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(Ecc_8:1-8)
(Ecc_8:9-15.)
[Ecc_7:29. ìְáַø is not rightly rendered only—“this only have I found.” More correctly, this by itself, or besides, as something beyond what is said before of both sexes.—T. L.]
[Ecc_8:1. éְùֻׁðֶּà ; there is no need of saying of this that it is more Chaldæo; some such interchange of à for ä is quite common in Hebrew—see the extensive list of cases given by the Jewish grammarian, Jona Ben Gannach. The 70 read ùָׂðֵà to hate. So did the Syriac. òֹæ ôָðָéæ denotes the sternness, or austerity, of the countenance. Wisdom clears it up, changes it to a bright and joyful aspect. See M. V.—T. L.]
[Ecc_8:2 àֲðִé ôּéÎîֶìֶêְ , Zöckler would supply àָîַøְúִּé here. There is hardly need of that—I a kings’s mouth; supply simply the substantive verb, “I am a king’s mouth—that heed.” It is an assertion by the writer of his royal right to give such advice. See M. V.—T. L.]
[Ecc_8:10. åּáְëֵï . See Exeget.—T. L.]
[Ecc_8:11. ôִúְâָí . See remarks on the appendix to Introduction, p.33.—T. L.]
[Ecc_8:15. åְùִׂôַäְúִּé ; the conjunction å here, has more than the mere copulative force. It denotes time, as it frequently does, and also a reason. Its mere conjunctive force is seldom alone when it connects sentences: “’Twas then I praised joy”—that is, when I took this view of things. àְַùֶׁø =not simply to ὅôé , but to ὡò ὅôé , how that there is, etc.; and that this éִìְåֶâּåּ will remain, adhere to him.—T. L.]
2. First Strophe. Introduction. Ecc_7:23-25. Concerning the difficulty of finding true wisdom, and Koheleth’s zealous search after it.—All this have I proved with wisdom—This, therefore, formed the means and the goal of his searching. For the expression ðִëָּä áַּçָëְîָä compare on the one hand úּåּø áַּçָëְîָä Ecc_1:13, and, on the other, ðִñָּä áְּùִׂîְçָä , Ecc_2:1. “All this” certainly does not refer to all the preceding from the beginning of the book, as Hengstenberg asserts, but mainly to the rules of life and practical counsels contained in Ecc_7:1-22.—But it was far from me—“It,” i.e., wisdom in the absolute sense, perfected wisdom. A partial possession of wisdom is by no means excluded by this humble confession of not having found any; see Ecc_8:5; Ecc_7:11-16; Ecc_7:19, etc. Ecc_7:24. That which is far off—i.e., the real innermost essence of wisdom lies far from human comprehension; comp. Job_28:12 ff.; Sirach 24:38 ff.; Bar_3:14 ff. Rosenmueller, Herzfeld, Hahn, Elster [and, at an earlier period, also Ewald] correctly consider îָä ùֶּׁäָéָä as the subject of the clause; but äָéָä cannot then be taken in the preterit sense, as is done by the three first named commentators [Herzfeld : “that remains far off which was far off;” Rosenmueller: procul abest, quod ante aderat; Hahn: “that is far off which has been”]. Knobel, Hitzig, Vaihinger, and, lately, Ewald, affirm that there is an emphatic prefixing of the-predicate “far” before the relative pronoun îָä : “That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out.” But the examples quoted from Ecc_1:9; Job_23:9 scarcely justify so harsh a construction. The interpretation of Hengstenberg: “that is far off. which, has been,” i.e., the comprehension of what has been or is ( ôῶí ὄíôùí ãíῶóéò , Wisd. of Sol. 7:17) is opposed by the circumstance that, practical wisdom alone is here considered, and not theoretical, for which reason also there can scarcely be a reference to the objective cognition of wisdom, or the knowledge of its objects. The interpretations of most of the ancients are decidedly ungrammatical, as of the Septuagint ( ìáêñὰí ὑðὲñ ὅ ἧí ), Vulgate (multo magis quam erat), Luther (“It is far off, what will it be?”); thus also is that of Köster (“It is far off, what is that”), and so many others.—And exceeding deep.—Lit., “deep, deep.” The repetition of òָîֹ÷ expresses the superlative idea (Ewald, Lehrbuch, § 303 c). Deep signifies difficult to be fathomed, comp. Pro_20:5, and especially Job_11:8, where the Divine doing and the Divine government are declared to be the absolute limit of all wisdom, or as “deeper than hell;” see also Psa_139:8; Rom_11:33. Ecc_7:25. I applied mine heart.