^ tfw ®Jw<%fr#J ft ****** PRINCETON, N. J. Shelf. •..JBS.I.4..1.S- section . . . /. ^ . ri. . 5. .4-. . . . fife.4... n- Numbe7-. COMMENTARY ECCLESIASTES. MOSES' STUART, LATE PROFESSOR OF SACRED LITERATURE IN THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY AT ANDOVER. dbti*i> aub $ebmfc R. D. C. R O B B I N S, PROFESSOR IN MIDDLEBUEY COLLEGE. ANDOVER: WARREN F. DRAPER. BOSTON : GOULD AND LINCOLN. NEW YORK : JOHN WILEY PHILADELPHIA : SMITH, ENGLISH k CO. 1864. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1S62, by WARREN F. DRAPER, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. Andover : Electrotvped and Printed by W F. Draper. PREFACE. The Book of Ecclesiastes presents many apparent prob- lems which have long been the subject of wonder and dispute among the Jewish Rabbies as well as in the Chris- tian Church. Had not the evidence been strong and decisive of its rightful place in the Canon of the Hebrew sacred writings, it would undoubtedly have been rejected long ago by many, as not being a book of divine author- ity. Not a few passages seem to speak, at first view, the language of skepticism, i. e., of unbelief or doubt as to a future state, and also of devotedness to sensual enjoy- ment. It was on this ground that some of the Jewish Rabbies, at the time when the Talmud was written, made an effort, as it would seem, to eject it from the sacred Canon, as we are told in the Talmud, Tract. Shabb. fol. 30, col. 2. Some of the Christian Fathers have intimated the like feelings as existing among some Christians in their times ; and since the revival of criticism in its late, 8 PREFACE. and specially in its most recent form, the book has been treated as indeed a clever performance of the kind, but after all as the work of a skeptical Epicurean. Even De Wette, with his sober aspect and seeming impartiality, does not hesitate to bestow such an epithet on the author of the book. No wonder that he has had many imitators or followers in Germany. The evidence that Ecclesiastes was a portion of the sacred Canon sanctioned by Christ and his apostles, is plain, and as certain as anything so remotely historical can be made out to be. This is shown in its proper j)lace, in the Introduction to the Commentary. This admitted, it follows that a serious obligation devolves on us to read the book, and at least to do what we can to understand it. Thousands of sermons have been preached on portions of the book, and a multitude of Commentaries have been written, most of which are merely ethical and hortatory. There is indeed no want of material in the book for a basis to such sermons and homiletic commentary. Much of it is so plain and so forcible, in respect to the pursuits and the destiny of man, as to be both intelligible and un- mistakable. To preach and exhort, in accordance with such portions of the book, is commendable, and may, if well yo- vided Coheleth is its representative or incarnation) as making strenuous efforts to acquire itself, and does actually acquire itself with success ; 1 : 1G, 17. 2 : 12. Wisdom remained with itself, 2:9; and yet wisdom was far away from wisdom, and too deep and remote to be understood, 7 : 23, 24. In wisdom is much vexation, 1 : 18. Wisdom is altogether vanity, 2 : 15, 1G. Wis- dom exerts itself most strenuously to find out itself, but is unable to doit, 8:16,17. How is it possible now, I ask, to predicate all these things of wisdom absolute, as dwelling in Coheleth ? The bare inspection of them supersedes all argument in the case. It is clear as the sun, that Coheleth is & person seeking to obtain wisdom, that he 56 §2. SPECIAL DESIGN AND obtains it imperfectly, and finds it on many occasions useful, while in many others it is quite powerless. Could abstract wisdom say of herself, that she was vanity, and unknown to herself, and un- knowable ? And although this theory can boast of patrons with such names as Geier, Le Clerc, Rambach, Carpzov, Koster, and others of past days, and of Ewald and Hitzig, now living, it must be regarded still (at least it seems so me) as coming from the land of dreams ; and these appear to be rather disturbed ones. Another topic, which comes under frequent discussion, viz., that of riches, and efforts to amass them, has been somewhat fully exhibited, near the beginning of the present section. I merely avert to it here. It would seem, from the vivid pictures of avarice, or of amassing great wealth, that it was probably a frequent vice in the time of Coheleth, and that he regarded it with that strong disapprobation which is everywhere expressed in his book. It is not the mere matter of possessing or acquir- ing, which he disapproves, but the setting one's heart on wealth, and the expectation that any solid happiness can be secured by it. Other topics are also included in the book. But they are merely touched upon, as it were incidentally, and do not appear to have belonged to the main parts of his design. For example, the folly of ambition is represented in strong colors, in 4 : 13 — 16. One cannot help thinking of " the old and foolish king," as being Solomon, in his old age, when led away by his heathen wives. The young man who comes into his place, seems to be Jeroboam, who led away ten parts of the Hebrew nation. His unhappy doom is briefly but forcibly related. But we miss, in this book, many of the topics which we might naturally expect would be touched on, as they concern the means in vain resorted to for the sake of securing enjoyment. Whoredom and concubinage are scarcely brought to view. Many vices that were common, such as defrauding, stealing, idleness, prodigality, and the like, so METHOD OF THE LOOK. 57 often treated of in the Book of Proverbs, are scarcely, or not at all, glanced at here. It was not within the scope of the author's design, to bring all vices into view. As a remarkable circum- stance of this nature, may be mentioned the entire omission of any reference to, or mention of, idolatry. One is ready to ask : When could this book have been written ? Under good kings, none or little of the oppression and perversion of justice, so often complained of, would exist ; the bad kings were, nearly or quite all of them, idolaters. Yet oppression is a topic rife in the book ; but not one complaint is there of idolatry, and nothing is said of the heathen. May not this circumstance have some important bearing on the time when the book was written ? From all that has been said, Ave may safely deduce the con- clusion, that it was not the design of the author to compose a complete Code of Morals. His great theme is the vanity of all earthly objects and pursuits ; and whatever will best illustrate and confirm this, we may expect to find in his work. Lesser things are omitted, and only the more important, which will leave a deep impression, brought to view. Having gone through with these, his work is complete, for he has done all which he intended to do. Having stated at great length the general object or design of the book, and also the leading particulars which it comprises, and everywhere appealed to the book itself in the way of verification, I deem it unnecessary to canvass at any length the many and dif- ferent theories in relation to this subject. I shall merely glance at some of them. (1) Some, e. g., Desvoeux, Staudlin, and Bolide, make the author's object exclusively a religious one. But the small portion of the book, which bears directly on this subject, will hardly sustain this view. (2) Others, e. g., Luther, Bauer, Gaab, Bertholdt, Ilaenlein, Jahn, and Schmidt, make it a practical essay, designed, as some of them assert, to teach us how to live joyfully and quietly amidst the sorrows and troubles of life ; others, to show us how to avoid suffering ; others, how 58 §2. SPECIAL DESIGN AND to bear with sorrow and joy, good fortune and misfortune ; others, to stop the mouths of complaining and murmuring men ; others, to direct all our efforts, and keep them within due bounds. All of these theories have some foundation in particulars here and there of the book, but only in particulars. The general tenor of the book does not correspond with any of them. (3) Others admit a theoretical design. Herder, Eichhorn, De Wette, and Friedlander, state simply, that the author designed to show the vanity of human affairs. So far as this goes, since it has a gen- eric aspect, it is correct; but it does not of itself cover the whole ground, as we have seen above. (4) Paulus, Umbreit, and Koster, maintain that the subject is the inquiry : What is man's highest good in his present state? But this gives the book too much the aspect of theoretical Greek philosophizing. (5) Doderlein, Van der Palm, and Rosenmuller, state the object to be both theoretical and practical, viz., to show the nothingness of human life and human things, and to give practical rules which grow out of this. Rosenmuller adds, that the author de- signs to show how a man may enjoy present good, and live virtu- ously and piously so as to please God. This comes near to the true mark. Knobel has done best of all : " The design is, to show the nothingness of human life and efforts, and to impart such practical instruction relative to the conduct of men, as their present condition demands" Comm. s. 39. It is hardly worth mentioning, that Kaiser, a man of some note for learning and acuteness in Germany, has found in Cohe- leth an allegorico-historical poem, exhibiting the lives of the Jewish kings from Solomon down to Zedekiah. In constructing this fancy-work he has shown much acuteness, exhibited vast reading and extensive learning, and manifested a shrewdness at combination which is uncommon. So far as I know, he has never made a single convert to his opinion. Few minds out of Germany are gifted with such powers of discovery, as are devel- oped here in his schemes. They may well rest contented, however, METHOD OF THE BOOK. 59 with their lack of such a rare gift as this writer seemed to him- self to possess. It is a striking fact, that most interpreters of Coheleth have found in it no 'plan at all. It is made up, in their view, of various apothegms, proverbs, maxims, etc., thrown together without re- gard to order or method, and is a real thesaurus of miscellanies. Nachtigal maintains that it is a collection of rival songs, gathered from various Schools of the Prophets. This deserves the next place to the plan of Kaiser. What has been adduced above in order to show the nature of the plan, renders any discussion here of Nachtigal's view unnecessary. Umbreit, Van der Palm, Spohn, and Paulus, find this work filled with transpositions of or- der, and dislocations. "Whoever reads the book, however, with attention, when placed in the light that has of late been cast upon it, will need no other refutation of such a theory. Others, e. g., Michaelis, Rosenmuller, Van der Palm, and Paulus, divide the book into two parts (to which, however, they assign diverse limits), in the one of which the vanity of things is established, and in the other precepts are given how to demean one's self, and how to secure any good. Koster makes four divisions. (1) " Disclosure of the absolute good. (2) Of the relative good. (3) The fool and the wise are contrasted, and true wisdom pointed out. (4) This wisdom is considered in its relation to the various conditions of life." But it would be very difficult to draw palpable lines of separation between these parts, or to show that they do not intermingle with each other. Her- der, Eichhorn, Friedlander, and Doderlein, acknowledge a gen- eral unity of the book, and a somewhat regular progress in its contents. But as to any preconcerted plan of arrangement in respect to particulars, they think that nothing certain can be made out. The contents have throughout a general relation, but the particulars are too miscellaneous, as they think, to be separated and arranged in any specific order. In a work such as that before us, and after the representations CO $2. SPECIAL DESIGN AND given above of what has been actually done by the author, no one will expect that the critic can make out a regular and formal disposition of the whole, after the manner which modern logic and rhetoric would demand. As has already been said (p. 33), the Hebrews were strangers to the training of schools of art, and their writings never exhibit any special regard to it. But still, there is " a beginning, a middle, and an end," in Coheleth, inde- pendent of the mere local position of its contents. His first object is, to show the vanity of human efforts and of all earthly tilings in which men seek satisfaction. This part comprises the first four chapters. He begins with the unchangeable order of things in the natural world. Over this, man can acquire no in- fluence, and have no control (1 : 4 — 11). He then proceeds, in various ways, to illustrate and establish the position, that all human efforts to obtain abiding good in the present world arc vain and fruitless. The acquisition of wisdom, or riches or hon- ors, and also indulgence in sensual pleasure, fails of its end. The most to which one can attain, is to enjoy the fruits of his toil in the sober gratification of natural appetites. Providence has so arranged the vicissitudes of things, that they all have their regu- lar course ; and all that we can do is merely to submit to this, having no power to change or arrest it. After all the strivings of men, all go down to the grave, and perish in common with other living creatures around them. In fact, so multiplied are the sorrows of life, resulting from man's weakness, and spring- ing from oppression, and from vain strife for wealth and defeated projects of ambition, that it is better to die than to live (1:12 — 4:1G). Thus far the theory of the book. In all this, there is only some three or four hints of a practical nature, such as 2 : 24. 3:12,13. 4:G, 9. These seem to proceed from spontaneous bursts of feeling, which are occasioned by reflection on the sub- ject-matter before him. But the general theory being thus established, he now comes to the part where he mingles precept METHOD OF THE 1)0 OK. Gl and practical instruction with the representation of facts and occurrences. In 4: 17 of the Hebrew (it should be 5 : 1, as in our English translation), he first begins to speak imperatively or in the way of exhortation. His very first topic, now, is that of religion. Frequenting the place of worship, prayer, offerings, and vows, are here brought to view, and instructions are given. Thence he proceeds to descant on a variety of topics, with which the happiness and comfort of men are deeply concerned. Several of these topics, e. eace and joy ? Can any one give any other reason for this, than that which has already been suggested above, viz., that under the ancient dispensation there was but the dawning of the day which was to come? Life and immortality were to be brought fully to light, only by him who is the Light of the world. " No man hath seen God at any time." Neither Moses, nor the prophets, lived under any more light than shines in the dawn of revelation. What God had not yet revealed, they could not fully disclose. At all events, they have not fully disclosed any more than some of the first elements of future things ; and even their hints respecting these, are few and far between. Readers of our 6* C6 § 2. SPECIAL DESIGN AXD day find much of a future world in the Old Testament only by carrying back, to the interpretation of it, what they have learned in the New Testament. The only proper question is simply : What did the Old Testament, interpreted without the aid of the New, fairly disclose to the Jews? When this question is asked, I venture to assert, without the fear of being reasonably contradicted, that Coheleth has more often alluded to future retribution, and more strongly affirmed it, than any other writer in the Old Testament. Can any one find such a retribution in the Pent., histories, prophecies, Psalms, Proverbs, more often, or more plainly than here ? I look in vain for anything like the frequency of his allusions to an adequate retribution, in any part of the Hebrew Scriptures, of the same length as Coheleth. In the Book of Job, which most of all resem- bles that of Ecclcsiastes, in its theme ; the friends of Job warmly defend the idea of an adequate retribution in the present life. Sin is speedily followed, as they maintain, by condign punish- ment. Job as warmly denies this ; and God has decided that he was in the right, 42 : 7. How could such a dispute be so zeal- ously and perseveringly maintained, in case the subject of retri- bution had been fully revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures ? I trust the answer to this will not be, that the Book of Job was written before the other Scriptures. When brought to the tribu- nal of impartial criticism, this assertion, as nearly all now con- cede, cannot well stand the test. The composition bears evident marks of a time nearly synchronous with that of Coheleth. The same subject is discussed. The same difficulties and objections are urged. But Coheleth takes a position opposite to that of Job's friends ; and, while conceding the point of imperfect and merely initiatory retribution in the present world, it still main- tain - thai it is to be confidently expected at a future period. One i> reminded, at vx^vy step, as he is surveying the ground of Coheleth, of the kindred feelings, sentiments, and even diction in the Book of Job. METHOD OF THE BOOK. C7 Now we do not undertake to eject the Book of Job from the Canon v because we cannot appeal to the speeches of Job's friends as authority, in establishing any point of doctrine. I say cannot appeal, because, as God himself (42 : 7) has plainly declared that those friends had " said the things concerning him which lucre not right" it follows surely that we cannot now appeal to what is not right, in order to establish a doctrine. Many things, indeed, which Job's friends said, were true ; but the truth rests not on their authority. It must be established elsewhere, and by other means. We do not receive it as true because they said it, but because experience or some of the sacred writings have established its truth. Let all this, so plain and so reasonable, be applied now to Coheleth. The objections to the great truths which he declares are no more binding on us than the speeches of Job's friends, or the arguments of objectors, introduced so often by Paul. This, when thoroughly considered and carried out, removes most of the difficulties in Coheleth, and places him in the rank of those who in ancient times taught the doctrine of a future retribution, gave precepts in accordance with this truth, and disclosed sub- lime and vivid conceptions of the holiness, the power, the sover- eignty, the wisdom, and the goodness of God. The question, why he did not more explicitly urge the great spiritual truth to which I have alluded, is one that justice to him requires us to ask respecting all the other sacred writers of the Old Testament. And if Ave do ask it, the answer is plain. In this state of things, then, we are permitted to repeat again the question, which has been asked before, viz., Why should more be demanded of Co- heleth than of any other Old Testament writer ? In canvassing the question respecting the design of the book, and showing that it was neither to teach Epicureanism nor Skepticism, I have taken a wider range than I had at first in- tended. The questions of interest, more or less connected with the leading theme here, demanded discussion somewhere ; and 68 §3. UNITY OF THE LOOK. although rigid regard to order might have placed some of them under another category, no special advantage to the discussion of them could be gained by transferring them thither. Liberally interpreted, my category is ample enough to comprise them all. The general nature of the work ; the design of it as mani- fested by the principal theme, and by the various topics of discussion ; the method in which the writer has pursued the attainment of his object, as developed first in the respective parts of the book and then in the modes of representation and discus- sion ; — all these have now been developed with sufficient copi- ousness. We may proceed, then, to other subjects of interest that yet remain to be discussed. § 3. Unity of the Booh. After all that has been said above in developing the design and method of the book, little need be said under the present category. Its unity is manifest from the fact, that the book has a beginning, a middle, and an end, all consentaneous ; as has been fully shown above. It is manifest from the fact, that the great theme — all is vanity — is repeated some twenty-three times in different portions of the book ; which shows, beyond any reasonable doubt, that the same writer who proposed the theme, has carried on the discussion of it through the work. It is granted, that there are some digressions. Yet, when strictly examined, they are found to be very few. The sententious con- sists mainly in precept; the apothegmatic (which really consti- tutes but a very minute portion of the work) is introduced not for its own sake, as in the Book of Proverbs, but only for the sake of comparison and illustration. But wherever sententious precept or apothegm is introduced, they are speedily dismissed, and there is a return to the consideration of some one of the vanities of human plans and efforts, which is presented in a new attitude. There is not a book in all the Old Testament, unless §3. UNITY OF TIIK BOOK. G9 it be the Book of Daniel, which is more firmly compacted\ together in its principal framework, nor one which keeps more steadily in view the great ohjeet which is designed to be accom- plished. All this renders it utterly improbable that the works of different authors are here joined together. We can reason- ably expect such an arrangement only from the hand of one and the same author. To him who can read and duly appreciate the original Hebrew, nothing can be said that will convince him of a diversity of au- thorship. First of all, the language or diction is so strikingly sui generis, that no other book in the Old Testament approaches near to it. There is plainly a peculiarity — a something to be felt, however, rather than described — which runs through the book from the beginning to the end. No careful reader, as it seems to me, can possibly doubt of this. The impress of the writer upon the book throughout, is nearly or quite as palpable as is that of Daniel on his work ; and it would be difficult to say more of any book. I cannot hesitate to say, that the writing is as strongly marked throughout, as (for example) the works of Thomas Carlyle of the present day. I do not mean to say that the peculiarity of it is as revolting to simple and refined taste as his ; for this I do not believe, and cannot admit. But the modes of expression in Coheleth, and the diction, and the distinctive kinds of development which he employs, are altogether as differ- ent and as segregating from others, as are those of Carlyle. There arises a feeling, in every one who reads Coheleth with a power of nice critical discernment, which makes it all but absolutely certain that one and the same hand penned down the whole book. Almost without exception this is now conceded among critics. Time has been, as has been said, when there were various theories on this subject. Paulus maintained that the book ex- hibits what passed in a discussion of a Literary Society of the writer's day, of which he was a member. The theory of 70 §4. DICTION OF THE BOOK. Nachtigal, that the book consists of rival poems derived from different schools of the prophets, which are strung together like Wolf and Heyne's different rhapsodies of various poets, eking out one Iliad at last, has been previously mentioned. But first, we know nothing of such literary discussions among the prophets. Secondly, the book is not poetry. Lastly, the several parts are not put together without order and sequency. Others have maintained the mere fragmentary state of the book, — fragments joined together by some unknown hand. Staudlin maintained that the book first consisted of various rough sketches of Solo- mon, which were subsequently brought together, filled up, and then some junction-links added. Others have given it out as a mere mass of aphorisms, brought together from all quarters, like the Book of Proverbs, and thrown under one category for the Bake of mere convenience. In point of extravagance and im- probability, Kaiser and Nachtigal may deservedly claim the preeminence ; and even such a preeminence is not destitute of attractions for some. The sober inquirer has reason to be thank- ful that a better day has dawned on philological pursuits. It would be useless to pursue, at any greater length, the ques- tion in respect to the unity of the book before us. The general and particular grounds for admitting this have been briefly stated ; and we need not urge the proof of a proposition, which no good Hebrew scholar now ventures to call in question. § 4. Diction of the Boole. Long ago Luther remarked, that " this book has singularem quondam phrasin, quae a communis linguae usu saepe recedit, ct a nostra conoid inline valde aliena est." This is entirely correct and true, as to diction and peculiarity of phraseology. One rea- son doubtless is, that the book is of a different tenor from any other in the Old Testament. Where else is there a book of philosophizing ? And would not this bring with it, of necessity, § 1. DICTION OF THE BOOK. 71 pome new terminology and new words, just as it does with us? As to the younger books of the Old Testament (such as Dim., Ezra, Neh., Esth.), they have themes entirely discrepant from those in Coheleth, but still present many words belonging only to the later Hebrew, and therefore common to them and Cohe- leth. Many a phrase, however, in the latter, appears nowhere else ; and many phrases and words here, which do appear else- where, have a sense different from that in other books. The formulas of phraseology first claim our attention. Not a few of these take their rise from the course of thought and inquiry. A large portion of the book is occupied with giving the results of the author's own experience and trials. To desig- nate this, he commences with rm*h T^j I turned myself to see, 2 : 11. But oftener still he says simply: Wfcn, I perceived, 1 : 14; 3 : 10; 4 :4; 5 : 12; 6 : 1; 7 : 15; 8 : 9, 10, 18; 9 : 13; 10 : 7. Again, he says : T\T}h ^niSG , I turned myself in order to know, 7 : 25 ; 2:20. When he speaks of continued or repeated inves- tigation, he varies the phraseology somewhat ; as, fitful '•rati , again I saw, or, Wfitl "n'^, /further considered, 3:16; 4:1,7; 9:11. With a slightly different meaning still, he says: TnP3 ^ab-nx , / directed or gave my mind, viz. to the consideration of this or that, 9:1. In order to designate the thoughts produced in his mind by experiment or reflective contemplation, he says : ^sb? ^rH^x , / said to myself or in my mind, i. e. I thought, 3 : 17, 18 ; comp. 2:1; 8:14; 9:16. With the same meaning he employs WEi labs or ^h d3>, 1 : 16; 2 : 15. In expressing a definite senti- ment, to which he had come by experience, he says: "Tii&n, / saw, 2 : 13, 24 ; 3 : 22 ; 5:17; 8:17. He also employs TfiBrg , I knew, 1 : J 7; 2 : 24; 3 : 12, 14 ; and sometimes iflStta , 1 found, 7 : 27, 29 ; comp. 3:11; 7:14; 8:17. Next as to the objects of consideration or examination. The generic phraseology (used as it were adjectively) for designating sublunary, earthly, human things, is that they are EElFfi ~~JD? 72 §4. DICTIOX OF THE BOOK. under the sun, 1 : 14; 2 : 11, 17, 18, 10, 20, 22 ; 3 : 1G ; 4:1, 3, 7, 15 ; 5 : 12, 17 ; 6 : 1, 12 ; 8 : 9, 15, 17 ; 9 : 3, G, 9, 11, 13 ; 10 : 5. Sometimes, instead of this, we have t^rn nnn, undo- heaven, 1:3; 3:1. Once more, simply "j 7 ^^ bs , on earth, 8 : 14, 1G. Tilings or objects themselves are called "lS'n or D*na^, i. e. tf/miy or things in the secondary sense of these words (see Lex.), 1:8, 10; 6:11;7:8; 8:1, 3, 5. The meaning comprises both actions and events. When events are meant, the verb T^r\ is connected with -a 1 ! , and then the phrase means thing that has happened, occurred, or taken place, 1:9; 3: 22; 6:12; 8:7; 10 : 14 ; 11 : 2. When actions are spoken of, then the verb Htors , done, performed, is employed ; 1 : 9, 13, 14 ; 2 : 17 ; 4 : 3 ; 8 : 14, 1G ; 9 : 3, 6. The active form of the verb ft\B39 is connected with the agent who does, 2:3; 3:9; 8 : 10. Hence the participial nouns, tvQ&Q , b^bs^o , are the predominant designations of actions themselves, 1 : 14; 2 : 17, 22 ; 3 : 17 ; 4 : 3, 4; 8 : 9, 14 ; 9 : 7, 10. But sometimes, in order to designate what we appropriately call business, the word "an is used, 3 : 1, 17 ; 5 : 7 ; 8:6. This seems to be of later usage, as employed in this sense. In a like sense is I^SS employed, but it verges on the meaning of disagreeable or unfortunate business, as in 1 : 13 ; 2 : 23, 26 ; 3 : 10 ; 4:8; 5:2, 13; 8:16. More often occurs the word b^S 1 , which properly means toil, wearisome labor, 1:3; 2 : 10, 11, 18, 20, 21, 22, 24 ; 3 : 13 ; 4 : 4, 6, 8 ; 5 : 14, 17, 18 ; 6 : 7 ; 8 : 15 ; 9 : 9. In like manner, the verb b^3 and the participial £>»3 are employed, meaning to perform toil, etc. The result of toil and effort is sometimes called ■■Dd , reward or advantage, 4:9; 9:5; at others, pbn , portion, part, as the res i!t of labor, 2 : 10, 21 ; 3 : 22 ; 5 : 17, 18 ; 9 : 9 ; but finally, more often than any other word, does he employ V'T*]- advan- tage, profit, avail, 1 : 3 ; 2 : 11 ; 3 : 9 ; 5 : 8, 15; 10 : 10, 11. As to all efforts which fail to yield solid profit, he calls them JniJI rnn, rvn )i^, lit. a wind:/ affair, i. e. a fruitless business. The destiny, or appointed lot, of man he names «T?pra , a deri- $4. DICTION OF THE COOK. 73 vate of rng , to happen, 2 : 14, 15 ; 3:19; 9 : 2, 3, 11. Some- times he names it 3>§B, occurrence, 8 : 14. iiW destiny he calls an , rcn , 6ot7, misfortune, 2 : 21 ; 6 : 1 ; 8 : 6 ; 9 : 3 ; 10 : 5 ; 11 : 2, 10; 12:1. Sometimes it is nbin nn , a grievous evil, 5 : 12, 15 ; or i"\ ^bn , of the same meaning, 6 : 2. All the efforts and occurrences of life, taken together, he calls bnn, when he characterizes them, i. e. nothingness, vanity ; and this he does some twenty-five times in the book ; see on page 21 above. Enjoyment or happiness he now calls itrraia , 2 : 1, 2, 10 ; 7:4; 8 : 15 ; and then Sia or hate , 2 : 1, 24 ; 4 : 8 ; 5 : 10, 17 ; 6 : 3, G ; 7 : 14. To enjoy good, is Sia haw, or ttaia, or ai-2, 2 : 24 ; 3:13; 5:17; 2:1; 6 : G. Once/arj HbJ, 3:12. The word wisdom, rrzzn , is sometimes equivalent to intelli- gence, power of insight; e. g. 1 : 18 ; 7 : 23, 24 ; 8 : 17 ; in which case it can hardly be distinguished from tW . But usually it denotes practical wisdom, sagacity, dexterity ; as in 2 : 21, 26; 4 : 13 ; 7 : 19 ; 9 : 15, 1 6, 18 ; 10 : 1, 10. The religious use of it, as in Psalms and Proverbs, is unfrequent and only indirect here. The opposite of this is n&SO , baG , i. e. practical folly, manifested in a great variety of ways, and assuming a variety of forms. For example : the fool exposes his folly, 10:3; knows not how to demean himself in the relations of life, 6:8; undertakes things in a wrong way, 2 : 13, 14; 10 : 2, 15; gives loose to paroxysms of indignation, 7:9; blusters among fools, 9:17; is given to prating, 10 : 14 ; utters language injurious to himself, 10 : 12 ; gives up himself to lawless pleasure, 2:3; 7 : 4, 5, 6 ; brings himself into straits by idleness, 4:5; breaks his vows, 5:3; and the like. When wisdom has a relation to moral deport- ment (7:16; 9:1 seq.), it of course resembles the religious wis- dom (trcan) of other books. It is so with the opposite word, . nibalD , i. e. this has sometimes the sense of immorality ; see 7 : 7, 17, 25. An equivalent of fraan is "paion, consideration, calcu- lation, 7 : 25 ; 9 : 10 ; and the opposite of this is rwMjh, 1:17; 2:12;7:15;9:3; 10:13. The phrases to know or see wisdom 7 74 §4. DICTION OF THE BOOK. and folly, mean to understand and explain them in their various developments, 1 : 17 ; 2 : 12. But the phrase, the heart sees wis- dom, means that it is itself cognizant of it, or experiences its power. The work of God, Coheleth designates in a variety of way?. The omnipotent and immutable control of God is called nr 1 ] ft^XJl , the work of God, 7:13; 8:17; 11:5. When he con- trols the actions and destinies of men, it is said d^JI^K "jra , i. e. lit. God gives, puts, or places, 1:13; 2:26; 3:1 0; 5:17, 18; G : 2 ; 8 : 15 ; 9 : 9. His kindness is rm , the gift of God, 3:13; 5:18; comp. 2:24. Many of the above words, and some of the phrases, are else- where used, but rarely in such a sense as here. The reader of Hebrew in the other books, when he meets such phrases here, feels himself to be treading on new ground. (1) New phrase- ology and new meanings of words arise from the novel subject of which the writer is treating, i. e. his philosophizing on the vanity of the world. He was at liberty, like all other writers, to choose language adapted to his own purpose. We see in it little indeed of technicality ; but still we perceive that we are by no means reading the common Hebrew of the other books. But it would be far from candor and fairness to accuse Coheleth of imacquamtance with good Hebrew usage, because he feels him- self constrained to employ terms and phrases not elsewhere to be found. Caique suum. It is his right to choose language adapted to the nature of his discussion. But (2) There are other peculiarities, which spring not of necessity from the nature of the subject, but belong properly to the peculiar and charac- teristic style of the author. There is a prolixity, or frequency of repetition, in a part of the phraseology, particularly such a part a- marks transitions of any kind. I said in myself; I turned to see; I saw ; I knew ; and the like, are repeated beyond any example in the Scriptures; and repeated where our present method of writing would readily dispense with them. This is §4. DICTION OF THE BOOK. 75 often done, without any important addition to the general mean- ing ; and is, therefore, indicative of peculiarity. Among these repetition.-, however, Ave must not reckon those cases in which repetition is employed merely in order to make out intensity of expression ; e. g. y Z : 2, 6 ; 3 : 1G ; 4:1; 9:9, etc. To this general category, moreover, in an enlarged sense, belong many pleonasms of expression, such as the following, viz. ^aa before verbs in the first person, in cases where no emphasis ia required, as ^3!* "VHSB , i!i« h rnS"H , etc. See in 1 : 16; 2:1, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 20, 24; 3: 17, 18; 4: 1, 4, 7; 5: 17; 7 : 25 ; 8 : 15 ; 9 : 16, et al. Pleonastic are such expressions as fco-2 *33^X D^ rj, " The sea, it is not full," 1 : 7 ; " To their posterity, to them shall be no remembrance," 1:11; " Woe to him, to the one" 4 : 10; "lie shall take hold on him, on the one," 4 : 12. The like 3 : 18 ; 5 : 1 1, al. These, indeed, are proper Hebraisms ; but their frequency here is what strikes us. The discrepancy between the number of the verb and its subject, in 2:7 and 10 : 15, al., is an unusual thing, although certainly not without parallel. In the hortatory and didactic parts of the book, repe- titions like the above are unfrequent. Indeed, the conciseness and energy of expression there is like that in Proverbs and Job. See in chaps, vii., x. Very frequent, unusually so, is the use of a verb and its conju- gate noun ; e. g , tap bo» , 1 : 3 ; 2 : 11, 18, 19, 20, 22 ; 5:17; 9:9. So rto?3 ni», 1 : 14; 2:17; 3:11; 4:3; 8:9; mg i-np-a ,2:14; T!?. T>? ,5:3; £W rt» , 1 : 13 ; 3 : 10. This is genuine Hebraism, but it is unusually frequent here. Another marked peculiarity here, like that in the Book of Daniel, is the frequent use of the participle for the verb, specially to designate present or continued action ; as sni* , r^h , tttoSJ , and the like, 1:4,6,7; 2:14,19,21; 3:20; 4:5; 5:7,9; 6:12; 8 : 12, 14, 16 ; 9:5; 10 : 3, 19 ; 12:5, al. Often a pronoun is joined with such participles, thus making out a finite verb, as •»}$ «Sfe , snn rni , etc. ; as 1 : 5, 7 ; 3:21; 4:8; 7:26; 8:12; 76 §4. DICTION OF THE BOOK. 9:10. The participial or verbal adjective performs the same office ; as S>B3 BMrt, etc., 2 : 18, 22 ; 3 : 9 ; 4 : 2, 8 ; 6 : 2 ; 9 : 9. A negative for any of these forms is made by yjst with a suff. pronoun of the subject, e. g., STP 5p n 8, thou knowest not ; 1:7; 4:17; 5:11; 6:2; 8 : 7, 13, 16 ; 9 : 1, 2, 5, 16 ; 11 : 5, 6. The use of b^ to indicate the simple if/zere is (like the French ?7y a), is beyond precedent as to frequency ; e. g., 1 : 10 ; 2 : 13, 21; 4:8; 5:12; 6:1,11; 7:15; 8:6, 14; 9:4; 10:5. The personal pronouns are employed here with peculiar fre- quency in a sense which indicates that they include the verb m^n , to he ; and often beyond example elsewhere as to frequency, they designate merely and simply the verb of existence itself; e. g., Hi 6MM c5"Tn , this is new, 1 : 10. The real shape of the Heb. is thus : As to this, it is new ; and so in son wfv& T\T\-q nt, 5 : 18, et al. But in Start frans dh'j , that they are beasts, we cannot well apply the same solution, for the last pronoun can be translated only by are, 3:18. And thus, in the one or the other of these ways, in 1 : 5, 7 ; 2 : 1, 23, 24 ; 3 : 13, 15, 22 ; 4 : 2, 4, 8 ; 5:5, 8, 17 ; 6:1, 2, 10; 7:2; 9:4, 13; 10:3, al. The book never employs the common intensive ^ap, very, very much. Instead of this, it commonly and very frequently employs the Inf. of Hiph. SiSp.n (lit. multiplicando), in the adver- bial sense of much, very much (see Heb. Gramm. § 98. 