CHAPTER 1
1. The words of a speaker [presiding over an assembly], the son of David [who is] king in Yerushalayim:
2. “Fleeting breaths! Fleeting breaths,” says the speaker. “Everything is a mere vapor!”
“Fleeting” and “breaths” are variations of the same Hebrew word, as is “vapor”. It is difficult to capture the word hevel in just one English word. It is often translated “vanity” or “futility” because it does have the sense of “emptiness”, but as Yaakov Astor points out (Aish.com), “hevel literally means ‘breath’. When you let out a breath of air in the cold of winter you see its mist briefly, and then, just as quickly, see it dissipate. That's hevel: it's there one minute, seemingly possessing substance, and then gone the next.... Material existence is ‘Like a shadow that passes… a mist that dissipates… a dream that vanishes…’ A hevel existence is a vain, empty experience -- no matter how well off one is in a material sense.” (Hevel was the name of the shortest-lived of Adam and Chawwah’s sons.) Astor says, “The verse can be understood as a rhetorical question: Is that all there is -- hevel? The purpose of Qoheleth is to ponder this question: What on earth are we doing here? What is our purpose here? Is there nothing more than a hevel existence?”
3. What profit does a human being gain from all his wearisome pain by which he labors under the sun?
Profit: improvement, betterment. Iyov (Job) surmised that “Man is born to wearisome labor as surely as the sparks fly upward!” (Iyov 3:3) Astor points out that “human” (adam) comes from the word adamah, the ground or soil. The Maharal explains, as summarized by Astor, that “on one hand, there is little value in a simple clod of earth. On the other hand, …it carries within it the entire and total potential of human life. Adama, then, is that material which in and of itself is valueless but which nevertheless carries within itself a vast potential. Adam is called his name because …is nothing as he is; he is everything in what he can become…’Adam’, then, conveys the meaning of a being whose potential is limitless, but who needs a great deal of work in order to attain it… Under the sun: i.e., “What benefit does a person have, what benefit can he expect, if he invests that labor for which he was created in an activity ‘beneath the sun’, in an existence controlled and defined by the sun, by physical existence? None… If, on the other hand, one can discover the spiritual dimension and inject some sanctity into his otherwise hevel life -- if he can grow spiritually” and take on the characteristics that reflect YHWH’s character—“then his existence is anything but hevel. While labor beneath the sun has no ultimate benefit, labor above the sun does. Labor above the sun has infinite potential and opportunity for growth.
4. [One] generation goes, [another] generation comes, but the earth remains for an age.
“They toil all their lives for what no one knows…Everything’s the same.” (Jonathan Guest)
5. And the sun rises and the sun goes [down], and it [races], panting, [back] to the place where it [first] came out.
6. Going toward the south, then turning toward the north—around and around goes the wind, then the wind comes back around again.
7. All the rivers go to the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers go, there they go back [again].
8. All things are wearisome—[more] than a human being could say! The eye is not satisfied to see, and the ear is never full from hearing.
9. That which has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.
10. Is there anything about which it can be said, “Look! This is new!”? It has already been done in ancient times which [were] before us.
This has been taken by Jewish scholars as a rule for interpreting prophecy. Things show up in repeating patterns, so we can learn from the past and anticipate how things could occur again.
11. There is no memory of earlier things, and in the same, for the things that are yet to come about, there will be no remembrance those who will come later [still].
Over and over we hear of finds from paleontology and archaeology that show that there were times of great technological advance only to be lost again when some “dark age” arises when an ignorant theory is forced on people and thinkers are punished. (The finds are often covered back over, so to speak, because they do not fit the idea of the march of progress in human evolution.)
12. I, the speaker, was king over Israel in Yerushalayim,
Israel: This identifies the fact that this is no mean ruler. At that time Israel was at least a regional superpower, and one of the wealthiest nations in the world. It would have great influence and clout, so what he says would be given weight. But Israel (as heir to Avraham’s covenant) is the embodiment of the counter-history that made it possible to overcome the “vanity” (seen throughout this book) to which all creation was subjected. (Rom. 8:20)
13. and I gave my [whole] heart to investigate and skillfully search out [the truth] concerning all that is done beneath the heavens. It is a painfully-hard task that Elohim has given the sons of men to be busied with!
Skillfully: or, through wisdom, i.e., reasoned, calculated, scientific study. Busied with: or humbled by, for indeed it shows us how small we are and how little we can understand, let alone accomplish.
14. I have seen all the [kinds of] workmanship that is done under the sun, and indeed, it is all fleeting—[like] straining [to catch the] wind.
15. What is bent cannot be straightened out, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
Lacking: or deficient. The “crooked places” being “made straight” in Yeshayahu 40:4 uses different Hebrew words—meaning more like “the ruts will be leveled off”—but in any case, that work is being done from above the heavens, though it is to be carried out by human beings infused by a different kind of “wind” (ruakh—a spirit that is not from “under the sun”).
16. I spoke with my heart, saying, “I indeed have grown and accumulated more wisdom than any who have been over Yerushalayim before me, and my mind has had insight into an abundance of skill and knowledge.
17. And I gave my [whole] heart to discern prudence and to recognize what is praiseworthy and [what is] foolishness, and I also experienced this as straining [to catch the] wind,
Straining…wind: or possibly, vexation of spirit—something that grated on him.
18. because in an abundance of wisdom there is all the more frustration, and the one who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
While it is exciting and necessary to learn as much as we can, the patterns we find more of the vicious cycles that result in sadness and loss and pain.
CHAPTER 2
1. I said in my heart, “Come, please, let me try to be glad, and look at what is pleasant, but, lo and behold, this, too, was fleeting.
He turned to what seemed more enjoyable, the more positive things—so he thought, but while they were indeed real, they did not last either.
2. “To laugh”, I said, “is lunacy”, and of merriment, “What does it accomplish?”
Lunacy: or madness—interestingly enough, the root word for “hallelu-Yah”! This gives some indication of how enthusiastically we should “rave” about YHWH.
3. I explored with my mind [how] to draw myself out with wine, while yet conducting my heart with wisdom in order to get a grasp on folly until I could see what would be worthwhile for the sons of Adam to do under the heavens all the days of their lives.