—Lit., “I turned, I and my heart,”—a figure similar to that in Act_15:28 : ἔäïîåí ôῷ ðíåýìáôé ἁãßù êáὶ ἡìῖí ; comp. also the Son_5:2. That the heart also participated in the turning, shows it to be no thoughtless action, but one resting on deep reflection. The simple ñַáּåֹúִé does not express a return from a path formerly followed, but now perceived to be an erroneous one (Hitizig’s view). It is different with åְñַáּåֹúִé , “then I turned,” Ecc_2:20, which clearly marks the entrance into a path entirely new, whilst in this passage nothing is affirmed but the transition from a superficial to a deeper and more solicitous searching after wisdom. Comp. Hengstenberg and Vaihinger on this passage, which latter correctly gives the connection thus: “Although wisdom in its fullness is unsearchable and unattainable, I did not refrain from searching after an insight into the relations of things, in order to learn the causes of the want of moral perfection; I wished, however, in learning wisdom, to learn also its counterpart, and thus to see that iniquity is every where folly.”—To know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, etc.—The two accusatives, wisdom and reason, belong only to the last of the three infinitives ( áַּ÷ֵùׁ ); before which ì is left out, in order to separate it externally from the two preceding ones. çֶùְׁáּåֹï is here, as in Ecc_7:27, “reason, calculation,” a result of the activity of the judgment, in examining and judging of the relations of practical life, therefore equivalent to insight, practical sagacity and knowledge of life. Vaihinger’s interpretation of çָëְîָäּ åְçֶùְׁáּåֹï in the sense of “wisdom as calculation,” is unnecessary, and indeed in direct contradiction to the construction in the following clause. The copula also in Ecc_8:2 does not express the explanatory sense of the expression, “and indeed.”—And to know the wickedness of folly, and even of foolishness and madness.—(Zöckler: “wickedness as folly, foolishness as madness”). That this is to be thus translated is proved by the absence of the article before the second accusative. Comp. for this construction Ewald, § 284 b, and for the sentence, Ecc_1:17; Ecc_2:12 f.; Ecc_10:13.
3. First Strophe. Continuation and Conclusion. Ecc_7:26-29. A warning concerning an unchaste woman and her seductive arts. Hengstenberg, following older writers [and thus Seb. Schmid, Michael., Lampe, J. Lange, Starke, etc.) maintains that this harlot is an ideal personage, the false wisdom of the heathen; but that she is a representative of the female sex in general in its worst aspect, appears to be incontrovertible from Ecc_7:28-29, where women in general are represented as the more corrupt portion of humanity, corresponding with Sir_25:24; 1Ti_2:12-15. And as parallels to this passage we find above all those warnings of the Proverbs of Solomon against the “harlot” or “strange woman,” i.e., against unchaste intercourse with, women in general; comp. Pro_2:16 ff; Pro_5:2 ff; Pro_7:5 ff; Pro_22:14; Pro_23:27. And quite as arbitrary as the idealizing of this lascivious woman into the abstract idea of “false wisdom,” is the view of Hitzig, namely, that therein allusion is made to a definite historical person, Agathoclea, mistress of Ptolemy Philopater.—And I find more bitter than death.—For this figure comp. 1Sa_15:32; Sir_28:25; Sir_41:1; also Pro_5:4, etc.—The woman whose heart is snares and nets.— àֲùֶׁø is to be connected with the suffix in ìִáָּäּ and äִéà is to be regarded as copula between subject and predicate, which here emphatically precedes. In the comparison of the heart of the harlot to “snares and nets,” and her hands to “bands,” we naturally think, in the first instance, of her words and looks (as expressions of the thoughts of her heart), and, in the second, of voluptuous embraces.—Whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her.—Lit. “He who is good in the sight of God.” Comp. Ecc_2:26. The meaning is here as there, the God-fearing and just man, the contrary of çåֹèֵà or sinner, who by her ( áָּäּ ) i.e., by the nets and snares of her heart, and by her loose seductive arts, is caught. Ecc_7:27. Behold, this have I found, saith the Preacher.—Notwithstanding Ecc_1:1; Ecc_2:12; Ecc_12:9, where ÷äֶֹìֶú is without the article, we must still read here àָîַø äַ÷ּäֶֹìֶú (comp. Ecc_12:8) and not àָîְøָä ÷äֶֹìֶú ; for the word ÷äֶֹìֶú is every where else used as masculine, and the author cannot wish to express a significant contrast between the preaching wisdom and the amorous woman, since the expression, “saith the Preacher,” is here, as in those other passages, a mere introductory formula (though Hengstenberg thinks otherwise).