2. d), as 1:16; 2:7; 5 : 6, 11, 16, 19 ; 6:11; 7:16,17; 9:18; 11:8. In a like sense, the participial ■vvfa is employed, 2:15; 7:16. The opposite negative is rr^xp •px, not anything, 5 : 13 ; 9:5. The pronoun "IISX , specially in its abridged form 'O , is em- ployed in a greater variety of ways than anywhere else in the Scriptures ; e.g.,{\) That, in order that ; 3:14; 6:10; 7:14; 8 : 12, 14 ; 9:1, 5. (2) Because, or for that; 4 : 3, 9 ; 6:12; 8 : 11, 12, 13, 15 ; 10 : 15. (3) Provided that, if; 8 : 12. (4) When; 8:16. So with prepositions before the pronoun; as "TCWtS or tda , because, on account of that, 2:16; 3:9; 7:2; 8:4. So *\p$3 and &», when; 4 : 17; 5:3; 9 : 12; 10 : 3. H- DICTION or THE ROOK. 77 In like manner, "RQWD and ©E , £/?a>i fAdrf, than ; 3:22; 5:4. Like to these are "VOX IS, tmft'Z fAal ; 2 : 3 ; ISBM ^Sra? without which, etc. This is explicable on the ground that *ra»t is a note of relation generally, and therefore may stand between sentences or clauses which stand related. With all this, the use of on in Hellenistic Greek may be well compared. (3) Coheleth contains very much which belongs to the later Hebrew. From this are to be distinguished (if indeed we can make the distinction) the Chaldaisms of the book, or (to speak more generically) the Aramaeisms. The allegations often made in regard to these, and made even by such a critic as Knobel, are somewhat extravagant, and certainly in a measure ungrounded. Herzfeld has, with great acuteness, gone through the list of Kno- bel, and made much abatement from it. With him let us con- sider — I. The later Hebrew element. Knobel attaches to this category the following words, winch cannot properly be put there; and which, for convenience sake, may be divided into tico classes, viz. : (a) Those which are also found in the old Hebrew, but which, as he says, have in Coheleth a new sense attached to them ; viz., ytri , thing, affair, 3:1,17; 5:17; 8:6. But this sense is not new. In Prov. 31 : 13 is the same meaning. So 7^'r*9 ? priest, 5:5; but the word is everywhere used in the old Hebrew in a sense which well fits this passage, viz., the mes- senger of God who declares his word, and the meaning, priest, is not necessary in Coheleth ; and so too, in respect to this word, in Hag. 1 : 13 ; Mai. 2:7; 3 : 1. — rnp? (five time.-) means des- tiny ; but the proper meaning of the word is occurrence ; and in this sense we find it in Ruth 2:3. — TO, to rise up, to stand forth, 8 : 3, he says is new ; but the answer is, that the verb has not that sense here, for it means to continue to stand, to persevere, which meaning it has also in Josh. 10:13; 1 Sain. 20:38; Ezek. 21 : 35. — Again, "inxs, together, 11:6; but we have the same word in the same sense, in Is. 65 : 25, which at all events 7* 78 §4- DICTION OF THE BOOK. is not -written in the style of the later Hebrew — r'srrbs , alto- gether as, 5 : 15 ; but this is a form of intensity merely. The word M33 itself is, in the like sense as here, an ancient one, Ex. 25 : 27 ; 28 : 27. — T^ 7 ? (7^ in 10:18) is used in the same sense as the old "word Spa, to rot i to moulder away ; but the ex- change of forms in verbs Ayin Vaf and Ayiri doubled is an old custom, extant in many verbs from the beginning of the written language. Moreover, in Job 24 : 24, is found the Hophal of this form, as is the Kal in Ps. 106 : 43. The plur. noun in 10 : 12, i. e., rvirsto , instead of the dual, is no novelty, as Knobel alleges ; see Ps. 45 : 3. The numerous nouns in Ecc. which end in M-, Knobel sets to the account of the younger Hebreiv, not venturing to call this Chaldaism, because the ancient Heb. has the same forms. The instances are rvfcVn, tvftb*, nttbo, wtao, nibaio, Msi, rrn^ rftbBB . But abundance of the same forms are in the older He- brew ; e. g., see Gen. 1 : 26 ; 38 : 14. Ex. 8 : 19 ; 11 : 2 ; 14 : 25 ; 28 : 22. Num. 24 : 7 ; 32 : 14. Deut. 24 : 1 ; 29 : 18. Ps. 22:20; 110:3. Prov.3:8; 4:24; 9:13; 23:29; 27:4. Hos. 6 : 11. Amos 1:6. Is. 2 : 11 ; 12 : 5 ; 21 : 2 ; 21 : 4. Hab. 3 : 14, al. The only difference is in frequency ; a thing which belongs to the style of the writer, and not to the species of the Hebrew. As to nouns in ")-, and te p — , which he puts to the account of the younger Heb., they abound in the older. They are indeed unusually frequent in Ecc. ; e. g., ■£», "pnaa, "jro\, ynon, "j^it;, ■j'TWS, yiaun, "fiaifn. But the same forms are found in Gen. 24:53; 38:11. Ex. 25 : 23. Lev. 1 : 2. Hos. 9 : 1. Gen. 3:16; 13:18; 33:2; 35:8; 38:17; 40:5,17; 41:36; 42:19. Ex. 12:14; 15:7; 16:23; 21:30. Num. 21:20; 25 : 4. Deut. 8 : 15 ; 15 : 4 ; 28 : 22, 65 ; 32 : 10. Judg. 3 : 23 ; 8:21. Hos. 9:11. Is. 1: 1 ; 8:1; 9:13; 22:13; 32:14; 25:5 j 36:4; 47:9. Prov. 1 : 22; 15 : 11 ; 26 : 26. Ps. 32:4; 92:4; besides many proper names of this form, as "jis?, "pa^n, §4. DICTION OF THE BOOK. 70 yiWl, etc. And there are many such forms, besides those which are here produced. If one will now call to mind how often abstracts are required in a treatise of philosophy like the present, he will think it noth- ing strange, and no special proof of later Hebrew, that such nouns are frequent in Coheleth. There are, however, only a few here that are not elsewhere found, viz., yw, yttOn, "pWj, Ti'tttto) fiatdh (as an abstract) "pW, IWi, Ti»^?. The easy and obvi- ous formation of these for the writer's purpose, renders it diffi- cult for us to establish anything from them in regard to the age of such forms. The use of them depended, obviously and merely, on the need of them ; for the form is altogether normal and anal- ogous. The same principle w r ill apply to the frequent use of rnn t^h-\ and CTOSJln , scarcely found anywhere else. The great ques- tion in Ecc. is, the vanity of earthly things. An adjective from "fy^ the Heb. has not; and to make the so often necessary sense of earthly, the writer had to betake himself to circumlocu- tion. But the Heb. itself, in both expressions, is old; and the meaning here is not new. The use belongs to the nature of the subject, and to the style of the writer, and is not to be ascribed to the later Hebrew. The plur. D*4ihl, for the Host High, in 5 : 7, is no indication, as is asserted, of later usage. We have D^1J3 for the Most Holy, in Hos. 12 : 1, and the like elsewhere. So ",73 "pri, without, 2 : 25, does not therefore belong to the Rabbinic Hebrew (where it is common), because we find this compound form of the word no- where else in the Heb. Scriptures. We have \ "pn and "prra in the old Heb. ; and what hindered the use of "pa 'pn ? The argumentum a silentio proves little in such a case. And the like may be said of WfflTtj in 11 : 10, which is employed in the Mishna, and put by Knobel to the account of Rabbinism. The word is truly poetical, normally formed, and beautifully applied. Perhaps Coheleth himself first coined it. But it is so exactly 80 § 4. DICTION OF THE BOOK. analogous to the multitude of the earlier Heb. words which have the same form, that nothing can be argued from its use as to the lateness of the book. Knobel sets to the account of later Hebreio the usage of Ecc. in rejecting the imperf. with Vav consecutive in narration, e. for *flS3« in the Phenician (which is surely a dialect of 82 §4. DICTION OF THE BOOK. the old Hebrew), is full of instruction and caution. The most that we can say is, that we find this word and that only in the later Hebrew books. Books of the same age have nearly the same idiom ; and from this general principle we may draw &orne conclusion as to the time when Coheleth was written. II. The Chaldee element. To this Knobel attributes r", 12:3. But Hebrew derivates of this root are found in Is. 28 : 19 ; Hab. 2:7; so that the word must be Hebrew. Again, &53, 2 : 8, 26 ; 3 : 5, is no Chaldee word ; for we have it in Is. 28:20; Ps. 33 : 7 ; 147 : 2. — *C3 , 11 : 6; 10 : 10, is not Chaldee ; neither is yhttfel ; for we have rvhffiJSp in Ps. 68 : 7, and lir-s in Prov. 31:19;B^i ; 2: 19; 5:18; 6:2; 8 : 9, is also Heb., as irrr, Gen. 42 : 6 shows. So "pirn must be called Heb. ; for we have rnnii in Est. 29 : 13. — rttvna is of late use, but is not Chaldee ; see Lex. Also "jSpE, 4:13; 9:15, 16, is Heb.; for we have Heb. forms from the root in Is. 40:20; Deut. 8:9. — tW^p, 5 : 18 ; 6 : 2, is not Chaldee ; for we find it in Josh. 22 : 8. — Cjio, 3 : 1 1 ; 7 : 2, is found also in Joel 2 : 20, which shows it to be Hebrew. It is difficult, moreover, to see why Knobel puts 0^5 , 2 : 5, among the Chaldaisms ; for it is found in Cant. 2:5; and, at most, we cannot tell when this foreign word came into the Hebrew. It is probably of Sanscrit origin, which employs para- desha in a like sense. That rpn rfisn and rj*n "pirn may be Hebrew and not Chaldee, is shown by mi nsh Hos. 12:2. In regard to the Hebraicity of E)£ln and &p£fc , 6 : 10, see Job 14 : 20 ; J 5 : 24. For the form of the latter, see tt^tt} in Gen. 42 : 6. That *,:n, 8 : 10, is of later usage, is probable ; but there is no particular evidence of its being Chaldee. — vtoiB is as little Chaldee as Tttjipa in Ex. 32:33. That ^O, 10:9, is Heb., see Job 22 : 22 ; 34 : 9. — bbw is Chaldee in 3 : 11, only in case we interpret it as meaning world. But as this exegesis will not bear, we strike it from the list. See the remarks on 3: 11, in the Comm. That 1j2|, uproot, is not Chaldee, is shown by Zeph. 2 : 4. §4. DICTION OF THE BOOK. 83 As to forms: Knobel makes BMif, 11 : 3, a C/ialdee form ; but this would be Btjfi*. It is an apoc. form, like ^nnd^, and stands for wrj with an a otiant. And so is K otiant in 6«in, fcfn, etc With these forms the verb rnn stands connected. — bsn, 1:21, is const, of bnn, and no more Chaldee than byj which comes from b^y, only it is a more normal const, form. — Di^on, 4:14, Knob, makes it to be Chaldaic, because he supposes it to be = Di-noxfi ; but this probably is not so (see Comm.) ; and even if it were, it would prove nothimg, for in many Hebrew words K is dropped in the writing. Finally, that rt|^S> and yrs, 4 : 2, 3, are Chaldee, is, as Herzfeld says, an exegetical hieroglyph ; for no proof is, or can be, adduced. We come, then, to a small list of what may be called 'probable Ghaldaisms: viz., ^SS, 1 : 10, al. saepe ; b^n for cease, 12 : 3; -,£!•}, 1 : 15 ; 7 : 13 ; 12 : 9, to make straight ; ym, 10 : 8, pit, inr ;, 9:1, for ntoWO ; d&nB, 8:11; ^t, 3 : 1, for T& ; and last, such Aramaean forms as KSfc, 7:26; RSSJ"] ,8:1; KSH, 8 : 12 ; 9 : 18 ; KSpa, 10:4; tup, 10:5, are probably conformities to Chaldee in respect to their final vowel. — tiWi, 2 : 25, and *iia, 9:1, are doubtful, and cannot be shown to be Chaldaic. I may refer the reader here to what is said, at the close of the list, of later Hebrew. It is impossible to prove that more or less of this last class of words were not extant in the older Hebrew, or that they are not normal derivates of the Hebrew. But this last list of probable Chaldaisms is small, amounting to only some eight or ten words at most. I am much indebted to Herzfeld for his labors on both parts of this list. He has pursued the examination with a diligence, a discrimination, and an accuracy, that are worthy of all commen- dation. The general result is, that the book, for so short a one, par- tab 3, after all, somewhat largely of the two elements of later Hebrew and Chaldee, at least of what we are forced to regard as s*uch. That its style, and diction, and coloring throughout, re- 8i §5. WHO WAS THE AUTHOR? semble most of all the later books, viz., Ezra, Neh., Estli., and Daniel, every reader familiar with these books must feel. That he is moving in an element greatly diverse from that of the ear- lier Hebrew, becomes a matter of immediate consciousness, when one reads Coheleth. This is, indeed, no objection to the book ; for the later Hebrew may convey truth as well and as in- telligibly as the earlier. We need not call the dialect Doric or Boeotian, much less Yorkshire or Patois. The laws of grammar are, for the most part, strictly observed ; the forms of the words are normal ; the tenses are not unskilfully used, but the contrary ; and as little anomaly is found, on the whole, as in most of the later books. In the use of the particles there is great latitude, specially in respect to 1, ^3, a, b, and the conjunction 'ilB&t, (t») ; and in this respect the style resenfbles that of the other late books. This of itself is an indication of an advanced state of' the language, which must always be changing. Having been through the preceding investigations, in respect to the nature, contents, design, form, style, and diction of the book, we are now prepared to enter upon the next question, in which many readers will feel a special interest ; viz., § 5. Who was the Author ? If this question be referred to the decision of past times, then is it easily answered. One and all of the older writers declare for Solomon. The tradition in the Talmud (Baba Bath. fol. 14, 15), that Hezekiah and his Society wrote (ttM, wrote out, copied) Coheleth and some other books ; or the saying of Rabbi Gedaliah, that Isaiah ivrote not only his own book, but Coheleth and some others (Shalshel. Hakkab. fol. (j(j) ; make nothing against the general position, because ara, as they employ it, means merely copied, wrote down, or wrote out. So far as I know, Grotius was the first, in modern times, who raised a doubt as to the correctness of general tradition in regard §5. WHO WAS THE AUTHOR? 85 to the author of Ecclesiastes. In his Comm. he says : " Ego tainen Salomonis esse non puto, sed scriptum serius sub illius regis tanquam poenitentia ducti nomine." He then goes on to adduce, as a reason for this opinion, that the book has many- words which can be found only in Daniel, Ezra, and the Chaldee Targumists. Hermann Yon der Hardt, in an Essay on Ecc, endeavored to sustain this view, by the like arguments. Against him rose up Huet, Calov, Witsius, Carpzov, and Van der Palm. So, also, most of the older critics, S. Schmidt, Geier, Le Clerc, Rambach, J. D. Michaelis, L. Ewaid, Schelling, etc. On the other hand, Grotius found many ardent defenders ; such as Eich- horn, Schmidt, Doderlein, Bauer, Augusti, Bertholdt, Umbreit, De Wette, Rosenmiiller, Gesenius, Jahn, Ewald, Hitzig, Heilig- stedt, and others. Of late, scarcely an advocate of the old tradition has appeared. When we have reviewed the ground occupied by the question, we shall perhaps deem it strange if any future critic should engage in such an undertaking. That the book purports, by its title, to be the words of Solo- mon, is plain. It begins thus : " The ivords of Coheleth, the son of David, king in Jerusalem." King belongs, here, to Coheleth, as being in apposition with it, and not to David, which merely connects with son. Now, no one of David's sons was king in Jerusalem excepting Solomon. Coheleth, then, was Solomon ; and Coheleth was king. So v. 12 : "I, Coheleth, was king over Israel in Jerusalem." At the close of the book, Coheleth again speaks of himself and his work. In 12 : 9 he says that he was a crn , i. e., a Hakim or philosopher in the ethical sense, and that "he sought out and arranged many D^IBO, which con- tained words of truth." But no reference is here made to his kingly condition. For the meaning of the word Coheleth, I must refer the reader to the Comm. on 1 : 1, where it is sufficiently illustrated. Al- though fern, in form, it is masc. in sense, as the masc. verbs, everywhere joined with it, sufficiently show. It is like our titles 8 86 § 5. WHO WAS THE AUTHOR? of excellency, majesty, grace, highness, etc., when indicative of office, honor, or station. So Kaliph in Arabic is PEp^s , i. e., it is fern. ; and the like is found in almost every language. Preacher, in the common sense of this English word, Coheleth was not ; for the name imports nothing more than that he addresses as- sembled men (possibly including the idea that he did it) in the hortative strain ; at least, this is very frequent in the book before us. Was it the design, then, of the writer of this book to declare himself to be King Soloman ? Or does he introduce Solomon purposely upon the stage as an agent, and give us what he might well be supposed to say ? In other words : Is Solomon an actor only in the book, or is he the real author of it ? Great difficulties lie in the way of the last assumption. (1 ) Many things are said by Coheleth, which show that Solomon is only occasionally, and not constantly, speaking. He says in 1 : 1 2, that " he was king in Jerusalem." The Praeterite tense here (pr'pn I was) refers, of course, to a past time, and it conveys the idea that, when the passage was written, he was no longer king. 1 But Solomon was king until his death, and could there- fore never have said, " I was king, but am not now." Then, 1 A frequent secondary use of the Praeter tense of the Hebrew verb is to " indicate a state of being which, beginning at some former period, still con- tinues to exist at the time of narration." See Nordheimer's Gram. § 7G4, 1 a, and references there ; Stuart's Roediger, § 124. 3, and Coram. 3:15, and 6 : 10 below. Compare, also, the use of this same form of the verb rrr; in Gen. 32 : 11. Ex. 2 : 22 ; 18 : 3. 1 Sam. 29 : 8. Jer. 2 : 31 ; 20 : 7 ; 23 : 9 ; 31 : 9. Ps. 31 : 12, et al. saep. There should seem to be no objection, as far as the language is concerned, to understanding the author here to mean, '■ I, Coheleth, who hold the office of king over Israel in Jerusalem." It is true the verb might have been omitted, but is doubtless used for the sake of em- phasis. Without the verb ^Vtt , kinrj would have been a mere designation of character or condition ; but with it, emphasis is laid upon the fact that he was in condition specially favorable for the investigations subsequently designated. — Ed. § 5. WHO WAS THE AUTHOR? 87 again, how passing strange for him, as Solomon, to tell those whom he was addressing that he was Icing in Jerusalem! Could he suppose that they needed to be informed of this ? But a writer in times long after Solomon might easily slide into the expression that Coheleth had been king. In 1 : 1G he says : " I acquired more wisdom than all who were in Jerusalem before me." Doubtless, being a king, he compares himself with others of the same rank, i. e., with kings ; and how many of these were in Jerusalem before Solomon ? One only, viz., David. Who, then, constitute the all? It is only a later writer who would speak thus ; and even such a one could so speak only by omitting any special reference to the incongruity seemingly apparent in the declaration as attributed to Solomon. The sentence looks like that of some writer who lived after there had been many kings at Jerusalem. Moreover, in the mouth of Solomon himself, this would wear somewhat of the air of self- magnifying ; while a later writer, who admired Solomon, would naturally speak thus of him. In like manner, in 2 : 7, 9, he speaks of surpassing, in various respects, " all who were in Jeru- salem before him." But in the respects there named, only kings could well be brought into comparison with him who was a great king ; and therefore the same difficulty arises as before. In 1 : 16; 2 : 9, 15, 19, he speaks of his oivn wisdom ; and in this he tells us that he far exceeded all others. This was true, indeed, of Solomon ; but it was hardly the dictate of modest wis- dom to speak thus of himself. A later writer might well speak thus of him, although there seems to be some little incongruity in attributing the words to him. If 4 : 8 could be shown to have a particular personal meaning, and that the person in view was the writer of the book himself, it would bring before us a striking incongruity. The case there supposed is one where the individual has neither son nor brother. Solomon had both. But my apprehension of that text is, that the case in question is merely one sitjiposcd, for the sake of illus- 88 § 5. WHO WAS THE AUTHOR? tration. But in 4:14a case is stated, where it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that Solomon and Jeroboam are meant. In this case, if Solomon be the writer, then he speaks of himself as " an old and foolish king," while Jeroboam is " the wise and pros- perous young man." This would sound very strangely in the mouth of Solomon. In 8 : 3, an adviser is introduced, who counsels the prudent course of obeying the king in everything. This would not be strange for a king to say ; but when one clause declares that the prudent individual " must not hesitate or delay even in respect to a wicked command" it would seem very singular to find Solomon thus characterizing his own commands. Then, again, when the writer gives his own view of this matter of unlimited obedience, in vs. 5, 6, he says, that such indiscriminate and blind obedience will incur the guilt of sin, and bring the inevitable judgment of God upon him who yields it ; vs. 7, 8. All this is hardly congru- ous with Mngly opinions. In 5 : 7, the w r riter speaks of " the oppressing the poor, and robbing him of justice." In 3 : 16, he says that "in the place of judgment and justice was wickedness." In 4 : l,he describes himself as a witness " of oppressions which were committed, and of the tears of the oppressed who had no comforter." In 7 : 7, he declares that " oppression is making even a wise man mad." In 7:10, he alludes to "former days which were better than the present." In the sequel (v. 15), he speaks of "the righteous man as perishing because of his righteousness, and the wicked man as prolonging his days by his wickedness." In 8 : 9, he speaks of "one man ruling over another to his injury." In 10:4, he describes rulers as being passionate and excessive in their anger. In 10 : 5 — 7, he describes the ruler as " setting fools on high, while the wealthy and princes occupy a low place, and act as servants of the fools." In 10 : 16 — 19, he covertly speaks of rulers as gluttons, drunkards and sluggards; and even in blessing such kings as arc of an opposite character, lie says the $5. WHO WAS THE AUTHOR? 89 same tiling in the way of implication. Can we now, in any way, suppose all these to be the words of Solomon, describing himself as a haughty, violent, unjust, tyrannical, oppressor? Was he a glutton, a drunkard, and an idler — he who spake 3000 proverbs, wrote 1005 songs, and many treatises of botany, be- sides managing wisely all the affairs of his kingdom ? 1 K. 4 : 32 seq. Did he permit the land to be full of oppressive magistrates, who caught at bribes, condemned the righteous, and acquitted the wicked ? Was not the power in his own hands to remedy all this, and to do judgment and justice ? And yet Coheleth says, in 4 : 2, 3, that death is preferable to life, under the then existing oppression. Yea, in his impatience, he even wishes he had never been born. And all this when, if Solomon be con- cerned in the matter, it was at any moment in his power to put a stop to the evils complained of! How is it possible to suppose that Solomon ascribes all this great wickedness and folly to him- self ? Let any one read the history of his enlightened and peaceful reign, as given in the books of Kings and Chronicles, and he will see a picture directly the opposite of all this. The matter of Solomon's authorship, in respect to such passages, seems quite impossible. (2) The general state and condition of things, when this booh was written, indicates a period very different from that of Solo- mon's reign. We must keep in view here what has already been said above respecting the civil condition of the kingdom, and the dreadful oppression, on the one hand, by which the righteous were persecuted and destroyed, and the favoritism, on the other, by which the wicked were exalted. This, of itself, is strong testimony against the royal authorship. But, beyond this, there was a general gloom that overspread all ranks and conditions in life. Wherever the writer turns his eyes, he sees little except vexation and disappointment and suffering. So deeply are all these things impressed on him, that even the joyous youth is cautioned by him not to rely for a moment on the endurance of 8* 90 §5. WHO WAS THE AUTHOR? any good. The writer is, indeed, very far, after all, from being such a gloomy cynic. He has no malevolent or embittered feeling. But he sees before him, on all sides, innumerable proofs of the frailty, the vanity, and uncertainty of human life and human endeavors ; and also the utter impossibility of effecting any substantial change for the better. He comes fully to the conclusion, that " the day of one's death is better than the day of his birth," 7:1. Does all this look like being written during the peaceful, plentiful, joyful reign of Solomon ? — such a reign as the Hebrews never saw before or since ? To my mind this seems almost impossible. Every writer is influenced by the things around him, and the circumstances in which he is placed. So far as we know from Old Testament history, the times here sup- posed and described belong not to the period of Solomon's reign. It is true that this king, in his old age, was guilty of back- sliding, and that he was chastised for it. But as to the state of his kingdom in general, it seems to have been in a condition directly opposite, in most respects, to that which has been described above. The passage in 4:17, speaks in such a way respecting temple- offerings and services, as hardly accords with the views given in 1 K. 3 : 3 ; 4 : 15 ; 8 : 5, 62—64 ; 10 : 5 ; 11 : 7. I do not say that Solomon had views in substance contrary to the spirit of Ecc. 4 : 17, but that the methods of expression there adopted seem foreign to the condition and circumstances of him who had built the temple, and made magnificent preparations for offerings. The peculiar passage, in 7 : 26 — 28, respecting the extreme baseness of women, seems hardly consonant with the views of him who had 700 wives and 300 concubines, 1 K. 11 : 1 — 8 ; and who was devoted, as it would seem, more than any other Jewish king known to us, to amatory enjoyments. Another and later writer, who looked attentively at the history of the close of Solo- mon's life, might well speak of such women as were in Solomon's §5'. WHO WAS THE AUTHOR? 91 harem as he has done. Most of them were probably of heathen origin ; comp. vs. 2 — 5. (3) Another source of doubt as to the authorship of Solomon springs from the style and diction of the book. Whoever comes from an attentive, critical reading of the Book of Proverbs, written or compiled by Solomon for the most part, to that of Coheleth, will find himself in a region entirely new. "William of Malmesbury is scarcely more diverse from Macau- lay, or Chaucer from Pope, than Coheleth is from Proverbs. It is impossible to feel that one is in the hands of the same writer. The subjects are exceedingly diverse. In Proverbs, incontinence, falsehood, lying, deceiving, marriage, parents and children, edu- cation, neatness, industry, thrift, and the like, are the subjects treated of; in Coheleth, the vanity of all things, the nothingness of human ends and aims, the oppression of wicked rulers, and the like, are the theme throughout. Of all these, there is scarcely anything in the Book of Proverbs. However, this would not prove much, if it stood alone ; for the same writer might change his theme. But when we come to the coloring of the style and diction, it is impossible to make out anything but the widest diversity. We have seen above how much of the later Hebrew and of Chaldaism there is in Coheleth. But where are these to be found, in any such measure, in the Book of Proverbs ? Nowhere. Here is the golden Hebrew of the golden age. But in the dark and distressing times of Coheleth, the Hebrew idiom, or at least the diction and style, had greatly changed. A mere English reader can, indeed, see but little of this ; for all the ingredients are melted down together in an English crucible. But the very first paragraph in Coheleth tells a Hebrew reader that he has come to a new and different region. This is a thing, however, which can only be felt by a reader familiar with the Hebrew, and therefore one of which an adequate description cannot well be Ji/, 2 : 17; and bo in 3 : 17 l,i>. ; 4:3; 7 : 30 ; 8:8, 15, 17; 9: 15; 11:7; 12 : '.). Yet in other cases, the writer appears plainly to under- stand the true meaning of "W*. as marking the Ace. and beimr § 7. SETTUAGINT VEliSION. 107 equivalent to a demonstrative. But one would come to erroneous conclusions respecting the translator's Greek, should he judge of it by such a barbarism. The simple truth is, that, in his rigid effort to be as literal as possible, he has admitted avv as a trans- lation of _ nx , because this word not unfrequently means with — avv. He aimed to give what he thought to be the very shape of the Hebrew, even at the expense of grammatical propriety in Greek. Servile imitations of the Hebrew double pronoun, i. e., ^s: with a subsequent pronoun, may be seen in 4 : 9, oh iarlv awois ixia$6s. So in 6 : 2. But this is less frequent here than in some other books. In other cases, there is a servile literality in def- erence to etymology, without due regard to usage and proper sense ; e. g., T"\'z^ hv_ , on account of, Sept. 7repi Xakta^ making ttW = "iM, 3 : 18 ; 7 : 15. So in 8 : 9, n'lxa, [rule] over man, Sept. eV d^pco7rw, iv being inapposite here, but still it gives the literal sense of s. So 6 : G, dttMMB, twiee^ Sept. #ca$o§ov?, vices, i. e., turns or returns, which, although singular Greek here, still does not spoil the sense ; 10 : 17, r\^l$Z,on account of strength, Sept. Zv Swa/xci, which gives an erroneous sense in this place, although literal. Instances not unfrequently occur, where what is often repeated or habitually done, is, according to the genius bf the Heb. verb, expressed by the Greek Future, instead of the Present. E. g., 10 : 6, tattfr, ***j Sept. KaSrpovTai, Fut., while it should be KaJhpnai. So 11 : 5 ; 10 : 12 ; 10 : 4, al. In not a few cases, the Heb. words were read by the translator by supplying vowels differing from those now employed, and in such a way as to make it plain that his copy had no written vowels ; e.g. &MM ^30, he is a fool, Sept. ^pocrvvt) co-tlv, i. e., the translator read Mfi bzo, 10 : o ; so ^R^ tthSEj they are afraid of what is high, Sept. eh to vipos oiro-ovrai, they shall see, etc., i. e., they read W?j from riX"n. 12:5. In the passage 12:9, is a pe- culiar example of this sort, viz., ns^ri D^broa *,£n ~.£rr , g« , i, he weighed, and sought out, and arranged many apothegms, Sept. 103 $7. SEPTUAGINT VERSION. Kol ov? e&xyuurerai Kocrfxiov 7rapaj3o\u)v, u e., the ear searches out an orderly array of parables, where the text must of course have been read D^UJB ",£n *\pn* ■jtkn, while hspjn is joined by the translator to the following verse. In 2 : 12, 7\?.tt, the King, is rendered t?j rrcsa so, not on account of drunkenness ; where, of course, the translator must have read Pitlja &&, no shame. Instead of simply saying, with the Heb. thus pointed, no shame, the Sept. now says : They will not be ashamed. In other cases mistakes were made by a wrong reading of consonants. In 5:16, he renders bs&h, shall eat, by kv TreV^ei, in mourning; i. c.,he read baa inputting a for 3. In 6 : 12 (Sept. 7:1) for bsa , as a shadow, he has ev o-Kta, exchanging con- sonants as before. In 8:6, for rs'n , evil, was read tltt . In 8 : 10, ^nairih, they were forgotten, was read Sriawa 1 }, and then translated by i7rr)ve9-eaav, they were praised, by the same error of reading a for a. In 7 : 12 (Sept. 7 : 13), baa was again read baa , and translated ws cna'a. It seems, then, quite clear that the translator not only had no written vowels to guide him, but that the consonants a and 3 were often carelessly written, so that the distinction between them could be made only with difficulty. A fact like this shows, also, that the Hebrew alphabet must have then had the same forms of letters which it now exhibits. In a few cases, words in the text are overlooked; e. g., 3 : 20, r^'r. Van, which is translated only by t is not in the Heb. ; the last clause of 8 : 17 is very paraphrastic, corresponding only in a remote way with the Heb. in 9 : 1 ; in 9 : 2, kcll tw Ka/«3 is added after the Heb. 3ia , apparently with good reason, if analogy in the rest of the verse be regarded ; in 10 : l,in the second clause, the sense is strangely missed, by rendering it ripuov oXtyov aortas V7rep S6$av ar]<; /xcydXrjv; 10 : 19, after yn the Sept. has added koI eAaiov, and afterwards inserted raTreti/ojcret ; and in 11:9, the Greek says : "Walk in the way of thy heart blameless (a/Mo/Aos), and not by the sight of thine eyes ; " the words italicised not being found in the Hebrew. It is evidently a loose paraphrase of the Hebrew, designed to save the credit of Coheleth's orthodoxy. In 2 : 15, Slotl 6 acppcov £K 7reptcrcrev/xaro? AaAa is added to the text. These are nearly all the additions made to the text, in the translation before us. They constitute but a small list, consider- ing the length of the book ; and they are of very little importance in a doctrinal point of view. Doubtless the translator, although he follows the Hebrew so closely in his version, did not feel him- self bound to say, in all cases, exactly what the Hebrew says, and no more. Still, he would have done better to stick closely to his text ; for his additions do not help the sense of the Hebrew, nor enable us better to understand it. In some cases we find mistakes in the Greek version. In 3:16, we have tvo-tfiijs where we should have do-£/3rjs (probably, however, a mere error of some transcriber) ; 4 : 1 is crvKocpavTias, false accusations, for d^pllBSin ; 4 : 4, av&piav for "ji*ntt53 ; 5 : 5, iva p,rj for rrab ; 5 : 6 he renders : In the multitude of dreams, and of vanities, and of many words, mistaking the relation of the 10 110 §7. SEPTUAGINT/ VERSION. last two nouns. To save detail, I refer the reader to 1 : 17, 18 ; 2 : 12, 20, 25; 5 : 9, 10; 7: 8, 13, 15, 17, 2G; 10 : 19 ; 12 : 5, 11. This last-cited passage (12 : 11) is worth inserting, for its version of perhaps the most difficult passage in the whole book. It runs thus : \6yoi cro<£ujv w? ra fiovKevrpa, koi u>s r}\oi Trecpvrev pi- vot, ol 7rapa twv avvSrjfxdTwv e&6$r)crav Ik iroip,evo sake the simple principle of grammatico-historical interpretation. Son of David would not particularize enough for the writer's purpose, for David had many sons. Therefore he adds : King in Jerusalem ; which words belong to David's son, and not to him, for they are epexegetical of Son of David. But why King in Jerusalem ? Solomon himself, if he wrote the book, would natu- rally say : King of Israel But in after times, when there were kings over the ten tribes of Israel, who were of a separate race, and had a different capital (Samaria), it would be natural to speak of a Heb. king either as belonging to Jerusalem, or else to Samaria, in order to distinguish accurately. That the writer of the book has here spoken in the usual manner which prevailed at a period later than that of Solomon, seems plain. And as only one of David's sons ever reigned at Jerusalem, Solomon is of course meant here. (2) Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. Here the main subject of the book is at once announced. Van- ity of vanities ! An exclamation, and not a part of an ordinary complete sentence. The word bzin is one of the older Segholates, retaining its original Inf. form. In Hebrew this is rare, the com- mon Segholates (such as bzif) being substituted for such forms ; Heb. Gramm. § 83, II. 10. 