Get a grasp on: literally, to seize, grip, hold onto, and wield—i.e., find a way to make it useful.
4. I did works on a colossal scale: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards for myself;
5. I made myself gardens and orchards, and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.
6. I made for myself pools of water from which to irrigate a forest sprouting [with] trees.
7. I acquired male and female servants and [servants] born in the house. I also had many herds of livestock large and small. I had more than all of those who came before me in Yerusahalayim!
If this is indeed Shlomoh speaking, he would be comparing himself with David and Sha’ul, but also Melkhitzedeq and all the Yevusite kings.
8. I gathered to myself silver and gold and the treasured possessions of kings and the provinces. I put together male and female singers and the luxuries of the sons of Adam—a mistress and mistresses.
9. So I grew wealthy and increased more than everyone who came before me in Yerushalayim. Of course, my wisdom remained in my possession!
10. And all that my eyes were curious about, I did not withhold from them; nor did I restrain my heart from any delight, because it cheered my heart up from all my [hard] labor, and this became my share due to all my [hard] labor.
Were curious about: or, inquired after. Share: literally, inherited or earned portion, or possibly reward.
11. Then I turned to look on all the works that my hands had accomplished and on the labor that I had troubled myself so hard to do, and it all turned out to be fleeting breaths and grasping at wind, and there was no profit under the sun.
Grasping at wind: i.e., trying to catch what by nature cannot be held onto. No profit: In all of this he had not gained any lasting advantage, because “all we do crumbles to the ground”, as in Kansas’ song that says, “all we are is dust in the wind”, undoubtedly based on this very book.
12. So I turned to consider wisdom and insanity and foolishness, because what [will] the man who comes after the king [do]? It has already been done!
13. And I saw there is an advantage in wisdom over foolishness, as light [does] over darkness.
14. The wise man ‘s eyes are in his head, while the fool walks in darkness, but I also remembered that both of them encounter the same accidents.
15. So I said to myself, “If I am going to encounter the same accidents as the fool, why should I act wisely?” Then I told my heart, “This, too, is something that cannot be grasped,
16. “because there is no remembrance of either the wise or the foolish in the age that is already [here]; in the days to come, all will be forgotten! And the wise man dies in the same way a fool does!”
If our efforts to be the best stewards we can are hardly even noticed while we live, after we are gone will they not prove to have only been wasted, if the things we worked so hard to do are all undone? If this life is all there is, it seems there is indeed no justice at all.
17. So I hated life, because the responsibility [given] me for the work that is done under the sun is disagreeable, because it is all futility and trying to catch the wind!
Trying to catch the wind: Our dreams are usually far bigger than what we can deliver on, and what does get built is often destroyed either by an enemy or by accident, and nothing seems to last.
18. So I hated all my labor into which I had poured so much trouble, because I would have to leave it to the person who would come after me,
19. and who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all I have worked so hard for and invested so much skill in under the sun. This, too, is worthless!
20. Then my heart came back around to despair in regard to all the labor I had put so much trouble into under the sun!
21. Because there is a person the fruit of whose labor of wisdom, knowledge, and appropriateness is given as a legacy to a person who has not put any work into it; this, too, is futile and highly bothersome,
22. because what a person have in all his hard work and exertion of heart for which he has labored under the sun?
Heart: i.e., effort.
23. Because all of his days are [full of] suffering and vexation in the business [with which] he [is occupied] and at night his heart does not rest! This, too—it is useless!
24. There is nothing better for a person than to eat and drink and consider what good he desires [the fruit of] his labors to be; this, too, I have seen, and it is from the hand of Elohim,
25. because who can eat or who can find enjoyment further out than this?
26. Because to a person who does what is right before Him, He gives wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and collecting so he can give it to the one [who does right] before Elohim. This, too, is futility and trying to catch the wind.
Yeshua may be alluding to this in Matithyahu 25:29 and Lukas 19:26.
CHAPTER 3
1. For everything, there is an [appropriate] season,
And a time for every delight beneath the heavens:
Many of these things listed poetically below do not seem so delightful, but we can read it as their being a delight unto the One who sits in the heavens (Gibor), as His purposes are sometimes accomplished best through things that seem destructive, so He can make way for something better.
2. A time to give birth, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to uproot;
3. A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to tear down, and a time to build [up];
Tear down: literally, break through violently. This can also relate to how we train other people, as incorrect ideas often need to be destroyed before the proper ones can be taught.
4. A time to cry and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance;
5. A time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones [together];
A time to embrace, and a time to distance oneself from embracing;
Throw stones: or, cast away stones.
6. A time to [eagerly] search, and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away.
Search: or inquire, investigate, pursue. Give up as lost: or abandon, lose, allow to perish, even destroy. Keep: includes the idea of guarding and protecting.
7. A time to tear apart, and a time to sew together;
A time to keep silent, and a time to speak.
Keep silent: or, sit still and do nothing; this is one of the hardest for many of us to learn to do.
8. A time to love, and a time to hate;
A time of war, and a time of peace;
Love…hate: often means “choose for or against”. Peace: includes the idea of total well-being, not just a lack of active aggression.
9. What advantage does a worker have in what he works so hard for?
Advantage: or profit.
10. I have seen the task that Elohim has given to the children of Adam to be occupied with:
Task: or occupation, effort, investment. Occupied: or kept busy, humbled.
11. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also provided something hidden in their hearts so that humanity cannot find out everything that Elohim has done from the beginning to the end.
Something hidden: often rendered eternity, endurance, or permanence/continuity, but in the sense that it lasts so long that you cannot predict its end or has been around so long that one cannot identify its beginning. Find out: or attain to, discover, overtake, or reach. I.e., He has set limits on what we can do or what we can know, possibly because “the more knowledge, the more disappointment”. (1:18)
12. I learned that there is no benefit in them except to find joy and do good in one’s lifetime,
13. and also that every human being who eats and drinks should see the benefit in all of his hard work; this is Elohim’s reward.
14. I came to learn that whatever Elohim makes—that [is what] will exist forever; there is nothing to add to it and nothing to take away from it, and Elohim does [this] so that human beings will show respect before Him.