—Counting one by one—namely, considering, reflecting. Lit., “one to the other,” i.e., adding, arranging. The words are adverbially used, as in the phrase ëָּðִéí àֶì ëָּðִéí Gen_32:31.—To find out the account.—[ çֶùְׁáּåֹï as in Ecc_7:25], giving the result of this action of arranging one after the other. This did not consist in comparison between woman and death, but in a summing up of those unfavorable observations concerning her which necessitates the final judgment, namely, that she is “more bitter than death.” The whole verse clearly refers to the foregoing, and does not, therefore, serve as an introduction to the contents of Ecc_7:28-29, as Hahn and several older authors contend, who begin a new section with this verse. There is rather a certain break immediately before Ecc_7:28, as the words àֲùֶׁø òåã áִּ÷ְùָׁä åְâå at the beginning of this verse show. Ecc_7:28. Which yet my soul seeketh.—The soul is represented as seeking, to indicate how much this seeking was a matter of the heart to the preacher; comp. the address: “thou whom my soul loveth,” Son_1:17; Son_3:1 ff. The “finding not” is then again attributed to the first person : “and that which I found not.”—One man among a thousand have I found—i.e., among a thousand of the human race, I found, indeed, one righteous one, one worthy of the name of man, and corresponding to the idea of humanity. àָãָí here stands for àִéùׁ as, in the Greek, ἄíèñùðïò for ἀíÞñ . For the expression “one among a thousand” [lit., out of a thousand] comp. Job_9:3; Job_33:23; but for the sentence, Ecc_7:20 above, and Job_14:5; Mic_7:2, etc. The hereditary corruption of the entire human race is here as much presupposed as in the parallel passages; for Koheleth will hardly recognize the one righteous man that he found among a thousand as absolutely righteous, and therefore as àָãָí in the primeval, pure and ideal sense of the first man before the fall.—But a woman among all these have I not found. That is, one worthy of the name àִùָּׁä , in the primeval ideal sense of Gen_2:22-25, I did not find among all that thousand, which presented me at least one proper man. That he never found such a one, consequently that he considered the whole female sex as vicious and highly corrupt, cannot possibly be his opinion, as appears from Ecc_7:29, as also in Ecc_9:9. (See the praise of noble women in other documents of the Chokmah literature, as Pro_5:19; Pro_18:22; Pro_31:10 f.; Psalms 128. ff.). But that moral excellence among women, taken as a whole, is much more rarely found than among men, that sin reigns more uncontrolled among the former than the latter, and in the form of moral weakness and proneness to temptation, as well as in the inclination to seduce, to deceive and ensnare—such is clearly the sense of this passage, a sense that harmonizes with Gen_3:16; Sir_25:24; 2Co_11:3; 1Ti_2:12 ff., as also with numerous other extra-biblical passages. Comp. also these sentences from the Talmud: “It is better to follow a lion than a woman;”—“Who follows the counsel of his wife arrives at hell;”—“The mind of women is frivolous;” also the Greek maxims: èÜëáóóá êáὶ ðῦñ êáὶ ãõíὴ êáêὰ ôñßá ;— ὅðïõ ãõíáῖêåò åἰóé ðÜíô ̓ ἐêåῖ êáêÜ . Compare also the following Proverb from the Arabic of Meidani; “Women are the snares of Satan,” etc. (Comp. Wohlfarth, Knobel and Vaihinger on this passage).
Ecc_7:29. Lo, this only have I found. ìְáַã , “alone, only” (an adverb as in Isa_26:13), here serving to introduce a remark intended as a restriction of what precedes. The fact of the universal sinful corruption of man, expressed indirectly in Ecc_7:28, is here to be so far restricted that this corruption is not to be considered as innate in humanity through a divine agency, but as brought into the world by man’s own guilt.—That God hath made man upright. éָùָׁø , upright, good, integer; comp. Gen_1:26 f.; Gen_5:1; Gen_9:6; Wis_2:23.—But they have sought out many inventions. äִùְּׁáðֹåֹú are not “useless subtleties,” (Ewald), but, as the contrast to the idea of éָùָׁø teaches us: malæ artes, tricks, evil artifices, conceits.
