she brings her food from far away.
14She rises while it is still night
and provides food for her household
and tasks for her servant-girls.
15She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
16She girds herself with strength,
and makes her arms strong.
17She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
18She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
19She opens her hand to the poor,
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
20She is not afraid for her household when it snows,
for all her household are clothed in crimson.
21She makes herself coverings;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
22Her husband is known in the city gates,
taking his seat among the elders of the land.
23She makes linen garments and sells them;
she supplies the merchant with sashes.
24Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
25She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
26She looks well to the ways of her household,
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
27Her children rise up and call her happy;
her husband too, and he praises her:
28“Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them
29Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
30Give her a share in the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the city gates.
* * *
a Cn: Heb where
b Heb all children of passing away
31.1–31 Two originally independent poems (vv. 1–9; vv. 10–31), joined here under the heading of a queen mother’s instruction, share vocabulary, theme, and structure.
31.1 King Lemuel is otherwise unknown, but presumably foreign. Oracle. See note on 30.1. Mother. See note on 1.8; also 31.26, 28.
31.2 Son of my vows. The phrase is unique in the Bible, though the idea of a child granted by God in response to a woman’s vow is not (see 1 Sam 1.9–28).
31.3 Strength. The same Hebrew word, translated capable in v. 10 and excellently in v. 29, is used to describe the woman in the second poem, mitigating this verse’s apparent warning against strong women.
31.4–7 The abuse and use of alcohol (see 23.29–35). Although a king should not drink and forget his duty to justice (v. 5; see note on 1.1), those in distress do well to drink and forget their poverty (v. 7).
31.8–9 The capable woman also speaks out (v. 26) and cares for the poor and needy (v. 20).
31.10–31 An acrostic poem (see Introduction). The capable wife (lit. “woman of worth”) exemplifies wisdom in the world, thus providing a fitting conclusion to a book that begins with Woman Wisdom. Her assumption of kingly duties (see 27.23–27; 31.1–9) may suggest a social context in which the wisdom and order provided the family household replaced that of a vanished monarchy.
31.10 Capable. See note on 31.3. Find, more precious than jewels, both motifs for Woman Wisdom (see note on 1.13; also 3.15; cf. Job 28).
31.11 Trusts in her. Elsewhere, gain comes through trust in the Lord or heeding wisdom (1.29–33; 8.17–21; 28.25b; 29.25b). Gain. See note on 1.13.
31.15bc See 27.27. Her household, an unusual attribution in a culture that typically speaks of “the father’s house” see also vv. 21, 27 and the mother’s house in Song 8.2. Servant-girls. See note on 27.27.
31.16 She engages in public economic enterprise (see v. 18, 24).
31.16b She has the vineyard planted with profits she has made (cf. v. 31a).
31.17 Both physical and moral strength are implied (see 8.14; 31.25).
31.18 See v. 16.
31.19–20 Puts her hands (v. 19a), the same Hebrew words as reaches out her hands (v. 20b). The woman’s ability to provide for her household is linked to her care for the poor.
31.21 See v. 15.
31.23 The woman’s work is publicly effaced by her husband’s leadership role, though see v. 31. City gates. See note on 1.20–21.
31.24 See v. 16.
31.25 See 1.26; 8.14; 31.17.
31.26 Seevv. 8–9. Teaching (Hebrew torah) of kindness (chesed, often translated “steadfast love”), elsewhere often covenantal terms, but here, as in 1.8, more likely general parental instruction.
31.27 There is possibly a wordplay between the Hebrew tsophiyyah, she looks well to, and the Greek sophia (“wisdom”); thus the beginning of the verse may be translated “the ways of her house are wisdom” (see 9.1–6). A Greek-Hebrew wordplay would date the poem in or close to the Hellenistic period (late fourth century BCE).
31.28a See 3.13; 27.11.
31.29 Excellently. See note on 31.3.
31.30 A proverb used to clinch the argument. On deceitful appearances, see note on 26.22–26a. Vain, meaningless (see Eccl 1.2).
31.31a See 31.16.
31.31b See 31.23. Woman Wisdom teaches and praises herself in the city gates (1.21; 8.3).
ECCLESIASTES
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | d | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
“ECCLESIASTES” IS THE LATIN TRANSCRIPTION of the Greek translation of the Hebrew Qoheleth, often rendered “Preacher” (a tradition from Luther) or “Teacher.” Qoheleth’s wisdom is attributed to the “son of David,” Solomon (a name that never appears in the book), who is Israel’s archetypal gatherer of wisdom (1 Kings 4.29–34; Prov 1.1; Song 1.1). Qoheleth urges readers to take joy in what they have and to fear God despite knowing that “for everything there is a season” (3.1).
Dating and Language
THE UNIQUE LANGUAGE, syntax, and grammar of Ecclesiastes suggest that the book can be dated between the fifth and third centuries BCE. At one time some thought that the book was originally written in Aramaic and poorly translated into Hebrew, but that view is entirely rejected today. It is conceded that the Persian loanwords, Aramaisms, and the structure of the Hebrew require a date after Israel’s release from exile in 539 BCE. Issues regarding the influence of Phoenician on the language and thought of Ecclesiastes, the possibility of the author’s familiarity with Greek, and the relationship between standard biblical Hebrew (preexilic) and late biblical Hebrew are debated.