1 Like to ^qr, are 1W, "n«Q, etc ; but in Syr. and Chald. such forms are the usual Segholates. The unusual form in Hebrew seems to be chosen here for the sake of variety in diction, inasmuch as the plur. tpbnrr comes from the usual bzn. The root Vsri means to breathe ; hence Sort, breath, then vapor, and lastly, in a tropical sense, nothingness, vanity, i. e., 1 The Grammar referred to, where no title is given, is Roediger's edition of Ge^eniui's Heb. Grammar, translated by M. Stuart. ECCLESIASTES I. 3. 133 that which is altogether momentary and unsubstantial. The meaning of the whole phrase is most absolute, or extreme vanity ; see Gramm. § 117, 2. In nbn'p tbm we see that the noun is used as a masculine. The repetition of vanity of vanities gives the highest intensity possible to the idea expressed. The extent of its application next follows. Vsn must not be regarded here as = the Greek to irav, the universe, as Rosenm. and others affirm; but it includes all the efforts of men and all which befalls them. In other words, it includes all that is done or happens under the sun, as the book everywhere expresses it, see vs. 3, 9, 14; 2 : 14, 17 — 20, etc., passim. Neither divine operations, nor the great objects of nature, are asserted to be vanity. In respect to the work of God, the author never criticizes this, nor finds it to be defective. It is the doings, purposes, designs, wishes, and strivings of men, which he pronounces to be vanity, because all these never secure solid and permanent happiness. The article is prefixed to Vs, because it comprises a universality of efforts and events, a tout ensemble ; and so it corresponds with the Greek article before 7ra? in a like case. — bnn for ban, because of the pause-accent, Gramm. § 29, 4. In this last clause the copula (iTjrt)' between subject and predicate is, as usual in such cases, omitted ; Gr. § 141. (3) What profit is there to man by all his toil, which he laboriously per- formeth under the sun 1 The question virtually contains the strongest kind of affirma- tion that there is no profit. In other words, it challenges all men to show that there is any profit. And if none, then all is vanity indeed. This verse also shows the extent of the ground which bin of the preceding verse is designed to cover. For Tvq followed by a Dagh. conjunctive, see Lex. Tro , Note (b.) at the close. — ■)"hrP , from the root ""irn , means literally remainder, what remains, and then secondarily gain, profit. — finxb, with the article-vowel under b, § 35, B. b. Note 2 and § 35, 1. Here again the article 12 134 ECCLESIASTES I. 3. makes the word denote the whole race of men, the genus huma- mim,\ike our word mankind. It is the Dat. of appurtenance ; the copula being omitted, as usual. Or we may call it a case of the Gen. made by prefixing b, Gr. § 113, 2. In all his toil is a literal rendering of l^ozHbaa , but the true sense of a here is by, on account of, or in respect to, Lex. a, B. 10. The usual mean- ing of in would hardly make an intelligible sense here. The suff. i , appended to bos> , refers to a 1 ?:* , which is in the sing, number ; but as the latter noun is generic, so also must the sufF. be. In bbSJJti j the common abridged form of "ittSJSS , "O is combined with the verb. The x of the pronoun is dropped, because of its feeble sound, and the n assimilates to the letter which follows it, and is expressed by a Dagh. forte in that letter. No book in the Heb. Scriptures makes such a use of this abridged form, or employs it with anything of the like frequency, as Coheleth. Early cases of its use are rare, and mostly somewhat doubtful. It is found mainly in Ecc, Cant., and some of the later Psalms. Its fre- quency in Coheleth even reminds one of the Rabbinic, and is one of the distinctive characteristics of the peculiar diction of the book. The imperf., as Vtflp, designates continued, repeated, cus- tomary action more frequently than any other tense; Gr. § 125, 4, 6. The Heb. much oftener than our own language, puts a kindred noun after a verb to render the expression energetic. We can say rim a race, fight a good fight, etc., but our limits are narrow as to this kind of diction. On the contrary, the Hebrew extends this mode of expression very widely ; as bftS te' , nbn ibn, ti'sv aup, etc. To avoid saying (as the Heb. does) toiled a toil, I have translated ad sensum by toil which he laboriously per- formeth ; see Gr. § 135, n. 1. I 'mlcr the sun occurs only in Coheleth ; but here it is repeated some twenty-five times, and constitutes a marked peculiarity of the book. (Sec p. l 1 for a lisl of the cases.) We convey the same idea by calling things sublunary =. under the moon. The ECCLESIASTES 1.4,5. 105 Heb. expression is more striking than ours. Earthly or worldly purposes, actions, and events are designated by assigning this predicate to them. — WO for u;?2d, because of the pause-accent. (4) [One] generation passeth away, and [another] generation cometh : and the earth abideth forever. The Heb. *tto, without the article, is equivalent to a generation, or one generation. The latter is the preferable English here. T|^n is often used to designate departure, go big away; and xa (Part, here) means coming in the sense of entering upon the scene of action. This going and coming shows the brevity and vanity of human life ; since there is nothing permanent or en- during in man ; and confirms the preceding verse, which denies that man has any solid and lasting good or reward in the present world. On the other hand, the earth abideth forever. The mean- ing he^re given to rTroS (Qamets before pause) is by no means unusual ; see Lex. s. v. No. 2. All three of the participles here employed are designedly used to express continuance of action. The sentiment is, that the earth is fixed and immutable, admit- ting no changes for the better, and, consequently, no hopes of lightening human misery by such changes. Man's condition in the world, and his relation to it, must ever remain the same. His frailty in himself on the one hand, and on the other the fore- closure against any change for the better in the things without, concur to show that he can find no permanent happiness here. Vs. 3 and 4 fall back upon, or stand related to, the assertion in v. 2, that " all is vanity." (5) And the sun riseth, and the sun setteth, and to its place it hasteneth, where it ariseth. Here K2 (verb) is employed in a sense apparently the oppo- site of that in the verse above. The simple fact is, that occasion- ally the verb Xia, whose usual meaning isintrare,ingredi\ is also employed in the general sense of ire, viz., to go or move forward 136 ECCLESIASTES I. 6. in any direction ; see Lex. Exactly to our purpose, is its mean- ing in Gen. 15 : 12. Perhaps (with Knobel) we may attribute its use here, to an associated idea that the setting sun enters (in- greditur) its subterraneous dwelling, viz., the ocean, according to the view of the Hebrews. The greater distinctive accent on ■Bh'pn is not well placed; for this word is intimately connected with Eprfti . This last word literally means to pant, e. g., as one does in consequence of running swiftly. Figuratively it is attrib- uted to the sun, in his race from the place of setting to that of rising, in order that he may be ready to rise again the next morning. I have given in my version the real meaning which the word is designed here to express, viz., hasteneth instead of panteth. The imagery is vivid. The sun must make great haste (which occasions panting), in order to return, in a few hours, to the place from which it arose. In what way the ancient Hebrews conceived this return to be accomplished, whether by going round the world, or under it, we are unable to say. In the Targum on this verse (6th century), it is said, that ' the sun goes round by the side of the north, in the path of the abyss.' But in the Heb. Scriptures I can recall no passage which seems to designate the common views of the ancient Hebrews on this subject. It must have appeared very mysterious to a thinking man among them. Where it ariseth, or will arise. As habitual action is here im- plied, the former is the preferable version. The clause is rela- tive, and ^rx is implied before rnit , and therefore modifies n& , making it to mean where, Gramm. §121,3, comp. 1. The present tense is formed most frequently of all, in this book, by the Part. pres., which has often an accompanying pronoun, as here, SOS", rnit. (6) The wind gocth to the south, and turncth about to the north, turning and turning it goetli, and to its circuits doth the wind return. The Heb. order of words we cannot well follow here ; for we must then translate: It goeth to the south, and turneth about to the ECCLESIASTES I. 7. 137 north, turning turning goeth the wind. The Part. ^in does not here indicate departure, as in v. 4, but progredie?is, progressing in any direction. Turnclh about, or circuiteth, implies a moving of the wind through the intermediate points, from the south round to the north. But why these two points rather than east and west? Evidently because the sun's rising and setting in the east and west had already brought them to view, and the writer did not wish to repeat the same points. There are six participles in this verse, all indicative of continued successive action. — tyn is here employed as masc. ; and so in Ex. 10 : 13 ; Ps. 51 : 12 ; 1 K. 19 : 11. It is fern, elsewhere. Win = 6 au/e/zos, the wind. The repetition of Mid gives intensity to the description of the turning, representing it as occurring in constant succession. The wind retumeth to its circuits, i. e., it turns until it reaches the point from which it started, and then goes again upon the like circuits. In other words, the same thing is repeated over and over again continually. (7) All the streams go to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams go, thither do they again return. bi^W, not specifically rivers, but running or flowing water in streams large or small. Statistically accurate we need not re- quire the writer to be ; for many brooks are lost in the sand, or flow into the Jordan ; and even the Jordan itself flows into the lake of Sodom. But in Hebrew, a lake is called a sea. The usual fact as to the course of rivers, is enough for the writer's purpose. Howthe rivers get back to their sources again, so as to repeat the flowing into the sea, the writer does not intimate ; even as before, he does not tell us how the sun gets back to his place of rising. Probably underground channels were supposed to exist; comp. Gen. 7:11, where the fountains of the great deep are said to be unstopped, in order to overflow the earth. The fact that rain is formed by evaporation from the sea (by 12* 133 ECCLESIASTES I. 8. which the sea parts with as much as it receives and so is never full), seems hardly to have been known to the Hebrews, at least in any such way as we now understand the matter ; although there is something like to this in the earth-ivatering mist of Gen. 2 : G. — *S3i8 is the negative of the verb to be, combined with RYl, see Lex. "pa with the remarks on the suffixes. The nega- tive before a def. verb would be xb ; before a Part, it is "pS . — dipa const, form before B = 1»», Gr. § 114, 2. The article * , being a Guttural, does not admit the Dagh. forte that would normally follow ttJ . — fi'j is rightly connected by the accent with the clause that follows it, and means there or (as we say in such a case) thither. — taenia Part., lit. returning, but it is here em- ployed in the sense of again or repetition ; see Lex. We might literally translate : thither they repeat to go. For b , i. e., this prefix with Qamets before the fern. Inf. rzb (root 7&), see Lex. b . The other Qamets, belonging to the verb, arises from the pause, § 29, 4. (8) All words grow weary, no man can utter [them] ; the eye is not satis- fied with seeing, nor the ear filled so that it cannot hear. The Part, BKp3J belongs to an intransitive verb, and we may translate grow weary or are wearied, since yj£ is both act. and passive as to its form. The language is clearly tropical, but the meaning is plain, viz., that language would fail to tell the whole, or to tell it would weary out language. So the clause that fol- lows, which affirms that no one can utter all the words necessary to tell the whole story. The article stands before ti^TS^ , in order to show that the words or descriptions in question have relation to such things as are mentioned in vs. 4 — 7, = all words neces- sary to relate all such things. — tesp, the Imperf. Hoph. of bb* , lit. shall be made able, is in common use for Kal, which is unem- ployed in this verb. In K'IS'lb the b may be rendered to, or in respect to. I have adopted our more familiar phraseology — ECCLESIASTES I. 9, 10. 139 satisfied ivith seeing. — Nor the car be filled so that it cannot hear. The 12 before the Inf. has usually a negative meaning (see Lex. ■)«, 5, c), i. e., lit. it means from, away from, any thing or action, and so a negation of it. The last two clauses are evidently a commentary on the two preceding, designed to illustrate and con- firm them. The eye is satisfied, only when it has seen all that is to be seen. But this can never happen, for the things that might be seen are at any time more than words can tell. So with the ear. It can never be filled, so that there is not more which might be told and heard. Hence §frttfta , ita ut non audiat. Both of these cases show that the number of occurrences and events is so great, that it is beyond the power of eye or ear to see or hear of all. They are, as asserted above, more than words can describe. (9) That which has been is that which shall be, and that which has been done is that which shall be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. For VS-riTa , id quod, see Lex. tva , 2. This word loses its in- terrogative power, when combined (as here) with another word. }"nn , has occurred, or taken place, accidit, like yivo/xai. — ann involves the copula is, and may therefore be literally translated is that, oris the same; Gr. 119, 2. — ftto, verb Niph. The Part, of this same form would be fern., and so not accordant with the masc. «*in . — nfcsn , Imperf. Niph., Gr. § 62, 4. — For f» , the const, form of "pa , see in Lex. — ?3 with short o, because of the Maqqeph. The first clause of the verse refers to things which happen, occurrences ; the second to things which are done, actions. Of these it is said : " There is nothing new." (10) Is there anything of which one may say: See, this is new? Long ago was it, in ancient times which were before us. Wj, matter, thing ; as often elsewhere; Lex. 3. The ^ im- plies a preposition before it, S or b, concerning or in regard to, Gr. § 152, 3, -raso has no subject expressed, and has therefore HO ECCLESIASTES I. 11. an indef. Nom. one, any one. — KJisn simply is, see Gr. § 119, 2, and Lex. — 133, frequent in Syriac,but peculiar to Ecc.in the He- brew. Hitzig lias best illustrated it by the Arabic J& (— M zs) which means extreme old age. Knobel doubts such a meaning of the Hebrew, but without good reason. At any rate, it fits the passage well. That OTbbs* often means ancient times, days of yore, the Lex. will show, b before it, in such a case, is not unfrequent, for this preposition is often prefixed to a word designating time. Gr. 151, 3, e. The verb rnrr, which follows, is sing., while its antecedent subject is plural. But like cases occur in respect to this verb and some others ; see in Ecc. 2:7; Gen. 35 : 26 ; 47 : 24 ; 1 Chron. 2:9; 3:1. Similar anomalies of TT'n in respect to gender also occur; comp. Ex. 12 : 49 ; Gen. 15 : 17. In fact, then, STtt seems to be occasionally used in a kind of impersonal way, so that the sing, number may be employed, even if the noun to which the verb stands related is in the plural. It may be, too, that *im (in the present case), having a sing, form, even when a plur. is designated by it (as here), may take after it a verb of the like form. Ewald translates thus : what happens before our eyes, making this clause the subject or Nom. to *Q3 Svn . But this would require toSBb , and not admit of W&^s , which means from [the time] before us ; see Is. 41 : 26. The bearing of vs. 9, 10, on what precedes, is plain. The writer had said that everything moved on in one perpetual circle of repetition, the same things always occurring over and over again. Here he confirms his assertion, by challenging any one to point out a single thing which is actually new, i. e., which is an exception to what he affirms. Long ago did everything hap- pen which now happens ; therefore, there is one unvarying round of occurrences. (11) Tiiere is no remembrance of former things; and also in respect to after things which are to come, there will be no remembrance of them among those who will exist thereafter. ECCLESIASTICS I. 11. 141 This verse assigns the reason why some err in supposing that something new takes place. Former occurrences are forgotten ; and, not recognizing this, some suppose that things happen which are really new. This will be equally true of things yet to come. Those who succeed the next generation will, in like manner, for- get what preceded them. Consequently, there can be no proof that any new thing actually takes place. The word "p-DT (from "p'-ST ) is in the const, form ; and it may be so, notwithstanding the b that follows ; Gr. § 114, 1. But not improbably the apparent const, form here may, in reality, be ab- solute, like 'j'hrP , ThvflB , etc., as some nouns, we well know, have more than one absolute form. In tfQthfib , the b has the article- vowel, and the article is employed before a word designating an entire totality. Lit. the word means primus, first ; but by usage (since there is no compar. form for adjectives in Heb.), it means former, antecedent, viz., former occurrences and actions. The same is true of dW»b, which is generic, and designates all that will occur or be done thereafter. Of course the article may be used before it, as it is in h . — dS> , with, but also as apud, among, which is the better sense here. § 2. Efforts to obtain Happiness by the Acquisition of Wisdom. [We have seen that § 1 contains an introduction, by proposing the theme, and pointing out the general sources whence the proof of that theme will be drawn, viz., from the brevity and vanity of human life, and the immutable and ever-recurring round of phenomena in the world about us and above us. A divine Omnipotent hand has enstampcd these characters on every- thing ; and man, who is miserable now, cannot indulge any hope of bettering his condition by changes made in the order and influence of natural phenom- ena Having thus introduced his reader to the outlines of his theme, the author proceeds to tell us who he is. and what experiments he has made in order to discover the secret of human happiness in the present world. His experience is very diversified ; and he shows us that, in whatever way he turned himself, he was always forced at last to the same conclusion, viz., that ALL IS VANITY,] 142 ECCLESIASTES I. 12. Chap. I. 12—18. (12) I, Coheleth, was King over Israel in Jerusalem. If, as Hitzig intimates (Vorbemerk. § 3), Coheleth be Wisdom incarnate in Solomon, and thus personified, how could the writer speak as he does here ? In Prov. viii. and in the book of Wis- dom, the personification of Wisdom is made plain and palpable to the reader. But here we have a personage, who is king over a particular people, and in a definite city. The designations in v. 12 would, indeed, seem very strange in the mouth of Solomon, on the supposition that he, in person, is addressing his contem- poraries. Did they need to be told that he lived at Jerusalem ? Above all, those who think Coheleth means a literary academy, or consessus, are forced to an almost ridiculous translation here. So Doderlein : " I, O academy, was king, etc." The language seems to be explicable only on the ground that the book was composed when the nation had been divided, and there were two kings and two capitals in Palestine. Israel is a name applicable to the whole nation, or to the ten tribes, or, finally, to the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Here it has the latter meaning. The emphasis laid on was, by expressly inserting the verb T^ii, shows that the day had passed by when Coheleth was king. This was not the case with Solomon while he lived, for he was king to the time of his death; and therefore he could not speak of himself as a past 1 king. The plural (or dual) form of d^l»*l'"n probably took its rise from the upper and lower parts of the city; like d^ispa , the two Mitzars, or Egypt, upper and lower. But why does the writer bring this to view? Plainly because that wisdom, the first special and individual topic of discussion, belonged preeminently to Solomon. If any one could find hap- piness in the pursuit of it, he surely was the man. 1 Too much Btre b seems to as to be laid on this form of the verb, both here and in the [ntrod., § 5, p. 68, where see note. — Ed. ECCLESIASTES I. 13. 143 (13) And I gave my mind to seek out and make careful investigation, by wisdom, concerning all which is done under heaven ; this is an unhappy em- ployment which God has given to the sous of men, to occupy themselves therewith. The verb ttSiTl means to seek after, to seek out. 11PI means more than this, viz., it literally signifies to go round and round a thing, in order elosely to inspect it ; hence it means, in its secondary sense, to investigate carefully and closely. The first verb designates looking up the object, the second means carefully prying into it and minutely examining it. The a (prep.) marks the instrumentality employed, or the manner in which the inves- tigation was conducted. The Pattah under it is the article- vowel ; and rightly does it stand here, for i"ra3fiir! means the ivis- dom requisite or appropriate to such an investigation. EverytJdng which is done, refers to the, actions of men, and not the objects of nature ; for he could not well say of them what he affirms in v. 14, viz., that they were all vanity and an empty affair. Their immutable order and ever-recurring and uniform phenomena, however, render them incapable of control by man, as vs. 4 — 8 show ; and therefore they are incapable of being so used by him as to prevent all his inconveniences and sufferings. Yet the things in themselves are beautiful and good, as 3 : 11 declares. It is the vanity of human effort after knowledge, i. e., such knowledge as will secure and render stable our present happi- ness, which the writer is going to discuss. He declares at the outset that this employment is an unhappy one, although Provi- dence has seen fit to discipline men thereby. Mil it is, or the same is, § 119, 2. — £3$, business, occupation, in the const, state before in, which is here a noun used for an adjective, § 104, 1. The distinctive accent (Rebhia) gives the form with Qamets, instead of the original Pattah, 3H. Such a grammatical relation of nouns connected intimately, is not unfre- quent ; see Ecc. 4:8; 5 : 13 ; Ezek. 11:2; Prov. 6:21; 24 : 25 ; 28 : 5, and compare Gr. § 104, 1. The meaning of 144 ECCLESIASTES I. 14. the word £55 here, and in several other places in Ecc., viz., occu- pation, business, is peculiar to this book alone in the Old Testa- ment. In Rabbinic, the like is very frequent. It comes from the meaning of No. II. under n;s>, which is laborem impendit, followed by a before the object on which the labor is bestowed ; see the end of this verse. The same meaning and construction is common both to the Syriac and Arabic. Specially is the word applied to a toilsome labor bestowed on anything ; which is just the case before us. Before *,n3 the pron. 'TtBSt is implied, § 121, 3. God has assigned to the sons of men, is designed to show that an overruling Providence controls all such things, and there- fore that men should not murmur because this is their lot. No- where does the writer cast imputations upon Providence for its allotments ; but still, he fully states the trials and grievances of man, under the immutable arrangements of Providence. — ni5§ in the like sense as £». (14) I considered all the works which are done under the sun, and lo ! all is vanity and fruitless effort. "rv^ is used to designate mental seeing or consideration (so here), as well as corporeal seeing. Works are here the same which have before been brought to view. V3H with the article, because it designates an entire class of things. — tvn TRSft some translate affliction of spirit, deducing the word from r^n or r:n . But this cannot be done ; for such verbs do not yield the form in question. Another class render it feeding of the wind, deriving it from iiJ"! to feed, and comparing Hos. 2:2.. But the noun is abstract in its present form, and will hardly bear this verbal active sense. It should be rviyi, an Infin. nomen actionis. The word seems best derived from IW as equivalent to SlX^ , to take pleasure in, lo will or desire. So the Chald. nrn means. We may translate : stadium venti, i. e., a windy affair, or a worthless business. Considering how much of the diction of the book con- ECCLESIASTES I. 15,16- 145 sists of the later Hebrew, which approaches to the Chaldee, such a use of the word is not improbable. But this use, however, in Hebrew, is to be found only in Ecclesiastes. This sense har- monizes well with yn £Mp, in v. 13. So Knobel, Ges., Rosenm., and Heiligs. ; and to this I see no weighty objection. The form is like wniB from nnd, Gr. § 84, V. This result shows why, in the preceding verse, he declares the undertaking of a close investigation to be an an )yy , a disagree- able occupation. (15) That which is crooked cannot be straightened, and that which is wanting cannot be numbered. Here is the ground of the sentiment in v. 14. Human efforts are vain and fruitless, because they cannot change or amend the constitution and course of things. In 7 : 13, the MSB is attrib- uted to God as a work of his, or something which he has made. The idea here is, that there are numerous causes of human misery and suffering, which lie under no control of man. Many things are lacking which might administer to his comfort, that cannot be at all supplied by any human effort. Hence the ef- forts of man, in pursuit of gratifying his desires, are a n^l MSI . The Part. MST3 is in Pual of rns , with 1 as a reg. consonant. — Vpn is neut. intrans. verb, rectus fuit, and so it may be rendered passively, as above. i"Ppn instead of "ten or "ton, shows the tendency, in the later Hebrew, to forms of this kind. — m'SBrt, Inf. Niph. of t~ya, to number. When the parts of a thing can be all numbered, everything is there which makes a complete whole. The lack, in the present case, shows imperfection ; and one which no man can supply or make up. (16) I spake in my heart, saying : I, lo ! I have increased and added to wisdom beyond all who were before me at Jerusalem — and my mind lias considered wisdom and knowledge very much. To speak in the heart, means to commune with one's self, to 13 146 ECCLESIASTES I. 17,18. reflect or deliberate upon. The ^ia which stands before 'nt'n is designed to give special emphasis to the clause. The shape of the Heb. is such as I have given to the Eng. translation above. inbrtsn, in Hiph. means to make great, i. e., to increase, to en- large. — TiSOin, Hiph. of S)t£, I made addition to ; i. e., he in- creased the wisdom which had before become great, he added to it still more by his strenuous efforts. The second bs> , before the name of a place, means at ; see Lex. ps , 3. — iiairi , Inf. Hiph., lit. multiplicando. In meaning = lata (not used in this book), and sometimes both are united in the Hebrew for the sake of in- tensity. Its adverbial use, as here, is very common everywhere, Gr. § 98, 2, d. — iiyil ^-^ > the ^ rs ^ wor< i means 'practical or prudential wisdom, while T/S'n designates theoretical knowledge or sagacity ; like the Greek o-oia and yvoxm. For the first Qa- mets in rril , see Lex. 1 ; for the second, Gr. § 29, 4. The form is the same as that of the feminine Infinitive of ST) ; but the meaning is abstract, and it is not, like the Inf., a mere nomen actionis. All who were before him in Jerusalem, cannot mean all persons of every class, but cdl kings. See Introd., § 5. (17) And I applied my mind to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly ; I perceived that this also is fruitless effort. For the ii- in the first verb, see § 48 b, 2, a. — rr*n , with ? implied, as in the preceding case it is expressed, viz., in PiS'ib . For the pointing of p , see Lex. b . — nibVn , Plur. of rYibbin (10 : 13), and much oftener employed, because it is intense = ravings. — MP=ftj with Sin ; more correctly is G put for it) in 2 : 3, 12, 13 ; 7 : 25 ; 10 : 1, 13 ; for b follows the true etymol- ogy. — K*l , is, as before. — mi 'j'han the same as mi nwi in v. 14. It is from the same root (nrn), and differs merely in form from the other, § 83, 15, 1G. (IS) For in much wisdom is much irritation; and he who addcth to his knowledge, addcth to his Borrow. ECCLESIASTES II. 1. 147 The reason is here given of what is asserted at the close of the preceding verso. Irritation or vexation results from the often-disappointed hopes and efforts to extend one's knowledge. Sorrow may refer to the depression of mind which often suc- ceeds intense study and efforts to acquire knowledge, or possibly to the bodily indisposition which commonly attends such exer- tions. When the pursuit of wisdom, and the efforts to separate it from folly, result in this state of mind and body, it becomes plain that it is a fruitless pursuit, in respect to attaining to solid and permanent happiness. In accordance with this sentiment Cicero speaks: Videtur mihi cadere in sapientem aegritudo, Tusc. III. 4. So Montenabbi : " Destiny contends with the pre- eminent; by the side of greater knowledge marches greater grief;" in Gynsburg's Geist des Orient, s. 144. § 3. Efforts to obtain Happiness by the Pursuit of Pleasure. Chap. II. 1—11. [These are presented in a variety of particulars. Coheleth indulged in mirth and wine ; in building and planting; in parks and pleasure-gankns ; in the possession of many servants and of many flocks and herds ; in heap- ing up gold and silver ; in procuring singing men and women ; in marrying a wife and taking many concubines ; and finally, in everything which could gratify either the eye, or the ear, or any of the senses. At last, he found all these indulgences to be utterly incompetent to afford the happiness which he sought, vs. 1 — 11. In I : 17 he says that he sought out both wisdom and folly. Of his ill success in the former pursuit, he has already told us ; he is now going to tell us what resulted from the folly of pursuing pleasure.] (1)1 said in my heart : Come now, let me try thee with pleasure, and do thou enjoy good ! And lo ! even this is vanity. This form of monologue with one's self is not without parallel in the Ileb. Scriptures ; see Ps. 42 : 6, 12 ; 43 : 5, perhaps Ps. 16 : 2, comp. Luke 12 : 18, seq., " I will say to my soul: Soul, 148 ECCLESIASTES II. 2. thou hast many good things," etc. (for r£), nrb emphatic pro- longed Imper., come thou! — Fto©3», Piel of rtW with smT. hav- ing n paragogic : Let me try thee. Both suffixes refer to nb = 1TB3 , for both occasionally = self. — nn^bn , with joy, i. e., pleas- ure of every kind. — fi^p.l , and enjoy thou ; but the form is Imper. masc. in reference to nb . Some translate : " Thou shalt enjoy, etc." But this is less energetic than the Imper. form of the Hebrew. To see is often used in the Old Test, and in the New for perceiving, enjoying ; comp. 6 : 6. — d|, also, likewise ; i. e., found this to be vanity as well as the matter set forth in 1 : 17. — HSil, see here, lo ! calling special attention. — ^n, This is. Such is the general proposition of § 3. The proofs and illus- tration of what is here laid down are detailed in the sequel. The good in question is not moral or spiritual, but natural physi- cal good, i. e., pleasure or enjoyment. The writer intends to show that all the sources of it fail to produce the desired end, I. e., solid and lasting happiness. (2) In respect to laughter I said : Madness ! And in respect to pleasure : What avails it ? h , in respect to, see Lex. "b A. 5. — bbiiTa , Part. Poal, neut. gender, silly stuff, or a stupid business. By laughter is meant boisterous or noisy mirth, i. e., unrestrained and immoderate rioting. But «"iJT2b designates pleasure in general, comprehend- ing all and every kind of it. Respecting this he asks : What does it avail, or yield ? i. e., it yields nothing of solid and lasting worth. — ril is fem., and peculiar to this book only as to fre- quency. It belongs to the later Hebrew, and seems to be an apoc. form of rm, like T\~\ out of trfta ; for examples of it,' see 5 : 15, 18 ; 7 : 23 ; 9:13. — tfob Part, fem., with meaning as in '''is STJ2, to produce fruit ; which meaning is very common. For the Dagh. conjunc. in *, see under fi?2 in Lex. ECCLESIASTES II. 3. 140 (3) I sought in my mind to draw my flesh hy wine, and my mind con- tinued to guide with sagacity; and also to lav hold upon folly, until I should see what is good for the sons of men which they should do under heaven, during the number of the days of their lives. The b here before the Inf. might have the same sense that I have given to it in the preceding verse, viz., with respect to; but the version above is more congruous here. The preceding verb, 'Vpn, means to investigate, lit. to go round and round a thing in the mind ; with the design of preparing for action. Erroneous is the version : " I determined in my mind to confirm or attract, etc." The meaning is, that Coheleth often and seriously re- flected on the doings in which he was about to engage. — TpttHa^ here has long been an offendiculum criticorum. The literal meaning of the verb is to draw, drag along, draw out in the sense of extracting, or (in case of sound) protracting. These meanings exhaust the legitimate sense of the word ; the rest as- signed to it are factitious, and made out from the apparent stress of the occasion. Ges. renders : firmavit, strengthened, because the corresponding Syriac verb has the sense of induruit. But this meaning is inapposite here ; for it is pleasurable indulgence in wine which is the immediate subject-matter of the discourse, and not wine used as a tonic or medicine, i. e., to strengthen. We are not at liberty to appeal to the Syriac, if we can do as well without it. Knobel : festhalten, in the sense of holding fast to, i. e., retaining and not remitting the use of wine. But so the proper order of things would be reversed. It is the drinking of it that comes first in order ; the holding on to drinking is a sub- sequent matter, and therefore should not be placed first. Heilig- stedt : trahere, i. e., attrahere, to attract, i. e., allure, which surely is not the meaning of TjCTa . Then it requires "jl^a to be trans- lated fo ivine [attrahere ad vi?ium,as he renders it), which is out of the question here, because wine is the instrument or agent by which the drawing is done. J. H. Mich, (in Bibl.) : " ut pro- trahcrem, i. e., paullo diutius detinerem ; " a sense which would 13* 150 ECCLESIASTES II. 3. give to the wine-drinking a medicinal object and aspect here, in- stead of a pleasurable one, as the text demands ; and this would be inapposite. Besides, diutius detinerem is a sense that the verb will hardly bear. But after rejecting all this, what have we left ? Hitzig has given a new turn to the matter. He puts Tp$ha in relation with the following ifnb ; the one draws the chariot in which the man (17:3) is seated, while the other drives or guides it. He compares with it the phrase : to support or prop up the heart with bread. In this last phrase, bread is represented as holding up or supporting. So to draw or carry along by the aid of wine, he thinks to be a parallel mode of expression. "Wine "keeps the machine in motion." But this seems rather far- fetched, at first view. To draw along the body or flesh is, at least, a metaphor elsewhere unknown. To protract the flesh would be less strange, if it could have any other meaning than a medicinal one, *. e., prolong its continuance. To draw out, in the sense of widening or expanding, would be inappropriate. Coheleth surely could not expect pleasure from making his body huge and unwieldy. Still, that ana has a relation to Tpu? , seems to be altogether probable. They are correlates, in a like way as coach and driver. Urged by this apparent correlation, and by the difficulties of the other and different versions, we can hardly refuse to conclude that the first expression regards men as mov- ing along on the journey of life, while wine is, so to speak, the drawer of their chariot. But such a steed is often furious, and so it needs a Srib endowed with wisdom, i. e., skilful leader or driver. And such a driver Coheleth employed. In other words : he did not go into excess in drinking wine, and thus injure or destroy himself ; but when he indulged in it, he took rr:=n for his guide ; i. e., discretion, wariness, or sagacity. In this way he might proceed some length in his experiment, without material harm. — *iba is the corporeal me, the physical self. — aril means literally panting ; then making to pant, to agitate, or urge, and so the Part, means, one who urges, etc., e. g., as a driver urges ECCLESIASTES II. 3. 