4. Second strophe, Introduction, Ecc_8:1.—Of the rarity and preciousness of wisdom.—Who is as the wise man? This is no triumphant question, induced, or occasioned by that lucky finding in the last verse of the preceding chapter (Hitzig), but simply an introduction to what follows, by which true wisdom is to be declared a rare treasure of difficult attainment, just as in Ecc_7:23; Ecc_8:16 f.—In ëְּäֶçָëָí , the usually contracted form ëֶּçָëָí is again expanded, in accordance with a custom often occurring in later authors; comp. Eze_40:25; Eze_47:22; 2Ch_10:7; 2Ch_25:10, etc.—And who knoweth the interpretation of a thing; Zöckler, “of the word,” ( ãָּáָø ) namely, of the following assertion, which emphasizes the great work of wisdom according to its influence on the physical well-being and morally just demeanor of men. ôֵùֶׁø , a Chaldaic word (comp. Dan_2:4 ff., Dan_2:24 ff.; Dan_4:6; Dan_4:15), holding the same relation to the synonymous ôִֹúְøåֹï as éֶúֶø to éִúְøåֹï .—A man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine. That is, it imparts to him a cheerful soul and this on account of the fortunate and satisfactory relations into which it places him. The same figure is found in Num_6:25; Psa_4:7; Job_29:24.—And the boldness of his face shall be changed. òæֹ ôָֹðָéå is to be explained without doubt according to expressions äֵòֵæ ôָðִéí , Prov. 7:13; 21:39; or òַæÎôָðִéí Deu_28:50; Dan_8:23, and signifies, therefore, that repulsive harshness and stiffness of the features which are a necessary result of a coarse, unamiable, and selfish heart (not exactly “boldness,” as Döderlein, Dewette, and Gesenius translate, or “displeasure,” as Knobel, Grimm, and Vaihinger). It is therefore the civilizing, softening and morally refining influence of true wisdom on the soul of man, that the author has in view, and which, according to the question in the beginning of the verse, he describes as something mysterious and in need of explanation, and which he explains, partly at least, by the subsequent precepts regarding wise conduct in a civil sphere. Ewald’s comprehension of the passage is in sense not materially different from ours: “And the brightness of his countenance is doubled”—but this is in opposition to the usual signification of òæֹ as well as that of ùָׁðָä , which can hardly be rendered “to double.” The explanations of the septuagint, resting on a different punctuation, éִùָּׂðֵà instead of éְùֻׁðֶּà give a widely different sense ἀíáéäὴò ðñïóþðῳ áὐôïῦ ìéóÞèçóåôáé , which gave rise to that of Luther: “But he who is bold, is malignant;” and Hitzig, in conjunction with Zirkel (and the Vulgate) reads éְùַׁðֶּà and thus obtains the sense, “and boldness disfigureth the countenance.” But the word òæֹ alone hardly means “boldness,” and the change adopted in the punctuation appears the more unnecessary since the sense resulting from it brings the assertion in the last clause into contrast with the one before it, which is in decided opposition to the connection.
5. Second strophe. Continuation. Ecc_8:2-4. A proper demeanor towards kings the first means of realizing true wisdom.—I counsel thee to keep the king’s commandment. To àֲðִé supply àָîַøְúִּé or àîֵֹø , a somewhat harsh ellipse, for which however we may quote parallels in Isa_5:9; Jer_20:10, and elsewhere. Therefore it is unnecessary, with Hitzig, to punctuate ùֹׁîֵø “I keep the king’s commandment” (thus the Vulgate). That ùׁåֹîֵø stands in Ecc_8:5 below in scriptio plena would form no valid objection against the allowableness of this change of the imperative into the participle; for ùֹׁîֵø is also found in Ecc_11:4. But, as Elster correctly observes: “it would be surprising if Koheleth did not appear here in his usual manner as a teacher who admonishes others, but only as announcing what he has laid down as a principle to himself.” “To regard the mouth of the king” means of course, to render obedience to his commands; comp. Gen_45:21; Exo_17:1; Job_39:27, etc.—And that in regard of the oath of God, which thou hast vowed to him, the King. The duty of obedience to worldly authority is here insisted on with reference to loyalty towards God, the heavenly witness to the vow made to the king; comp. Mat_22:21; Rom_13:1-7; 1Pe_2:13-17. These New Testament parallels should have prevented Hengstenberg from endeavoring to cause the “king” to mean the heavenly King Jehovah, because nominally, “the obedience to the heathen lords of the O. T. in general was not enjoined as a religious duty,”—a remark that is in direct contradiction with passages like Pro_16:10-15; Isa_45:1 ff.; Jer_27:12-13; Jer_29:5-7; Eze_17:12 ff. The conjunction åְ in åְòַì is not “and indeed,” but “also,” adding the remembrance of the assumed oath as an additional motive to the one already contained in the precept. The “oath of God” is an oath made with an appeal to God as witness (Exo_22:10; 2Sa_21:7; 1Ki_2:43), and here especially such an oath of fidelity to the sovereign, sworn in the presence of God (comp. 2Ki_11:17; Eze_17:12 ff.).