Take away from: restrain or withdraw, diminish. Compare Deut. 4:2; 12:32; Proverbs 30:6. This is why we must do like Yeshua did and only do the things we “see” YHWH doing (Yoch. 5:19, 30), because all other accomplishments will perish when tested by fire. (1 Cor. 3:13-15)
15. That which has already been—that is what will come to be; it has already existed, and Elohim earnestly searches for what has been chased away.
We see Him now restoring and bringing back to our attention many things which have not existed for many centuries.
16. Yet still I noticed [that] under the sun, in the place of judgment, there was crime, and in the place of fair balance, there was wickedness.
Places where justice is expected—a requirement ever since Noakh—should never be places where we find corruption instead. This is something required of all human beings, not just Israel.
17. I told myself, “Elohim will judge [both] the righteous and the wicked, because there is a time there for every delight and for every [kind of] achievement.”
18. I said within my heart, “Concerning the condition of humanity, Elohim may test them so that they can see and judge for themselves that they are [just like] animals!
19. “Because [the same] accidents that befall the children of Adam [also] befall the animals; this one’s death is like that one’s death, and they all have the same breath, so that there is no gain in being a human being instead of a beast, because it is all a fleeting vapor.
20. “They all go to one place; [they] all came from the dust, and they will all return to the dust.
This was the curse upon mankind only when we disobeyed YHWH’s command (Gen. 3:19) and broke the orderliness that was supposed to exist in the world, making progress possible in a way that it no longer is—under the sun.
21. “Who can be sure whether the spirit of a human being ascends upward and the spirit of an animal drops down to the earth?”
This question was answered authoritatively later, but with the empirical measures he was using, there is indeed no way to know.
22. Thus I learned that there is nothing better for a human being than to be glad about what he has to do, because this is his share—because who can bring him to see what will come after him?
CHAPTER 4
1. So I went back and considered all the acts of oppression that are done under the sun, and I couldn’t help but notice the tears of the oppressed—that they had no one to console them, and the power was on the side of their oppressors, and they had no one to console them.
2. So I [loudly] congratulated the dead—those who are already dead—more than the living—those who are still alive--
3. and better than both of them is [the one] who has not yet come to exist, who has not seen the unpleasant activity that is done under the sun.
4. Thus I considered all the misery as well as every most-appropriate work, because this is what causes rivalry of [one] man over his neighbor. This, too, is futility and trying to catch [the] wind.
5. The fool clasps his hands together and devours his own flesh.
6. Better a handful [with] calm than both hands full [with] trouble and striving of spirit.
7. When I came back, I began to notice all the futility under the sun:
8. There is one and there is not a second; there is even one who has neither a son nor a brother, yet there is no end to all his hard labor, nor are his eyes satisfied [with] wealth—“And for whom do I work so hard and deprive myself of enjoyment?” This, too, is futility, and an unpleasant task it is.
9. The two are better than the one, [in] that they have good compensation in their labor,
10. because if they fall down, the one can stand his companion back up, but alas for the one [who is alone] when he falls, and does not have someone else to raise him up!
11. Also, if two [people] lie down, then it will be warm for them, but for one, how can he get warm?
12. And if someone can overpower the one, two can withstand him, and a cord [woven] of three strands cannot be quickly snapped.
Withstand: or resist; literally, stand against.
13. A child who is poor but wiser than a king is better than an old but foolish man who no longer knows how to take advice,
Take advice: or, be warned, admonished, have light shined on him.
14. though he comes out of the prison-house to become king, since even in his kingdom [are those who will be] born destitute.
15. I considered all those who are alive, who are the ones walking under the sun, with the second child who will stand in his place.
The second: or, another.
16. There is no end to all the people—to each [one] who has come before them, nor will any who come after him be glad about him, because even this futility and trying to catch [the] wind.
CHAPTER 5
1. Watch your step when you go into the House of Elohim, and come near more to listen than to offer the slaughter of fools, because they do not have knowledge [to realize] that they are doing wrong.
Shlomo turns to a bit of advice, possibly hoping to do away with at least dome of the ignorance or futility in the world. Sukkoth, when this is traditionally studied, is one of the occasions when one would be in the Temple more frequently than usual. Watch your step: This had to be done literally while the Second Temple stood. Possibly based on this verse, the steps to its entrance were staggered in depth and height so no one could run up them, but had to pay careful attention to their walk.
2. Do not be rash with your mouth; do not be hasty with your heart to bring anything out into Elohim’s presence, because Elohim is in the heavens and you are on the earth, so let your words be few,
Rash: in the sense of acting only out of fear or sudden dismay and not a calm sense of what is right and appropriate. I.e., don’t make promises you cannot keep just to assuage a sense of guilt. (Compare Prov. 10:19)
3. because the dream comes [true] through a lot of effort, but [one can recognize] the voice of a fool by his many words.
Effort: or investment, in the sense of business. I.e., if you are asking YHWH for something, say it once and then do your part to
4. When you make a vow to Elohim, do not lag behind in completing it, and [He] has no pleasure in fools. Make good [on] what you have vowed.
5. [It is] better that you not make a vow than that you make a vow and not complete it.
Vows are voluntary, added expressions of gratefulness or our seriousness about our relationship with YHWH, not a requirement, but if one enters into one, he is obligated to fulfill it. (Deut. 23:21-22; Num. 30:2ff; compare Yeshua’s words about swearing in Mat. 5:34.)
6. Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say in the presence of a messenger that it was a mistake. Why should Elohim be provoked to anger at [the sound of] your voice, and hold the work of your hands in pledge?
Mistake: a “goof-up”, an accident, from the word for “going crazy”; i.e., it was unintentional or unwitting, when you should have known better or taken more precautions, knowing the potential for damage. Hold in pledge: or ruin, destroy; the outcome for you would be the same, because you would not have access to it in either case.
7. Because when dreams increase, so do useless [pursuits], and [it is the same] when there are many words. Rather, treat Elohim with reverence.
Reverence: deep honor, including a sense of awe and some fear of what He might do if you break your word.
8. If you see extortion of the destitute or violent wresting of judgment or justice in the province, do not be astounded about the matter, because [One who is] higher than the high is watching, and there are [some who] are higher than they,
I.e., they must eventually answer to someone higher than they, and all are especially accountable to the Most High Elohim.
