Ecclesiastes

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Prologue 1:1,2

Identification of the book 1:1
Resumption of the Preacher's investigations 1:2

The problem 1:3-11

Approach to the problem: Can some permanent value be found in this life? 1:3
Exposition of the problem: A refutation of humanist solutions 1:4-11

Attempt to solve the problem 1:12-2:26

Refutation by pure reason: Human wisdom alone is futile 1:2-18
The failure of hedonism: Pleasure in itself makes no sense 2:1-11
The error of the doctrine of retribution: The wise and the foolish face the same end 2:12-17
The error of materialism 2:18-26

Development of the theme 3:1-6:12

The futility of human effort in exchange for created order 3:1-15
An equal end for unequal creatures 3:16-22
The equal oppression of all 4:1-3
Futility of envy 4:4-6
Futility of being alone 4:7-12
Futility of the hereditary monarchy 4:13-16
Futility of formal religion 5:1-7
Futility of greed 5:8-14
Futility of accumulating goods in this world 5:15-20
Frustration of ambition and desire 6:1-9
Vanity of human life 6:10-12

Practical wisdom 7:1-8:9

Moralizing proverbs about life and death, good and evil 7:1-10
Wisdom and its practical applications 7:11-22
Miscellaneous wise observations 7:23-8:1
Wisdom in the king's court 8:2-9

Return to the theme 8:10-9:18

Futility of retribution 8:10-9:12
Wisdom is superior 9:13-18

More about wisdom and its practical applications 10:1-11:6
Mandate to live for GOD 11:7-12:7

First summary of conclusions 11:7-10
Second summary: Allegory about life and death 11:11-12:7

Epilogue: Confirmation of the conclusions 12:8-14

Summary of the Preacher's conclusions 12:8
Summary of the Preacher's conclusions for a disciple 12:9-14

Eccl. 1:2 Vanity of vanities: or "nothing has sense, everything is futile". The words of 12:8 are almost identical. 1:2 postulates from the beginning the conclusions that the author reaches in 12:8.

Eccl. 1:3 The true theme of the book appears here. What is the profit (in Hebrew, yitron) of existence? Can sense be found in this life? The question posed by the Preacher explains why all is futile: There isn't profit, nothing is gained, the continual labor of the human being in this world doesn't have any value. In the Preacher's language this expression is more synonymous with "in this life" than "on this planet".

Eccl. 1:4 The human being is born and dies, but the world seems to have no knowledge of it.

Eccl. 1:5 The sun, wind and rivers carry on as always, independent of what mankind does.

Eccl. 1:8-11 The author finds the human effort to introduce lasting changes into the world around him tiring.

Eccl. 1:10,11 See section 4 of "TRUTH IN ACTION" at the end of Ecclesiastes.

Eccl. 1:12-18 The Preacher turns his attention now to the principal problem and counts the efforts he has carried out to resolve it.

Eccl. 1:13 Wisdom: The Preacher uses the word "wisdom" here in an untraditional sense. Normally, "wisdom" in biblical wisdom literature means piety, holiness and virtue. But the understanding of wisdom here, like in Greek philosophy, is the search for truth exclusively by way of the intellect. This laborious work...to be occupied with it: Or rather, "an arduous task that GOD has given to people to occupy themselves with it".

Eccl. 1:14 All the work of man is futile; he can't remedy the evils of the world. It's like trying to trap the wind as it passes.

It is a fallacy to place supreme value on human wisdom, desiring to straighten out that which is crooked, or to supply what is lacking.

Eccl. 1:18 The second fallacy of placing supreme value on wisdom: it has only brought pain to the Preacher. Thus wisdom and knowledge are also vanity!

Eccl. 2:1-11 See section 3 of "TRUTH IN ACTION" at the end of Ecclesiastes.

Eccl. 2:3 The Preacher wishes to make it clear that his pursuit of pleasure was only intellectual, not based on passion. His end was to ask if involving himself in an orgy of pleasure would have any value for human beings.

Eccl. 2:8 Musical instruments: This Hebrew term is vague, perhaps it means "many concubines".

Eccl. 2:10 In this passage (verses 1-11), the Preacher has tried to satiate his restless spirit with pleasures. He attempted to do it through wine (v.2), building and planting vineyards (v.4), gardens and orchards (v.5), irrigation projects (v.6); he acquired servants and possessions (v.7), riches and concubines (v.8).

Eccl. 2:11 When he reflects upon his works, he reports that none of it has any value. Pleasure satisfies only for a moment and manifests the same defect as human wisdom; it profits nothing (verse 2; See the notes for 1:15-18).

Eccl. 2:12-16 See section 3 of "TRUTH IN ACTION" at the end of Ecclesiastes.

Eccl. 2:12 The Preacher considers the doctrine of retribution here, that GOD balances the extremes to compensate in some way for life's inequalities. Perhaps this may be the supreme value he seeks.