151 his team, or a shepherd his flock. The discretion of Coheleth in providing such a guide or coachman (so to speak) as n^rn , when wine was carrying him along on his journey, is very appar- ent. On the whole, there can be no doubt that the sense thus given by Hitzig is significant, and to the writer's present purpose. The main difficulty is the seeming strangeness of the figurative or symbolical representation. But we now and then are com- pelled to admit, in other cases, imagery not elsewhere employed, on the ground of securing congruity in the sense. Must we not acquiesce in this here, inasmuch as it does not violate the princi- ples of lexicography, while it makes the passage altogether sig- nificant ? — truth connects with tp'llteb , and both fall back on win . He resolved in his mind the project of laying hold on folly, i. e., to grasp it and keep hold of it, until he could thoroughly examine it. In the preceding chapter, we are told how he had been dis- appointed in the pursuit of wisdom. Now he is making a new sort of trial. He mixes wisdom and folly together ; i. e., he gives up himself to indulgence in wine, but takes care not to lay aside discretion in the matter. The drinking is the matter of folly ; and this is what he designs to investigate. Until I might see what is good, etc., *>!* const, form of ^ , and usually connected with a pronoun of some kind. Originally it means where; but secondarily it occupies the same place as ^ttJK, and has a like sense. It is the sign of a question before pronouns and adverbs ; and this, whether the question be direct, or (as here) indirect. We may therefore translate it here by what, as do Hitzig, Knob., and Heiligs. — Sia here, as usual in this book, means what is useful, pleasant, promotive of enjoyment. — fe;? *11DK, that they should do, not (as many) what they do; see Lex. -im, B. 2. The object of Coheleth was to see, by experiment, what could be done to advantage, or so as to secure true enjoyment in respect to the matter before him. — ^Sb^a is translated by De Wette, Knobel, and others, few (lit., as they aver, fewness). But no 152 ECCLESIASTES II. 4. case occurs of "iB&tt, in the const, state as here, with such a meaning. All the cases, e. g., Gen. 34 : 30 ; Deut 4 : 27 ; Jer. 44 : 28 ; Ps. 105 : 12 ; 1 Chron. 16 : 19 ; Job 16 : 22, et al., are cases where the form is ^3&E, which is in the Gen. after another noun, and thus meaning fewness, it becomes an adjective z=few, § 104, 1. Lit. it designates that which can be numbered, and of course comparatively a few. But it also means number simply considered ; and such is the meaning here, it being in the Ace. of time how long ; we must then translate thus : during the num- ber of the days, etc. See § 116, 2. Sentiment: 'I revolved in my mind the effort, to make the journey of life by the aid of wine to carry me along, associated with sagacity as my conductor or guide ; and thus to subject to examination the apparent folly of drinking wine, until I should come to see how far it might promote our present enjoyment. In this meaning we may acquiesce, undisturbed by any incon- gruity excepting the apparent singularity of the imagery em- ployed. I feel philologically compelled to assent to this ; at Last, until more light is thrown upon the doubtful clauses. The new meanings given to the word "qtio do not make an apposite sense here ; and therefore it is better to abide by the old one if we can. (4) I engaged in great undertakings; I built for myself houses, and planted for myself vineyards. The first clause, lit. I made great my works, is a general in- troduction to what follows ; which consists in designations of the specific undertakings that constituted his works. *»b is the Dat. commodi. Solomon was thirteen years in building his own ]ii.iji)iiiccnt house; he also built a like one for his Egyptian wife, besides his ''house of the forest of Lebanon" (1 K. 7: 1, 2, 8), not to mention the temple, IK. 9: 19. His vineyards are mentioned in Cant. 8:11. ECCLESIASTES II. 5,6. 153 (5) I made for myself gardens and pleasure-grounds, and I planted in them fruit-trees of every kind. •jS is from "ra ; hence the Dagh. forte in the plural. The verb means to protect ; and therefore the Heb. idea of a garden is that of an enclosed or protected place. — tn^D is a foreign word, found elswhere only in Cant. 4: 13. Neh. 2 : 8. The latter pas- sage shows that large trees belonged to such a paradise. The Greeks transplanted the word, through Xenophon, into their lan- guage — 7rapaSao-os ; Xen. Cyrop. I. 3. 5. 12. Oecon, 4. 13. In Armenian, pardes signifies a garden close to the house, filled with herbage, flowers, and grass. Hitzig and Heiligs. derive the word from the old Sanscrit pradeca, which means an enclosure, like the Heb. "ja. Still, a pleasure-ground would be enclosed, and would naturally contain trees and shrubs of every kind, and specially fruit-trees. The Arabians use the word, and the Per- sians seem to have derived it from them. It belongs only to the later Hebrew. In the older Heb., yr$ "ja designates the place where Adam was originally stationed. Gen. 2:8, 10; 13: 10. — Dtia, in them, denotes that both the gardens and pleasure-grounds were planted with fruit-trees; comp. Cant. 4: 13. (6) I made for myself pools of water, for watering from them the groves shooting up trees. PiiS'na with- immutable in regimen, § 93. 1, in e. g. The first meaning of 7pS is to kneel, so that ns'na lit. designates a hieeling- place, viz., for camels when they drink. Hence a pool, a water- ing-place. The design of the pools is described in the sequel, viz., to supply water for the trees. See the pool of the king, Neh. 2 : 14, which the Jews held, and not improbably, to have been constructed by Solomon. — tto'lS is properly a neut. in- trans., but still it is followed by the Ace. fiW, which is often employed to designate the object in respect to or as to which the assertion of the verb or Part, is made, § 117, 3. Comp. Pro v. 10 : 31 ; 24 : 31 ; Is. 34 : 13, for like specimens of the Ace. 154 ECCLESIASTES II. 7,8. (7) I procured servants and handmaids, and those born in the house be- longed to me ; much property also in herds and Mocks belonged to me, more than all [possessed] who were before me in Jerusalem. ^n-jj? often means to buy or purchase, which I take to be the sense here, although my translation does not imply it of necessity. rW"i3?, sons of the house, was the softer Heb. appellation of slaves. It designates such as were born of bond-women in the houses of their masters ; for, by universal custom, the children followed the condition of the mother; Gen. 14 : 14; 15 : 2, 3. Sometimes they were called mn ■n*^ ; at others, Stok "*3a . — rrn *b , lit. there was to me = 1 had, or possessed. On this ground, i. e., because the meaning of a verb active is really designated, the Ace. (sons of the house) is placed after rnti ; see like cases in Gen. 47 : 24 ; Ex. 12 : 49 ; 28 : 7 ; Num. 9:14; 15 : 29 ; Deut. 18 : 2 ; 2 Chron. 17 : 13, where i"Pfi disagrees with its subject, either in number or gender ; i. e., it is used in a kind of impersonal way. — l&Sj rendered flocks, includes both sheep and goats. Above all before me, etc., i. e., above all kings who were before him. See the remarks on 1:16, and reference. For the illustration of abundance in such possessions, see Gen. 12 : 16 ; Job 1 : 3. (8) I heaped up for myself both silver and gold, and the treasures of kings and provinces ; I procured for myself singing-men and singing-women, and the delight of the sons of men, a wife and wives. Riches were of course to be expected among the train of ex- periments. In these Solomon abounded above all. The treas- ures of kings, viz., such as are brought to view in 1 K. 5 : 1 ; 10 : 15 ; 4:21. And provinces ■, viz., such as the twelve prov- inces mentioned in 1 K. 4 : 7 seq., comp. v. 20, which were divis- ions of the kingdom for the purpose of collecting revenue, ^"ra is ;i word belonging to the later Hebrew only. The article before the plur. in the text refers to well-known provinces ; comp. 1 K. ECCLESIASTES II. 8. 155 20 : 15, and Ps. 45 : 17 (16). As to riches in general, see 1 K. 10 : 27 seq. ; 2 Chron. 1 : 15; 9 : 20. Singing-men and sink- ing-women were a part of the usual accompaniments of feasting; 2 Sam. 19 : 35. Compare the allusions to the like custom in Is. 5:12; Amos 6 : 5, 6. tiVniBI ST-Jld has been the theme of much conjecture and dispute. Still, it would seem that a plain path has at last been opened by Ilitzig. It is certain that d^SST), in Cant. 7 : 7, refers to amo- rous delight (as the Latins sometimes use deliciae), to which Solomon, beyond any other Jewish king that we know of, was addicted ; see 1 K. 11:3; Cant. 6 : 8. Again, this kind of pleasure is nowhere referred to in the context; and we can hardly conceive that it would be entirely omitted in such a case as his, for he had seven hundred wives and three hundred con- cubines. Moreover, the singular here (iT-rttj), and then the plur. rvfatiJ , agrees well with the fact, that there was one, the proper queen, who was Solomon's "btt& (Ps. 45 : 10), i. e., spouse, in the higher sense (see 1 K. 3 : 1 ; 7: 8), and that he also had many subordinate wives. In accordance with the characteristic traits of Solomon's life, this circumstance is put last, as being the high- est point or summit of his efforts to obtain enjoyment. The stem of the word appears to be "O&J, from which the derivate rnu: comes, with 5 assimilated and expressed by Dagh. f., as elsewhere often. This verb is used in Arabic, and in the third Conj. (= IDX'J) it means to take into one's arms, to embrace, to enclose around the neck, etc. The derivate noun, with 73 prefixed, means, in Arabic, bolster, pillow, and then is figuratively employed, as in our text. So the Greek Ae^os, a couch, a marriage-couch, also a spouse. The endless conjectures of commentators respecting these words are hardly worth recounting and refuting, since, as the words are a7ra£ Acyoyoum, it is proper, of course, to resort to a kindred lan- guage for illustration; and the meaning thus obtained fits the passage exactly, and supplies a necessary desideratum in the list of objects which had been pursued. 156 ECCLESIASTES 11.9,10. (9) And I waxed gre.it, and increased more than all who were in Jerusa- lem before me ; my wisdom also continued with me. Waxed great in the same sense as in Gen. 24 : 35 ; 26:13; Job 1:3; i. e., in the sense of acquiring large possessio?is or property. Above all before me in Jerusalem, see on v. 7. — rrn sing, because b'3 is so. — T?^-?' continued, stood firm, abode, Ps. 102 : 27 ; Jer. 48 : 11, seq. In v. 3 he tells us that he indulged in wine under the guidance of wisdom or discretion. Here he tells us that his discretion was ever retained in the midst of all his various indulgences. In other words : He never gave him- self up to immoderate and excessive indulgences, but acted as a sober man, earnestly making experiments in order to learn what the true good is. Tempered by this same discretion were his indulgences at large, which he next describes. (10) And all which mine eves sought for I withheld not from them; I kept not back my heart from any joy ; for my heart was cheered by all my toil, and this was my portion of all my toil. Sought for, lit. asked for, demanded. Of course he means, when he says / kept not bach, to designate indulgence only in such things as were within his power. — *ab (from nb) is hardly represented, as to its Hebrew meaning, by heart. It means the source of sensations, affections, and emotions. We have no one word that corresponds wholly to it. Soul, mind, which z\\ some- times means, is not congruous here. It designates the self that feels and enjoys. — froto, Part, of a verb intrans., § 43, 1, § 49, 2. a. — baa, 12, i. e., yq by, by reason of, a before a noun desig- nating the cause or source of the joy in question ; comp. for the like sense, 12:12; Ps. 28 : 7 ; 2 K. 6 : 27 ; Prov. 5 : 18 ; 1 Chron. 20 : 27. By all my toil, i. e., his toil was the ground or source of his enjoyment. He sought not for pleasure beyond those things on which lie bestowed time and pains. He was not a mere reckless debauchee or Epicurean. — pb n means that which ECCLESIASTES II. 11. 157 is apportioned or allotted to any one. — brra here means of or from all, a again denoting source, quasi out of. (11) Then I turned towards all my works which my hands had performed, and towards the toil which I had labored to accomplish, and lo ! all was vanity and fruitless effort, and there is no profit under the sun. One may supply the verb to look (from v. 12) after h P"25. Plainly, the Hebrew expression is elliptical ; but that ellipsis is immediately supplied in the sequel. The toil, etc., Heb. lit. the toil which I had toiled to accomplish. Our idiom hardly permits in this case such a mode of expression. There is no profit, etc., a general proposition ; for if such things as he had pursued ; would not afford any substantial good, then nothing else earthly could do it, and the proposition is generally true. § 4. The Advantage of Wisdom over Folly is of little Account, and does not exempt from the common Lot of Suffering and Sorrow. II. 12—26. [The writer has now come to the end of his experiences in regard to the means of happiness. Neither efforts to acquire wisdom, nor folly in indul- gence, will secure this, nor even these combined, vs. 1 — 11. He comes then deliberately to inquire whether icisdom in itself has any preeminence over folly. In some respects, he says it has ; but still, these are not sufficient to exempt it from the imputation of being vanity ; for, first, it dies with every man who acquires it, and passes not on by heritage to another. Every one must begin de novo to acquire it for himself. Next, it does not exempt the wise man from the same common lot with the fool. All are the sport of ac- cident alike, and all die at last alike, and are equally forgotten. Thirdly, a repulsive aspect is given to life by the fact, that all which one has labo- riously and skilfully toiled to acquire, passes, at his death, to others of whom he cannot know whether they will be wise or foolish. What good, then, can come to him, which will compensate for all the toil and suffering and wake- ful nights which he has endured in order to obtain substance ? Who can look on all this but with feelings of despair ? 14 158 ECCLESIASTES II. 12. The conclusion, then, to which he comes is, that the only real good to he derived from all is that which we enjoy, from day to day, in the gratifica- tion of hunger and thirst, and other appetites which are the sources of present pleasure. This is our own, and we may regard it as a kind of good. But even this, to whatever it may amount, comes all from the hand of God. Such as are good in his sight, i. e., the objects of his favor, may sometimes be permitted to enjoy what the sinner, his enemy, has labored to provide. But, after all, even this will not exempt the whole from the category of vanity arid empty pursuit. Such pleasures are too low and fleeting to confer substantial good on rational beings.] (12) Then I turned to contemplate wisdom — even madness and folly; for what shall the man [do] who comes after the king ? Even that which he did long ago. Evidently a new aspect of the subject is introduced by this verse. I have therefore rendered 1 as a transition-particle, as it often is, like ko.1 in kgu. cyeWo, etc. — ^?^} here, and generally through this book, has the sense of sagacity, discreet wariness, or dexterous management, whilst in the Book of Proverbs it often has a sublimer moral sense, designating sagacious, religious, and moral demeanor. This makes one point of palpable distinction in the usus loquendi of the two books. The explanation of the words rvfea&l rv&VliTi is attended with some difficulty here. We may regard them as coordinates with n. — ynsn is intensive here, as it is designed to be climactic. (23) For all his days are grievous, and harassing his employment; even by night his heart is not quiet. This too is vanity. Hitzig and Ewald take ">3 here in the sense of truly, surely ; a meaning that it sometimes has, where it is true, or it is so, etc., may be easily supplied. If the preceding question, however, is regarded as a negative (and so I have taken it), then is ^3 causal, as it assigns a good reason for the negative. It is, in one aspect, a new suggestion. The question might be asked, whether men might not enjoy themselves in their labor and their efforts ? The verse before us seems to answer this ques- tion : All his days are sorrows, i. e«, sorrowful, grievous. And vexation or harassing his employment ; i. e., instead of comfort and ease, his efforts have been sources of suffering and vexation. His solicitude will not even let him sleep at night. His mind is disquieted with plans and disappointments. But surely this proposition must appertain only to such excessive and ambitious pursuits as make life a bustle and a scene of disquietude. Oc- cupation, business, of some kind or other, is essential to man's being, or at least to his well-being. "Labor ipse voluptas." Coheleth, then, must be regarded as having special reference here to a bustling life, engaged in by reason of ambition or ava- rice, or with erroneous expectations of finding solid and lasting happiness in worldly concerns. (24) There is nothing better for man, than that he should eat and drink, and enjoy good in his toil ; even this I have seen, that it is from the hand of God. The shape of the first clause shows that the sense is such as 166 ECCLESIASTES II. 25,26. I have expressed in the version above. — Sia as in the eompar. degree, should be followed by a. So in 3 : 22, mate 1 ; "TOSTCJ aia teer than that he should rejoice. The reading required here seems to be ^5»*®o, and the a may have been dropped in tran- scribing, because another £ immediately precedes. In cnxri the 3 takes the same place which !? elsewhere sometimes occu- pies in this book; 6 : 12 ; 8 : 15. So is it with 2 in 3 : 12, Da, for them; and so is it twice with 3 in 10: 17. Make himself happy in his toil, lit. make his soul to see good. Comp. on 2 : 1. Even this (fit fern, and neut.) is from the hand of God ; i. e., even such enjoyment is not secured by our own efforts. God alone be- stows all blessings. Without his favor and aid all human efforts are fen. Comp. 3: 13 ; 5 : 18. (25) For who can eat, and who can enjoy himself, without him ? The Heb. text, as it now stands, says, in the last clause, more than I? That is : 'Who can better say what the good is of eating, etc., than I, who have had so much experience, and en- joyed so much ? ' But if, with the Sept., Syr., Jerome, Ewald, Heiligs., and Hitzig, we adopt the reading 13BB, without him (as I have done), the sense is seemingly more appropriate. It runs thus: 'Who can enjoy the good of his labor without the divine blessing V He had just said, that to God, and not to his own efforts, this enjoyment was to be attributed. This latter transla- tion, also, better suits the sense of WO, which means extra, with- out, i. e., apart from him. See Lex. for tthn and also "pH. The union of yo "pin occurs nowhere else in Heb. ; but it is frequent in the Talmud, and among the Rabbins. (26) For to the man who is well-pleasing in his sight hath he given sagacity, and intelligence, and enjoyment ; but to the sinner hath he given the task of gathering and amassing, that it may he given to him who is well- pleasing in the sight of God. This too is vanity and fruitless effort. Well-pleasing, ato does not mean good here in the sense of ECCLESIASTES II. 26. 1G7 holy, but designates merely the idea of one regarded in a favor- able light ; so in Neh. 2 : 5 ; 1 Sam. 29 : 6. Of course, KBl'n, the opposite here of Sira, means in this case one who is offensive to God ; for msA is of course implied after it. — tnnb lit. for the giv- ing, Inf. of ",na. But what is it which is vanity and a fruitless affair ? Surely, not the distribution which God makes ; and not the scraping to- gether of treasure, for this has already been denounced in vs. 17, 18. We can therefore do no less than fall back on v. 24, and refer it to the effort to obtain enjoyment in the way which is there spoken of; not, indeed, an enjoyment which is altogether satisfactory in itself, but only such as is more promising than that obtained by other efforts and pursuits. But even this, al- though the portion which God gives, and although it is to be gratefully received, is still, compared with good which is great and true and lasting, little less than vanity and a fruitless affair. Under the circumstances before us, we can, of course, give to these last words here only a limited and comparative sense. Ab- solute vanity the enjoyment of the fruit of one's labor is not ; but in comparison with the enjoyment which a rational and im- mortal being is capable of, in comparison with a happiness unin- terrupted, solid, and lasting, all this is vanity. Thus we are brought, step by step, after passing prominent particulars in review, to the general conclusion, that no posses- sions or pursuits of men secure . the good which they need and seek for, and that the most we can make out of all these is the enjoyment which we experience from the actual satisfying of the wants and cravings of our physical nature. Even this is not the result of our own efforts merely, but is bestowed upon us by the special favor of God. Sur-h is the conclusion of a most acute observer, a man endowed with high intellectual powers, and who sought for wisdom and knowledge in all the various ways practicable at the time when he lived. Different, we may well believe, would he the conclusions of the same investigator, in some respects, 1C8 ECCLESIASTES II. and to a certain extent, were he now to reappear and come among us, and again make his experiments. In his day, all that science could offer of satis- faction to its votaries, was meagre indeed, and very unsatisfactory to an ac- tive and inquisitive mind. The ne plus ultra would soon be reached, and might well be called vanity and an empty pursuit. But at the present time the same inquirer might turn in scores of directions, and find enough busily to engage his whole life, and much more, in any one of the numerous sci- ences. Put such a man as Coheleth, at the present time, in the position of a Newton, Laplace, Liebig, Cuvier, Owen, Linnaeus, Davy, Hamilton, Hum- boldt, and multitudes of other men in Europe and in America, and he would find enough, in the pursuit of wisdom and knowledge, to fill his soul with the deepest interest, and to afford high mental gratification, " To eat, and drink, and enjoy the good of one's toil," while it is always a grateful blessing, would not even be named in comparison with pursuits like theirs. How would every true votary of science now look down on mere sensual gratifications (important and even necessary as they might be in their proper place, and in their appropriate measure), compared with the delight which lie would experience in his literary and scientific pursuits ! But it does not follow that Coheleth felt wrongly or wrote erroneously, at his time, in respect to these matters ; his conclusions, made in view of his experience, are alto- gether sober and correct, although, as has been said, if they had been made in circumstances such as ours, his estimate of the pursuit of ivisdom and knowledge would have been very different in many respects. I speak in this manner only in reference to the present world, and the means of promoting worldly happiness or temporal enjoyment. But if we take a stand where we must look beyond this, and have regard to the immortal soul of man and the happiness of the world to come, then all the delights of even science and philosophy, ardently pursued, dwindle down to insignificance in comparison with hope animated by a living faith. All the science or philosophy of the world has never made, and would not and could not make, one good man, in the gospel-sense of this word ; and all, therefore, which they could bestow on us, or encourage us to hope for, would be mere vanity of vanities in com- parison with the possession of such a faith and such a hope. I must add a word in order to prevent any misconception of the object of these remarks. I believe Coheleth to be one of the genuine books of the holy Hebrew Scriptures. I believe it to have been in the Canon of the Old Test, when this was sanctioned by Christ and his apostles ; and therefore, that it is to be numbered among the inspired books. But inspired books may have a plan in view, and carry one into execution, as well as other books. The Book of Jo!) has a plan ; and the Book of Proverbs, and that of Canti- ECCLESIASTES II. 1G9 cles, have each a plan at their basis. I take the plan of Coheleth to be, a re- lation of what passed in the mind of a reasoning man of his time, a man ardent in the pursuit of finding out what are the principal means of happiness in the present world, and hoiv one must demean himself amidst the incidents and trials of life, in order to secure some good degree of enjoyment and preserve a conscience void of offence. That the author has a deep and abiding sense of the divine power, and sovereignty, and wisdom, and goodness, is everywhere apparent (see Introd. § 2, p. 30 seq.). Not a word, amid all his complaints, respecting the vanity and uncertainty of terrestrial things ; not one word in derogation of a superintending Providence; not a word of apology for mistrust or want of submission. But all this is the result of conclusions to which experience had led him when he sat down to write his book. Yet still, while he gives us these conclusions, he tells us also, at the same time, of the doubts and difficulties with which he had to struggle in his own mind before he came to them. He lays open to our view the process through which he had passed. The book is, in fact, a kind of monologue, or self-dialogue. The mind, in some past attitude, has suggested things which, in themselves, arc far from being correct and true ; but, in another and better attitude, it now suggests things which remove doubts, or at least extract from objections their sting, and, in many cases, even annul all their force. One must hear him to the close before he can fully decide what his creed was ; for he, like Paul, often introduces the objector to his doctrines, without giving any notice that he is going to do so. The objections with which he has struggled are related, and in due time are answered ; not, it may be, in our way of attack and defence, under the guidance of modern systematized logic and method, but in a way altogether accordant with the taste and genius of the Hebrews. If, now, the interpreter undertakes to make orthodoxy out of these objections, which are contrary to it, then surely he undertakes a task which is desperate indeed. But if he allows the writer to present a picture of the operations of his own mind, when in a doubting and inquiring state, then he must concede to him the right of presenting the objections which once wrought upon him, and filled him with perplexity. From this poison he now extracts potent medi- cine. He settles down, at last, on a solid and immovable basis, not likely to be again shaken. But one must follow him through his book, with his eye on all this, before he can fully attain to the writer's ultimatum. This picture of a struggling mind, which comes off triumphantly at last, and settles down on " fearing God, and keeping his commandments," as the way to happiness, and as the sum of human duty, will be felt, by multitudes of like struggling and inquiring minds, to be a resemblance of what passes within themselves. They may therefore draw from the contemplation of 15 170 ECCLESIASTES III. 1. such a picture, much important instruction. But to make it truly interesting and profitable, it must be placed in an appropriate light, and contemplated from an advantageous station. Thus, in reviewing the ground so far passed over, we must look at the writer in the state in which he truly was, with regard to the pursuit of wis- dom and knowledge, in order to sympathize with him in respect to the ac- quisition of these. In our day, the pleasure or good that towers high above all other mere worldly enjoyments and pursuits, and ranks as inferior only to true piety, is the pursuit of knowledge. This is the high prerogative of man ; his excellence above all the creation around him. It would be impos- sible for us now to reason as Coheleth seems to do, in respect to this ; and equally impossible to deny the truth of what he said, at the time when he wrote the book which bears his name. And even now, the spirit of what he said is applicable to all science and all knowledge of a mere worldly nature, when we bring them into competition with that knowledge which concerns the life to come. " This is eternal life, to know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast seat." We have no good ground, then, in view of the whole, to take offence at what Coheleth has here advanced. He turns it all, at last, to good and proper account. He shows, in a vivid and impressive manner, how impos- sible it is for the world, and all which is therein, to give enduring peace and joy to the soul of man, which the inspiration of the Almighty has breathed into him, and thus exalted him to a rank that makes him aspire to something more elevated, more holy, and better than all which the world can bestow. § 5. Dependence on Providence of Everything which can happen, or be done, or enjoyed. All is fixed and immutable, beyond any Change by the Power of Man. Chap. III. 1.— 15. [The prolonged title given above shows the nature of the next section. Vs. 24 — 26 of chap. ii. above give express intimation that whatever good there is to be enjoyed results from the interposition and favor of God. The mind of the writer seems to be conducted by those thoughts to the contem- plation of the extent to which this interposition ^oes. It extends, in his view, to everything. All events, and all the actions and efforts of men, are under the surveillance and guidance of a Being who is wise and good; vs. 1 — 8. ECCLESIASTES III. 1-3. 171 God has given employment to men ; lie baa given them intelligence to dis- cern his works; and he has made these his arrangements permanent. That they have any enjoyment, comes from him, and is to he viewed as his gift. God has prescribed hounds to all these things, which we can neither enlarge nor diminish, tor the purpose of inspiring men with reverence, and awe of him. He steadily pursues his course, and causes the circle of events, once gone over, to he renewed, so that all may recognize his continual providence, and know what they are to expect from the invariable course of things which he has established; vs. 9 — 15.] ( 1 ) To everything there is an appointed time, and a season for every undertaking. Vsb to everything, i. e., as the sequel shows, to all human ac- tions and conditions. The article (which the pointing b shows) is employed because of totality, like to -nav. — '"Cl, used only here and Neh. 2:6; Esth. 9 : 27, 31. It designates a defined, ap- pointed, or certain time. — ns? means specially opportune season or time. — VSH, negotium, business, undertaking. In this sense it belongs rather to the later Hebrew. The sentiment is, that the when and the where of all actions and occurrences are constituted and ordained of God. They are not within the power of man, and cannot be controlled by him. What is thus announced here in the way of a general proposition, is confirmed by the particu- lars that follow in vs. 2 — 8. The series of them begins with *the birth and death of every man, and proceeds with recounting some of the more striking actions and occurrences of human life. (2) A time for birth, and a time for death; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted. rYib, Inf. nominascens, birth ; indicating, however, parturition by the mother, and not = ibjrt, Inf. pass, being born. The b prefix prep, in both cases is so pointed because it stands before a tone-syllable ; see Lex. b. What birth and death are to man, planting and being plucked up are to plants and trees. (3) A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up. 172 ECCLESIASTES III. 4-7. The killing and healing relate to men ; the pulling down and building up have respect to structures, such as houses, etc. ; what the former doings are to men, the latter are to edifices, etc. (4) A time to weep, and a time to laugh ; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. Weeping and mourning stand connected with the dying and killing of the preceding verses. Laughing and dancing are exhibitions of mirth, and stand opposed to mourning. — Tip"! in- stead of rrab, because of its assonance with lisp. The h is omit- ted before the last two Infinitives for the sake of variety in the construction. (5) A time to cast abroad stones, and a time to gather up stones ; a time to embrace, and a time to remove from embracing. Probably, the first half of the verse refers to casting stones, by an invading enemy, over arable land, in order to render it unfit for cultivation (see 2 K. 3: 19, 25); to gather them up, is to restore the land again to its useful state ; see Is. 5:2. — p*nn probably designates amorous embrace ; comp, Prov. 5 : 20. To refrain from this in due time is necessary, if one would guard against enervating indulgence. (6) A time to seek, and a time to lose ; a time to preserve, a time to cast away. To seek, viz., with the prospect of finding ; which is the oppo- site of what follows. — As laat in Kal is intrans. and sometimes - T means, to be lost, so Piel (lax) means, to lose anything. The translation by destroy here interferes with vs. 2, 3, inasmuch as it would thus make a virtual repetition. (7) A time to rend, and time to sew together; a time to be silent, and a time to speak. The rending probably refers to the rending of garments, on the receipt of bad news, or on the part of mourners. The sewing ECCLESIASTES III. 8-11. 