9. and the increase of the earth is in everything; [even] the king is served by the field.
10. The one who loves silver will never be satisfied with silver, and who loves abundance? He will not have any revenue [for his produce]; this, too, is futility!
11. When good [things] increase, those who consume them [also] increase, and what advantage [is there] for their owners except to see [them] with their eyes?
12. The sleep of the working [man] is sweet, whether with little or much to eat, but the over-stuffed [stomach] of the rich will not allow him to sleep!
13. There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches guarded by their owner to his hurt,
Guarded: or kept, hoarded, rather than shared with the needy. Yeshua alluded to this in his parable of the “rich fool”. (Luke 12)
14. and that wealth is lost through a bad investment, but he fathers a son and there is nothing in his hand at all.
I.e., he has nothing left to support his child.
15. As he came out of his mother’s womb naked, he comes back around to go just as he came, and when he goes he will take away in his hand no [fruit] of his labor at all!
16. This, too, is a grievous evil; just exactly as he came, the same way he will go, and what profit is there for all his hard work—for [nothing but] wind?
Just exactly: literally, in all points corresponding. What profit: he has remained at subsistence level, just having enough to get him through life but no more—thouh at least that is more to be thankful for than destitution.
17. He also eats in darkness all his days, and has much frustration when he is sick and sore.
18. Look what I myself have seen: it is good to eat what is appropriate and drink and [be able to] see the benefit from all the hard work by which he labors under the sun the full number of days of his life which Elohim grants him, because this is his allotment.
19. In addition, every person to whom Elohim has given riches and [accumulated] treasure and empowered him to eat from it and to retain his allotment and enjoy his work—this is a gift from Elohim indeed!
20. Because he will not remember many of the days of his life, since Elohim keeps him busy with the gladness of his heart.
Keeps him busy: or responds or answers.
CHAPTER 6
1. There is a wrong that I have seen under the sun, and it is widespread among human beings:
2. a man to whom Elohim has given riches and wealth and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that his appetites are inclined to, yet Elohim has not empowered him to eat of it, because the son of a foreigner eats it. This futility is a sickness! It is evil!
3. If a man should father a hundred and live many years, and the days of his years are increased, yet his aspiration is not satisfied with a good thing, and he will not even receive a burial—I say it is better for a miscarried [child] than for him,
4. because he comes fleetingly and departs in darkness, and his name is concealed by obscurity.
5. He never even saw the sun, so this one does not have as much experiencing with settling down [to rest] as that one [has].
6. And even though he lived a thousand years twice over and did not see anything good, don’t both of them go to one [and the same] place?
One place: the grave, which awaits everyone, no matter how long they live.
7. All of mankind’s hard labor is for his mouth, yet his appetite is never even filled up!
8. Because what advantage does the wise have over the foolish? What does the oppressed have who knows how to walk in front of the living?
9. What the eyes can see is better than the wandering of the desire; this, too, is futility and chasing after wind.
10. That which has been is already called by its name, and it is known that he is human, nor can he ever contend with nor one who can overpower him.
11. Since there are many things that multiply futility, how does a human being have an advantage?
12. For who knows what is best for a man in life? The full count of the days of his futile life, he spends like a shadow, because who can show a man what will come after him under the sun?
Spends: or, what he produces with them is…
CHAPTER 7
1. A good name is better than pleasant ointment, and the death of [one’s] death is better than the day of his birth
For this reason Jews make more of the anniversary of someone’s passing than of his birthday.
2. It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, in that this is the end of every human being, and the living will commit it to his heart.
Feasting: actually form the word for “drink”, which indicates the character of the banquet. Commit it to his heart: i.e., remember it well, so as to help him “number his days” and set the right priorities. (Psalm 90)
3. Frustration is better than laughter, because the troubling of the face does the heart good!
4. The heart of the wise is in the place of mourning, while the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.
Pleasure: joy, mirth—light-heartedness rather than gravitas in which one ponders what is really most important and what he can do that will outlast him.
5. It is better to listen to the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear fools sing [your praise].
Though it is far less pleasant, it is much more instructive for us in the long run, and can actually change us into better people, whereas the pats on the back only stroke our egos and make us overconfident.
6. because like the sound of thorns [crackling] beneath the pot, so is the laughter of a fool; this, too, is futility,
7. since extortion makes a wise man go mad; a bribe ruins a heart.
8. The end of a matter is better than its beginning; [it is] better [to be] slow-tempered than to be lofty of spirit.
Slow-tempered: or long/patient of breath. Lofty: lifted up in the imagery of a hill. This argues against jumping to conclusions, as well as proudly making quick assessments of something that very well may soon change. A bribe (v. 7) would certain make one rush to a judicial decision before all the evidence is heard:
9. Do not be hasty to be angry in your spirit, because anger settles down [and remains lying] in the bosom of fools.
Hasty: in Hebrew, hurrying because of being disturbed, terrified, eager, or dismayed. I.e., keep your wits about you and think it through carefully. Settles down: essentially, finds itself to be at home.
10. Don’t say, “Why has it turned out that the earlier days were better than these?”, because to inquire about this does not [stem] from wisdom.
Earlier days: the “good old days”, which were not really so great, when one considers them carefully. We can only move forward, though we can ask YHWH to “renew our days as in the most ancient” (Lamentations 5:21)—i.e., bring us back to the Garden in His time.
11. Wisdom is good when accompanied by an inheritance, and it is profitable for those who see the sun,
Those who see the sun: i.e., who are still alive.
12. because wisdom is shade [as] silver is shade, but the advantage of knowledge [is that] wisdom keeps those who have it alive.
13. Consider the work of Elohim, because who can straighten what He has bent?
14. On a pleasant day, enter into the pleasantness, but on a day of adversity, recognize also the one as parallel to the other; Elohim has made it in such a way that mankind will not find out [what will come] after him.
15. I’ve seen it all in the days of my futility: There is a just [person] who perishes while [still] just, and there is a wicked [person] who prolongs his life while [remaining] wicked.
