CHAPTERIX.

CHAPTERIX.FOR all this¹I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works,arein the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatredbyallthat isbefore them.¹HebrewI gaveorset to my heart.FOR with respect to all this, I have laid to my heart that which is to be deduced from it all, which is, that right and wisdom, and any service they can render, are in the hand of the Almighty, and whether [an event be an indication of His] love or displeasure either, no man knows from anything he sees before him,IX.(1.)For with respect to all this, I have given it to(אל, notאת, which theLXX.render byεἰς)my heart, and to sift out(occurs here only, but compare chapteriii.18)with respect to all this(but theLXX., dividing the words differently, evidently readולבי 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’) arein the hand of the Deity, also love(in the abstract),also hatred(also abstract, andגםbeing 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 isno manwho 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 Allthings comealike to all:there isone event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good, and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: asisthe good, soisthe sinner;andhe that sweareth, ashethat feareth an oath.evanescence being that which belongs to all. That which happens is just the same to the right and to the wrong, to good [and to bad,LXX.], and to clean and to unclean, and to the sacrificer as to one who never sacrifices; as the good, so the erring sinner, the forsworn as though he had feared the oath.(2.)The whole(but all the ancient versions read hereהבל, ‘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 theLXX., and the far better sense it makes with the context, we may well adopt it. As an additional reason for following theLXX., we notice that the Syriac reads(‡ Syriac word)(‡ Syriac word)(‡ Syriac word)(‡ Syriac word)(‡ Syriac word)(‡ Syriac word)‘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 wholeis as it were to all,’ namely)a happeningwhich isone to the righteous, and to the impious, to the good(theLXX.add hereto 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 Thisisan evil among allthingsthat are done under the sun, thatthere isone event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madnessisin their heart while they live, and after thatthey goto the dead.This evil is in all which is performed in this work-day world: that there is but one event to all, and so the heart of the human race overflows with wrong, and foolish anticipations are in their inmost hearts while they live, and what succeeds——it belongs to thedead.(3.)This wrongisin all which is done(niphal, and therefore objective; men both do and suffer as though this were so)under the sun, how a happeningwhich isone(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(הוללותoccurs chapteri.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(לבבis ‘the inmost heart’——see Concordance,sub voce, for the shade of difference betweenלבandלבב),in their lives, and their future(i.e.what comes afterwards)belongs to(the preposition isאל, which theLXX.note, and render byπρὸς)the dead(generic, with the article).4 ¶ For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.For whoever he may be, he chooses altogether as regarding theliving, this 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 byאשר, compare Exodusxxxii.33; it has here the sense, ‘For whoever he be’)chooses(the Kri reads ‘is joined to,’ which theLXX., Syriac, Targum, and Symmachus all have; but this and the pointing as a pual is merely a Masoretic conjecture: it would be better with theLXX.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(butכלis 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 Kingsxviii.19, and its parallel Isaiahxxxvi.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 willlive:’ no man makes plans on the supposition that he is going todie; 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 notalion, 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 they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.Yet the living are quite aware that they shall die; but the dead are not aware of anything; and they can have no further recompense, because a forgotten thing is their memorial:(5.)For the livingonesare 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 willdie‘),but the dead(plural, with the article, ‘the dead persons generally’)are not thosewho 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 ahire(or a reward in this life accruing to them as a recompense for their toil),because forgotten(niphal in its usual objective sense) istheir remembrance.6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in anythingthat is done under the sun.and then their love and their hatred also, and their envy as well, as far as this Present is concerned, are perished; and there is no further 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 ofגםbrings this word into prominence, equivalent to ‘their love also; yes, their hatred and envy too’)in this present(כבר, seechapteri.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 bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.Go then, eat thy bread with gladness, and drink in good heart thy wine, if in the present the Almighty prospers thy works.(7.)Go, eat(i.e.enjoy) inpleasure thy bread, and drink in heartofgood thy wine; for so in the present hath prospered the Deity thy workings.8 Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.At every opportunity let thy garments be white, and the oil to thy head do not spare.(8.)In all season(עת, a providential season——seechapteriii.1,19)let them be(even)thy garments white(it is hardly possible here, when we remember the constant use in Scripture ofwhitegarments, 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 withthe flesh’),and oil(seechaptervii.1, as the symbol of luxury and wealth)on thy head do notspare(chapteriv.8; ‘do not stint’ or ‘save it as for another time,’ is the meaning: ‘use it when you have the occasion’).9¹Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for thatisthy portion inthislife, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.