroyeth much good. │ erring sinner destroys this
│ good very much.
(18.) =A good= (repeated, so that it corroborates what is found in
verse 16) is =wisdom above weapons= of =an encounter, and sinning once=
(in the sense of making a wicked mistake, or ‘one wicked mistaker,’
either person or thing) =destroys good the much.=