Remember he is taking the “under the sun” viewpoint, which would make us tend toward such morbid conclusions. But, as we will see, this is not the whole story.
16. Don’t become overly righteous, and don’t make yourself overly wise; why should you ruin yourself?
Is this a skeptic’s response to verse 15’s idea that doing the right thing may not, after all, guarantee one safety? I.e., why bother to put so much effort into being righteous if it isn’t necessarily going to pay off? Or is he just saying we should be balanced people—although what is the balance of righteousness and wisdom? We should be a little bit unrighteous and a little bit unwise? Well, that is not quite the answer:
17. Don’t be very wicked and don’t be foolish; why should you die before your time?
18. It is good that you take hold of this, but also not withdraw your hand from that, because the one who fears Elohim will come out with both of them.
Withdraw from: or let go of. In other words, don’t go to extremes. (vv. 16-17) Balance is important, for both sides are valuable. The Yetzer haRa is needed too, the rabbis say. Maybe we should not call it so much the inclination to evil, for Adam could have gotten along without that, but the survival mode vs. the peacetime mode, or the innovation vs. tradition, progress vs. stability, etc. Yeshua may have been referring to something like this when he spoke of the scribe who is discipled into the Kingdom is like a householder who brings treasures both old and new from his treasury. (Mat. 13:52) This could represent an observant Jew who becomes Messianic. Today some of us are going the other direction and need to remember not to forsake Yeshua when we take on Torah, for in the middle path between Judaism and Christianity, they are more compatible than either side admits.
19. Wisdom makes the wise stronger than ten men who have come into the city,
Stronger: or more firm and stable.
20. because there is not a righteous person on earth who does [only] right and never makes a mistake.
21. Also, don’t take to heart all words that are spoken, [so] that you won’t “hear” your servant making light of you,
Do not take seriously everything people say, but consider the source and the context, and don’t second-guess or read too much into every little thing people say, or you will think people are insulting you when they really are not thinking about you at all!
22. because your heart knows that many times you have “made light of” others too.
Hold yourself to the same standard that you hold others to, and if you would give yourself the benefit of the doubt, do the same for those around you.
23. All of this I have put to the test [and proven] through wisdom. I say, “I am going to be wise!” But it eluded me!
Wisdom: or possible, skill. Eluded: literally, removed itself far from me.
24. [What is] far off, what has been, and [what is] extremely deep, who can find out?
He kept hoping but kept being disappointed.
25. I surrounded myself and [applied] my heart to knowledge and to searching out and [intently] seeking wisdom and explanation and the understanding of wickedness, [over]confidence, foolishness, and insanity,
“Driven by a passion just to know and understand, he opened wide his eyes, sought to see beyond the lies, but found a world beyond his understanding.” (Michael Card)
26. and I am finding [that] more bitter than death [is] the woman whose heart snares and sequesters, whose hands [put one in] chains: [the one who does] good before Elohim can escape, but the sinner will be taken captive by her.
Snares: as with a net or trap. Sequesters: the same term used for men who hide women away in a harem; here the role is reversed.
27. “Look! This [is what] I have found,” says the speaker [presiding over an assembly], “one by one, [as I seek] to discover an explanation:
28. “that still my soul keeps searching, yet I have [only] found one man among a thousand, but have not found a woman!
29. “Only look! This I have found: that Elohim made man upright, but they have sought out many contrivances."
CHAPTER 8
1. Who is like the wise, and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the firmness of his face will be altered.
Shine: or give light.
2. “I guard the king’s mouth, and in regard to the reason for Elohim’s oath.”
Apparently this is wisdom personified speaking, a method often used in the book of Proverbs.
3. Don’t be in a hurry to walk away from his presence, and don’t take your stand [to represent] an evil matter, because he does whatever he pleases.
4. Wherever [there is] a word of a king, [there is] ultimate authority, and who can say to him, “What are you doing?”
5. Whoever keeps the command will not experience a bad thing, and the heart of a wise one understands [the] season and a just sentence,
6. because for every purpose there is a season and a just sentence, because a human being has plenty of misery upon him,
7. because there is no one who knows what will transpire, because when it will come about, who can tell?
8. There is not a human being who has authority over the wind, to restrain the wind, and no one ultimately has authority over the day of [his] death, and who can send a deputation during the war, nor can wickedness deliver its owner [to safety].
Restrain: or withhold.
9. All this I have seen, and applied my heart to every [kind of] work that is done under the sun [at a] time when one person dominates [another] person to his harm,
10. and at the same [time] I saw wicked [persons] buried, having both come and gone from the set-apart place, and were forgotten in the city where they had done so; this, too, is futility!
11. When a sentence [for] an evil act is not executed quickly, the heart of the sons of Adam is filled up within them to carry out evil.
People become more bold about doing wrong if they think they can get away with it, not having seen others suffer for the same action.
12. Although a sinner does wrong a hundred [times] yet his [days are] prolonged, still I know [for certain] that it will go well for those who revere Elohim, who stand in awe before His [presence],
13. and it will not turn out well for the wicked, nor will he prolong his days like a shadow when he is not in awe due to the presence of Elohim.
14. There is a useless thing that is done on the earth: that there are righteous [people] who are struck with the same [plague] the wicked [deserve for their] actions, while there are wicked [people] who are struck with the same [thing] the righteous [deserve for their] actions; this, too, is futility!
15. So I praised [and commended] joy, because there is nothing better for a human being under the sun than to eat, drink, and be glad, and he will borrow the [fruit of] his hard labor [all] the days of his life that Elohim gives him under the sun.
Borrow: literally, join.
16. When I applied my heart to understand wisdom, as well as to see the effort that is put out on the earth, because day or not his eye never even sees sleep.
17. Then I considered all the work of Elohim, because a human being cannot attain to all the work that is done under the sun, because as much as a human being works hard to search out, he cannot find, and even though a wise man says he knows, he is still unable to find [it] out.
CHAPTER 9
1. All of this I laid up in my heart and [determined] to make all of this clear: that the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of Elohim—both love as well as hatred; there is no human being who knows everything that is before him.
2. Everyone is like all [the rest]; the same thing is just as likely to befall the righteous as the wicked, the good and the pure as well as the impure, the one who offers slaughters and the one who does not bring an offering. As the good, so is the sinner; the one who swears an oath is just like one who is afraid to do so.