¹HebrewSeeorenjoy life.Enjoy life with that woman whom thou lovest, all the days of thy evanescent life, which He grants thee in this hot work-day world,——all these evanescent days, I say, forthatis all thou canst possess in thy life, and from that toil thyself art toiling ever in this same work-day world.(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)whichHegives 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 findeth to do, doitwith thy might; forthere isno work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.All that thy hand finds to do, to the utmost do it, because there is no work, nor device, nor wisdom, nor knowledge in the grave, and that is whither 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, becausethere isnothingofa 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, ‘andthatis whitherthouart going unto’).11 ¶ I returned, and saw under the sun, that the raceisnot to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.But to return, I perceived how in this work-day world that not to the swift ones is the race, nor to the strong ones the battle, nor even to wise ones bread, nor yet to prudent ones wealth, nor yet to the instructed ones favour. For time and chance happens with regard to them all.(11.)I turned, andsee 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 swiftisthe race(מרוץ, occurs here only),and nottomighty ones the war, and also not to wise ones bread, and also not to prudent ones(occurs Genesisxli.33 of Joseph, and 1 Kingsiii.12 of Solomon)an increase, and not to knowing ones afavour: (these three nouns, ‘bread,’etc., are singular and without the article, the other two are with it),for time(the providential season, that is) andchance(occurs 1 Kingsv.4 as a noun only; the meaning of the verb, which occurs frequently, is, ‘to meet,’ ‘to approach’)happens with respect to(את, which theLXX.notice by making the verb compound,συναντήσεται)all.12 For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; soarethe sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.For so also Humanity knows not its time, but just like fishes which have been caught in a net, or birds held fast in a snare, just like them the sons of men are ensnared in some evil time, as it falls upon them——suddenly.(12.)For also not knows(it is the verb which is here negatived)the man(humanity)his time(withאת, which theLXX.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 birdswhencaught in a snare(notice the difference betweenשנאחזים, which is niphal participle plural, occurs Genesisxxii.13, andהאחזות, pual participle, ‘the fishes arecaught, the birds areheld’);like themareensnared(יוקשים, see Deuteronomyvii.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 also under the sun, and itseemedgreat unto me:Nevertheless, I have observed the following instance of 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).14There wasa little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it:There was a little city, and the men therein were a few; and there came a great king against it, and invested it, and built a net-work [of fortifications] 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 a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.Now there was found therein a poor wise working man, andheit was who saved the city by his wisdom; yet men did 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 areאנשים)poor(chapteriv.13, and here only,מסכן,LXX.πένητα. The meaning ofπένηςis that kind of poverty which seeks its food by labour, and differs fromπτωχὸς, which signifies a mendicant. Fuerst gives the derivation,ס־כן, of the root, which would imply such a meaning as theLXX.have),wise(there is no copula between these two qualifying words. It is not a poorandwise 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(withאתemphatic, which theLXX.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 theLXX.notice byσὺν, with agenitive! but in reality the genitive is governed by the verb,σὺνbeing 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, Wisdomisbetter than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdomisdespised, and his words are not heard.YetIshould say myself that wisdom was a real good, and better than strength, yet the wisdom of the poor working man is despised, and his words just those which are not listened to.(16.)Then said I(in opposition to ‘man,’ above),goodiswisdom 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 thosewhich are not listened to.17 The words of wisemen areheard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.These words of the wise in a silence are heard:More than the shriek of a ruler with fools.(17.)Those words(repeated) ofwise men in rest are heard(but noticeבנחתis an ambiguous word,——see Jobxxxvi.16; the rootנחתis 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(Genesisxviii.20. Fuerst considers thatצעקis an older form andזעקmodern, yet both are used in Genesisxviii.20, 21, but the references will be seen to support the idea thatזעקהis the ‘cry of emotion,’ whileצעקהis any ‘loud cry;’ if so, there is a special reason why it should be used in this place. Again,מזעקהmight be a participle meaning a ‘cry of distress,’ thus giving force to the equivoke),of a ruler with the befooled.18 Wisdomisbetter than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.A real good is wisdom above weapons of fight: but a single erring sinner destroys this good very much.(18.)A good(repeated, so that it corroborates what is found in verse 16) iswisdom above weaponsofan encounter, and sinning once(in the sense of making a wicked mistake, or ‘one wicked mistaker,’ either person or thing)destroys good the much.