173 together is mending such rents, t. e. y it indicates the time when mourning is past. The time to be silent probably refers to silence observed through excessive grief; see Job 2: 13. Of course, the time to speak designates the period when that excess is past, and speaking is resumed. (8) A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. From hatred proceeds war. Peace follows war, at last ; and with this the author ends his list of particulars. He has marked it, moreover, by adopting nouns in the last couplet, instead of the Inf. mode, which is employed in all the cases preceding. He now resumes his general declaration, so often made respecting things which he had tried by experience. (9) What is the advantage of the doer, in that for which he has toiled 1 It was for the sake of raising this question, and of the answer which it elicits, that he introduced the preceding list of doings and occurrences, which are prominent among human efforts and affairs. He proceeds immediately to the answer. — rtiMJri, parti- cipial noun, doer, having the article. (10) I have considered the task which God hath given to the sons of men, to busy them therewith. All these things in which men are engaged, and by which they are affected, proceed from divine arrangements. Nothing can be done out of the time allotted by God, and all must be done or take place when his time comes. So, more clearly, in what follows. (11 ) Everything hath he made beautiful in its season; moreover, he hath put intelligence in their heart, without which no man can find out the work that God doeth, from beginning to end. The idea here depends mainly on the interpretation given to &o TOK ^SH3. I cannot assent to most of the recent translations of this, although by the hand of masters. Ges. : so that not ; lo* 174 ECCLESIASTES III. 11. Herzfeldt, that not ; Knobel, without that ; Ewald, only that not — none of which can well be made out from the language. If 'fcaa means not, then how could the J& follow ? *}a of itself may- mean without, as in Job 21 : 9 ; Jer. 2: 15; 48: 45, al. But fa has many other meanings. In order to make the privative mean- ing certain here, *»ba seems to be added ; but *>ba is merely an ac- cessory, and not the leading part of the word. For "»!baa as mean- ing without, see also Zeph. 3:6; Job 6:6 — very plain cases. In the same way "px is put after a , when it means without, see Is. 5 : 9. Cases of i^aa where the a means on account of, because of, such as in Ex. 14: 11 ; 2 K. 1 : 3, do not compare with the case now before us. Only that would in Heb. be •o asx , and cannot be expressed by "USX ^aa ; see Amos 9:8; Judg. 4 : 9 ; 2 Sam. 12: 14, al. The writer could not say V^aa (as Ges. intimates in Thes.), in order to designate without, for *>ba admits of no suffix. He could not well employ IttJKa, because the word would then present a sense doubtful at first view. It seems, then, that ^baa •TCJa: is the most plain and specific of all. Indeed, we may come to the meaning without, in another way. Lit. ^laK ^aa means from the lack of which, or by reason of the failure of which, which is = without which. This fully vindicates the translation, and is satisfactorily sustained by Zeph. 3:6; Job 6 : 6. But to what does lira relate ? Not to tab, surely, but to aVssn ; to which some such sense must of course be attached, as will make it des- ignate the organ or instrument employed in acquiring a knowl- edge of what God has done. cbi> (or rather abis>) is a frequent word, always bearing the sense of remote or obscure or indefinite time or age, past or future, except in this place. Much controversy has been made about the meaning here. The Sept. and Aquila translate it by aiuv ; the Vulg. and some moderns, by mundus ; Bauer, Rosenm., Mich, et al., by eternity ; Ges., De Wette, Knobel, by Weltsinn, or mun- dorum rerum studium, which may mean a love for or attachment to the world, or the desire of searching out or investigating worldly ECCLESIASTES III. 11. 175 things. But in the some three hundred or more examples of dV* in the Heb. Scriptures, not one of them approaches such a sense as world or world-sense ; and plainly it is the mere offspring of a supposed exigent ia loci. What is more still, it disagrees with the contex. 6bi> must, from the nature of the case, be something with- out which men cannot investigate the works of God, and some- thing therefore with which they can investigate them. But a Welt- sinn (world-sense) cannot aid in such an investigation, if we un- derstand by it love of the world; and as to a desire of searching out worldly things, even the German word ( Weltsinn) cannot well have this meaning, and mu^h less can nbr have it. But even if it be admitted, it would be incongruous. The searching after worldly things is not the way of finding out the works of God from the beginning to the end. Gesenius (in Thes.) renders : " God hath put into their heart the desire of worldly things, so that man cannot find out," etc. Here man is represented as being hindered by his Weltsinn (studium mundanum), instead of being aided by it ; and the Divine Being is brought before us as giving to man such a worldliness of mind as to defeat his efforts to ac- quire knowledge ; — a degrading view of Providence, which can- not well be put to the account of Coheleth. To translate by world simply, is liable to the same objection ; for it either has no tolerable sense in itself, or else it has one wholly inappropriate, viz., love of the world. To translate by eternity is equally incon- gruous, in case we render i, eternity, age, the i is inserted throughout. In fourteen cases with the ar- ticle, only one (1 Chron, 16 : 36) besides that before us omits the i. It is only when an accessory syllable follows (as in E^bi?, i^abi?) that the i is left out, as in 1 : 10; 12 : 5. In Ecc. we have, excepting such cases as those, and also the one before us, always the form laVis ; see 1 : 4 ; 3 : 14; 9 : 6. Is it not fair, then, to draw the conclusion, that in the case before us i is designedly omitted, in order to advertise the reader of a different meaning ? The punctators, indeed, read and pointed it as = dbis> . But the pas- sage seems not to have been understood by them, and, being in doubt, they followed the common analogy. I hesitate not to pre- fer (with Hitzig) the pointing bbs, as the Masorites are of no binding authority. Gesenius and Heiligst. disclaim the meaning of intelligence, because such a case as this is nowhere else to be found in the Hebrew Scriptures. But where else do they find their admitted sense of mundus in Heb. ? It is only in the late Talmud and among the Rabbins, that this can be found. Of course one may make the same objection against their view as they make against ours. Ges. also says that it can in no way be rendered probable that "ids ijjasi ever means without. The examples given above fully disprove this, and show plainly that it some- times does so mean : and the context shows that fibiJ, in the sense of studium mundanum, is wholly inapposite. That we may resort to a kindred dialect, as to the Arabic here, to illustrate the meaning of a word which common Heb. analogy does not ex- plain, is conceded on all hands, and is often done. There are a goodly number of words in Hebrew which are best illustrated in this way. In further confirmation of this view, we may refer to Sir. 6 : ECCLESIASTES III. 11. 177 22, 2o<£ia yap Kara to ovo/xa avTrjs io~TL, koX ov 7roAAots Icttl cpav- epd, i. e., For wisdom is according to her name, and is not man- ifest to many." The name then, here alluded to, must of course be a name indicating some concealed or hidden thing. Plainly, there is an allusion here to Job 28 : 20, 21, which runs thus: " Whence does wisdom come ? And where is the place of un- derstanding? For she is concealed from the eyes of all the living." Here the word concealed is in Heb. Fra^SEI, from zb-j, to conceal. The declaration of Sirach, that according to her name she is not manifest = concealed, seems plainly to be built on the verb cby, as here applied to her ; and this of course is the root of nbs>. It would seem that Sirach understood this noun, which might be literally rendered concealment, to be one of the appel- lations of wisdom. It is a significant way of indicating that wis- dom is something recondite, deep, and difficult to be discerned. If so, it gives a Heb. interpretation of dbs in his time, and helps to illustrate and confirm the one just given. We come then to this result : ' God has made everything goodly or appropriate (fta?) in its proper time; and not only so, but he has given to the mind of man intelligence, without which no one can scan the work which he has done from the beginning to the end/ In other words : In their proper season, all his arrange- ments are fitting or goodly, and he has enabled men to find out this by their intelligence. But chap. 8:17 seems to gainsay this ; for it denies that men can seek and find out the work of God. But there the subject-matter is different. The writer is treating of the fact, that no difference is made between the righteous and the wicked in this life, and that one and the same destiny awaits all. This mystery is too deep for him. He declares that he cannot find it out. But, in our text, it is the fitness of things in their appropriate season which men's understanding can search out and see. Yea, the whole course of things, from beginning to end, as it respects this matter, may be understood by the cbr, intelligence, of man. If one is not satisfied with this method of 3J8 ECCLESIASTES 111.12,13. conciliation, he may betake himself to another mode of explana- tion, viz., that the writer, in 3:11, throws out an erroneous view, viz., that of an objector, which is corrected in the progress of his work, i. e., in 8: 17. So Hitzig; but I prefer the former. (12) I know that there is no good for them, except to rejoice and to pro- cure happiness during their lives. na,/or them, see remarks on n'lxa in 2 : 24 ; a and h are not unfrequently used, in the like sense, in the later Hebrew. The plur. suff. refers to E'lXli , mankind, in the preceding verse, which is a noun of multitude. At the end of the verse, in "pina, is a t - : ' suff. sing, refering to the same noun in its sing. form. — ai», happiness or enjoyment, as usual in this book. — a/itJ fiibrb, not to do good in a moral sense (as many construe it), but to make, i. e., to acquire, or procure happiness ; comp. 2 : 24; 3 : 22 ; 5 : 17 ; 8: 15 ; 9 : 7, which make this meaning clear. Here the writer recapitulates the sentiment already expressed in 2 : 24, from which he started in this present section. The next verse is, in like manner, a repetition of 2 : 246. (13) And moreover, as to every man who eateth, and drinketh, and enjoy- eth good in all his toil, the gift of God is this. In 2 : 24 he says: This is from the hand of God. — &^rj this is. — Mna noun from "jna with 5 assimilated, a formative a, and the fern, ending n. So entirely dependent are we on the Divine Being, that even the little which we enjoy, is not secured by our own plans and efforts, but by God's own arrangements. He has constituted the perpetual circle and order of all things. We can neither hasten nor retard his designs. We can neither add to his work, nor diminish from it. It remains ever the same. He ,11 things evermore at his own disposal, in order that, from our dependence on him and a sense of our own weakness, we may regard him with reverence. So the sequel. ECCLESIASTES III. 14,15. 179 (14) I know that all which God docth, the same shall continue for ever; to it there is no addition, and from it there is no excision ; and God so docth, that they may fear before him. It shall be forever, i. e., his doing will always be the same. No one can add to it or abridge it. lie is a sovereign, and " doeth all things after the counsel of his own will." God so doeth, lit. has so done ; but as he remains ever the same, so he is still doing, and will continue to do, the same. That they [men] may fear before him ; not in order that, or for the purpose that, but he is sovereign and uniform in his doings in such a way that men do and will fear before him, or have reason to fear. Fear, in Heb. usage, when it has respect to God, implies what we name rever- ential awe. The construction of ■pBj here twice before the Inf. made with b , is rather aside from the common usage. Usually, it stands before nouns, pronouns, and participles ; but sometimes before the Inf. gerundial or Inf. nominascens, as in the present case. The two Infinitives may be regarded as virtually in the Gen. here; § 113. (15) That which is, was long since; and that which is to come, was long since ; and God seeketh out that which is past. The first S-Pfi here, although in the form of the Praeter tense, includes & present sense (as the Praet. often does), viz., which was and is. The sequel shows this to be necessary. So, what is and what will be, happened long ago, see 1 : 9, 10 ; in other words, " There is no new thing under the sun." God seeketh out that which is passed, 5^3, Part. Niph. of tfTi, which means, to follow after, to chase away. The idea of the writer is, that one thing or occurrence follows after or upon another, and ex- pelling it (so to speak), occupies its place or rather time. What has thus been thrust away by more recent events, God seeks out again, t. e., he does this in order to renew and repeat it. Thus the generic sentiment of the first two clauses is developed in the last clause. And this completes the view which the writer takes 180 ECCLESIASTES III. 16. of the fixed, established, and invariable sequency of things which God has ordained in the world, and so arranged that no efforts or toil on the part of man can change his ordinances, or arrest the course of things. Man is thus impressively taught hoiv de- pendent he is, and of how little avail it is to repine and murmur at the irresistible will of an overruling Providence. § 6. Objections against the Assertion that God has made Every- thing goodly. Chap. III. 16—22. [The manner in which this section commences ("i^i), shows that it stands connected Avith the preceding. An objection to a previous assertion, that all is made n£; occurs to the writer's reflection, viz., that wicked instead of good men occupy places of judgment. The answer to this is, that such things continue only for a time, and are brought speedily under inquisition. Again, his mind suggests to him that there is one and the same lot or destiny for man and beast. That all die alike ; they return to dust alike ; and, so far as wc can see, we cannot discern whether the spirit of man goes upward, or the spirit of a beast downward. What else is left for us, in this predicament, but to enjoy what we can of the fruits of our toil ? These last doubts or dif- ficulties, however, are but partially solved here. The suggestion is made at the outset (v. 18), that the object of such an arrangement is to try men, and see whether they will act like the brutes, which, as to their destiny, they seem so much to resemble. The writer gives full scope to the doubt or dif- ficulty, without further answer here than what is implied in the assertion that all is for the trial or exploration of them. But he draws from the state- ment thus made the conclusion that, since the matter of fact is thus, one must do what he has repeatedly advised men to do (2 : 24 ; 3 : 12, 13, 22 ; 5 : 18 ; 8 : 15), viz., enjoy the good of his toil, and, at all events, make sure of that. So much, at least, can be said with propriety, whether we know or do not know what the future will be. The general view and conclusion to which he ultimately comes is not given here, but toward the close of his work. Objections (as here) arc sometimes brought forward, which are not immediately and fully answered. The sequel usually develops the answer] (10) And further, I saw under the sun the place of judgment, there was injustice ; even the place of justice, there was injustice. ECCLESIASTES III. 17. 181 *ri5^l shows a transition to another subject, and has reference to v. 10, which commences with itWjfi. — Not oipTa alone is the object of the preceding verb, but the thing or fact described in the whole verse, viz., the occupation of the place of justice by in- justice. ttSttfa means here both power of deciding and obligation to a just decision. The tribunal is occupied by Stth, lit. impro- bity, injustice ; here the latter, because it stands opposed to p^S, justice. The article before an abstract noun is a very common usage in Heb., § 107. N. 1. c. That the concrete, however, viz., an unjust judge, is here meant, is quite plain. The spectacle ad- verted to is one to which this book frequently adverts: (4:1; 5 : 8 ; 6 : 7 ; 8 : 9, 10) ; too frequently to leave us at liberty to suppose that it could have been written in the time of Solomon, when such things did not occur ; see 1 K. 10 : 24 ; 3 : 12 ; 13 : 28. (17) I said in my heart, the righteous and the wicked God will judge; since a time for everything and for every work he hath appointed. God will judge, i. e., he will pass sentence on each man ac- cording to his deserts. He will do so, because he has appointed a time when every deed and work will be judged. In most of the versions, dd is regarded as an adverb, which some translate there, and some then. That it may designate either time or place, is familiar to every reader of Hebrew. But if it mean there, then a difficulty is easily raised by asking, where ? No place . has been adverted to in the context. If we render it then, we naturally inquire, of course, when ? No time has yet been men- tioned, to which then can refer. Besides, if there be the mean- ing, d'j should be placed earlier in the clause: see in Ps. 36 : 13; 53 : G, for a different position. There are other difficulties, more- over, which are serious, P# time — time for what ? Not a time appropriate for the doing of any or every action, as in v. 1 ; for this would be merely a repetition of v. 1. Besides, that there is such a time, would not help to prove that God will judge the righteous and the wicked. Nor can time here mean a limited 16 182 ECCLESIASTES III. 17. time beyond which the wicked will not be tolerated ; for then it must apply to the righteous as well as the wicked. Such a meaning cannot ever be urged upon VBrHsdJb TV, for this means opportunity to do this thing or that, and not a brief space, beyond which doing cannot extend. "We must seek, then, for some other meaning. This is easily found. Houbigant, Doderl., Van der Palm, and Hitzig, point the last word db (not dia ), which means to appoint, constitute. The version which this would require is given above. The course of thought, then, runs thus . ' God will judge all men, for he has appointed a time [of judgment] for everything which they do.' This gets rid of all the doubt about the where or the when. The only difficulty that remains is, whether b and b? can well mark the same relations. But this too is easily removed. Ges. (in Lex. bs, 4, c. ) says : " ]N T on raro ponitur pro b et bx" as in Esth. 3:9; Job 33 : 23 ; 22 : 2 ; G : 27 ; 19 : 5 ; 30 : 2 ; 33 : 27 ; 38 : 10, al. Of course, then, we need to say no more here, than that by is employed merely in the way of varying the diction. But in this way of construing the clause, it follows that the verb db is rather unusually separated from its object ns. Yet cases of the like kind are not very rare. Time, i. e., a judgment-time, is made emphatic by standing first. The greater concinnity of the meaning thus elicited must be quite evident to all. But when is this M = opportune time to come 1 Is it in this world, or in the next? Hear Knobel : " The last judgment one must not here think of, but hold fust to the idea in general of a retribution some time or other to he made," i. e., in the present world. Of the same opinion is Hitzig, Heiligstcdt, I)e Wette, Ges., and many others. But they extend the same rule of exe- gesis to all the passages in the Old Test, which speak of a divine judgment respecting the doings of men. Ileiligs. has appealed to more than twenty passages, all which (and many more besides), as he says, refer only to the present life. Therefore (such is his reasoning), Coheleth knew nothing of •a /'a tun' judgment One might object that this is a rum sequitur here; bat still, it could hardly be made probable, unless the language is very cogent that the author knew ^o much more than all his fellow Hebrews. That ECCLESIASTES III. 17. 183 there are things in this book, which, if taken as the established opinion of Coheleth, -would show that he doubted or denied a future existence, cannot -well be gainsayed. So vs. 18 — 20 below, where he seems to doubt, or ig- nore any knowledge of, the spirit of man after death, viz., whether it goes upward, or not. In 9 : 5 he says, that "the dead know nothing, and have no reward." In 9 : 6 he says : " There is no work, nor device, nor knowl- edge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." Certainly, these things cannot be fairly disposed of by any one who maintains that the writer gives everywhere his settled opinion, instead of communicating sometimes the doubts he had experienced in a course of philosophical inquiry. They are forced, in his way, to admit contradictions in the book, by their mode of exegesis ; and if not, then they have to put the author's words on the rack, to make them confess what they themselves wish. On the other hand, ad- mitting the expression of such doubts and objections, the question remains: Has the writer developed anywhere his ultimate and settled opinion 1 In re- gard to the point now before us — the judgment of men's actions — it seems to me quite clear that he has. I bring out this conclusion by means of several things which lie on the face of his book. ( 1 ) The present life presents no important distinction between the right- eous and the wicked as to their condition and destiny. The wise and the foolish have the same experience of the evils of life, 2 : 14, 15. Even that which befalleth the beasts, befalleth all men in common, 3 : 18 — 21. The oppressed have no comforter ; the dead, yea the unborn, are in a more desir- able condition than the living, 4 ; 1 — 3. What hath the wise man more than the fool ? 6 : 8. The just perish in their righteousness, and the wicked pro- long life in their wickedness, 7:15. There are just men to whom it hap- peneth according to the work of the wicked, and there are wicked men to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous, 8:14. All things come alike to all ; there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked, to the clean and to the unclean, 9 : 2. No man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before him, 9:1. Time and chance happen to all, 9 : 11. Thus we have, according to the simple tenor of these words, complete doubt, or rather direct denial, of any distinctions in the present life between the righteous and the wicked. If now we take these declarations as evidence of Coheleth's settled opinion, it is idle to talk of reward and punishment as applicable to men in this world. On the other hand, if we regard all decla- rations of this kind as indicative merely of a doubting state of mind, or as related simply to those misfortunes and sufferings of all men, which are in common while they arc in their temporal condition, neither of these positions will go to disprove a future judgment. At all events, it is in sober earnest 184: ECCLESIASTES III. 17. that Coheleth maintains the lot of all men, without distinction, to be one of misery and death. In this respect all are alike, for there is no distinction. But, (2) He still holds fast the idea that there is a retribution to the righteous and the wicked. God is to be feared, 3 : 14. His worshippers are to avoid offending him, by the most scrupulous attention to their religious duties, lest he should be angry, 5 : 1 — 7. He thatfeareth God, shall come forth out of all harm, 7 : 18. God made man upright, but they have sought out many evil inventions (7 : 29), and consequently deserve chastisement. Wickedness shall not de- liver those who are given to it, 8:8. It shall be well with them that fear God, . . . but it shall not be well with the wicked, 8: 12, 13. Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth, 12: 1 (with the implication of reward for so doing). Fear God, and keep his commandments, 12 : 13 (with the same implication). Here then, in Nos. 1. 2, are diverse and opposite sentiments — opposite, in case we maintain that there is no retribution beyond the present life in Cohe- leth's view ; as most neological critics and some others do. First there is no distinction, in the present life, as to the condition of the righteous and the wicked ; " all things come alike to all." Secondly, " it shall be well with them that fear God; it shall not be ivell with the wicked." — When ? Not in this world, according to the preceding view, for, according to that, " all things come alike to all." If, then, the second class of texts be true (and why should we call this in question?), it must be that a. future retribution awaits men. We come now to our text again. (3) There is, then, a time for judgment, according to this text, when dis- tinctions will be made, and retribution will follow. There is "One higher than the highest," who will punish oppressors, 5 : 8, and vindicate the op- pressed, who "had no comforter" here, 4:1. He that feareth God shall be delivered, 7 : 26. The young may rejoice in their blessings, and live cheer- fully ; but they are to remember always that " for all these things God will bring them into judgment," 11 : 9. "God will bring to judgment every work, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil," 12 : 14. This last passage forces even Knobel to acknowledge its reference to a future judgment. He assigns two reasons; the first, that everything is to be brought into judgment; the second, that even every scent thing is to be judged. This formula, as he well remarks, is always applied to a judgment of in- death ; see Rom. 2: 1G ; 1 Cor. 4 : 5 ; 1 Tim. 5 : 24, 25. He then goes on to Bay : " "Neither of these two expressions could be expected if the wri- ter were speaking merely of the natural consequences of human actions as a ECCLESIASTES III. 17. 185 retribution ; " see Knob, in loc. This is ingenuous ; but what next ? Knob. says, that " such being plainly the sentiment of 12: 14, it could not possibly have been written by Cohcleth, and must have another author." In like manner, Doderlein, Schmidt, Bcrtholdt, Umbreit, etc. Of all these assail- ants of the genuineness of the passage, Heiligstedt well says : Authentiam argumentis infrmissiinis et inanibus impugnarunt. I see no way of consistency, then, but that of supposing a future judgment and retribution. The motives to piety without this are inert and powerless. If you say that the prospect of a judgment during the present life is suffi- cient, we may well ask how that can be, when Coheleth tells us that " there be wicked men to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous," (8 : 14) ; and that " all things come alike to all," 9:2? What retribution is there in all this ? All exhortations to " fear God, and keep his command- ments," are fruitless on any other ground than that of a judgment after death. Retribution is the very soul of all. He that cometh unto God must believe that he is, and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him," Heb. 11:6. And when we are told so often and so confidently that the ancient He- brews had no idea of a future state and a future judgment, and therefore Coheleth could have no reference to either, we must crave the liberty of hesitating before we receive this. What did the Hebrews think had become of Enoch and Elijah, after their translation ? What is the meaning of being gathered to one's fathers ? Gen. 49 : 29 ; Judg. 2 : 10. Ges. says : " It is spoken of the entrance into Orcus, where the Hebrews supposed their ancestors to be assembled." (Lex. tjCi*,Niph.) Then what means: " In thy presence is fulness of joy ; at thy right hand are pleasures for ever more ? " Ps. 16 : 11. What shall we say of Ps. 17 : 15, "I shall be satisfied when I awake in thy likeness " 1 And Daniel, not improbably a contemporary of the real Coheleth — what means he when he tells us that "many of them tbat sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt " 1 Here is not only futurity, but a resur- rection of the body itself. Isaiah, too, has added his testimony : " Thy dead men shall live : with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust [>. e., ye dead] ; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out [bring forth, in the Heb.] the dead," 26 : 19. Beau- tiful imagery this : in which the grave is represented, like the grass on which dew falls, as fructiferous, and bringing forth its dead as the fruit. This is now generally admitted to refer to the resurrection. And when the Saviour says, respecting the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that "he is not the God of the dead, but of the living," does not he suppose the Jews, with whom 1G* 186 ECCLESIASTES III . 17, IS. he was reasoning, to believe in a future state ? All this, and more which might be easily adduced from the Old Test., makes me hesitate to receive the neological doctrine in respect to the subject before us. How can any man reasonably suppose that the Hebrews, with Moses, and Samuel, and David, and Solomon, and Isaiah, and other highly distinguished men to teach them, and above all if we believe them (as I do) to have been inspired — that the Jewish nation, after all, knew less than the Egyptian and other heathen na- tions around them, about a future state of existence ? The idea is all but preposterous in my view. Still, I would not claim for Coheleth more than his book will justify. Those who find gospel-clearness in the Old Test., on such subjects, seem to forget that Paul has assigned to the gospel of Christ the high prerogative of " bringing life and immortality to light." It has brought out into noonday splendor what before was seen only in the twilight. A more inconsistent man than Coheleth it would be difficult to find, put- ting all his views side by side, provided he has abjured a\\ futurity, and yet insists on retribution to the righteous and the wicked, while he at the same time has again and again declared that " all things [in this world] come alike to all," and that " no man knowcth either love or hatred from all that is here before him." But when we view him in the light of proposing the doubts and difficulties which perplexed his own mind, and sooner or later as solving them, then we meet with no very serious embarrassment in the plain and straight-forward grammatico-historical interpretation of the book.] . (18)1 said in my heart, on account of the sons of men, in order that God might search them, and that they might see for themselves that they are beasts. On account of the so?is of men — what is it which has been done, or is to be done, on their account ? This verse is coordi- nate with v. 17, both beginning in the same way, and both equally having relation to v. 16. There we have the declara- tion, that injustice occupies the tribunal of justice. This is suf- fered or permitted, partly in order that men might be brought to see how brutish their conduct often is. God searches them by such a dispensation, and makes them conscious, in this manner, how wickedly they can demean themselves. -r— c^sb, Inf. of "na, witli pref. b and suff. C-. The Inf. ending with ~\ takes Pattah, like verbs b Gutt. ; and the usual Dagh. forte of verbs Ayin ECCLESIASTES III. 19. 187 doubled, is inadmissible in 1 § G6. 3. Of course, the Pat tali goes into Qamets, § 22. 2. D- is the usual Suff., here in the Ace. after la. The verb *Ha = *nn in 9 : 1, and means here to ex- plore, to search ; see Lex. The subject of the Inf. (n^n'bxn) fol- lows the verb as usual, with the Ace. pronoun suff. inserted be- tween them. The b before the verb designates purpose or design. Sentiment : ' It is for their sakes, or on their own account, that God sifts or explores them.' Why ? That they might see, etc. Here, as fiiH'bx is not repeated after rriaob, so as to designate a subject for the Inf. verb, we must supply one from the context. This gives us sons of men. It is that men (not God) may see how brutish they are, in placing and continuing injustice on the tribunal of justice. They are thus made to perceive for them- selves that they are beasts. — D instead of \rJz=ndx, is perhaps shortened because of the Maqqeph that follows ; once, however, UJ occurs in 2 : 22, without Maqqeph, but with variations, as some Mss. have D. — man are simply a copula, § 119, 2. — fifib gives intensity to the expression of the subject that they themselves might see, or that they might see for themselves, § 119. 3. The writer next proceeds to give a reason why he has be- stowed on mankind the degrading appellation of beasts. He points out the resemblance between them and the beasts. ( 1 9 For as to the destiny of men and the destiny of beasts — there is even one destiny for them ; as dieth this, so dieth that; there is one breath to all ; and excellence of man over beast there is not ; for all is vanity. As to sentiment, comp. 9 : 2, 3 ; 2 : 14, 15 ; Ps. 49 : 13, 21. In the first clause i"HJ?B, as now pointed, is Nom. absolute. In n^j3»3 , the si is climactic, § 152. Vav, B. 2. The copula, as usual, is omitted in all three clauses, § 141. — rift may be Inf. nominas- cens, or a noun in the const, state before Sit, lit. as is the death of this, so is the death of that. That h*Ti means vital breath here is plain ; for this breath belongs in common to both, and is desig- nated in each case by nn ; comp. Gen. 2 : 7 ; 6 : 17 ; 7 : 15, 22, 188 ECCLESIASTES III. 20,21. where the idea is fully expressed by d^n mi. Sometimes the word designates anima, also animus and intellectus ; see Lex. — Vsb, with the article, because of universality. No excellence of man over beasts, i. e., none in regard to the thing which he has in view. One and the same destiny, viz., suffering and death, equally awaits all. — *px is not, its subject is into. All are to be placed alike under the general category of vanity. The writer next proceeds to confirm v. 18 by other facts. (20) All go to one place; all sprang from the dust, and all return to the dust : rrri = eyeVero, originated, came into existence — Stt3, 3 Praet. of did, and not Part., comp. STjfi in the preceding clause. — ^?n article before the name of a well-known substance, § 107. 3. N. 1. b. For the vowel (Seghol), see Lex. T\, Not. 2. c. Beasts are from the dust, Gen. 2 : 19 ; 1 : 24 ; and so is man, Gen. 2:7; 3:19. Both return to dust, Ps. 104 : 29 ; 146 : 4. Thus far the bodies only of each party are compared ; for of these only is the assertion true. But what of the nil, the animating breath of life ? This is not material or corporeal. Whither, then, does it go ? (21) Who knoweth the spirit of the sons of men, whether it ascendeth up- ward, and the spirit of beasts, whether it descendelh downwards to the earth % rti*n, the fi is rendered as the article-pronoun (§ 107. 1) in our version, viz., that = which. But all the old versions make it the interrogative tt, viz., Sept.,Vulg., Syr., Arab., Chald., and so Luther and others, with nearly all recent critics. Even the present pointing does not decide against this, for ii interrog. not unfrequently takes a Dagh. after it, like the article ; e. g., in Job 23 : 6 ; Lev, 10 : 19 ; Is. 27 : 7 ; Ezek. 18: 29, al. Here, as the Dagh. is suppressed, because of the Guttural, the short vowel becomes long, as in case of the article. So also in n^i^n, where the Dagh. is inserted, as stated above. Besides n pronoun does not couple with ion which here follows. It must be "ittHfc, in ECCLESIASTES III. 22. 189 such a case. Moreover, who hioweth ? implies the indirect in- terrogative whether after it, I. e., who knoweth whether it is so, or so ? The doubt which is suggested here about the spirit of man is not answered for the present, but is fully answered in 12: 7, where we are told that " the spirit returns to God who gave it." Comp. Job 33 : 28—30 ; 34 : 14 ; Ps. 104 : 29. As to the spirit of beasts, the question is not one of the same interest ; no an- swer to it, therefore, is anywhere given. It would seem that the common impression about the entire extinction of beasts at their death, is tacitly admitted to be true. The X*il, in both cases, answers the purpose of the substantive verb in forming the par- ticiples so as to make them into verbs, § 119. 2. § 131. 