No internal references to historical dates appear, and the external evidence is indecisive. The social, economic, and political evidence in the book points to a time of change and upheaval, of risk and possibility. As many commentators note, the fifth century BCE was a period of commercialization and the standardization of currency, a time when not everyone benefited equally. Certainly Qoheleth speaks out of such a context. Two fragments of the book dating from the second and first centuries BCE were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls; the larger contains sections of chs. 5–7. This discovery confirms that the book was written prior to the end of the third century BCE.
Canonical Status
THE ATTRIBUTION OF THE BOOK to Solomon was certainly a later development. This attribution probably assisted in the book’s gaining canonical status in Judaism and Christianity even though other books associated with Solomon’s name were not so acclaimed (e.g., Odes of Solomon). A tradition within first-century CE rabbinical debates over which books are worthy resulted in a growing consensus that Ecclesiastes was inspired and deserving of a place in the canon.
The canonical location of Ecclesiastes varies in Judaism and Christianity. In some of the oldest Greek manuscripts it is found in the third division of the canon, the “Writings” or Hagiographa, a kind of miscellaneous collection that was variously arranged in those manuscripts. The Hebrew Bible places Ecclesiastes among the five scrolls, Megillot (Song of So
lomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther), a relatively late grouping based on the order in which the books were read in the succession of Jewish festivals. In other Bibles it comes between Proverbs and the Song of Solomon, two other works attributed to Solomon.
Literary Structure
ATTEMPTS TO FIND A CLEAR STRUCTURE in the book have depended largely on the diverse perspectives readers bring to the book. Few read the book as an entirely haphazard collection, although some see no easily discernable structure. Others see it organized around numerological theories or concentric circles; still others discover different editorial levels and rearrange the text; and finally some see a logical development or the adaptation of some earlier literary form or pattern. The book exhibits a complex consistency of language, perspective, and themes. Themes are introduced, then dropped and picked up, and sometimes advanced within a series of repeated words and phrases in refrainlike fashion.
Content
ECCLESIASTES FOCUSES upon the limits and contradictions of life in order to teach wisdom (see Ps 90). From the pinnacle of human success and power (1.12–2.26) Qoheleth surveys life and finds it “vanity.” Even the best life is limited in knowledge, virtue, and power, troubled by evil and injustice, and ultimately ended by death. This focus on human limits and absurdity attacks those, like Job’s friends, who selectively misuse traditional wisdom (see Proverbs) to argue neat connections between godly goodness and success or wickedness and failure (7.15; 8.10–17; 9.1–12). Yet Qoheleth maintains that wisdom, in spite of its limits and destruction by death, is better than folly (see 2.11, 12–17; 6.8). In the face of death and “vanity,” Qoheleth repeatedly urges humans to embrace life and its goods—food, drink, love, work, and play—as gifts from God (9.7–10).
Interpretation
ECCLESIASTES IS READ in the Jewish community during the feast of Sukkoth (Festival of Booths, Tabernacles, or Ingathering, Lev 23.39–43; Deut 16.13–15; Neh 8.13–18), a joyous pilgrimage festival that normally occurs in September or October. This festival underscores the precariousness of life and yet the joy to be found even in the enigmatic nature of life. The correlation between joy and the ephemeral requires one to follow the inclination of the heart (11.9–10), remembering one’s creator (12.1). Those who read the contents of the book as marginal, pessimistic, and not given to answering the perplexing questions of life have not attended carefully to its affirmations.
Interpreters offer conflicting readings of Ecclesiastes. Some see it as a portrait of “life without God,” for they do not see how life with God can be described as “vanity.” Some have seen it at odds with the dominant expressions of the religion of the Hebrew scriptures. It does not speak of covenants or tell of God acting in history; and it focuses, when speaking of God, on the mysterious, unfathomable nature of the divine.
The tensions and contradictions of Ecclesiastes are precisely its point. The book recognizes that it is impossible to know what will come with death, which is inevitable for both the righteous and unrighteous, yet it never lets go of God. Part of the tension surrounds the key word “vanity” (Hebrew hevel). Translated as “meaninglessness,” “absurdity,” “emptiness,” “incongruity,” and “uselessness,” its literal meaning is “breath,” “breeze,” “vapor,” or “mist.” Whether understood more as liquid or as air, hevel is fundamental to sustaining life despite the fact that it evaporates and dissipates. If meaning is found only in the permanent and unchanging, then Ecclesiastes will seem incredibly frustrating. On the other hand, the book emphasizes the value of rationality despite the irrationality of life. As one writer has said, it is God’s presence that is present and, one might add, precious.