Ecc_8:3. Be not hasty to go out of his sight. The first verb only serves to express an adverbial qualification of the second. The hasty going out from the king is not to indicate an apostacy from him, or a share in rebellious movements (Knobel, Vaihinger), but simply the timid or unsatisfactory withdrawal from his presence, in case he is unfavorably inclined; it is directly the opposite of the “standing” forbidden in the subsequent clause. Hitzig’s opinion, that the king is considered as an unclean heathen, and that the aim of the entire admonition is to counsel against the too strict observance of the Levitical laws of cleanliness in presence of heathen princes, has too little connection with the context, and is in every respect too artificial.—Stand not in an evil thing, (Ger., “evil word”); i.e., when the king speaks an angry word ( ãָּáָø øַò ) do not excite his anger still more by foolishly standing still, as if thou couldst by obstinately remaining in thy place compel his favor. Ewald and Elster correctly give the general sense of the admonition as follows: In presence of a king, it is proper to appear modest and yet firm, to show ourselves neither over timid nor obstinate towards him. The Vulgate, Luther, Starke, etc., are less consistent: “Stand not in an evil thing,” i.e., remain not in evil designs against the king, if you have become involved in such;—Hengstenberg gives the same. Vaihinger: “Do not appear in an evil thing.” And thus finally Hitzig: “Stand not at an evil command” [i.e., even though the king should command an evil thing, thou must do it, as Doeg, 1Sa_22:18], a translation which rests on the erroneous supposition that the author presents as speaking, in Ecc_8:2-4, an opponent of his teachings, a defender of a base worldly expediency and a false servility.—For he doeth whatever pleaseth him. This formula serves in other places to show the uncontrolled power of God as ruler of the world (Jon_1:14; Job_23:13) but must here be necessarily accepted in a relative sense, as an emphatic warning against the fearful wrath of a monarch who is all-powerful, at least in his own realm; comp. Pro_16:14; Pro_19:12; Pro_20:2.
Ecc_8:4 completes the last clause of Ecc_8:3.—Where the word of a king is there is power. ùִׁìְèåֹï here, and in Ecc_8:8, need not be considered as an adjective; it can quite as easily express the substantive sense of “ruler, commander,” as in Dan_3:2-3 (Chaldaic).—And who may say to him, What doest thou ? That is, who can utter an objection to his ordinances and commands ? An expression like that at the close of the preceding verse, which is elsewhere only used in glorification of divine power (Job_9:12; Isa_45:9; Dan_4:32; Wis_12:12), but which therefore justifies neither Hengstenberg’s nor Hahn’s reference of the passage to God as the heavenly King, according to Hitzig’s assertion: “We have here the servility of an opponent of the king, introduced by the author as speaking in a style which usually indicates the omnipotence of God.”
6. Second Strophe. Conclusion. Ecc_8:5-8. Admonition to submit to the existing arrangements of this life, all of which have God as their final author.—Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing.— îִöְåָä “the commandment,” is undoubtedly the same as ãְּáַøÎîֶìֶê , Ecc_8:4, therefore not the Divine law (Vaihinger, Hahn, Hengstenberg, etc.), but the law of earthly authority as the Divine representative. The feeling no evil thing ( ìà éãò ãáø øò ) most probably signifies the remaining distant from evil counsels, taking no part in rebellious enterprises (Knobel, Vaihinger, etc.), so that, therefore, ãáø øò here expresses a sense different from that in verse 3 above. Yet another explanation of the language, and one consistent with the context, is as follows: “He experiences no misfortune, remains protected from the punishment of transgressing the laws” (Elster, Hengstenberg). But Heiligstedt, on the contrary, is wrong (comp. Ewald): “he pays no attention to the evil that is done to him, and does not grieve about the injustice that he suffers, but bears it with equanimity;” and also Hitzig: “the keeper of the commandment (the servile slave of tyrants) does not first consider an evil command of his superior, in so far as it is morally evil, but executes it blindly, and thus commits a sin at the bidding of a higher power; the wise man, on the contrary, etc.”—a declaration which stands and falls with the previously quoted artificial understanding of Ecc_8:2-4 as antagonistic in speech.—And a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment.—That is, the wise man knows that for every cvil attempt there comes a time of judgment; see Ecc_8:6. This explanation alone, which is that of the Septuagint [ êáὶ êáéñὸí êñéóÝùò ãéíþóêåé êáñäßá óïöïῦ ] is in accordance with the text; one needs think as little of the judgment which awaits all men, especially wicked princes and tyrants, as of the appointed time of existence of all civil ordinances [Elster], or of the proper time and authority to do any thing, or not (Hahn). Ecc_8:6. For the first clause compare Ecc_3:17.—Therefore the misery of man is great upon him.—That is, on him who unwisely disregards the important truth that there is a time and judgment for every purpose, and therefore takes part in rebellious undertakings against the king; a heavy misfortune visits him as a well-deserved punishment, and he falls a victim of his foolish effort to struggle against the Divinely sanctioned ordinances of this world. Ecc_8:7. For he knoweth not that which shall be.— He knows not the issue of the undertakings in which he has thoughtlessly allowed himself to be involved; and because the future is veiled to us men, he cannot see what consequences they may have, and how weighty may be the destinies that it entails upon him.—For who can tell him when it shall be ?—(Ger., “how it shall be”).—Therefore he is not only ignorant of future destinies in themselves, but does not even know their “how,” the manner of their entrance. Herzfeld and Hitzig say: “When it shen it shall bem,” etc. But ëַּàְַùֶׁø no where else in this book signifies “when,” not even in Ecc 4:17; Ecc_5:4, where it is to be taken as conditional; and the idea of time is by no means in harmony with the passage. Ecc_8:8. There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit.— øåּçַ here is different from that in Ecc_11:4-5, where it clearly signifies “wind” (comp. Pro_30:4); it must here be taken in a sense very usual in the O. T., that of “breath of life,” “spirit;” comp. Ecc_3:19-21. The meaning of the following clause is most nearly allied to this, and that we find áָּøåּçַ and not in áְּøåֹּçåֹ proves nothing in favor of the contrary acceptation of Hitzig, Hahn, etc.; for the author denies the ability of men to control the breath of life, and purposely in the most general way, in order to show, in the strongest manner, his unconditional dependence on God [just as in the following clause he has the very general áְּéåֹí äַîָּåֶú and not áְּéåֹí îåֹúåֹ —-And there is no discharge in that war.—That is, as little as the law of war, with its inexorable severity, grants a furlough to the soldier before the battle, just so little can a man escape the law of death which weighs on all, and just so unconditionally must he follow when God calls him hence by death.—Neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.—Lit., “its possessors;” comp. Ecc_7:12; and for the sentence, Pro_10:2; Pro_11:4, etc. This clause clearly contains the principal thought of the verse, as prepared by the three preceding clauses, and which here makes an impressive conclusion of the whole admonition begun in verse 2 concerning disobedience and disloyalty towards authority.
Ecc_8:7. Third Strophe. First half. Ecc_8:9-13. The many iniquities, oppressions and injustices that occur among men, often remain a long time unpunished, but find, at last, their proper reward, as a proof that God rules and judges justly.—All this have I seen.—A transition formula, serving as an introduction to what follows, as in Ecc_7:23. “To see ” is here equivalent to observing through experience, and “all this” refers, in the first place, to Ecc_8:5-8, and then to every thing from Ecc_7:23 onward.—And applied my heart unto every work.—For ðָúַï àֶúÎìֵá comp. Ecc_1:13.—The infinitive absolute with copula prefixed indicates an action contemporaneous with the main verb. For what follows comp. Ecc_1:14; Ecc_2:17; Ecc_4:3, etc.—There is a time when one man rules over another to his own hurt.—These words clearly form an explanation to what precedes: “every work that is done under the sun;” and they therefore more closely designate the object of the author’s observation to be a whole epoch or series of oppressions of men by tyrants.—The words are usually regarded as an independent sentence: “There is a time wherein,” etc.; or, “sometimes,” or, “at times,” “a man rules,” etc. (Vulgate, Luther, Vaihinger, Hengstenberg, etc.). But the word òֵú alone is not equivalent to “there is a time,” or “sometimes;” and to refer the pronoun in ìåֹ to the first àָãָí (to his own hurt,” i.e., to the hurt of the tyrant) is not in harmony with what follows. Also Knobel’s explanation: “truly I have also seen tyrants who practiced evil unpunished through whole eras,” seems quite unfitting, because it anticipates Ecc_8:10, and introduces into the text the word “truly” that is in no wise indicated.