Thus for those who only do right so that they will be rewarded rather than because it is the right thing to do are very likely to be disappointed and lose all motivation to persevere.
3. This is a disagreeable [thing] in all that is done under the sun: that the same thing is just as likely to befall anyone, and even the heart of the sons of Adam is full of evil; raving [insanity] is in their heart even while they [are still] alive, and afterward [they go] to [join] the dead!
4. Because for anyone who is chosen for a full life, there is hope, because a dog that is [still] alive is better than a dead lion.
5. For the living know that they will die, but the dead have knowledge of nothing and there is no longer any worth to them, because their memory is forgotten.
Worth: or wage, payment, compensation.
6. Their love as well as their hatred, and even their zeal is already lost, and they no longer have a share—ever—in anything that is done under the sun.
7. Go ahead, eat your bread in gladness, and drink your wine with a pleasant heart, because Elohim already accepts the works of your hands.
Already accepts: or, even now is pleased with, delights in, is favorable toward.
8. Let your garments be white all the time, and don’t be lacking oil on your head.
White: a picture of joy, celebration, and purity, as opposed to mourning or the sackcloth that bespeaks guilt. Oil: as ointment, probably spiced like a perfume, again a picture of dignity, celebration, and beauty.
9. [Face and] observe life along with the wife that you love, all the days of your futile life that He has granted you under the sun-- all the days of your futility, because that is your share in life and in your hard work on which you labor under the sun.
10. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with [all] your might, because there is no doing or inventing or knowledge or skill in She’ol, to which you are going.
She’ol: the grave, the “world underground”, not in the Greek sense, but the place where all action ceases, and everyone—except the one generation alive when Messiah returns—will end up there eventually, so make your life count while you can, he says.
11. I turned back and perceived that the race does not belong to the fleet [of foot] or the battle to the outstanding [and heroic], nor does bread even belong to the skillful or wealth to the discerning, nor does favor [always come] to the knowledgeable, because time and impact meet up with them all,
Fleet: or light, swift. Time and impact: the bumps and bruises of life and aging wear us all down and can befall even the best-prepared. So do not put so much stress on survival or, worse, ladder-climbing, that you miss the everyday stuff that life is made of and enjoy things that may be special just because they are not sustainable.
12. because no human being knows his time, like the fish that are caught in a painful trap, or like birds trapped in a snare—that’s how the sons of Adam are caught in a bad time when it falls on them.
13. I have also seen this: wisdom under the sun, and it [seemed] great to me:
14. A small city with few people in it, but a great king came to it and surrounded it and built large siege-mounds against it.
Siege-mounds: or bulwarks.
15. Now there was found in it a poor [but] wise man and he himself delivered the city by his wisdom, yet humanity did not remember that particular poor man.
Delivered: or allowed it to escape and slip away to safety. Wisdom: or skill. How ungrateful of the townspeople to forget the one who enabled them to survive. “YHWH is not so unjust as to forget your work and your labor of love…” (Heb. 6:10)
16. So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength, yet the wisdom of [that] poor man is treated contemptibly, and his words not heeded
17. The words of the wise in quietness are heard better than the clamoring of a governor among fools.
18. Wisdom is better than the weapons of battle, but the mistake of one causes much good to be lost.
Battle: literally, drawing near (for a close but hostile encounter).
CHAPTER 10
1. Dead flies make the perfumer’s oil emit a foul odor; [likewise], a little foolishness [can ruin] a precious [reputation] for wisdom and honor.
It can only take one scandal to undermine what it took a lifetime to build.
2. The wise man’s heart is in his right hand; the fool’s heart is in his left.
Heart: or, mind. I.e., he treats it with less respect and leaves it unguarded.
3. In his foolishness, even when he walks on the road, by his lack of mindfulness, he advises everyone that he is a fool.
4. If the spirit of a dominator should rise up against you, do not leave your place, because yielding palliates numerous offenses.
“Love covers a multitude of mistakes” (Prov. 10:12) may have been another way Shlomoh found to describe the same sentiment.
5. There is something bad that I have seen under the sun: when there is a mistake that comes forth from the one in authority.
This is why YHWH has stricter standards for those He has put in authority and discourages us from setting up more authorities than He originally intended. (cf. 1 Shmu’el 8)
5. There is something bad that I have seen under the sun: when there is a mistake that comes forth from the one in authority:
This is why YHWH has stricter standards for those He has put in authority and discourages us from setting up more authorities than He originally intended. (cf. 1 Shmu’el 8)
6. when foolishness is appointed to many high positions, while the rich sit in a lowered position.
7. I have seen slaves sitting on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves!
He is not speaking here of true justice being restored, but of a democratic “revolution” that fails to make distinctions between true dignity (freedom to take as high a road as possible) and mere liberty to do whatever one pleases, which often turns out to involve dissipation and a depreciation in values that makes the least common denominator the “standard”.
8. Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and whoever breaks through a wall, a snake will bite him!
Digs a pit: apparently intending others to fall into it. (Compare Deut. 19:19.) Wall: or hedge, fence, any demarcation of an enclosure defending something that is off limits to him. This may be where we got the idiom, “It will come back to bite you!”
9. Whoever removes stones will be hurt by them, and the one who splits logs will be endangered by them.
Removes stones: literally carrying them away, but it appears that he means moving his neighbor’s property line marker (Deut. 19:14), or possibly taking stones out of a house because they are leprous (Lev. 14:40ff)
10. If the iron [axe blade] is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, he will have to exert more efficient effort, and the advantage [that leads to] success is wisdom.
Sharpen: literally, lighten or make easier, which that definitely does for the work. Wisdom: or skill, both of which come by experience and practice.
11. If a snake may bite without hissing, then there is no advantage for the charmer.
I.e., he may have no warning, he will not know when to act, despite his skills. Charmer: literally, “master of the tongue”; others render it, “The babbler is no better.”
12. The words of a wise man’s mouth [exude] favor, but the lips of a fool will swallow him up:
Favor: or elegance, charm, grace, pleasantness.