What, then, is good for humans according to Ecclesiastes? First, never give up questing, seeking, and searching. The book begins with that note (1.12–14) and continually provokes readers to reflect on the musings it sets forth. Second, as clearly stated in the epilogue, “Fear God, and keep his commandments; for that is the whole duty of everyone” (12.13; see 3.9–17; 5.1–7; 7.13–14, 18; 8.12–13). Ecclesiastes, while forever discerning and certainly breaking the mold in the quest undertaken, reminds readers of Deuteronomy’s traditional call “to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him” (Deut 10.12). Human beings are not power brokers of the universe, but afflicted by hevel in all its forms. The good is simply to enjoy life—both work and play—as God’s gift and the “lot” for which all are responsible. [RAYMOND C. VAN LEEUWEN, revised by KENT HAROLD RICHARDS]
ECCLESIASTES 1
Reflections of a Royal Philosopher
1The words of the Teacher,a the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher,b
vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
3What do people gain from all the toil
at which they toil under the sun?
4A generation goes, and a generation comes,
but the earth remains forever.
5The sun rises and the sun goes down,
and hurries to the place where it rises.
6The wind blows to the south,
and goes around to the north;
round and round goes the wind,
and on its circuits the wind returns.
7All streams run to the sea,
but the sea is not full;
to the place where the streams flow,
there they continue to flow.
8All thingsc are wearisome;
more than one can express;
the eye is not satisfied with seeing,
or the ear filled with hearing.
9What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done;
there is nothing new under the sun.
10Is there a thing of which it is said,
“See, this is new”?
It has already been,
in the ages before us.
11The people of long ago are not remembered,
nor will there be any remembrance
of people yet to come
by those who come after them.
The Futility of Seeking Wisdom
12I, the Teacher,d when king over Israel in Jerusalem, 13applied my mind to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven; it is an unhappy business that God has given to human beings to be busy with. 14I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and see, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.e
15What is crooked cannot be made straight,
and what is lacking cannot be counted.
16I said to myself, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” 17And I applied my mind to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a chasing after wind.f
18For in much wisdom is much vexation,
and those who increase knowledge increase sorrow.
next chapter
* * *
a Heb Qoheleth, traditionally rendered Preacher
b Heb Qoheleth, traditionally rendered Preacher
c Or words
d Heb Qoheleth, traditionally rendered Preacher
e Or a feeding on wind. See Hos 12.1
f Or a feeding on wind. See Hos 12.1
1.1 Superscription or title. Words of is a typical title for a collection usually followed by the individual to whom the collection is attributed. Qoheleth is mentioned five times in the book (1.1, 2, 12; 7.27; 12.8). The word Qoheleth has to do with the act of gathering something, in this case wisdom (at other times wealth), and suggests someone who addresses the “assembly” (Hebrew kahal; Deut 31.30; 1 Kings 8.22). Son of David is an important link with the wisdom tradition’s supreme gatherer, Solomon.
1.2–11 Preface.
1.2 Vanity of vanities, meaning “utterly ephemeral,” is the book’s theme or motto, placed at its beginning and end (12.8). Vanity renders hevel, a Hebrew word difficult to translate with any single English
word but used extensively in the book (fifty-seven times) referring to the ephemeral, unknowable, mysterious, absurd, and ironic. The Hebrew term literally refers to “breath” (Isa 57.13) and is often parallel to chasing after wind (e.g., vv. 14, 17). For human life as “breath,” see Job 7.7; Pss 39.4–6; 62.9; 78.33; 144.4.
1.3–11 A poem placing human existence in a cosmological and epistemological frame. Human existence is situated in the east-west journey of the sun (v. 5), the north-south circuit of the wind (v. 6), and the four ancient elements: earth, fire (sun), air (wind), and water (Ps 148.7–8). Some read this passage negatively (both cosmos and life consist of meaningless cycles), and some positively (the cyclical world order remains forever [v. 4], thus making life possible; Gen 8.22; Pss 104.1–30; 147.8–9, 16–18). Gain, or advantage (v. 3), has to do not with economic benefit per se but rather with having a “surplus” (2.11; 3.9; 5.9, 16; 6.8; 7.12; 10.11).
1.5 Hurries, lit. “pants” like a runner (Ps 19.5–6).
1.6 Ironically, the restless wind remains while humans, who come and go (v. 4; 5.15–16), are mere “breath” (vanity).
1.8–11 A move from cosmology to epistemology, on the limits of human knowledge.
1.8 All things are wearisome. The Hebrew is ambiguous; some translate positively, “All things are constantly active,” and beyond human mastery (v. 18; 3.11; 8.17; 12.12). The eye is not satisfied. See Prov 27.20. The ear is not filled ironically parallels the sea is not full (v. 7).
1.9–11 Possibly a commentary explaining in more direct language the meaning of the difficult poetry found in vv. 3–8. See 6.10.
1.9 Under the sun appears only in Ecclesiastes in the Hebrew scriptures, although it does appear in other ancient Near Eastern texts.
1.11 People of long ago…people yet to come, or “things of long ago…things yet to come.”
1.12–2.26 Chasing after wind (1.14, 17) is the theme of this section. The book turns to a predominantly first-person autobiographical style reminiscent of royal inscriptions, exploring the limits of the human condition and the inscrutability of God.
HarperCollins Study Bible Page 244