FOR all this¹I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works,arein the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatredbyallthat isbefore them.¹HebrewI gaveorset to my heart.

FOR all this¹I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works,arein the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatredbyallthat isbefore them.

¹HebrewI gaveorset to my heart.

FOR with respect to all this, I have laid to my heart that which is to be deduced from it all, which is, that right and wisdom, and any service they can render, are in the hand of the Almighty, and whether [an event be an indication of His] love or displeasure either, no man knows from anything he sees before him,

IX.(1.)For with respect to all this, I have given it to(אל, notאת, which theLXX.render byεἰς)my heart, and to sift out(occurs here only, but compare chapteriii.18)with respect to all this(but theLXX., dividing the words differently, evidently readולבי 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’) arein the hand of the Deity, also love(in the abstract),also hatred(also abstract, andגםbeing 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 isno manwho 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 Allthings comealike to all:there isone event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good, and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: asisthe good, soisthe sinner;andhe that sweareth, ashethat feareth an oath.

evanescence being that which belongs to all. That which happens is just the same to the right and to the wrong, to good [and to bad,LXX.], and to clean and to unclean, and to the sacrificer as to one who never sacrifices; as the good, so the erring sinner, the forsworn as though he had feared the oath.

(2.)The whole(but all the ancient versions read hereהבל, ‘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 theLXX., and the far better sense it makes with the context, we may well adopt it. As an additional reason for following theLXX., we notice that the Syriac reads(‡ Syriac word)(‡ Syriac word)(‡ Syriac word)(‡ Syriac word)(‡ Syriac word)(‡ Syriac word)‘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 wholeis as it were to all,’ namely)a happeningwhich isone to the righteous, and to the impious, to the good(theLXX.add hereto 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 Thisisan evil among allthingsthat are done under the sun, thatthere isone event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madnessisin their heart while they live, and after thatthey goto the dead.

This evil is in all which is performed in this work-day world: that there is but one event to all, and so the heart of the human race overflows with wrong, and foolish anticipations are in their inmost hearts while they live, and what succeeds——it belongs to thedead.

(3.)This wrongisin all which is done(niphal, and therefore objective; men both do and suffer as though this were so)under the sun, how a happeningwhich isone(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(הוללותoccurs chapteri.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(לבבis ‘the inmost heart’——see Concordance,sub voce, for the shade of difference betweenלבandלבב),in their lives, and their future(i.e.what comes afterwards)belongs to(the preposition isאל, which theLXX.note, and render byπρὸς)the dead(generic, with the article).

4 ¶ For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

For whoever he may be, he chooses altogether as regarding theliving, this 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 byאשר, compare Exodusxxxii.33; it has here the sense, ‘For whoever he be’)chooses(the Kri reads ‘is joined to,’ which theLXX., Syriac, Targum, and Symmachus all have; but this and the pointing as a pual is merely a Masoretic conjecture: it would be better with theLXX.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(butכלis 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 Kingsxviii.19, and its parallel Isaiahxxxvi.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 willlive:’ no man makes plans on the supposition that he is going todie; 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 notalion, 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 they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

Yet the living are quite aware that they shall die; but the dead are not aware of anything; and they can have no further recompense, because a forgotten thing is their memorial:

(5.)For the livingonesare 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 willdie‘),but the dead(plural, with the article, ‘the dead persons generally’)are not thosewho 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 ahire(or a reward in this life accruing to them as a recompense for their toil),because forgotten(niphal in its usual objective sense) istheir remembrance.

6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in anythingthat is done under the sun.

and then their love and their hatred also, and their envy as well, as far as this Present is concerned, are perished; and there is no further 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 ofגםbrings this word into prominence, equivalent to ‘their love also; yes, their hatred and envy too’)in this present(כבר, seechapteri.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 bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.

Go then, eat thy bread with gladness, and drink in good heart thy wine, if in the present the Almighty prospers thy works.

(7.)Go, eat(i.e.enjoy) inpleasure thy bread, and drink in heartofgood thy wine; for so in the present hath prospered the Deity thy workings.

8 Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.

At every opportunity let thy garments be white, and the oil to thy head do not spare.

(8.)In all season(עת, a providential season——seechapteriii.1,19)let them be(even)thy garments white(it is hardly possible here, when we remember the constant use in Scripture ofwhitegarments, 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 withthe flesh’),and oil(seechaptervii.1, as the symbol of luxury and wealth)on thy head do notspare(chapteriv.8; ‘do not stint’ or ‘save it as for another time,’ is the meaning: ‘use it when you have the occasion’).

9¹Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for thatisthy portion inthislife, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.¹HebrewSeeorenjoy life.