13. Initially the words of his mouth are folly; later [from] his mouth [comes] injurious insanity!
He starts off as merely silly, but proceeds to what could endanger others.
14. And the fool is also full of words, [yet] the human being does not know what will come to be, and who can tell him what will exist after him?
15. A fool’s labor exhausts him, in that he does not know how to walk to a city.
16. Woe to you, O land, when your king is a youth, and when your leaders eat in the morning!
17. Blessed are you, land whose king is the son of nobility and whose princes eat at an appropriate time, for strength and not for drunkenness!
18. Through indolence, [a building’s] rafters [begin to] sag, and through idleness of hands the house [starts to] leak.
Indolence: laziness that leads one to do nothing, though maintenance is required. Idleness: or slackness—insufficient action or not trying hard enough.
19. They make bread with enjoyment, and wine makes [for a] glad life, and money answers to everything.
Enjoyment: literally laughter. The translator knows from experience that the process of making bread is indeed fun! Answers: or responds. I.e., feasting and merrymaking are fine, but it is wiser to earn what can be spent on either—or other things that may be more important.
20. Don’t curse the king, even in your bedchamber, and don’t curse the rich, even in your sleeping rooms, because a bird of the skies will carry the sound, and what owns wings will report the matter!
Bedchamber: from the word for “knowledge”, so probably a reference to the sexual act since the parallel phrase refers more particularly to chambers as such. What owns wings: Have you hear the phrase: “A little bird told me”? This is its origin. “Even the walls have ears” is a similar idiom.
CHAPTER 11
1. Throw your bread on the surface of the waters, and when days have multiplied greatly, you will find it.
As we give out to those who are needy, provision will come back to us when we need it most. (Compare Luke 6:38.)
2. Entrust a portion to seven or even eight, because you do not know what kind of trouble will come about on the earth.
Diversify your investments! (Compare Mat. 25:14ff.)
3. If the clouds are full of rain, they will empty themselves out on the earth; if a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, in the place where it falls, there it will remain.
4. One who watches the wind will never sow, and one who looks at the clouds will never reap [the harvest].
“It might rain; let’s wait until another day…” And it never gets done.
5. Just as you do not know what the direction of the wind is, nor how the bones [develop] in the womb of her who is “filled up”, likewise you cannot comprehend the methods of Elohim, who makes everything.
“You don’t know which way the wind blows, so how can you plan tomorrow?” (Anne Herring; compare Yaaqov/James 4:13-14)
6. In the morning, sow your seed, and in the evening, do not withdraw your hand, because there is no [way] for you to know which will succeed—this or that—or whether both of them alike will do well.
7. Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sunshine,
8. because if a person lives many years, he should be glad in them all, yet let him remember the days of darkness—for they will be many; everything that comes fades away quickly.
9. Young man, be glad in your childhood, and do what is best for your heart in the days of your youth! [Go ahead] and walk in the ways of your heart and by what your eyes see, but realize that in regard to all of these things, Elohim will bring you into judgment.
“Follow your heart” (says Disney), but Yirmeyahu (17:9) reminds us that it can deceive us. Yeshua echoes, “Every careless word that people may speak, they must give a reason for in the day of judgment.” (Mat. 12:36)
10. So turn your heart away from being upset, and let pain pass on from your muscles, because childhood and youthfulness pass as quickly as a mist.
Being upset: or, remove grief (sorrow, vexation) and anger from your heart. Grief, anger, and pain are the things that people most often try to drown or numb with their addictions when they live according to the flesh, and allow bitterness to protect them from getting hurt again. When we lean on our own understanding, we are dealing with limited resources, and therefore we feel helpless and therefore resentful, and try to validate ourselves through admiration from others rather than remembering who anointed us and what He has done for us. This pollutes our anointing and we end up preaching repentance unto our own viewpoints rather than the good news that salvation is available. Grief is supposed to remind us of how fallen we are and that we need a savior, not that we can do anything to save our own skins. (Cole Davis) Youthfulness: from the word for dawning—i.e., juvenescence, the prime of life. (Strong’s)
CHAPTER 12
1. So remember your Creators in your best, youthful days, when as yet the worse days have not come, nor the years yet arrived when you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”—
Creators: YHWH and His word?
2. while the sun, the light, the moon, and the stars have not yet been darkened, nor the clouds returned after the rain.
He is describing the dimness of sight that comes to most with age, possibly through cataracts or other optical degeneration known as presbyopia—“elderly eyes”. Clouds…after the rain: Those old enough to think they have already emptied their bladder but find that this was not actually the case can appreciate Shlomoh’s bit of humor here. More interpretations when I am older…
3. In the day when the guards of the house shall tremble, and the valiant men become crooked, and the grinders stand idle because they are so few, and those who look out of the windows are darkened,
The vividly-poetic description of the aging process continues. Guards: one’s arms. Valiant: or capable, strong. The valiant men may refer to curvature of one’s spine or knees. Grinders: an analogy for teeth. Those who look: eyes.
4. and the doors on the street shall be shut when the sound of the mill dies down, and he shall rise up at the sound of a sparrow, and all the daughters of song will be lowered,
This seems to be describing an elderly person’s hearing loss in the lower registers but not of the higher sounds.
5. and he is afraid of heights and of terrors on the road, and will spurn the almond tree; even the grasshopper will be a burden, desire will taper off, because a person goes to his permanent home, and the mourners go around in the marketplace--
Spurn: possibly because he can no longer taste as well, but also possibly because it is a sign of the passage of time, as it is the tree those in Israel watch for to warn them that it will soon be time to Afraid of heights: because less steady on his feet and because his bones are now so brittle that even a minor fall could easily break them. Terrors on the road: Walking or driving is not as easy as it used to be, because his reaction time has slowed down, putting him in greater danger from those who proceed at a younger person’s pace. Person: Heb., adam, because only the descendants of Adam are mortal; they would not have been if he had not passed his poisoned genetic code on to them. Permanent: or eternal, long-term. Marketplace: a public, open space where they can have a memorial procession, but this person will also no longer be a consumer of their goods, so the merchants themselves may mourn.