2. c. It is fern., because n^ is usually so. — fra^ probably from "^de- pression, with H- parag. — Y*y^ makes the meaning still more express and emphatic. That an opinion was entertained by some around him, when Coheleth wrote his book, that the spirit of man goes upwards, i. e., returns to God (12: 7), is clear from his putting the question. The idea was not new to him. But here, in his doubting and desponding mood, he makes it a question by asking : Who know- eth ? That is, he here intimates that this matter is doubtful. It is to his purpose here to leave it so ; for this brings man and beast into a closer resemblance, and his present concern is to make out this. The whole passage (vs. 18 — 21) shows that when the writer penned it, he was in that perplexed state of mind which is so often developed in the book, before we come near to the close of it. There the mist begins to dissipate, and he sees many things in a truer and more cheering light than be- fore. Hesitation and skepticism are overcome, and his manful struggle to obtain light and truth becomes triumphant. But, taking things as they now appear to him, he comes once more to the former conclusion, viz. • (22) Then I saw that there is no good other than that a man rejoice in his 190 ECCLESIASTES III 22. doings, since this is his portion ; for who shall bring him to look upon that which shall be after him. The same sentiment above, in 3 : 12, 13 ; 2 : 24. — Tb^s his doings, not merely toil or labor, but all his actions and efforts. Let each one take all the enjoyment which his efforts can secure. Rational and moderate enjoyment, not Epicureanism, is doubtless to be understood here ; see 2 : 9, 3. — For surf. to- in IS&jpa?, see Par. of Suff. p. 289. — a fiN'n means, to look intently upon, i. e., with interest or pleasure. Sentiment: ' Seize on the present, and enjoy what you safely and reasonably (rrcrna) can ; for the future no one can disclose with any certainty. ' In other words : ' Make the best of what is now at your command, and trust not to the uncertainties of the future.' Confining our view merely to the world of sense, this advice is beyond all doubt correct and proper. Every being instinctively desires enjoyment ; and Cohe- leth would have him secure what he can derive from his efforts, but enjoy it with moderation and caution. Such advice is far enough, indeed, from any monkish asceticism. Coheleth, for the present, is looking only at this mutable and transitory world, and inquiring what good it can afford which is worth striving for. He comes repeatedly to the conclusion that all is mutable, evan- escent, unsatisfactory, and not to be depended on, since we have no control over it. To satisfy our innocent natural appetites, and supply our wants, is all to which we can attain in the present world. This he urges all to do, in order, as it plainly seems, that they may be more contented and happy and cheerful. But it would be a great mistake to cite from this book passages in order to encourage men to become Epicureans, or, on the other hand, to be gloomy and discontented Fatalists. Coheleth was neither the one nor the other. In my remarks above, on v. 17, 1 have stated the views of most of the recent German commentators respecting the opinions of Coheleth as they regard a future Btate. The doubt expressed about the final destiny of n-.n , REMARKS ON III. 21. 191 in v. 21, they arc well satisfied to aeecpt as evidence of his skeptical views concerning the future. But 12: 7 stands somewhat in their way. "The nn returns to God who gave it." The explanation which they give of this is, that ' God takes back the breath of life (mn) which he originally gave.' Hitzig asserts that the writer, in 12 : 7, has declared this to be true of the n*-i of both man and beast. If so, however, it does not lie in the words of 12:7, for there the nip of man only is spoken of. But Ps. 104 : 29 seems adapted to sustain his position. The Psalmist is speaking of all the animals, groat and small. He says respecting them : " Thou takest away their H*n, and they expire," i. e., breathe out their vital breath, "\~V 1A*. In Job 34 : 14, 15, occurs the like expression respecting man: "He [God] taketh to himself his spirit (^hii) and his breath ; all flesh perisheth together, and man return- cth to dust." In 33 : 30, this is expressed by '^vti H^vnh, to take back his soul or life. It is clear, then, that tvn may be and is employed to designate vital breath, both of man and animals, and that the taking away of this brings on natural death. But when, as in 12 : 7, it is said of the Si^n itself, that it returns (nrrtn) to God who gave it (Gen. 2: 7), it is doubtless the same tvn, of which (Gen. 6 : 3) it is said : It shall not always be humiliated (^Vr from "pn = Arab. - | * to humble) in man ; i. e., God will speedily recall it, or take it back, since it is so degraded. It is said to return to God, in our text. But how did the Hebrew conceive of such a return 1 Was it a reab- sorption into the source whence it came, and was the breath of life regarded as something material, e. g., like to our atmosphere ? I know not how we can answer this question with entire confidence ; for a minute knowledge of lleb. speculative philosophy, with respect to such a point, we do not possess. Yet Job 4 : 15, 16, gives us an important hint : " Then a spirit passed before my face ; the hair of my flesh stood up. It stood still, but I could not dis- cern the form thereof; an image was before mine eyes ; silence, and then a voire," etc. In other words, a shadowy, undefined something was before him, visible as distinguished from other things, and yet not defined in the detail. Here then is a ti\~\ diverse from vital breath. It seems, in the speaker's view (Eliphaz), to be the visible symbol or representative form of something which was immaterial in man, viz., the breath of life. This then, as it would seem, does not dissolve and perish like the body, and with it. It goes back to God, who gives to it this subtile and unsubstantial fonn. With this agree the words of Jesus (Luke 24 : 39) : "A spirit (irvev/xa— risi) hath no flesh and bones, as ye see me have." The two passages let us into the porch of Jewish pneumatology ; but do not lead us into the adytum of the building. What returns to God, what he takes away (r,Cx), seems not to be absorbed 192 REMARKS OX III. 21. in him, but to take to itself as it were a shadowy form, capable of motion and development. Nor does this stand in opposition to Ecc. 9 : 10, which declares that " in Sheol, there is neither work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom." The meaning of this is, that the dead cannot perform the functions of the living ; but it does not decide that there is no future exist- ence, no surviving of a human being in any sense, in and by something which belongs to man. There may be a rrn, like that described by Eli- phaz and by Christ, and yet all the actions of the common physical man be unsuitable to be ascribed to it. Nor can we appeal with confidence to Is. 14 : 9, 10, Avhere the D^S-i (umbrae) in Sheol are represented as in commo- tion, to meet the approaching ghost of the Babylonish monarch and deride him ; for this picture has its basis merely in the popular views respecting hhvsp, like those among us about ghosts. Hitzig, on Ecc. 12:7, says that Coheleth represents the ri*H " as a particle of the divine breath, or world- soul, which at decease is reabsorbed." With all due deference, I would suggest that a world-soul belongs to Greeks and Romans, but not to the He- brews. God, a personal God, infinitely above all matter, separate from it, is an unvarying doctrine of the Hebrew theology. " God is a spirit," is a dec- laration of Jesus (John 4 : 24) ; but evidently a declaration which develops only the common Jewish sentiment. The question, then, "What becomes of the rvn physiologically which ascends upward — which returns to God who gave it? is one on which no portion of the Old Test. Scriptures directly passes sentence. It must be made out from inference, if made out at all. An incorporeal being Eliphaz saw ; one that hath neither flesh nor bones, Jesus decides a spirit to be. But beyond this, who can with certainty affirm 1 The word rpn means breath of the mouth or nostrils ; then breath of the air, i. e., Avind ; then breath of life=v£S (No. 2 Lex.), and tyvxh, or anima ; then the seat of sensations, affections, and t »;o- tions ; then the love or temper of these, and specially the will and purpose of the soul ; and lastly, intellect, intelligence. Eor the last we have a notable passage in Job 32 : 8 : " There is aspirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty hath given him understanding." The two clauses are parallelisms, and of the like meaning. See also Job 32 : 18 ; Is. 29 : 24 ; 40 : 13; Ps. 139 : 7. Yet none of all these meanings compare with our English word soul in the higher sense, viz., a spiritual incorporeal being, having "a separate and personal existence. Has the Old Test, disclosed such an idea, except it be obtained by implication ? That the later HcbrcAvs believed in something of this na- ture, ifl clear from the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, and from the words oi our Saviour to the thief on the cross: ''This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise," Luke 23 : 43; which is confirmed by ileb. 12 ; 2;\ , REMARKS ON III. 21. 193 Rev. 5 : 8 — 13 ; 6 : 9, 10, al. So too angels arc spirits, and demons are spirits. But there is nothing so express as this in the Old Test. When the divine Being is called " the God of the spirits of all flesh" (Numb. 16 : 22 ; 27 : 10), the meaning is simply that he is supreme over all men that live or have vital breath ; comp. Job. 12 : 10 ; Is. 57 : 16. "We must give up, then, the idea of finding exactly the pneumatology which is taught by our philosophical systems in the Old Test. An incorporeal personal being after death, we cannot find expressly and definitely in the Jew- ish Scriptures ; i. e ., this is not formally and directly developed there. But is it not a matter of fair inference from what is there said? At the close of Coheleth, when the writer brings old age to view, and death as its proximate sequel, he announces the latter by saying, then " shall the spirit return to God who gave it." But what says he a moment after this? "For God will bring to judgment every work, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil. " But how shall the spirit which has returned to God be judged, if it be absorbed in him as the anima mundi (Hitzig), or as a part of his subtile impalpable essence ? How can it be judged, without any personality, or any identity of being with the former man ? How can it have "fulness of joy in God's presence" (Ps. 16: 11), or be "satisfied, when it awakes in his likeness" (Ps. 17 : 15), without personality and real existence of its own ? In Dan. 12:2, and Is. 26 : 19, a resurrection of the body is taught ; so that we cannot appropriately appeal to those texts as to the point now before us. But the other passages just quoted, and Ecc. 3 : 17 ; 11 : 9, viewed in the light which they afford, seem to lead us to the conclusion, that while rrn, in far the greater number of cases, means breath, breath of life, the seat of affections and emotions, and understanding or intelligence, the use of it in some cases, like that of Ecc. 12:7, imports a surviving of the germ or source of those affections and of that intelligence. That the He- brew pncumatology was well defined as to this point, that ancient metaphys- ics made it out as plainly and fully as ours under the teachings of the gos- pel, no considerate man will assert, who has well studied the subject. The judgment, the reward, the retribution, still were realities in the view of the Hebrews. At least this seems to be plain in the way of inference. And athough Coheleth here appears to doubt this (3 : 21), he plainly quits all his doubts in 12 : 7, and speaks decidedly. 17 194 ECCLESIASTES IV. 1,2. § 7. Difficulties in respect to Enjoyment. Toil and Disappoint- ment consequent on Plans to be rich or powerful. Chap. IY. 1.— 16. [The writer has just been urging the present enjoyment of one's labors and efforts. Difficulties that lie in the way of this now seem to start up and pre- sent themselves. Oppression is rife, and even carried so far as to make life disgusting. All one's efforts are frustrated by it, so that the pursuit of good, in this way, turns out to be vanity, vs. 1 — 6. One sets out to accumulate much wealth ; he even lives a solitary life in order to avoid expense ; yet this lonely condition is attended with inconvenience and harm, vs. 7—12. One born poor is presented as striving to obtain even a throne; he succeeds, to the prejudice of the old king ; but at last his own disappointment and dis- grace follow, vs. 13 — 16.] ( 1 ) Then I turned and saw all the oppressions which are done under the sun; and behold! the tears of the oppressed, and they had no comforter; and from the hand of their oppressors was violence, but to them no comforter. The wound of oppression, disclosed in 3 : 16, dwelt so on the mind of the writer, and was so aggravated by his own experience, that it breaks out afresh here, and he suggests the subject as practically connected with the preceding advice about enjoyment. This he thinks is impossible while things remain as they are. — ~" w".3, committed, perpetrated. — TTqr\, const, sing, being a collective noun. We must render it by the plural, because our idiom does not employ the sing, in such a case. The second fpr^; is Part. pass. — Hb, power in malam partem,?', e., force, violence. The three participles here well designate the continued action which the case presents. (2) Then I praised the dead, those who long since died, more than those who ure living unto the present time. nrr most critics regard as a Part, with a dropped; which Bometimes occurs, perhaps, in Part. Piel, Zeph. 1 : 14. Knobel has cited four examples in proof of this usage, every one of which ECCLESIASTES IV. 3. 195 belongs to Pual, and not to Piel. Ilitzig denies such a usage in Picl; and Ges. lias noted none in his Grammar. Ilitzig Bays that we must make it in the Inf. absolute, which may follow a definite verb, and continue the construction as though it were a definite mode, 1 Chron. 5 : 20. In like manner, on the other hand, the def. mode may follow the Inf. abs. in the same con- struction, Job 40 : 2 ; Gen. 17 : 10. But in Chron. 5 : 20, the Inf. alis. is not followed (as in our text) by a Nom. or subject of the verb, which seems to make a difference. The isx, in our text seemingly requires a Part., or else the def. verb "WOE must be implied. Yet cases of the Nom. or subject in the third person, may be found in Job 40: 2. Ezek. 1 : 14 (see § 128. 4. n. 1), joined with the Inf. abs. We may, therefore, accept this solution. The making an adjective of Had, as some have done, the mean- ing of the w r ord puts out of question. — sirra declined with the Tseri of the ground-form, trg. — tP*n adj. from in. — fnari are, §119. 2. — TOTO, compound particle from nsn-*!?, unto here, either as to place or time. The n- is local and paragogic, the root be- (3) And better than both of them is he who hath not hitherto come into existence, who hath not seen the evil deeds which are done under the sun. brpSTBO, lit. than the two of them, the dual Nom. is d?DttJ. — T-;x rx, Ace. governed by Had implied, and to be deduced from the preceding verse. Some make it the Nom., for rx is some- times found before the Nom. (see Lex. n$, 2. a.) ; but this is un- necessary. Still, I have made the translation as if it were in the Nom. ; for literally rendered as Ace, it would run thus : A/id as better than both of them [I praised] him who, etc. The version above is more facile. — fns, apoc. form, without the parag. n T . — rnri is a real Perf. here, and should be rendered, has not been ; and so of nxn. — sriin adj. here, final Qamets made by the pause- accent, from an. See a different construction in an )yg (1 : 13), where "*\ i.s a noun in the Genitive. 196 ECCLESIASTES IV. 3. The pressure of the times must have been grievous to call forth such a sentiment as this. We cannot imagine anything like to this in the days of Solomon. The connection of vs. 1 — 3 with what immediately precedes, is such as serves to show that the advice given in 3 : 22 could not be followed, at the time then present, so as to secure the enjoyment in question ; and as this was the writer's last hope respecting earthly things, and this hope was now frustrated by oppression, Coheleth despairs of life, and wishes rather for death. He pushes the matter even to the high- est extreme. ' It would be better,' he says, ' never to have been born, than to come into life, and undergo such vexations and dis- appointments.' Thousands, every day, now sympathize with him. The only mystery about the matter is, that he does not here say one word about a future world ; for a lively hope of happiness there ought, full surely, to make him patient and submissive. But, alas ! as he has told us, " There is not a just man on earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not." Job, with all his patience, in a moment of exasperation, " cursed the day of his birth," 3 : 1 seq. Moses wished rather to be " blotted out of the book of God," I. e., to be erased from the catalogue of the living, than that the request which he made should be refused, Ex. 32 : 32. Elijah, when hotly persecuted by Jezebel, wished heartily to die, 1 K. 19: 4. Jonah was doubtless a good man; but when under dis- appointment, he gave expression to the wishes similar, Jon. 4 : 3. If, then, we allow Coheleth the same latitude which sacred history shows us was tolerated in others, we cannot be at all sur- pri < <1 at his impatience : especially if we regard his views of the future at that time as somewhat unsettled and vacillating. We Deed no Procrustes' bed for the text. We are not bound either to approve of or to follow Coheleth's conclusions when he was in his perplexed and unsettled slate, but rather to take warning from them, and seek to avoid them. Any other ground for the exegesis of this book puts many parts of it on the rack, and even then \\c cannot make it intelligibly confess what we desire. Very ECCLESIASTES IV. 4. 197 different from all this is the close, of the book, where he develops the ultimatum to which his mind comes. Christiana have a spon- taneous feeling that such a state of despair is wrong; and yet, under the full blaze of gospel-light, and all its revelations of the future, more- or less of them indulge, at times, the like feelings with those of Coheleth. More pardonable and less strange were they in him, because, at the best, he could only see by twilight. The full strength of Christian sentiment we see in Paul and Pe- ter, and others of similar hopes. " All things shall work together for good," sustained them in their most dark and dismal hours. Coheleth comes, at last, to the same conclusion ; but the process in him was slower, and attended with more difficulty, than in their minds. Thus much for the dark cloud which oppression threw over him. Will the amassing of wealth serve to heal the wound ? We shall soon see. (4) Then I considered all toil and dexterity of doing, that it becomes mat- ter of jealousy toward a man on the part of his neighbor ; this too is vanity and fruitless effort. When one strives to outdo his neighbor in his efforts to be rich, he often becomes an object of that neighbor's jealousy or envy ; and this is a passion so bitter, that all pursuits which excite it become worthless by reason of it. Most render \fW3 here emol- ument, profit. But in 2 : 21 it has the sense assigned to it in the version above, and the connection and sentiment seem to be alike in both passages. Indeed, dexterity is more enviable than wealth. — h 3 stands connected with T^an, I saiu . . . that, etc.; is not causal. — ton is fern., and is usual when the neuter (id) is required. It means, it is, or it becomes. But what is the it, which is matter of jealousy ? The answer is, both the toil and the dexterity. These are included under son = that thing. — r^p, most explain by object of jealousy ; for toil and dexterity are not, themselves, jealousy. Hitzig, however, insists on Benei- den, the envying (active), not the being envied. In this case, we 17* 103 ECCLESIASTES IV. 5,6. must give to son the sense of it occasions — a possible, but not very facile meaning. — ^?"?? i^* 1 ^? if we adopt Hitzig's view, is more readily explained, "jp often standing before the author or cause of anything ; and so we may translate : of envying by his neighbor. The sense is good ; but the other mode of interpreta- tion makes it equally so. a would then mean from or on the part of designating the source of envy or jealousy ; a meaning not unfrequent of this particle. (See Lex. A. 2. c. For the sufF. *r- to the noun, see § 89. § 91. 9.) If such be the consequences of dexterous toil to grow rich, it may well be said : All is vanity and an empty pursuit. That such is often the case every day bears testimony. But to the author's view some one may object (in the words of an old proverb), that still none but fools are inactive and lazy. So the next verse : (5) The fool foldeth his hands, and consumeth his own flesh. To fold the hands, is to assume the position of one unemployed and idle. — And consumeth his own flesh, not — sucks his own fat, and lives on it, like the bear — but destroys himself In other word?, through idleness he lacks the means of healthful nutriment, and his body pines away under its deprivations. He is felo de se ; comp. Ps. 27 : 2 ; Mic. 3 : 3 ; Is. 49 : 26 ; Num. 12:12. Such, then, are the consequences of laziness ; and if so, how, it is asked, can dexterous toil be vanity, which supplies the wants of the body ? Such seems to be the objection made to the preceding view of Coheleth ; and by the activity which he mentions, it is implied that some serious advantage is gained which the foolish idler mast forego. Idleness is its own punishment; therefore activity, which makes provision for want, is not altogether vanity, as Cohe- leth had called it. Such is the logic of the objector. To this, an answer is made forthwith: (6) Better is * handful of quiet, than two hands full of toil and fruitless •flbrt ECCLESIASTICS IV. 7,8. 199 The reply does not commend the course of the idle or f man; liow could it? But it decides that quietude in life, with a modicum, is better than to have a double portion, or both ha ink full, which turns out, after all, to be but vanity and fruitless effort In other words: It is better to be contented with what ran be obtained in a quiet way, and without bustle and strenuous effort, than to toil incessantly in order to get both hands full, i. e., an overflowing abundance. Coheleth would choose, for himself, neither the extreme of the bustling covetous man, nor yet that of the idle man, whose inaction must bring him to want. In me- dio tutissimus. Strive for a sufficiency, and be content with that ; for this can be procured consistently with quiet. Therefore neither overdo, nor be idle. Both are vain and fruitless in their issue. — ttb-o is Inf. nominas. followed (as often) by a Genitive. ■nns, in the Ace. governed by a&a, § 135. 3. b. Qamets on the penult here, on account of the pause. d?2Sn, used only in the dual, lit. both fists or clenched hands, referring to the grasping of an object with both hands in order to hold it. — bis?, etc., both nouns in Ace. by reason of tibii , as above. The folly of a greedy pursuit of wealth is still further illustrated by the sequel. (7) And I turned and considered a vanity under the sun. (8 J There is one man, and no second ; moreover he has no son nor brother ; and yet there is no end to all his toil ; his eyes also are not satisfied with riches : " For whom then [saith he] do I toil, and deprive myself of enjoyment ? " This too is vanity, a sad undertaking is it. The discourse is climactic. Beginning with the vanity of excess in toil in order to acquire, it goes on here to illustrate the extreme folly to which this passion will lead. The writer begins, in v. 7, by calling it a vanity, he ends (v. 8) by calling it a sore evil. And not a second is exegetical of the emphatic meaning of inx, viz., one only. — 'pfij, being in the Const, state, it implies after it one or each of the two preceding nouns. — WS takes a 200 ECCLESIASTES IV. 9,10. sing. fem. verb after it, being the plur. of things, and not of r , rums, § 143, 3; see 1 Sam. 4 : 15 ; Ps. 37 : 21 ; Jer. 2 : 15. There is no need of the Qeri ftiS. — *($$, Ace. § 135, 3, b. — And from whom, etc., i. e., the miser is introduced as exclaiming thus, "iwX being omitted, as often in other cases. The statement is thus rendered more vivid and striking. — ^dS3 is as often = myself. — 5*i 1^)3 , the first is in the Const, state, and lit, we must render: an undertaking of sadness or misfortune. — #->?}, is it> as usual, fem. for neut., and it means the whole business, or the whole affair in question. Having adverted emphatically to the loneliness of the miser, he pursues this view of the subject further, and describes the evils that result from such an insulated position. (9) Two are better than one, because they have a good reward on account of their toil. Ileiligst. says that mrx does not mean quia here, but is to be referred as a relative pronoun to the preceding D?3d. But the verse then would run thus : Better are two than one, to which [two] there is a reward, etc. But this would defeat the speaker's object, for it would limit better only to such two as might have a reward. The assertion is more general. — "NgM, because, is a very common use of the word, see Lex. B. 3. What the reward in question is, he now goes on to illustrate by some particulars. (10) For if they fall, the one shall raise up his fellow, but woe to him — the one who shall fall — should there then be no second to raise him up. If they faU, that is, either one or the other; but not both at the Bame time, for then no helper is left. — ft^K is two words compounded, viz., ft ■>», woe to him. "inxn being in apposition with the pron. in ft, by implication the h prefix is carried on mentally, 'so as to Btand before it. Falling need not be confined merely to Btumbling physically, but may be extended to any case where a friend in time of need is a good. ECCLLSIASTES IV. 11, 12. 201 (11) Moreover, if two lie together, then they have warmth ; but to one aloue, how shall there be warmth ? The nights in Palestine, -when the cold is nearly approaching to frost, become to the feelings severely cold, by reason of the warmth at mid-day. It would seem, from Ex. 22 : 2G, that a man's cloak or outer garment was all the covering usually pro- vided for sleeping. The point aimed at in the text becomes, in this view, quite conspicuous. With us, provided as we are with nbundance of covering, the allegation of the verse seems com- paratively tame. But the Hebrews slept on a floor-mat at the best, and not on feather beds ; and they had few if any blankets, made for the purpose of procuring warmth by night. Many refer the text to conjugal union in sleeping ; but the sentiment is more general, and the writer is not discussing the subject of matrimony. The object is merely to illustrate the sentiment he designs to confirm, by examples taken from the common occur- rences of life. — nrn, lit. then is it warm, for *j then, see § 152, B. d. — Err? , Imperf. with A. of n-qn , Qamets by reason of the pause ; see § 66, Note 3, also 5, e. g. (12) And if one prevails over him who is alone, two shall stand firm be- fore him ; and a threefold cord is not hastily broken. The verb. tjpT^ is here impersonal, and therefore requires the indefinite one, any man, before it. — ^T}^ is exegetical of the preceding sufF. i — used anticipatively, and means the lonely one. Stand firm before him is used to express successful resistance ; see 2 K. 10 : 4; Josh. 10 : 8. — Wrtft, designating a particular substance, it takes the article. — E&OTtti, trebled, Part. Pual of the denom. verb. — t^ttt'l, with haste, used adverbially. That is, if it be an advantage that two should combine, still more may be expected from the addition of a third. The last clause wa 3 doubtless a common proverb. Thus much for the advantages of society or union. The lonely miser fails of securing these. His wealth, gotten by the \ 202 ECCLESIASTES IV. 13, 14. relinquishment of the assistance and consolation which he often needs, is indeed but vanity. But how fares it with the ambitious man? Do the honors which he covets, and which he successfully strives to win, render him secure, and stable, and renowned ? We shall soon see. (13) Better is a youth indigent and sagacious, than a king old and foolish, Who cares not to be any more admonished. tin, sagacious, cunning, the secondary and lower sense of the word. — r^ , not only novit, scivit, but also to care for, to have regard for; see Lex. No. 7. All sorts of kings, from Nimrod down to Rehoboam, and even to Joash, have been conjectured here, in order to make out the old king mentioned. It is not absolutely necessary, indeed, to make out any other than merely a case supposed by way of illustration. If, however, any suppose that Solomon should be regarded as the author of the book, is it not very ♦mprobable that he would characterize himself as old and foolish ? But a later writer, who read such an account of Solomon as is given in 1 K. 11 : 1 — 13, might well deem him to be old and foolish, and disinclined to hear wholesome admonition. It was not enough to have seven hundred wives and three hun- dred concubines, many of them heathen, but Solomon built heathen temples in the face of the temple of God, and wor- shipped in them, 1 K. 11 : 5. The young sagacious man seems not improbably to be Jeroboam, as we shall, see in the sequel. b 9t£ , lit. cares not in respect to. The Sia , at the beginning, does not mean better in a moral sense, but more fortunate. (14) For from the house of fugitives he goes forth to reign: for in his own kingdom he was born a poor man. fi*cn, as appears by the tn (article with Qamets) was doubt- Less understood by the punctators as put for D^noxn, the im- prisoned. Hence our version out of prison; and so most of the critics have translated. That k is sometimes dropped in such ECCLESIASTES IV. 15. 203 cases, is clear from 2 Chron. 22 : o, comp. with 2 K. 8 : 28 ; Is. 13 : 20. But if ^Dx is the stem of the word, we might exped BWD* here, as in Judg. 16 : 21, 25 (Kethibh), and ( ten. S9 : 20 (Qeri). On the other hand, no change in the text is really needed; for d"n"no gives an apposite sense; see in Jer. 17 : 13; 2 : 21, where it means departed from. The general sense of *tiO is to turn away, recede, either to avoid danger, or to seek a place of safety. Fugitives is our nearest word ; for men become so in order to avoid danger, or to find safety. If, now, Jeroboam be the cunning youth in question, the language applies fitly. He fled to Egypt for safety, 1 K. 11 : 40. Moreover, Egypt was the common asylum of fugitives from Judea, Jer. 26 : 21 ; 24 : 8 ; and in later times, Joseph with Mary and the child Jesus went thither, Matt. 2 : 13 — 22. From Egypt did Jeroboam come to reign over ten tribes in Israel. He was born in Judea, and his mother, at the time of his flight, was a widow, 1 K. 11 : 26. As he was a servant of Solomon, he was probably poor ; but his sagacity soon gave him the place of an officer under him. When he " lifted up his hand " against the old king, Solomon sought to kill him, and he fled to Egypt, the house or asylum of refugees. 1 K. 11 : 26, 40. The second 13 is causal here, stating a ground or reason of his flight. In the kingdom over which he afterwards reigned, he was born poor, and so had not the means, at first, of exciting and carrying out a revolt. On this ground he became a fugitive, until opportunity of returning with a prospect of success occurred. On his return, the people, disgusted by the new king and his exactions, hailed Jeroboam with joy. So the sequel. (15) I saw all the living, who walked beneath the sun, with the youth, the second, who stood up in his room. Living, i. e., living men, those who lived at that period. All the living, is hyperbole in form ; but every reader feels at once that it is merely a strong expression of the idea of great num- bers, yet still such as belonged to Palestine, and not all the living 204 LCCLESIASTES IV. 16. of the whole human race. See the like in Matt. 3 : 5. Walked under the sun, moved hither and thither on the earth. — fcS>, with, in the usual sense of association. Heiligs. takes ds> in the sense of comparison — the living compared with the youth, etc. But what sense can be made of this I do not see. Clearly the mean- ing is, that he saw the populace thronging around the youth who was to be second, i. e., to be successor to the old king, instead of his own son, who retained only two tribes. The article in lb*Ji makes it plain that the ^iV; of v. 13 is referred to here. So ^lEJitt, in apposition and explicative, also takes the article. The second king may mean the next which follows the old one, or comes after him in the throne ; but a somewhat different sense will be adverted to in the sequel, v. 16. To stand up, is to stand firm, to establish one's self. In his room, i. e., in the room of the old king. (16) There is no end to all the people, to all before whom he was [whose leader he was] ; moreover, those who come afterwards will not rejoice in him. Truly this also is vanity and fruitless effort. Before whom he was. He is describing the popularity of the young king. He has just said that all the people are with him, and now he adds that he is leader — is before — a mass of men not to be numbered — there is no end to them. That the Heb. idiom readily admits this sense, may be easily shown. In 1 K. 10 : 21, it is twice said that half of the people were after such and such a one, t. e., followed him as their leader. In Num. 27 : 17, the leader is characterized by saying: " He shall go out before them [the people], and come in before them.'''' The same i< said of David, 1 Sam. 18 : 16 ; also of Solomon, 2 Chron. 1 : 10. ■cm makes the Buff. pron. en a relative. § 121, 1. — rrn relates, (.!' course, to the young king. Thus we gain a consistent and continuous sentiment; and so Hitzig and Knobel, while Ewald and Heiligs. refer -:3b to time, which appears to be altogether irrelevant. — bWhnitri, the after-comers, i. e., those who came on the stage of action after the elevation of the young man to the ECCLESIASTICS IV. 16. 205 throne, will take a different course from thai of those wh< rounded him with huzzaings at the outset. Such v with Jeroboam. The terrible message communicated to him by the prophet Abijah (1 K. 14 : 7 — L6), and the testimony con- cerning him in 2 K. 17 : 21, show that with all the good and pious among the ten tribes, he must have been held in abhorrence for his gross idolatry. While the mourning of Israel over the grave of his infant child is particularly related (1 K. 14 : 1-S), not a word of this nature is spoken about him, on the occasion of his death. The opposite of regret is implied in 1 K. 14 : 10, 11. The wars which he waged (1 K. 14 : 19) must have occa- sioned heavy taxes to be laid upon the people, and this would render him odious ; for in the light of a conqueror he is not pre- sented, and conquest only could secure popularity in such a case. So we may conclude, with our text, that they, viz., the people who lived under him, would not rejoice in him. Tliis, too, is vanity; truly so, because the object of his rebellion and treason was not attained, viz., a quiet settlement on a throne. Such is the end of all projects of mere ambition. It is fruitless effort. The ^3 before the last clause has made some difficulty. But it is unnecessary. — ■©, at the head of a sentence or clause, not unfrequently is an intensive (§ 152, II. d. Lex. *3, 6 c), and is equivalent to the Lat. imo, or the German ja, i. e., = yea,i/id<< j d, truly; see Is. 32 : 13 ; 15 : 1 ; Ps. 71 : 23 ; 77 : 12 ; Ex. 22 : 22 ; Job 8:6. So Ewald, Gramm. § 320, b. (fifth edition), who has finely illustrated this use of the particle, which is imperfectly treated of in Ges. Gramm. and Lex. — D3 denotes addition, cumulation; also this, or (as we must express it here in our idiom) this too, this also, i. e., this matter must be added to the list of vanities. Ambition, then, comes out badly at last. If we are correct in referring the old Icing to Solomon under the guidance of his heathen wives, and the young man to Jero- boam, there still remains some difficulty in the case. Rehoboam, Solomon's son and successor, is, to all appearance, not brought 18 206 ECCLESIASTES IV. 10. to view; and this seems somewhat strange. Perhaps, however, there is in reality a reference to him implied by the ^ad, which designates Jeroboam in v. 15. I have supposed above (on v. 1&) that it may mean the successor of Solomon, as king to the great mass of the Hebrew nation. But I do not see, on the whole, why we may not suppose that ijq} designates Jeroboam, and refers to Rehoboam, as being implied by the first, because his birth and rank gave him the lawful title to the kingdom. A second nVj would seem to imply that there was a. first *ib* ; and if so, this must have been Rehoboam. Hitzig concedes the applicability of vs. 13 — 16 to Solomon and Jeroboam ; but the fact that Rehoboam is not adverted to, he thinks so strange, that we must seek elsewhere for an expla- nation of the passage. Accordingly, he goes down to the time of Ptolemy Euergetes, king of Egypt (fl. 246 — 221 b. a), and finds that the high-priest of that time, Onias, is represented as old and foolish by Josephus (Antiqq. xii. 4), and that his nephew, Joseph, is described as being a shrewd manager, who wrested his office from his uncle, and then, in consequence of being farmer of the Syrian tribute revenue, he afterwards became unpopular. He even finds in reason why the >;:i< j rcrs in the preceding clause are called fools. When they go to the temple, instead of going ECCLESIASTES IV. 17. 