Ecc_8:10. And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone (to rest).— åּáְëֵï lit.: and under such circumstances, comp. Est_4:16. The wicked, of whom it is here affirmed that they were buried and went to rest, i.e., they received a distinguished and honorable burial [comp. Isa. 4:19; Jer_22:19; and also Eccles. Ecc_6:3] are the same as those named in Ecc_8:9, who rule over others to their hurt, and are therefore tyrannical oppressors and violent rulers. áָּàåּ lit.: “they entered in,” namely, to rest, an abbreviation of the full form which is found in Isa_57:2.—Gone from the place of the holy.—[Zöcklek : But went far from the place of the holy.]—The wicked are clearly here no longer the subject, but as in the following clause, “those who did righteously,” whose undeservedly sad fate the author well depicts in contrast with that of the former. Therefore the “place of the holy” from which they wandered afar [ îִï , as in Isa_26:14; Zep_3:18; Job_28:4] is the grave, the honorable burial place which these just ones must fail to obtain; to refer this expression to Jerusalem (Hitzig), or to the sacred courts of the leaders of the people (Knobel), or to the community of the saints (Hengstenberg), is all arbitrary, and opposed to the context. éְäַìְּëåּ , “they wandered, they went,” does not, of course, mean a wandering of the souls of the unburied after death, but simply [in contrast to that word áָּàåּ ] the wandering or being carried to another resting place than that holy place,” the burial in a grave neither sacred nor honorable. Hitzig’s emendation, éַäֲìֹëåּ “they pass away,” is as unnecessary as the view of Ewald, Elster, Vaihinger, etc., that the Piel äִìֵּêְ is here synonymous with the Hiphil äåֹìִéêְ as though the sense were “I saw them driven away, castout from the holy place.”—And they were forgotten in the city where they had so done (Zöckler: “who there justly acted).—For òָùָׂä ëֵּï “to do right,” to act uprightly, comp. 2Ki_7:9 : for “being forgotten in the city,” i.e., in their own place of residence [not in Jerusalem, as Hitzig declares], Comp. Ecc_6:4; Pro_10:7; Psa_73:19-20. Instead of åַéִùְׁúָּëְּçåּ the Septuagint, Vulgate, and twenty-three manuscripts had åַéְùֻׁáְּçåּ “and they were praised;” but this reading appears clearly to be an emendation, and would render necessary this grammatically inadmissible translation: “and they were Praised in the city, as if they had acted justly.”—This is also vanity.—That is, also this unequal distribution of destiny in human life, is an example of the vanity pervading man controlling all earthly relations; comp. Ecc_2:26; Ecc_4:14; Ecc_4:16; Ecc_7:6, etc.
Ecc_8:11. Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily.—Because speedy justice is not executed—a very common reason for the increase crime and wickedness. ôִúְâָí originally a Persian word [ancient Persian, patigama, modern Per. paigam, Armenian patkam]; lit., “something that has happened or taken place,” and, therefore, command, edict, sentence; comp. Est_1:20. Since in this passage, as in the Chaldaic sections of Ezra and Daniel (e.g., Eze_4:17; Dan_3:16; Dan_4:14), the word is always treated a masculine, we should have expected ðַòֲùָׂä instead of ðַòֲùֶׂä But comp. the examples of the masculine quoted by Ewald, § 74, gr., which, in later authors, are used as feminine.—Therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in him to do evil.—Therefore they venture on evil without any hesitation; comp. Ecc_9:3; Est_7:5; Mat_15:19.
Ecc_8:12-13. In spite of the universal and ever-increasing prevalence of evil over justice and righteousness, hitherto depicted, the wicked at last find their deserved reward, and oppressed innocence does not perish.—Though a sinner do evil a hundred times.— àֲùֶׁø does not here signify “because” (Hitzig), but “although,” “considering that,” as ëִּé does sometimes (Lat. quod si). Comp. Lev_4:22; Deu_11:27; Deu_18:22; Ewald, § 362, b. Before îְàַú supply ôְּòָîִéí —And his days be prolonged—namely, in sinning. ìåֹ with îַàֲøִéêְ shows that this verb is not to be supplemented by éָîִéí , as in the following verse.—Yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God.— ëִּé âí , “yet,” makes here a strong contrast. Koheleth represents the idea of just retribution as something certain and lasting, although experience seems so strongly to teach the contrary, and consequently as a conviction that does not rest on empirical observation, but on direct religious faith. “There is not expressed in this verse, as some commentators suppose, the thought of a retribution in after life, but it must be confessed that the standpoint of observation on which Koheleth here places himself could easily lead to this conclusion, although it is not here drawn (Elster).—Which fear before him.—Not, “because they fear before him;” àֲùֶׁø is here really a relative pronoun, pointing out the conformity of the conduct of the God-fearing to their designation as such. Comp. 1Ti_5:3 : ÷Þñáò ôßìá ôὰò ὄíôùò ÷Þñóò .—But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days.—This denial of long life to the wicked does not contradict what is said in Ecc_8:12; for there the question was not of long life, but of prolonged sinning.—Which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.—[Zöckler: He is as a shadow who feareth not before God.] We have had the same figure in Ecc_6:12. The Vulgate, as well as most modern commentators, are correct in not joining ëַּöֵּì , with the Masoretic accentuation, to what precedes [thus also Luther, Vaihinger, Hengstenberg; “and as a shadow will not live long”], but to what follows [Vulg. “transeunt”].