Eccl. 2:13,14 Wisdom surpasses foolishness, because the wise knows where he's going, while the fool walks stumbling like a blind man (see also 4:13,14; 10:12-14).

The Hebrew word translated here as "fool" means "self-confident". The fool thinks he can do everything through his own efforts, while the wise man knows he can't; he needs GOD.)

Eccl. 2:14-16 The Preacher records that the wise as well as the foolish must die. The supreme value that he seeks can't rest, then, upon any hope of retribution in this life.

Eccl. 2:17-23 See section 3 of "TRUTH IN ACTION" at the end of Ecclesiastes.

Eccl. 2:17 If wisdom doesn't guarantee justice, then all the effort to become wise profits nothing.

Eccl. 2:18,19 Not only are riches and pleasure unprofitable (verses 1-11), but the Preacher can't bring these things with him beyond death. And as he doesn't know if his heirs will be wise or foolish, leaving them his riches offers little consolation to the Preacher.

Eccl. 2:20-23 This situation drives the Preacher to despair. Why must he leave the fruit of his labor to someone who hasn't contributed to it and doesn't deserve it?

Eccl. 2:24-26 See section 2 of "TRUTH IN ACTION" at the end of Ecclesiastes.

Eccl. 2:24,25 If he can't take it with him and doesn't know how his heirs will make use of it, one should enjoy what he has while he lives. The enjoyment of that with which GOD has blessed one's life is an important secondary theme of the book, which reappears now and again in the text (see the list of references in the note for 5:18-20.

Eccl. 3:1 If the value of retribution fails, maybe some cosmic order exists that gives life sense, because each things has its time, or forms part of a cycle.

LITERARY RICHES

Eccl. 3:4 laugh, sachaq; Strong #7832: To rejoice, play, be entertained, make fun of, offend, ridicule, or laugh at something. Although sachaq primarily means "to laugh", it occasionally has the sense of playing, whether it be the case of the frolic of animals (Job 40:20) or when people dance, laugh and play music during a celebration (II Sam. 6:15,21). Sachaq also refers, negatively, to the behavior of mocking and disorderly crowds who join together to ridicule someone, and thus entertain themselves as in Jeremiah 15:17. Sachaq is the root of the name "Isaac", which means "he who causes laughter" (Gen. 21:5-7).

Eccl. 3:9 When a man is faced with his destiny he feels helpless to control it or change it.

Eccl. 3:10,11 When GOD created the world He considered it very good (Gen. 1:30). If it's not possible for the Preacher to change the created order, the best man can do is recognize it and enjoy life; returning to the same conclusion he had arrived at in verses 2:24,25.

Eccl. 3:11 See section 4 of "TRUTH IN ACTION" at the end of Ecclesiastes.

Eccl. 3:12,13 All has been created to benefit the human being and should be accepted with gratitude.

Eccl. 3:14,15 The human being, by trying to change the cycles of nature (of creation), attempts, in fact, to alter the order established by GOD. But this is a power than hasn't been given him, and GOD will ask him to account for what he has done in this sense.

Eccl. 3:14 See section 1 of "TRUTH IN ACTION" at the end of Ecclesiastes.

Eccl. 3:16 Perhaps human tribunals can dispense the justice that nature lacks. But, oh, as the evil of people perverts human justice, any hope of justice on the part of this world's institutions is unfounded.

Eccl. 3:17 Although the Preacher never refers to tradition or revelation, his belief in GOD and in an order that is intrinsically good (see the note for verses 10,11) leads him to conclude that GOD will judge the world in His time. The Preacher returns to this theme in 11:9.

Eccl. 3:18-21 The Preacher returns to his theme that the same end awaits unequal creatures. Man and beasts die the same depth and go to the same place (to dust).

Eccl. 3:22 See section 2 of "TRUTH IN ACTION" at the end of Ecclesiastes.

Eccl. 3:22 Again the secondary theme: enjoy life (see the note for 2:24,25.

Eccl. 4:1 The Preacher turns his attention to those who suffer oppression. In an impassioned declaration, he finds that the oppressed don't have anyone to comfort them and that the power is in the hands of their oppressors. Due to these two things,t he oppressed don't have hope (see 5:8,9).

Eccl. 4:2,3 The Preacher concludes that the dead are better off than the oppressed who still live. If all that life can offer is oppression, it would be better to have never been born. But this impassioned expression doesn't constitute the Preacher's final verdict about the value of human existence (see the note for 9:4).

Eccl. 4:5,6 The fool is a victim of his own idleness. Another minor theme that recurs in the book is that laboring with moderation grants dignity to a person; but if the work is excessive and completely absorbs him, it profits nothing: Because a little restfully is better than much with affliction of spirit.