209 there to be instructed, instead of entering the inner court and listening to prayers and instructions, they content themselves with staying in the outer court, and there holding their sacri- ficial feast, accompanied by their friends, for the sake of social enjoyment. There they eat and drink for pleasure, and arc merry withal. This the writer opposes to, and contrasts with, that sadness which becomes a penitent who goes to the temple to confess his sins, to offer sacrifice for expiation, and to hear the monitions of divine truth. All this imports godly sorrow and penitence, with desire to be corrected. But fools neglect this part of duty. They go to the temple to keep up appearances as worshippers, but mainly for the pleasure of, the social feast This is the doing of fools, and not of men who act reasonably. They are full of exhilaration and merriment, and do not feel or exhibit any of the sadness which contrition occasions. That rn (in pause 3^) often means sadness is made clear in Lex. Cases in point, which cannot be mistaken as to the meaning of rv!fe)J rn, may be found in 2 Sam. 12 : 18 ; and the opposite, viz., nri'5 nia, in Ecc. 3 : 12 above. As the latter clearly means to enjoy good or procure pleasure, so the former means, lit., to make sad, i. e., to demean one's self with sadness. The idea of a suffering condition stands connected with it ; for sadness comes through this. But it is by no means confined to physical suffering ; it extends to mental. Fools know not how to sorrow for the sins which occasioned the tint in question. But he who keeps hit foot — i, e., looks well to his goings — will avoid their folly. He will go up to the temple with becoming solemnity, and will be sorrowful or sad for his sins, and listen to admonition. This explanation I owe to Hitzig. Its correctness, as to truly representing the Heb. idiom, cannot well be questioned. But others translate differently, and after the old fashion : Knob. : That do not concern themselves about evil-doing; Ewald : Because they know not that they do evil; Heiligs. : Nam nesciuitt se facers malum. But what is the evil, in this case ? Not the 18* 210 ECCLESIASTES V. 1. mere offering of sacrifice ; for that the Law commands. If real ignorance of evil is implied by the last clause, would not this palliate instead of enhancing their fault ? To put them in fault, they must neglect some known duty. When they feast and carouse, and sorrow not for sin, they neglect the obvious duty of one who brings a sacrifice. Therefore they act foolishly, and therefore are they called fools. The word dis"iii is not confined to mere mental perception ; for the word also means advertere ammum, providere, curare, to take knowledge of a thing, in the sense of looking after it and caring for it ; see Lex. s. v. No. 7. The above modes of exegesis, then, are conformed neither to the Heb. idiom, nor to the exigencies of the case. In the other mode of interpretation, we obtain an excellent sentiment: ' When thou goest to worship God, go not to indulge in levity and mirth, but to humble thyself and be sad for thy sins. Fools stay in the outer court, where they can indulge in the first ; go thou into the inner one, where thou canst be made better by sadness.' See this sentiment fully and explicitly repeated and confirmed in Ecc. 7 : 3 — 6. It is, indeed, plain that men are not fools for offering an appointed sacrifice ; nor yet from mere ignorance about its true value ; but they are fools for refusing to receive the obvious instruction which such a transaction implicitly gives, viz., that the offerer should be penitent, and desirous of admonition. Chap. Y. (1 ) Be not hasty with thy mouth, and let not thy heart urge thee on to vords before God; for God is in heaven, and thou art on earth, there- fore Let thy words be few. The preceding verve brings to view the subject of sacrifice; but here we have the duly of prayer, which would naturally follow on. Caution is given against hasty and thoughtless utter- ance of words in prayer. Be not hasty with thy mouth;, 5pB is, ECCLESIASTICS V. 2. 211 like 13U3 bs, Ps. 15 : >), lit. means, on thy mouth. We say : Let no slander be on thy tongue; but the Hebrews have extended the usage further, and speak of the mouth in genera) as the Beat or source of utterance, or on which utterance rests. — 12*1, a ' t r ' word, i. e., any word, any one thing in thy prayer. Before God, here means in the temple where he peculiarly dwelt ; but the spirit of the precept will apply to prayer anywhere, or at any time. God is in heaven and thou on earth; i. e., God is infinitely exalted above all created things, but thou art only one of the latter, and on his footstool; comp. Ps. 115 : 3. Let thy words be few ; i. e., do not speak much and at random, as men in light and free conversation with familiar friends and equals are apt to do. Speak as penetrated by reverential awe of the exalted majesty and power of God. — & h B?» 5 a Pilel form from B§£, fewness; used only in the later Hebrew. (2) For a dream cometli with much occupation, and the voice of a fool with a multitude of words. }yj (not nb^p), not hand-labor, but occupation in business that tries and perplexes the mind. Common experience shows how often the fact here stated is verified. And a fool's voice, etc., i. e., only the foolish prattle and outpour a flood of words. The two parts of the verse include a comparison, for the Hebrew often makes a comparison with only i between the members of it, which in such cases may well be rendered and so, or and thus; § 152, B. 3. If the phrase were filled out, 3 or *,3 would be inserted between the two parts. The intimation of the verse is, that dreamy visions have as much substance as the prattle of the fool; or, in other words, overdoing in business or in talking is followed by a dreamy sequel. The two preceding verses are not directed against earnest, repeated, or even long prayers, where they proceed from the heart, and are uttered with holy earnestness and fervor. The, Saviour's words in Matt. 6 : 6 — 13 are a good comment on the 212 ECCLESIASTKS V. 3-5. true meaning. It is much, and light, and thoughtless loquacity before God, which is disapproved and rebuked, as showing want of due reverence. This is the ground or reason ("Q at the begin- ning of the verse) why the words should be few. (3) When thou shalt make a vow unto God, make no delay to pay it, for there is no pleasure in fools ; whatever thou shalt vow, pay it. That is, only fools delay to fulfil or to pay their vows ; do thou not be one of them. Make a vow, we say in English ; but the Hebrews said, vow a vow. We can say the same, but commonly do not. No pleasure, i. e., there is no complacency on the part of God toward the conduct of such as neglect their vows. — "Vnn , Imperf. of "na , answers to the conditional future here. (4) It is better that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. In other words : As vows are a voluntary thing, and not a prescribed duty, it is much better to forbear making them, than to make and then violate them ; for by this one incurs the guilt of falsehood or perjury. — "r fap rt g a , a is the comparative = than ; tf = -dx , as often in this book. All three Dagheshes arise from omitted letters, viz., 5, *1, and 3 . The two preceding verses have respect to what often took place among worshippers. They asked certain things of God, and vowed to render certain offerings of gratitude in case they obtained them. It was natural to associate such acts with the subject of prayer, as all belonged to the subject of religion. (5) Let not thy mouth bring punishment upon thy flesh ; and say not before the messenger that it was an error. Why should God be displeased on account of thy words, and destroy the work of thy hands 1 Nearly all the expositors translate R^ttrta by cause to sin. To this there are several objections : (1 ) The Old Test, does not employ *\iDa in the sense of o-ap£ in the New Test. ; the Jlesh, in ECCLESIA S T E S V . 5. 2 ' 8 the Heb. Scriptures is not the sinner, but the mind, heart, soul, are the sinners. (2) This mode of explaining docs no! well coincide with the last part of the verse, which appears to a k the question (in the way of remonstrance) why the punishment in question need be incurred. The destroying of one* S handi- ivork, seems to aim at expressing, for substance, the same thing as the punishment of the flesh. Ges. (Lex.), under Hiph. of the ver b, has not, indeed, given the meaning assigned to it above; but under nxun (the noun) he has given us poena, calamitas, as one of the meanings, i. e., the consequence of sin. The same is the case with "jis, which signifies crimen, and very often also poena, calamitas. And so 3HDB, delictum, and also poena. This gives us a clue to the Hiph. of the verb, N'jn ; it may mean either to cause to sin, or to subject to punishment, i. e., to the consequences of sin, having the same twofold sense as the noun. The mouth that speaks much and at random, and utters false vows, is of course the cause of the punishment that follows. The sinning is described in vs. 1 — 4; the consequences in v. 5 ; for this does not describe a neiv sin, but adverts to those already described. — *iba is the, animal man as the seat of feeling, the body which suffers penal consequences in the present world; comp. Job 14:22, which gives the exact idea of the word in such a connection. — ^so^n, the messenger, i. c, the person commis- sioned to explain the law of God, and propound it to the people, i. e., God's ambassador. In the present case, the priest of course is meant, before whom confession of sin is to be made. The same sense of the word in Mai. 2 : 7. But in neither cast- should we translate by priest. How the priest was concerned with vows, may be seen in Lev. 27 : 2 seq. — ^3 here merely introduces direct speech, like on in Greek. — hWd well char- acterizes the sin in question here, for the root means : to commit a fault through error or imprudence. Hitzig translates : sonnenheit, i. e., an act of inconsideration ; altogether ad for hasty vowing is still in the view of the writer. We cannot 214 LCCLESIASTLS V. 6. liit the mark quite so well in English. The design of the whole clause is not to prohibit confession before the priest, after a fault has been committed, but to teach that a man should avoid the necessity of making a confession, by avoiding the sin which will demand one. — hx before the first two clauses is the negative before a hortatory verb = the Greek /xy, while xb is positive and = the Greek ov. — »*n, it was, viz., the thing done was. — ttsb, for what? why? It is the intensive interrogative of one dissuad- ing or rebuking. — rfc'p (— with a pause-accent), b^G3 hip in v. 2. It means words uttered by or with the voice, or what the voice declares, and thus it is of a generic sense. I have there- fore rendered it by words. The work of thy hands, means any active employment or business in which a man is engaged. His undertakings may be frustrated or destroyed in a great variety of ways, by sickness, by untimely accidents, or by misfortune (as we say) of any kind. Such is the threatened punishment, which, like the threats in the Pent., and nearly throughout the Old Test., has a reference primarily, to chastisements in the present world. It is rather by inference, than by direct and plain words, that a state of future punishment is disclosed in the Hebrew Scriptures. (6) For in a multitude of dreams there are indeed vanities; and so [in] many words : but fear thou God. This verse is a general summary of vs. 1 — 5, making a con- clusion of the paragraph. One must refrain from idle prattling in prayer, and from false vows ; because, like dreams, they come to nothing, or are of no avail. The ^3 at the outset is causal, since a reason is given for refraining' from the things before specified. The 1 before t^ban is intensive, § 152, B. 2. The si before =*~an means and so, because comparison is made by it, S 152, B. 3. The a in ana is by implication carried forward to Brno?, as translated above — -rs, before the last clause, is dis- junctive and adversative = but} see Lex. v?, No. 6. — Fear thou ECCLESIASTES V. 7. 213 the God (lit.), where the article marks the only living and true God, tov Stov. The word nirn never occurs in this book. At the period when this book was written, the ovofxa auivfjr6v began to be disused ; and it is everywhere dropped in the version of the Seventy, who always read (as the Jews now do) laSsj in the room of iTJrH . Sentiment : ' Many words, like many dreams, come to nothing ; fear God, so as neither to speak lightly or vow falsely.' § 9. Supplementary Reflections on various Topics, which lead to the same general Result as before. Chap. V. 7—10. [The topic of oppression, made so prominent in 3 : 16; 4 : 1, is here brought again to view, and some mitigation of the evil is suggested. The Most High will watch and oversee rulers, vs. 7, 8. The covetous can enjoy no real good ; they can only look at their wealth. The industrious laborer has much the advantage over them. Wealth often injures its possessors, and perishes by adverse occurrences, so that it does not continue even for one's own children. At the most, the rich can carry away nothing with them at their death ; and while they were living, much vexation ensued from the acquisition of wealth and the safe guarding of it ; vs. 9 — 16. To enjoy the fruits of labor as they are gathered, therefore, is fit and proper, and this must be regarded as the gift of God ; for men could not, of themselves, attain even to so much. A man who enjoys this, will in a good measure forget his sorrows, while God makes all things respond to the joys of his heart ; vs. 17 — 19.] (7) If thou shalt sec oppression of the poor, and robbery of judgment and justice in the province, be not astonished concerning such a matter, for there is one high above him who is elevated, a watchful observer ; yea, there are those high above them. And robbery of judgment and justice, pns is in the Gen., as well as the preceding noun, and both stand related to 9T1. Op- pressive magistrates often refuse trial of the causes of the poor, from motives of haughtiness or self interest; and when they do 21G ECCLESIASTES V. 7. try them, they rob them of their just rights by a wrong decision. In the province, i. e., in the particular province to which the person seeing belongs: see on 2 : 8, and comp. Est. 1 : 1. The Hebrew kingdom was divided into provinces for the sake of collecting imposts and revenues. — tt^rn, astounded, here reg. with n Mappiq, i. e., vocal as a consonant, at the end, and there- fore a regular guttural verb. — ysrttl, the matter, as several times before. The art. is prefixed, because it refers to the particular matter just mentioned. — Inbkk, elevated, high. — bSE, lit. on the part of, over, i. e., above; see iflJ, B. in Lex. The second snha designates the oppressive magistrate who is elevated to office ; the first i-pa designates his superior in office, i. e., one above him in point of rank. This superior magistrate is a ibis, one who watches over any things or persons, and observes all actions in order to take cognizance of them. The implication seems to be, that in such a case he will call to an account the oppressor. But if not, then, as an ultimate resort, there are B'TOJ, lit. elevated ones over them both. I take the last word, in the plural form here, to relate to God, the Most High, the plur. being intensive (§106, 2,5.), and so like to other plural participles and adjectives applied to the Supreme Being; e. g., ts^1J3, Hos. 12 : 1 ; Prov. 9 : 10; 30 : 3; fir»WTa, Ecc. 12 : 1 ; ■psrfcs (Chald. plur.), Dan. 7 : 18, 22, 25, 27. The last clause of the verse before us con- tains a reason why one should not be astonished, since it is intro- duced by is. Sentiment: 'When inferior magistrates are oppressive, and in the habit of robbing and plundering the poor, do not regard this as a perplexing, inexplicable, and hopeless matter. An appeal lies to a higher court (see Acts 25 : 11); but if the matter still goes on adversely there, then remember for your comfort that there is One superior to all, who will bring all into judgment.' Hitzig makes three orders of magistrates, all concurring in, or conniving at the Bame injustice and oppression. But how would fledge of this Lessen the astonishment of the beholder? ECCLESIASTES V. 8. 217 Oppression and injustice from any judge of causes is alwayc a matter of astonishment to the good and upright; and if so, a regular series of them, from the lowest to the highest magistrate, would be still more so. Coheleth advises the person astonished to consider the matter in its ultimate results. Apparent incon- sistencies in the government of Providence will then be much diminished, if they do not entirely disappear. With Hitzig's exegesis one cannot well rest satisfied, because in 3 : 1G, 17, the same complaint is made as here, and the answer to it is, that God has appointed a time for judging all. This is too plain to be misunderstood ; and this of course makes plain the verse under discussion, which is of a parallel nature. It is difficult to see how so sharp-sighted a critic as Hitzig could overlook this obvious auxiliary in interpreting the verse before us. (8) Moreover, an advantage of a land in all this, is a king to a cultivated field. A text which has occasioned no little difficulty and perplexity among critics. Our first object is to obtain a right view of the grammatical sense. The proposition is a general one ; for he says not the country or the land, but simply yw, a land, any land. The Kethibh should of course be pointed thus: N^n bra, i. e., in all this. The pointing in conformity with the Qeri would be thus : wn Vsa. We must, then, translate the latter as follows : The advantage of a land — in everything is it. But first, this is not only in itself an extravagant assertion, but irrelative and incongruous with respect to the context, which affords no reason for saying this. Next, the position of 6Wil is very strange, on the supposition that the Qeri is the right reading ; for then son is a copula, and should be placed immediately after the subject, and not, as here, after both subject and predicate. Besides, a copula in this case is unnecessary, § 141, since no emphasis is demanded. The Kethibh, therefore, viz., ton-bra, is undoubtedly the true reading. Compare PXT-bra in ls^ 9 : 11, 20 j 10 : 4, 19*' 218 ECCLESIASTES V. 8. for this latter expression can mean only: in all this ; and "bzz N"n Is virtually the same, for this means: in all of that thing (the fern, represents the neuter). But what is that thing*! It is what is described in the preceding verse, viz., the need of protection from the highest ruler, the king, against oppression. An advantage to a land is it, to have a king endowed with power and will to interfere and protect. This cannot be a king who through oppression lays waste a land, by causing its poor labor- ing men under his yoke to despair of obtaining anything for themselves ; but it must be a king to a cultivated Jield-land; a king, therefore, who renders justice to the poor, and encourages the laborer to continue his toils, instead of despoiling him. That TXSa rfitob means a cultivated field, or champaign, is rendered clear by Ezek. 36 : 9, 34; Deut. 21:4; and so the Sept. trans- late. The word tTiia has no article, because ^ns has none, and both mean substantially the same thing. The proposition, there- fore, is general and indefinite. Sentiment : ' To any land exposed to oppression and injustice, it is an advantage to have a king who reigns, not over a country made desolate by oppres- sion, but over a cultivated field-land. Justice will then be so administered, that the country will pour forth an abundance by reason of the poor laborer's toil in cultivating it ; and this is an advantage.' See Prov. 14 : 28. I merely mention some of the renderings of the last clause here. Rosenm. : rex est agro addictus. Herzfeld : the king is subject to the field. Ewald : a king is set over the country. Knobel: a king honored by the land. Heiligstedt: a king is ,un iii- for the field. Eng. version: a king is served by the field. Nol one of all these accords with the grammatical meaning of the Hebrew. Rosenm. makes the king only a lover of agricul- ture ; Hertz.,the king to be a servant of the field; Ewald, a king set ever the field (a meaning that 1553 never has) ; Knob., a king honored, etc., while the proper word inv this is ta 2r^ ; Heiligst. (like Ewald), a king terrae praefcctus; the Eng. ver- ECCLESIASTES V. 8. 219 sion, a king served by the field, which is nearer than any of the others to the Hebrew, but still gives an irrelevant Bense. T<> what direct purpose is all this, or rather, are all these views? while that which i.-, given above commends itself by its concin- nity with the context. Rulers may he oppressive ; they often and usually are so; but it is an advantage to any land, where the, poor are exposed to oppression, to have a king who will not suffer any to lay waste his domain by oppressing, but will cause it to be cultivated by dealing justly with all. The verse is probably a side-blow at some tyrant of the day, whose measures had made the country a comparative desolation. A striking illustration of the effect of such a government on the country is found by casting our eye over Palestine and Asia Minor ; the latter of which once had an immense population, but now has not one twentieth part of the numbers which it could support. Scarcely any region of the earth is capable of support- ing more inhabitants on its soil. Yet Turkish despotism has made it a waste. The Sultans have never aimed to be kings over cultivated fields, and have been something very different from a "pin? to the land. Coheleth seems to have lived under some prince of such a character; and while he complains of oppression, and reminds the nhj , or king, that he should look to his under-officers, he reminds him also of his responsibility to a higher King, and that he would be a blessing to his realm, if by his justice and equity he would convert the whole country into a cultivated field. It is comforting to the oppressed when Buch admonition is faithfully given. These views in respect to avaricious and rapacious magistrates naturally led the mind of the writer to the consideration, once more, of riches, and of the strife to acquire them. His views in the sequel are more general, and are not confined to magistrates, although they are doubtless included. The subject lay heavily upon his mind. In 2 : 7 — 9 he has spoken plainly respecting regal wealth. In 4 : 8 he returns again to the subject, and takes 220 ECCLESIASTES V. 9, 10. a more general view. But now, when occasion again prompts, he comes out more fully still, and contemplates the subject from various points of view. (9) He who loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver ; and whoever loveth wealth shall not [be satisfied] with revenue ; this too is vanity. Silver was the most common coin, and therefore is employed here as the representative of all wealth. The second qcs is in the Ace, after a verb of filling, § 135, 3, b.-~fian$, with the article, as the vowel under 2 shows ; for pointing, see Lex. H ; the word being abstract, it naturally takes the article in Hebrew, § 107, n. 1, c. For 3, after nnit,see in Lex. s.v. That ssto? is implied after xb is quite plain ; and I have translated accordingly. IWOPI is Ace. after this verb implied. Here a new shape is given to the vanity in question. The eager pursuit of wealth enkindles desires that never can be quenched or allayed. Of course it is truly a tormenting briri . (10) By the increase of goods, they who consume them are increased; and what advantage is there to their owner, except the looking on with his eyes ? rniun, sing, generic, while our exactly corresponding English word (goods) is employed only in the plural, in the sense here required. I have translated in accordance with our idiom. The article is put here before a word designating a class of things, § 107, n. 1, b. The sufF. to the Part. (H-) is sing, in order to correspond with the noun to which it relates. The same with the suff. in r\*\v2h, from b?3 — EX is>, see in Lex. — n*an has vowels belonging to the Qeri nWl. Which form is preferable, it would be difficult to decide, since both are good. Both of these forms are nouns of the Inf. formation ; while ni""i, at. the beginning of the verse is Inf. nominascens. That "jiliS? does DOl here mean dexterity (as in 2 : 21), is plain from the context, which requires such a meaning as I have given in the version ECCLESIASTES V. 11,12. 221 above. Great wealth must needs be furnished with a large retinue, to guard it and to add to it; comp. dob 1 : 3. These must consume mueh ; so that the owner can do no more than gratify his eyes for a time, by looking at his treasures. — TW, Ms eyes, but i sing, refers to the preceding apparently plur. noun. But still, as the plur. of this noun (like d~!"6x) has always a sing, meaning (see Lex.), the concord ad senium is complete, § 107, 2, b. (11) Sweet is the sleep of the laborer, whether he cat little or much ; but the abundance of the rich man docs uot permit him to sleep. Here is another defect in riches. The poor laborer has quiet sleep, and is so hardy that whether he has more or less food it does not disquiet him. The rich are kept awake through fear of losing their riches ; or perhaps the writer alludes to the satiety of the rich in their food, which disturbs their sleep. Observe that ins* , Part, (laborer) has a different meaning from "HS, servant. — SSlBPj with the art., it being abstract. This word is in the abs. state, and of course the following noun is in the Dat. of appurtenance, having the force or meaning of a Gen. § 113, 2. The article (its vowel is under b) is put before a whole class. — rrw, Part. Hiph. of the form B. or No. II. (Lex.), from PVI5, concessit. By a little change in the version we can imitate the Heb. "ft that follows ; e. g., does not afford leave or per- mission to him, etc. — ",i"i : ^b, Inf. with b of ■}?£; for the first vowel, see § 24, 1 ffc for "h). (12) There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun, riches kept to the owner's harm. Hitherto the negative 'side of the evil has been presented to view. Now comes the positive. There is a grievous evil, etc, excites attention in the reader to a new attitude of the thing considered. — nbin , fem. Part, of fibn , used adjectively. Beibre irnsn the pron. *!!»» is implied, § 121, o. — i"'r^ with Bing. 19* 222 ECCLESIASTES V. 13,14. meaning as before. — l"*" 1 ?'?^ w ^ tn sm »* su ^- accordingly. The lit. Heb. here runs thus : for its owner, to his harm. I have abbreviated the expression in my version. The proposition made by this verse he now goes on to illustrate by particulars. (13) And those riches perish by luckless undertakings ; and he has begot- ten a son, and there is nothing in his hand. V~\ **:?, lit. an affair of evil, which is not limited to bad bar- gains only, but extends to any unfortunate occurrences in busi- ness which call for a sacrifice of property. He hath begotten a son, viz., while he was rich. And there is nothing in his hand. Whose hand? Some say, the son's; others, the father's. I agree with the latter ; because the writer seems desirous to con- vey the idea that, having begotten a son, he now has nothing to bestow upon him. This is a sore evil to paternal feeling. — , p« , const, form, is connected with irxjiarai. This last word is com- pounded of trc^ rra = quid quid. The negative "px or && before it, makes it mean nothing. (14) As he came forth from the womb of his mother, naked shall he again depart as he came, and nothing shall he receive by his toil, which he may carry away in his hand. He shall go out of the world as he came into it ; he brought nothing into it, he shall carry nothing out of it. — T^^, as pointed, is in Iiiph. Imperf., which means, among other things, to take with one, to carry away with one. The Imperf. Hiph. is from iy*. Hitzig insists on pointing the word T& (Kal. Imperf.), and then translating thus: his toil, which goes through his hand; i. e., either which his hand performs, or which escapes through his hands. But I know of no case in Hebrew where Btich ;t manner of expression occurs. Persons go, or cause to go, not things. Nor can I see any objection against the meaning given above, which is of serious import. Minutiae of manner in coming and departing are not aimed at. The general and obvi- E C C L E S I A S T E S V . 15, 16. 2 23 oils sense is given above. The verb asufj here signifies again, see Lex. — ttja ss= I^KS, «s. (V r >) And tliis too is a sore evil, that altogether as lie came so shall he depart ; and what advantage is there to him who toils for the wind ? This second sore evil is not merely like that just mentioned, viz., of coming into the world without anything and leaving it without anything, but in addition to this part of troubles comes what is mentioned in the next verse. Both vs. 15 and 1G de- scribe the second sore evil, as &a between them shows. — rfl9S-^3, altogether as, like as, !"i532> (like or) is literally a noun, meaning conjunction or communion, root d"2S . As a prep., it always takes this const, form. In aaa, the ""ittJWt (tti) is superfluous for us. Lit. the three words mean altogether like that. — tfc often means depart, as here. To toil for the wind, is to toil to no purpose. (16) Also he consumes all his days in gloom, and is much irritated, and his infirmities are matter of indignation. bzth (to eat) has often a tropical sense, as to devour, consume, etc. So here. The literal meaning would only say, that he, during all his days, takes his meals in a gloomy state of mind ; but the tropical meaning gives us the idea, that all his time is spent in gloom. So darkness is not literal here, but z= gloom, sadness. The rest of the verse is difficult, and has given rise to a variety of interpretations. Taking the text as it stands, crs is a neut. intrans. verb, and may be rendered passively, as above. t)Spl i^?rp., and his infirmity is even indignation, is the literal version. The first part of the verse discloses his gloomy state of mind ; the second, his bodily infirmities and their consequence, viz., excitement, indignation. I take l before the last word to be a note of intensity, § 152, B. 2. Sentiment: ' His infirmities excite him to anger or strong indignation ; i. e., he is impatient, and frets while they are upon him.' I have rendered 'hbn by the plur. (infirmities), because it is an abstract noun (of the 224 ECCLESIASTES V. 10. Inf. form, § 84, V.), and denotes estate or condition of infirmity; which same thing is designated more usually with us by the plural, for the sing, has respect commonly to some specific malady. As to the 1 before the last noun, in many cases it is put before a noun which makes an accession to what precedes, in the way of explanation, or of comparison, or for the sake of adding a stronger or more explicit word. Thus Zech. 14:6: "There shall be no light, "pSSpl min^, coldness, even ice [shall there be "]. Here the latter noun designates the intensity of the cold. To translate 1 in such a case by the simple and, would make the sentiment tame. As rendered above, the words convey the same idea for substance, as very cold; for when ice is formed in Palestine, the sensation of cold is extreme. As the words are now we have a fine poetic substitute for the prosaic "IN"? , very much. And in such a light I regard our text. I take the writer to be showing the usual concomitants, or rather the conse- quences, of wealth which procures the means of living luxuri- ously. The temptation to such living is very great, and in its train it usually brings the evils here mentioned, viz., gloom of mind, irritability, prolonged infirmity, with impatient and angry fretting under it. All tins is indeed what the writer calls it — a sore evil. In this way of interpretation, no change of the text is needed. Ilitzig thinks the text to be so corrupt, that he ventures to re- fashion it thus : S)S]31 "nbnri rt?-nn b§31. He then makes ds'd the Ace after bran implied, which must be rendered : devours vio- lence; and this he explains or illustrates by a reference to irnd bttn, //'' drinks in violence (Prov. 26 : 6), and by the Latin aegritudinem devorare. He might have added to the last : devorare mplestiam — inepUas — libros — pecuniam, etc. But the Latin verb means both to devour, to eat up, and also to sup- to keep under. But the expression in Proverbs means ret eiving or suffering much violence = drinking a large draught <>:' it. Ii is pOi bible that Or? bsKi maybe construed in like way; ECCLESIASTES V. 1 2-> but it is hardly probable. There is nothing like it elsewhere. Devouring or destroying is the prominent tropical meaning of brx , and this would make no sense in the passage before us. Ilitzig gives the verb the sense of swallow down; but that belongs rather to ftniZJ. No analogon, then, can be found in Hebrew to support his view. As to the verb ds'3, it is by no means unfre- quent ; and it is employed here in 7 : 9. Ilitzig says that the text as it stands must refer the sufF. in "rbn to eovetousness as implied in the preceding context. But this would be singular, indeed, to personify that covetousness, and then apply to it the word infirmity. To us, sick covetousness sounds Btrangely. What need of this? The same person who consumes his time in gloom, who is irritated, i. e., the greedy and covetous man, is the person referred to by the suff. in "pbn . Why perplex that which gives a good sense as it stands ? Indeed, the changes in the text pro- posed by Hitzig are too numerous to be credible ; and clearly they are unnecessary. Heiligstedt pursues the same course, without either explaining or defending the necessity of it. Surely, it is not a safe course to pursue, when we not only trans- form the text, but also assign to it a meaning new and strange. All this is easier, indeed, than to enucleate the somewhat obscure declaration of Coheleth. simply in the way of grammatico-critical investigation. But after all, labor laid out on artificial exegesis is an an £», to say the least of it. Seldom, indeed, does Ilitzig take such liberties; and here we may well dispense with them. We come, now, after this repeated survey of oppression and avarice, by placing them in some new positions, to the same general conclusion as before : (17) Lo! what have I seen which is good, what comely ; to cat and to drink, and to enjoy good for all one's toil which he hath endured under til i sun during the number of the days of his life which God hath given him ; for this is his portion. ":x may be regarded as emphatic here — ' I. who have >o long 226 ECCLESIASTES V. 18. reflected on this matter, have come to this conclusion.' It is usually (hut not always) emphatic when expressed as the subject of a verb, § 134, 3, n. 2. Before 3ia the pron. -urx seems to be implied, with the meaning which is; for the same is inserted before FiB* 1 , which is in the same predicament. This latter word means comely, decorous, etc. ; i. e., enjoying the fruit of one's toil is not only a pleasure, but one which is becoming and proper. The b before the three Infinitives =zut, that; and so we may trans- late: that one should eat, etc. Our simple to before the Inf. answers the same purpose as to meaning. See good; see remarks on 2 : 1. — 3, on account of, in the sense of for; see Lex. a B. 0. — b^zv^q, lit. which he toils. We can say toil a toil, but we do not. AVe substitute endure or undergo in lieu of employing the correlative verb. — ISO"? const, and in the Ace. of time. It is only when it is in the Gen. after a noun, that it means few. Which God hath given him, I must refer to the allotted time of man, and not (with Hitzig) to the enjoyments before named. For this is his portion ; i. e.,it is good to eat, etc., because this is the portion, and our only one, allotted to us by God, in order that we might have enjoyment. To the same conclusion which this verse expresses, the writer has repeatedly come before ; see 2 : 24; 3 : 12, 13, 22. (18) Moreover, as to every man to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his toil — this is the gift of God. n"x-bs is Nom. absolute, suggesting the main subject of the Bentence, but having no verb. I have translated accordingly. Riches and wealth, two synonymes, and therefore the meaning is abundant riches. — V-rVjn, lit. made him to hare control. — *i3fip, of if. viz., of ~~v. — H»to, contracted fern. Inf. of RiM, put for rxr. — rrr; contract of MtTO, from "r2. — X"H, is, as often be- fore lb- means to Bay that it is a good gift, so far as it goes. He proceeds to assign a reason for bo saying: ECCLESIASTES V. 10. 