8. Third Strophe. Conclusion. Ecc_8:14-15. Since the unequal distribution of human destiny points to the futile character of all earthly occurrences and conditions, we must so much the more enjoy present happiness, and profit by it with a contented mind.—There is a vanity which is done upon the earth.—See Ecc_8:10 and Ecc_3:16. That the lots of the just and the wicked are frequently commingled and interchanged in this world, seems to the Preacher as vanity, i.e., as belonging to the evil consequences of the human fall; but it does not, therefore, make on him an especially “bitter and gloomy” impression, as Elster supposes. Comp. Hengstenberg: “If there were righteous men such as there should be, wholly righteous, then the experience here given would certainly be in a high degree alarming. But since sin is also indwelling in the just, since they deserve punishment and need watchful care, since they can so easily slide into by-paths and fall into a mercenary worldliness, the shock must disappear for those who really dwell in righteousness. These latter are often severely disturbed by the fact here presented to view, but it is for them only a disturbance. The definitive complaint regarding this comes only from those who without claim or right count themselves among the just. And it is clear that the equality of result for the evil and just is only an external and partial one. To those whom God loves, every thing must be for the best, and the final issue separates the evil from the good.”
Ecc_8:15. Then I commended mirth, etc.—Comp. the exegetical remarks on Ecc_2:24; Ecc_3:22; Ecc_5:19.—For that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life.—Lit., “That clings to him,” etc., i.e., that and that only becomes truly his; comp. in Ecc_3:22; Ecc_5:19, which is synonymous in sense. The optative meaning of éִìְåֶðּåּ (Hitzig: “that may cling to him;” Herzfeld: “that may accompany him,” etc.), is unnecessary and runs counter to the analogy of those earlier parallels.
(With Homiletical Hints)
Tübingen Bible:—Man was created in innocence, justice and holiness, and this is the image of God, that he lost after the fall, but after which he should again strive with all earnestness.—Hengstenberg:—After the fall, man forgot to remain in a receptive relation, which, in respect to the ἄíùèåí óïößá is the only proper position; he chases after schemes of his presumptuous thoughts. The only means of becoming free from so dire a disease, and of being delivered from the bonds of his own thoughts and phantoms, is again to return to Divine subjection, and renouncing all his own knowledge, to permit himself to be taught of God.
Ecc_8:1. Zeyss :—Impenetrable as is the human heart in itself, it is nevertheless often betrayed by the countenance.—Starke:—The innocent man looks happy and secure. He who cherishes injustice in the heart looks at no one cheerfully nor rightly.—Hengstenberg:—When, by the transforming power of wisdom, the heart of flesh has taken the place of the heart of stone, and inward flexibility and obedience that of terror in presence of God and His commandments, it becomes also evident in the countenance.
Ecc_8:2; Ecc_8:6. Luther:—It is enough for you to do so in the state, that you should obey the king’s commands, and listen to him who is ordained of God. Here you see how civil obedience is comprehended in obedience to God. So Paul would have servants obey their masters, not as submitting to men, but as to God.—Melanchthon:—Thus is obedience ordained. Obey the Divine voice first; then the king commanding things not repugnant to the Divine law.—This will be in conformity with the rule given Act_4:19.—Starke (Ecc_8:3):—The powerful ones of this world have among men no higher one over them, to whom they must give an account, but in heaven there is One higher than the highest. Wisdom of Solomon Ecc_6:2-4.—(Ecc_8:5): He who keeps the commandments of God will, for the sake of God and his conscience, also obey the salutary commands of authority, Col_3:23.—Hengstenberg (Ecc_8:5):—The wise heart knows well that as certainly as God will judge justly in His own time, so certainly also can he not be really and lastingly unhappy who keeps the commandments, and therefore has God on his side.—(Ecc_8:6): With all his power, man is nevertheless not independent, but is subjected to the heavy blows of human destiny. Thus all men will be unable to place any impediment to the execution of the justice of God for the good of His children.
Ecc_8:7-8