¹HebrewSeeorenjoy life.

Enjoy life with that woman whom thou lovest, all the days of thy evanescent life, which He grants thee in this hot work-day world,——all these evanescent days, I say, forthatis all thou canst possess in thy life, and from that toil thyself art toiling ever in this same work-day world.

(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)whichHegives 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 findeth to do, doitwith thy might; forthere isno work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

All that thy hand finds to do, to the utmost do it, because there is no work, nor device, nor wisdom, nor knowledge in the grave, and that is whither 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, becausethere isnothingofa 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, ‘andthatis whitherthouart going unto’).

11 ¶ I returned, and saw under the sun, that the raceisnot to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

But to return, I perceived how in this work-day world that not to the swift ones is the race, nor to the strong ones the battle, nor even to wise ones bread, nor yet to prudent ones wealth, nor yet to the instructed ones favour. For time and chance happens with regard to them all.

(11.)I turned, andsee 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 swiftisthe race(מרוץ, occurs here only),and nottomighty ones the war, and also not to wise ones bread, and also not to prudent ones(occurs Genesisxli.33 of Joseph, and 1 Kingsiii.12 of Solomon)an increase, and not to knowing ones afavour: (these three nouns, ‘bread,’etc., are singular and without the article, the other two are with it),for time(the providential season, that is) andchance(occurs 1 Kingsv.4 as a noun only; the meaning of the verb, which occurs frequently, is, ‘to meet,’ ‘to approach’)happens with respect to(את, which theLXX.notice by making the verb compound,συναντήσεται)all.

12 For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; soarethe sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.

For so also Humanity knows not its time, but just like fishes which have been caught in a net, or birds held fast in a snare, just like them the sons of men are ensnared in some evil time, as it falls upon them——suddenly.

(12.)For also not knows(it is the verb which is here negatived)the man(humanity)his time(withאת, which theLXX.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 birdswhencaught in a snare(notice the difference betweenשנאחזים, which is niphal participle plural, occurs Genesisxxii.13, andהאחזות, pual participle, ‘the fishes arecaught, the birds areheld’);like themareensnared(יוקשים, see Deuteronomyvii.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 also under the sun, and itseemedgreat unto me:

Nevertheless, I have observed the following instance of 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).

14There wasa little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it:

There was a little city, and the men therein were a few; and there came a great king against it, and invested it, and built a net-work [of fortifications] 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 a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.

Now there was found therein a poor wise working man, andheit was who saved the city by his wisdom; yet men did 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 areאנשים)poor(chapteriv.13, and here only,מסכן,LXX.πένητα. The meaning ofπένηςis that kind of poverty which seeks its food by labour, and differs fromπτωχὸς, which signifies a mendicant. Fuerst gives the derivation,ס־כן, of the root, which would imply such a meaning as theLXX.have),wise(there is no copula between these two qualifying words. It is not a poorandwise 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(withאתemphatic, which theLXX.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 theLXX.notice byσὺν, with agenitive! but in reality the genitive is governed by the verb,σὺνbeing 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, Wisdomisbetter than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdomisdespised, and his words are not heard.

YetIshould say myself that wisdom was a real good, and better than strength, yet the wisdom of the poor working man is despised, and his words just those which are not listened to.

(16.)Then said I(in opposition to ‘man,’ above),goodiswisdom 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 thosewhich are not listened to.

17 The words of wisemen areheard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.

These words of the wise in a silence are heard:More than the shriek of a ruler with fools.

These words of the wise in a silence are heard:

More than the shriek of a ruler with fools.

(17.)Those words(repeated) ofwise men in rest are heard(but noticeבנחתis an ambiguous word,——see Jobxxxvi.16; the rootנחתis 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(Genesisxviii.20. Fuerst considers thatצעקis an older form andזעקmodern, yet both are used in Genesisxviii.20, 21, but the references will be seen to support the idea thatזעקהis the ‘cry of emotion,’ whileצעקהis any ‘loud cry;’ if so, there is a special reason why it should be used in this place. Again,מזעקהmight be a participle meaning a ‘cry of distress,’ thus giving force to the equivoke),of a ruler with the befooled.

18 Wisdomisbetter than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.

A real good is wisdom above weapons of fight: but a single erring sinner destroys this good very much.

(18.)A good(repeated, so that it corroborates what is found in verse 16) iswisdom above weaponsofan encounter, and sinning once(in the sense of making a wicked mistake, or ‘one wicked mistaker,’ either person or thing)destroys good the much.

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