6. [remember them] as long as the silver cord is not removed far away,
or the golden bowl shattered,
or the pitcher over the spring broken,
or the pulley-wheel over the cistern crushed,
7. then the dust will return to the earth as it had been, and the spirit will go back to the Elohim who gave [it].
8. “Fleeting breaths! Fleeting breaths,” says the speaker. “Everything is a mere vapor!”
9. And more than that, the speaker was wise: he taught the people knowledge; yes, he listened and investigated, and arranged many rules [in order].
Rules: or proverbs, ethical maxims, aphorisms, or parables, but it comes from the word for “governing”.
10. The speaker sought to find delightful words, and [those] written down are [those he] approved—reliable words.
11. The words of the wise are like prods, and like nails fixed [in place] by the master collectors, provided from one shepherd.
12. And more than these, my son, be warned: [the] making of many books has no end, and much devotion to study is exhausting to the physical body.
This could take all your life, and you still would not be able to study everything that is available. Therefore he cuts to the chase, and gives the listener a shortcut:
13. [So] let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Have reverential awe of Elohim, and guard His commandments, because this [applies to] all humanity,
To all humanity: or, is the whole duty of mankind.
14. because Elohim will bring every act into judgment, in addition to every concealed matter, whether it is good or bad.
“How should we then live?” First priority, according to the one who tested and analyzed all these things with the leisure and resources few ever have, is to consider YHWH and what He says to do.
THE BOOK OF
Qoheleth
(Ecclesiastes)
INTRODUCTION: This seems at first glance to be a very depressing book. It talks about how futile are both pleasure and the pursuit of higher accomplishments like wisdom and great construction works. Yet it is read during Sukkoth, the festival known as the “Season of our Joy”—the time when we gather in the fruits of our labors with satisfaction and splurge in ways we would not the rest of the year, in a most jubilant expression of thanks for YHWH’s bounty. So why read this book then? Is it because even this accomplishment is fleeting and empty? In a way, yes. We live in temporary dwellings. As Malkie Janowski has pointed out (Chabad.org), “we move outside our home, which provides a sense of permanence and comfort, and instead dwell in a flimsy hut. This recalls the transience of physicality…” But it is actually a book full of hope, because it forces us to look deeper rather than meeting the first flush of realization of this difficult truth with despair. The key, as Yaakov Astor notes, is that we are told that “under the sun” all is vanity. Everything physical, which depends on the sun for its sustenance, is indeed transitory, but there is a way to break free from the vicious cycles of meaningless repetition; there is something beyond the sun that can restore our optimism.
Out from “Under the Sun”
For a long time it mystified me that one of the traditional readings for the feast of Sukkoth was Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes). It is King Solomon’s own account of how he tasted the whole smorgasbord of human experiences and despaired of finding anything of lasting value. “All is vanity” was his analysis. “Everything under the sun is utterly pointless!” A closed cycle of the meaningless repetition of birth, difficult work, and death. It gets nowhere. It’s nothing but maintenance in a world that in the end will not even remember that we were ever here.
In a festival when we are supposed to rejoice (Lev. 23:40), why would we read such a treatise that brings depression and even despair?
When I heard the late British Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks’ explanation, it made perfect sense.
All is vanity--unless we are dropped a line from outside the closed system, that is. And by use of that phrase “under the sun”, he hinted that this was indeed a live hope. “Under the sun, all IS vanity.” But YHWH has broken into our closed-cycle history from somewhere that is NOT under the sun.
Genesis showed that because of humanity’s failure, the whole creation has fallen into corruption. Later Paul explained that the entire world is in “bondage to decay because YHWH has subjected it to futility”. (Romans 8:20) But creation was subjected in HOPE. And only as we were given limits could that hope rise to the surface.
Why? Because without limits, we got Babel. Once all nations were scattered and no longer able to unite in a useless goal, the stage was set for the solution. With Abraham, a counter-history began that could go beyond post-Fall norms. He was called a Hebrew--“one who crosses over from the other side”. Israel’s very inception was beyond anything that could come in the course of nature. Its patriarchs were given new names, and all contingencies were severed. A nation was forged in a wilderness that belonged to no other, and history was given a direction. YHWH gave us parameters that made life on a level higher than subservience to our natural inclinations possible.
With this, we are no longer under obligation to the things—within or from outside--that once drove us. The exodus is a live option. The “out” has been granted--even from death. Messiah is the “firstfruits of them who were asleep”. (1 Cor. 15:20) This is the only way out of the endless cycle of futility. So the way Abraham started and Messiah finished opening up is the only history with any real direction or progress.
The Messiah began to reverse the curse, but “we do not yet see all things subjected to him” (Heb. 2:8), for this age only gets a few glimpses of what is to come. But liberation from bondage to the elements was never an option at all before Yeshua neutralized the claims of usurping spirits and the vicious cycles of nature. He restored man to ascendancy, and now YHWH is calling out from “every tribe and tongue” in the world a wildly-different people, an entirely new entity. This community, known as the “called-out ones”, will merge into that counter-history, Israel.
“The true light is already shining.” (1 Yochanan 2:8) In the midst of this chaotic world, we can even now taste the “powers of the age to come”. (Heb. 6:5) The authority that will one day fully triumph can begin to affect our lives right away, changing us from within, with the implantation of a “new heart” and a “new spirit”. (Ezek. 11:19) We are the preview—the evidence that the world will not always be in the hands of those who mismanage it.
Sukkoth is therefore called “the season of our joy”. We are even ordered to be “nothing but joyful” (Deut. 16:15).
And why not? It is when Messiah broke into the vanity the first time, accompanied by “good news of great joy for all peoples” from heavenly messengers (Luke 2:10), and also a picture of the Kingdom that will break into history again when he returns after all have been given this great news. Then, all nations will celebrate Sukkoth. (Zech. 14:16-17) So “Joy to the World!”, a song that is more about his second coming than his first, is thoroughly appropriate for this, the true “season” when the victory over vanity began: “No more let sin and sorrow grow, or thorns infest the ground; he comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found!”
Yes, the whole creation will one day be set free from its bondage to decay. (Rom. 8:21) So “be steadfast, unmoved, always abounding in the work of YHWH” because in Him, “your labor is NOT in vain.” (1 Cor. 15:58)