Eccl. 4:8 When he labors alone, with no one to leave his riches to, the human being suffers loss of joy. He would be better off taking a little time to enjoy what he has, before he completely consumes himself trying to get more.

Eccl. 4:9,10 Two are better than one: A team effort has more probability of success. If one of the members triumphs, the other can share the fruit obtained. If he fails, he has someone to help him.

Eccl. 4:11 Although this could refer to travelers who try to stay warm on Palestine's cold nights, the image it invokes of a marital pair is too obvious to ignore. A married couple are the "two" who, as GOD ordains (Gen. 2:23,24) should face life's problems together.

Eccl. 4:12 If verse 11 offers the image of two travelers, he speaks here of how they would defend themselves in the case of being assaulted by robbers; each one would come to the aid of the other. And if they were three, no one could overcome them. If, on the contrary, verse 11 refers to a man and his wife confronting life together, then their strength would increase in the case of having a child (an heir).

Eccl. 4:13-16 Wisdom has some value: a poor wise child is better off than an old foolish king.

Eccl. 4:14 This is a difficult verse, because it depends on how the Hebrew term translated as although is interpreted. The sense seems to be that a youth, as David once was, although born into a poor family, can, if he is wise, come out of isolation and reach the throne.

Eccl. 5:1-3 See section 7 of "TRUTH IN ACTION" at the end of Ecclesiastes.

Eccl. 5:1 And come close to hear better: It's better to obey GOD's precepts than to offer the sacrifice of fools (that is, sacrifices as an expiation for petulance).

Eccl. 5:2 comparing verse 1 with verse 4, it is deduced that the haste the Preacher has in mind is that which leads to offering sacrifices or vows that frequently can't be paid. Jesus warned against vows in Matthew 5:33-37.

Eccl. 5:3 Occupation: The Hebrew word (inyan) could also be translated as "preoccupation". Dreams are sometimes the fruit of anxiety and preoccupation, without any significance. Likewise, the fool speaks much but says little.

Eccl. 5:4-7 See section 7 of "TRUTH IN ACTION" at the end of Ecclesiastes.

Eccl. 5:6 Don't allow your mouth to make vows that can't be fulfilled and thus make you sin (see James 1:26). When the messenger of the temple comes to collect what you have promised, don't try to excuse the debt, alleging that you made the vow in error.

Eccl. 5:7 Where dreams abound...words...vanities: The phrase can be translated, "Because many things and useless words abound in dreams".

Eccl. 5:10 See section 5 of "TRUTH IN ACTION" at the end of Ecclesiastes.

Eccl. 5:10 Riches and material gain don't content and can't satisfy human beings. All economic systems, whether they be Marxist, Socialist or capitalist, are based on materialism, and therefore are vanity.

Eccl. 5:11-15 While material gain may increase, one can be overwhelmed by the abundance. Nothing can be carried with you when you leave this life. Thus, accumulating pointless riches is profitless. GOD has given material blessings to human beings, and it's your duty to enjoy them with moderation.

Eccl. 5:11 See section 5 of "TRUTH IN ACTION" at the end of Ecclesiastes.

Eccl. 5:18-20 See section 3 of "TRUTH IN ACTION" at the end of Ecclesiastes.

Eccl. 5:18-20 Again the Preacher returns to the second theme of this book. Although an absolute value can't be discovered for human efforts in this life, GOD's blessing should be received gratefully and joyfully. This theme (that was already seen in 2:20-25; 3:10,11,12; 5:11-15) will appear again in 6:1,2,9 and 9:7-12.

Eccl. 5:19 See section 5 of "TRUTH IN ACTION" at the end of Ecclesiastes.

Eccl. 6:1 See section 3 of "TRUTH IN ACTION" at the end of Ecclesiastes.

Eccl. 6:1,2 It's wise to enjoy that which is received from GOD.

Eccl. 6:3-6 The still-born baby is better off than one who hasn't enjoyed the fruit of his labor and needlessly deprives himself.

Eccl. 6:7 Material satisfactions aren't enough (see the notes for 5:10; 5:11-15).

Eccl. 6:8,9 It's better to be content with what you have (sight of the eyes). It keeps us from greed.

Eccl. 6:10 See the note for 1:8-11

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LITERARY RICHES
Eccl. 3:4 laugh, sachaq; Strong #7832: To rejoice, play, be entertained, make fun of, offend, ridicule, or laugh at something. Although sachaq primarily means "to laugh", it occasionally has the sense of playing, whether it be the case of the frolic of animals (Job 40:20) or when people dance, laugh and play music during a celebration (II Sam. 6:15,21). Sachaq also refers, negatively, to the behavior of mocking and disorderly crowds who join together to ridicule someone, and thus entertain themselves as in Jeremiah 15:17. Sachaq is the root of the name "Isaac", which means "he who causes laughter" (Gen. 21:5-7).

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