227 (19) For he will not much remember the days of his life, when God shall cause [things] to correspond with the joy of his heart. Much remember, etc., where the days of his life seems t<> refer to his past life, which had so often been checkered with sorrow. Now, in the enjoyment of the special gift of God, his reflections on the sombre past, or on the shortness of his days, will cease to be painful and disturbing to him. The reason is more explicitly stated in the last clause. — 173*8) Part. Hiph., has made not a little difficulty here ; but without adequate cause. — hW is to re- spond to, to chime with. Here the writer asserts that God will cause a response, viz., in the things around him, to the tone of the man's mind who is enjoying. The things are not named, for they are indefinite and unlimited. All things may be understood. In the version, I have supplied an Ace. In IIos. 2 : 21, 22, is a passage which well illustrates this: "I will answer [ri35K,the same verb as here] the heavens, and they shall answer the earth, and the earth shall answer the grain, etc., and that shall answer Jezreel;" t. e., everything shall be ready and responsive to its proper purpose. So in the verse before us : ' God will cause everything to respond to the joyful state of mind which follows his gift. Hope and pleasing anticipation shall prevail.' As to the phrase joy of heart, see it in Cant. 3:11; Jer. 15 : 16 ; Is. 30 : 29, comp. Ps. 21 : 3. In this way, no change in the texl is needed. It is needless to repeat here what has been already said (on 2 : 3, 24) concerning the prudent and cautious indulgence which icisdom demands. Coheleth is no Epicure. Specially is he remote from Epicurism, as it concerns the acknowledgment of a God, and gratitude to him for his blessings. Most earthly pleas- ures he finds at last to be altogether empty and vain ; but the enjoyment of the fruits of one's industry, he repeatedly declares, is a good, and the only good that promises much, while even this is short-lived and transitory. But whatever there is in it of satisfaction, this is God's gift, and not procured by ourselvi 228 ECCLLSIASTES VI. 1. deep and reverential feeling toward God must have prompted such a sentiment in such a connection. Providence is not taxed with injustice, nor is unbelief in it excited, on account of the apparently undistinguishing distribution of good and evil in the world, or because of the untoward events of life. All good comes from God, and demands thankful acknowledgment. Suffering and sorrow, when they come on all alike, are mysteries not to be explained, but not things which give us any right to complain. It would seem that the writer had drunk deep of the spirit of the Book of Job, and perhaps it is probable that he lived near the time when that book was written. We shall see that he quotes or alludes to it in the sequel. § 10. Disappointments frequent, in respect to attainable Good / they come both upon the wise and the foolish, and no one can control Divine Arrangements. Chap. VI. 1—12. [The declarations in 5 : 17 — 19, respecting our highest attainable earthly good, give occasion to further consideration of the subject. There are men who lose this good. Their lot is an unhappy one. It would be better had they never been born. And even if one lives to old age, he must at last die like others. All toil is for sustenance, and yet the appetite is never satisfied. Both the wise and foolish are subjected to the same law of never-satisfied craving. Experience of enjoyment would be better than the wanderings of desire; but the order of Providence cannot be changed, which has definitely fixed and limited circling events. Who, then, can point out any stable good for man, in days yet future ?} (1 ) There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and heavily does it lie upon man. IW , lit. greats much, but connected as it here is with fc? (upon), the indication is that it bean heavily on him, i. e., so as to grieve or oppress him. — b$ often indicates uvon in the sense of a burden. ECCLESIASTES VI. 2,3. 229 a grievance; § 151, 3, b. The transition by & at the outset, marks an advance to a new phase of the subject. (2) There is a man to whom God hath given riches, and wealth, and splendor, and he lacketh nothing for his soul of all which lie deaireth, and yet God hath not given him power to eat thereof, hut a stranger eatcth it; this is vanity, yea, a grievous malady is it. Riches and wealth, i. e., great riches, as in 5 : 18. — *ri3S may mean either the splendor connected with wealth, or the honor of elevated rank. The former seems more congruous here. — 1DM Part, of a verb final Tseri, § 49, 2, a. — ittJB3 means the physical animal man, with his appetites and desires. — Vz"2, the a being connected with IDn and naturally following it, "pa = pari, portion, TVgNty?, reg. Hithp. with 1 consonant in the root. — ISfitt, of it, viz., of his wealth which he has acquired. A stranger eateth it, i. e., his unknown heir ; see 2:18. The case of the man here presented is different from that in 5 : 12, 13 (Eng. 13, 14), inas- much as he keeps in possession of his property through life, but has no disposition to enjoy it, while the man described in 5 : 12 seq., loses his estate. But even the power of enjoyment depends on God — God hath not given to him, etc. (3) If a man beget a hundred [children], and live many years, and the days of his years that are to come arc multiplied, and his soul is not satisfied with good, and moreover there is no hurial to him, I say : Better than he is an untimely birth. The word beget carries with it of course the implication of children, which I have supplied in the version ; see the like ellip- sis in 1 Sam. 2:5; Jer. 15 : 9, al. — --:r fern, with masc. form, as nin'n shows. — I 1 ! appears to be a verb used impersonally here (root Ml), for if it were an adjective, the plur. c"2"] would he necessary in order to agree witli *•:*. days. The Heb. cannot be closely followed in the translation, as to its order ; but the sense of the clause is presented in the version above. Literally 20 230 ECCLESIASTES VI. 3. rendered, it would run thus : And if there be much which shall he the days of his years. Two circumstances of his misery are developed; first, his soul is not satisfied with his portion, because God has not given to him power to be satisfied (v. 2) ; and secondly, he dies without the honors of a burial. The fact that he was too covetous to appropriate his wealth to his own enjoyment, renders it probable that he makes no provision for an honorable or expensive funeral or monument, such as becomes his rank. His heir, if a stranger (as he is named in v. 2), would not be anxious to do at his own expense, what he had left unprovided for. We are not, however, to take Ifnttp in the sense of mere sepulture (for no man would be left unburied, in the midst of society and in a time of peace), but in that of sepulchre (Gen. 35 : 20 ; 47 : 30), or else in that of funeral, i. e., burial with customary and expensive cere- monies. The meaning of sepulchre is rather preferable, because this is an enduring monument of the man who is laid in it and has his name inscribed on it. To leave the dead unburied is a disgrace inflicted only by the most hostile enemy; see in Is. 14 : 18, 19. For disgraceful burial without expense, see Jer. 22 : 18, 19. The feelings of the Hebrews in respect to the decorum of burial, are well developed in Gen. 23 : 3 — 13. In Coheleth's view, that man's lot is sorely grievous, who is very rich and yet so miserly as to dispense with the comforts of life for himself, and who dies unnoticed, and unhonored by a sep- ulchre befitting his condition. "Better," he exclaims, "is an untimely birth, than such a person." The reason of this decla- ration is given more fully in the sequel. Hitzig finds great difficulty in this verse, and thinks it partly Bpurious, Tli.- clause about burial, he thinks, has a wrong loca- te hi. and >li<>uld be put before ittJfiJ, with the omission of !>ib. The clause would then run thus: "And moreover should be buried, and liis bou] not be satisfied with good," etc. From a strange hand he thinks the latter part of the verse, as it now is, ECCLESIASTES VI. 1,5. 231 must have come, and that it should be stricken out. lie repre- sents the words of Coheleth, now in the text, as comprising or implying (ho sentiment, that if the circumstance of being wnbwrii ■/ were omitted, then the case of the miser would be bet tec than that of the untimely birth. But on this, as it seems to me, In- lays more stress than the writer intended. His renunciation of comforts through life, and then his death unmourned ami as it were unnoticed, are both combined in the writer's mind, while the latter is only the climax of the former. That the poor and friendless should die unnoticed and unhonored, would be nothing strange in such a world as this; but when the honors of a tomb or a funeral are withheld from a rich man, his case uhim ln- grievous in the view of the public, and one which shocks the common sensibility. Other commentators have not found, ami none need to find, such difficulties as Ilitzig; and his allegations seem hardly to justify a charge of surreptitious addition to the text, or a violent dislocation of it. (4) For it cometh in nothingness, and it departeth in darkness, and in darkness is its name concealed. In nothingness, barna, i. e., it has no real life, no proper exist- ence as a human being, or none to any purpose. In darkness it departeth, i. e., it perishes unseen, before it sees the light. It does not even obtain a name = a remembrance. There is noth- ing to call or remember it by. For the article before bari as abstract, see § 107, 3, n. 3, c; before Tjdn the article stands ;il <>, because it is either a kind of abstract, or the name of a special substance so considered, ib. b. (5) Moreover, it hath not seen the sun, nor had any knowledge ; quiet hath this rather than that. Ilitzig translates : It hath not seen and hath not known the sun. But I apprehend that this version falls short of the writer's meaning. It hath not seen the sun, alludes to its death before its \ 232 ECCLESIASTES VI. 6. birth; while $*ni vb) goes further, and declares that it has not had any kind of knowledge. This verb not unfrequently is used as intransitive, i. e., without an object after it, and so means to jiossess cognition or knowledge. This surely makes the text more significant. Quiet has this, viz., this untimely birth, which so prematurely perishes, rather than that, viz., the miserly man without a sepulchre. Not more quiet after both are dead, for then the case is the same with both; but quiet on the whole ; quiet considered in opposition to the turmoil and vexa- tion of the rich man. Quiet is a thing which stands high on the list of oriental enjoyments, and is regarded as a matter of eager desire. The rest in heaven, and in the land of Canaan, borrows a part of its intense significancy from this circumstance. ( 6 ) And even if he live a thousand years twice told, and enjoy no good — do not all go to the same place ? *I2K , contraction of & Ei< , both of which mean if. In this case of highest doubt as to the possibility that the case stated should be realized, the double if makes the expression very congruous. We may translate by even if The 1 before the particle has an influence on the following !"PH, and makes an Imperf. or Fut. ". — BfBSB, dual, two times, used adverbially, like our twice. fctbh with in interrog. One ijlace, viz., Sheol, the grave. — S>3ft, the whole mass, the totality, and therefore it takes the article, § 107, 3, n. 1, b. — Tj^in , depart, go away, as very often in this book. The question here asked is easily understood, and is equivalent to a strong assertion. The idea is : ' Live he ever so long, yet he goes at last to the same place as the untimely birth, i. e., to the region of the dead ; ' so that " one destiny awaits all," with- out distinction, 3:19. In 9 : 4 and 11 : 7, our author speaks, of the high value to be set upon life, and the pleasure derived from beholding the light But in these passages a contrast is made with death, and the latter is rendered the more bitter b :cau a e it cuts us off from enjoyment. But in the text before ECCLESIASTES VI. 7,8. 233 us, life is not asserted to be of no value, but the gist of the assertion is, that, be it ever so long, it saves us not from going to the same place where an untimely birth has gone, I. c, the grave. In itself, the enjoyment of what one has acquired is a good which is desirable ; but the time is at hand when this enjoy- ment will be no more, and our condition will then be the more annoying, because of what we have lost. (7) All the toil of man is for his mouth, and yet the soul is not satisfied. This connects with the preceding context. There it is de- clared, that however long life may be, yet at last it comes to vanity. All must go down to the grave. Long life, therefore, will not secure a permanent good. All the toil of man can do no more than procure the means of eating and drinking — it is all for his mouth, i. e., all which promises enjoyment. But even here our hopes are in a measure dashed. The author has too often elsewhere commended eating and drinking, i. e., the enjoy- ment of the fruits of toil (see in 2 : 24 ; 3 : 13 ; 5:17; 8 : 15), wholly to decry it here. But even the privilege of this enjoy- ment has its drawbacks. The appetite (u3E2H , the animal soul) is never satisfied so that it does not return. The same want and necessity press us again, which we felt before eating and drink- ing. Stable, abiding good, then, is not to be looked for even here. Too much must not be expected from this source. — ca here means yet, tamen; see Lex. DS, No. 5. (8) Then what advantage is there to the wise man over the fool, and what to the poor man who knoweth how to walk before the living 1 ^3 is variously rendered ; Knobel : dock, still; Heiligs. : immo, tamen; neither congruously. It is the ^3 apodotic, i. e., such as is employed in sentences of this nature : If — so and so ; then (^3) this or that is the consequence. I understand the question here to be a kind of apodosis to the preceding verse. The appe- tite is not satisfied; — then (asks the inquirer) how do the wise 20* 234 ECCLESIASTES VI. 9. have any more advantage than fools, for both have the same appetite ? The last part of the verse merely sets the czn in a Bpecial light. He is regarded as being a *3| , a poor man, but dexterously conducting himself. To walk before the living, is to behave with propriety and discretion before men. "Enoch walked with God," Gen. 5 : 24 ; "I am God . . . walk before me, and be thou perfect," Gen. 17 : 1. — ?Vh, as agreeing with iSSin (having the art.), we might expect would also have the article- pronoun *n ; but the Part, of itself contains or implies the pro- noun (§ 131, 2, n. 2), and the repetition of it is not necessary. In Greek, it is much oftener omitted in the Part, than in adjec- tives. — VT\ is used in this book frequently to designate men on the stage of action. Only such can witness one's demeanor. Sentiment ; ' If what you have said about desire never satisfied be true, what advantage is there in superiority of knowledge, or in sagacious correctness of demeanor ? ' This question is not directly and explicitly answered here. It has already been answered in one respect, in 2 : 14 — 16. But the following verse suggests a species of answer : (9) The sight of the eyes is better than the wandering of desire ; this too is vanity and fruitless effort. To see good is, as we have seen, usually put tropically for the enjoyment of it. The wandering of desire, in the Heb. T^iTQ, is Inf. with o because of the Maqqeph that follows; the "Q is the sign of the comparative after aits . The verb s^H means to go in any direction, to progress; and here it designates the fluctuating or going forth of desire from one thing to another, or the con- tinual motion of it. In other words, Coheleth concedes the evil of desiring continually, and says that it is vanity and fruitless effort; but still, he maintains thai there is some good in present enjoyment The r.\ refers to the ttJBJ-TiVra . The use of Tj'sftb in the preceding verse, probably occasioned the employment of me word here. Bui it is in the way of paronomasia, the an anings in the two cares being quite different. ECCLESIASTICS VI. 10,11. 235 The writer betakes himself once more to his usual resort, when evils come up that cannot be shunned. Providence, says he, has arranged all these matters. There is an established order and succession of things, and it is of no avail to quarrel with it. Man cannot strive with his Maker. (10) That which is, was long ago called by name, and it was known, because he is man, that he is unable to contend with him who is stronger than he. The Perf. i-r>H is here used as an abstract Pres., including what was and still is, § 124, 3. Its name was called, i. e., it had a name, and therefore an existence, long ago. — *ntdK f because, or since, introduces a circumstance which serves to explain the inability that is asserted in the sequel. — &MJ1, he is, as often elsewhere. Man, t. e., a frail and dying creature, springing from the dust, and returning to the dust. — ^asp-a&l connects with S'ris, it was known that he will be unable, § 152, B. e. tpjsjnttia is said, by the Masoretic note in the margin, to have a superfluous n , and accordingly it has no vowel-point assigned to it. But there is no need of this criticism. It may be read and pointed v]^i5rn!^T'^5 , i. e., him who is the mighty One, the Almighty, of course with the article. This is the very idea that the writer meant to convey, but which the Punctators failed to discover, ttj, him ivho. — *125353 = in^HE, than him, not than us. Here the sentiment comes out so fully, that striving against the arrange- ments of Providence can be of no avail. The presumption of so doing is also implied. (11) Truly, there are many words increasing vanity ; what advantage ia there to man ? *3 here is clearly not causal, but intensive, and so I have translated it. It might be well rendered by however, and then the shape of the discourse would be thus : ' However, I will say no more, since much speaking has already been condemned;' 236 ECCLESIASTES VI. 12. Bee 5 : 6, and remarks on 4 : 1G. — EHS'TD, Hiph. Part, of ITCH. What advantage to man? i. e., no number of words, however great, can disclose a permanent and immutable good for him, in the present world. Words, therefore, are multiplied in vain. (12) For •who knoweth what is good for man in life, during the number of the days of Ids vain life, since he spends them as a shadow ; so that who can tell man what shall be after him under the sun ? The "E at the beginning may be rendered for (causal), and then its connection stands thus : ' What advantage is there to man ? [I ask this question] because (^s) who knoiveth,' etc.; e. e., 'be- cause no one can know and tell. No one can point out any stable good, not even in the future; for who knoweth the future? In life ; i. e., while a man is living. — ^3p"a is Ace. of measure or time, and needs no prep, or verb. The indication is that of & definite number told or appointed. — iban ^n, his vain life (§ 104, 1), i. e., life which yields no solid good. — Bb5';'i, since he spends, or with "i intensive : he even spends them. That hii*3> may mean the same as ttouZv xP° vov > *° spend time, is plain from Lex. 2, g. This usage is even somewhat frequent. The suff. them refers to the preceding days. — l>33, as a shadow, for the article here, see § 107, 3, n. 1, a. It is inadmissible, however, in such a case, in our language. The idea is, that the days of man pass quickly or swiftly away, as a shadow does (comp. 8: 13 Job 14 : 2). — Trx, here (as often) is like h 3, so that, see Lex. rrx ; No. 10. Who can tell, etc.; i. e., his days are so fleeting and short, that no one can gain a knowledge which will enable him to see and foretell future things. — *"?"*< may be rendered indulge such feelings, while one is under hopeless suffering under an oppressive government, and has only glimpses of the world of future happiness. To any one who reads the book intelligently, who looks at the condition, and ign of the writer, such a struggle in regard REMARKS ON CHAP. VI. 230 to the most interesting question man can ask : viz., How can I find true and lasting happiness ? — to such a one a picture is presented, to be contemplated with the most lively emotions. It is .only when we mistake the tenor and ohjeet of the book, and look for and demand that which is not in it, nor in any other book of the Old Test, (except as stated above), — it is only then, that we meet with insoluble difficulties at every turn. No one who gets an enlightened view of the whole book can feel that a straight going exegesis will endanger our faith. Quite the contrary. We are led to see, step by step, what the mind can struggle with and overcome, where there is an un- shaken confidence in God at the bottom of the heart. If one in ages past, before the Sun of Righteousness arose in his full splendor, could thus struggle and thus triumph, shame and reproach to us, who live under the full, blaze of gospel light, if we doubt, and grow cold, and murmur when the ways of Providence are mysterious and afflictive to us ! That Neologists should exult in the alleged scepticism of this book, is no wonder indeed ; but I cannot think it to be indicative of much candor and liberality of feeling. Coheleth is an ardent inquirer, and in one respect, if I may be allowed to say it, he is like them, i. e. f he is a philosopher. But Co- heleth's philosophy begins with doubts, and ends with deep conviction of truth, and with reverence for God and his commandments. Their course is usually the reverse of this. Kant's last words are said to have been, " All is dark." And so indeed it is, where the Bible is superseded, and one's own reason becomes the supreme arbiter of all things. Even if Coheleth he in reality a doubter in immortality, it would not prove that all the He- brews were so; it could not disprove the assertion of Paul, that Abraham " looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is Go -1," nor could it convict him of error when he declared that other patri- archs did "seek a better country, even a heavenly one," Heb. 11 : 10 — 16. Such critics mistake the doubts suggested in the process of investigation in this book for the confirmed opinions of the writer himself, and thus they argue against all knowledge of the future among the Hebrews from his alleged views. They seem to ignore the fact that what the writer under- takes in this book is not to discuss the doctrine of the soul's immortality, or the existence of a future world, but to ask, and if possible answer, the question, Is there any solid and lasting good attainable in the present world ? They may wonder, and so may we, that the author rarely steps beyond the boundaries of this question, until near the close of the book. We can scarcely repress the feeling that views of the future must have thrust them- selves in as the means of solving many a nodus which is presented. And we have that same feeling when we read the Book of Job, which in many \ 240 ECCLESIASTES VII. 1-29. respects has resemblances to Ecclcsiastes. Yet, in cases of this kind, very much depends on the special object which the writer had in view, as well as on his state of knowledge. Inspiration does not put a man out of the age and country in which he lives. The circumstantials of a writer remain the same, whether inspired or not. And these always affect the costume of his work. Let Cohelcth be judged, then, by his time, his circumstances, and the object he had in view; and if so, his book need not fear the tribunal of criticism. The work is far enough removed from the gloomy conceptions and views of a hopeless sceptic, and from the tame and dull truisms of a wiseacre. It is full of vivacity, of deep feeling, and of a pervading spirit of submission to God in all his doings. If we do not profit by it, the fault is our own.l §11. Alleviations in various distressing Circumstances. Caution as to Demeanor toward Oppressors and Rulers. Our Miseries are not from God, but from the Perversion of Men. Chap. VII. 1—29. [Left in despair of any adequate remedy for the evils of life, or of attain- ing to wisdom adequate to point out true and lasting good, the writer de- clares death to be preferable to life. Death is indeed an evil, but not unmixed with good; for some advantage, in such a case, may accrue to mourners, and the wise may profit by being among them. Fools only desire continual merriment: vi. 1 — 4. But even the rebuke of the wise, well administered, is better than the merry shouts of fools, which are short- lived, vs. 5, 6. Still, the icise are sometimes thrown off their guard by pas- sion, which causes much misery, and makes even the wise grow mad under it. But they ought to wait with patience for the end of such things, and see how Providence disposes of the issue or sequel, and not to be impetuous in their feelings, nor to complain of the badness of the times, vs. 7 — 10. After all, wisdom, as well as a heritage, is of some profit, although imper- fectly attained, and liable to be blinded for the moment by untoward circum- stance.. Both wisdom and money are at times a protection, vs. 11,12. Still, we must remember that God has ordered all matters, and that we ought to submit to his ordinances, v. 13. Agreeably to his ordinance, we ice in prosperity; but we should also consider well in the day of Grod disposes of both these in the way of alternation, and in ECCLESIASTES VII. 1—29. 241 such a way that wo cannot scan his doings, v. 14. All this Cohelcth has reflected upon while engaged in his vain pursuit. Nor docs the mystery stop even here. The righteous sometimes perish through their probity, and the wicked enjoy long life through their improbity, v. 15. To this the writer brings forward a kind of reply, or at least an attempt at explanation. It comes in the form of a precept, the purport of which is to tell how the evil in question may be shunned. One must not be rigidly unbending in his righteousness, carrying the matter to severe excess. Nor should he sedu- lously endeavor to show how wise he is, for this will make him singular and cause him to be deserted. Nor should he be very wicked, since this would show him to be a fool ; for it brings on a premature death. It is good to attend well to both these cautions, for he who fears God will proceed with both in his eye, vs. 15 — 18. That this comment on the destiny of the right- eous and the wicked (v. 15), and on the wisdom here aimed at (v. 10), is not satisfactory to the writer, will appear in the sequel. For the present, as wisdom has been spoken of in the attempted reply, as a means of destroying or making one desolate, he contents himself with remarking that wisdom is a more effectual security for protection than ten military chieftains with their forces. In respect to such protection wisdom docs at times what virtue fails to do, because all men sometimes sin, and then not their virtue but their skill protects them; vs. 19,20. If one makes an effort to act wisely, he will doubtless set in motion the tongue of slander; but he must give no heed to it, for it is not worth minding. If you are over-eager to listen, you will hear something to your own disadvantage, even from servants. Besides, you yourself have sometimes indulged in such scandal, and you must there- fore expect it from others, vs. 21, 22. Cohelcth now sums up by saying that he has with wariness subjected to trial the wisdom of which so much is said, in order to discover its true nature, and tried to become wise in this matter. But he has found the thing too remote and deep to be probed, vs. 23, 24. He has pursued the investigation of wisdom by considering it as contrasted with folly and madness, v. 25. Of this folly, he has sought out the most prominent and conspicuous sources and exemplars. He has found these in the ensnaring women of his time, whose seductive appearance and demeanor are so alluring and fatal, that only those specially favored of God escape from them. He has desired to find some abatement of this charge, but he cannot find one in a thousand who is to be excepted. Among men the case is somewhat better. But even there examples are very rare, vs. 27, 28. But whence come such abounding perversity and wickedness'? Cud made man upright; therefore it is not to lie put to his account, but to the account of man himself, who has degenerated, v. 29. 21 \ 242 ECCLESIASTES VII. 1—29. This chapter may he numbered among the most difficult in the book. There is less of orderly sequency and of close or discernible connection. Actual digressions, indeed, are not exactly to be found in the chapter ; but transitions from one subject, or one aspect of a subject, to another are fre- quent To a mere cursory reader much of the chapter has the appearance of apothegms or sententious sayings, like the Book of Proverbs. But a closer examination dissipates this illusion, and shows, in the main, a con- nected undercurrent of thought. Still, it is miscellaneous. The writer goes, for example, from the subject of death and mourning to that of oppres- sion, and strives to present some alleviations and administer some cautions in both cases. Once more he resumes the oft-considered topic of wisdom, and also glances again at that of wealth. Both of these things have their value in some respects; but they cannot reverse or stay the ordinances of Providence. God has designed to hide some things from our view, and therefore we cannot search them out ; but our safe course is to yield implicit submission to his will. Some things take place which confound us ; the righteous suffer the doom of the wicked, and, vice versa, the wicked prosper as if righteous. This cannot be explained by putting it to the account of excess in the righteous, and of small sins in the wicked. Excess in either is not the ground on which this matter rests. As to wisdom, it often serves for a defence, even where virtue would not or could not. because it is so im- perfect. Let no one be dissuaded from laboring to attain wisdom, by the tongue of slander and scandal. Give no ear to it, and thus escape the mor- tifications of it. As to the essential nature of wisdom, what it is in itself, and whence it originates, we cannot develop these matters as we may wish. But something we may know by looking at and considering the opposite of wisdom, viz., filly. The most striking examples of this are among enticing women ; examples of virtue, moreover, are very rare, even among men. So much at all events, is clear, amid all that may be doubtful, viz., that God made man upright, and that he has corrupted himself Such is tbe tenor of thought, briefly expressed, and divested of all its circumstantial minutiae. This is a discursive method of writing, beyond any doubt ; but still, discursiveness and free latitude in thinking pervade the book, and designedly so. Yet it is far from being a second book of Prov- erbs. Single and unconnected apothegms are rare indeed in it, and in fact never appear, as has already been said, except for the purpose of illustration. Bat to claim for it tbe regular series of a continuous logical process through- out, would plainly be to make an extravagant and inadmissible claim. Such i- ii"t the manner of Hebrew writing anywhere. Paul himself, though a master logician in fact, with few exceptions, never presents us with a regular ECCLESIASTES VII. 1. 243 and continued scries of ratiocination. The times, the style, the genius of the Hebrew people neither required nor admitted this. But Cohclcth has a wide licid before him, which he explores in search of some solid and abiding earthly good. When he viewed some of the leading pursuits of men in one light, and dismissed them as disappointing our hopes, on another occasion something brings them to his view in another attitude, and he again contem- plates them, and then decides as before. It is in this way that the seeming repetition occurs ; but excepting his repeated final conclusions, it is rare to find the same thing looked at again in the same attitude and in the same light as before. Free digressive remarks often spring from ideas associated with something which he mentions, and called forth by that something ; and one must, narrowly watch for this, who desires to explore the course of thought and the connection of topics. He must not think of binding him to the consecution of a Paley or a "Whewell. He must rather read the Consessus Hariri, or the Gnomes of some of the oriental philosophers, or the book of the Wisdom of Solomon, if he wishes to obtain light on the question of method in the book before us. It is through and through oriental, and has some strong resemblance in more than one respect, to some parts of the Mislma. "Withal, it is verily Hebrew in its manner and method ; but not Hebrew his- tory, or prophecy, or Psalms. It is Hebrew philosophizing, and at least as intelligible as that of our cousin- Germans. Perhaps parts of it have hecn as little understood as some of their works. But patience is said to master even their works ; perseverance and a good knowledge of the He- brew idiom will make most of this book, if not all, quite intelligible. We now come to the detail.] ( 1 ) Better is a good name than precious ointment, and so the day of one's death than of his birth. The first Sia is predicate, and so (as usual for a predicate adjective) it stands first, § 141. — txo of itself may mean good name, by established Heb. usage, Prov. 22 : 1 ; Job 30 : 8. The second Si'a qualifies 1[&B, and shows that it means perfumed or 'precious ointment. The writer introduces this merely for the sake of throwing light, by comparison, on the sentence that fol- lows ; i. e., the day of one's death is as much better than that of his birth as a good name is better than good oil. Doubtless illustrations as striking as this might have been selected from other objects. But this bears every mark of being a common \ 2U ECCLESIASTES VII. 2. apothegm ; and it was probably chosen on this ground. — "i"^^' Niph. Inf. Nominas. of "iV", lit. of being brought forth. The suff. here indicates that there is an implied suffix after M^SJi ; which I have given in the version. In this case 1 as often is equivalent to and so, or and thus ; see Gram. § 152, B. (3). The verse before us reasserts in another form the sentiment of 6:3. New reasons for despair, exhibited in 6 : 4 — 12, have made Coheleth more sick at heart than ever. He does not say merely that he would as willingly die as live, but that death, the termination of life, is altogether better than birth, the commencement of it. But if death be not at present attainable (he never once speaks, and never appears to think, of suicide), then the next most mournful concern, attendance on the death or burial of others, is most in unison with his then present feelings. In point of fact, indeed, a man may be profited by resort to the house of mourn- ing. (2) It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, because this is the end of all men, and the living will lay it to heart. The word iTSjlSB , banquet, is often employed in the more gen- eral sense given to it here, t. e., feast. — K'tt, this is, § 119, 2. EpO , the end, but the article required is put before the Gen. noun that follows, § 109, 1. — C^x , man, mankind, or every man, generic. 'rn, sing, generic, and designating a class, it takes the article ; § 107, 3, n. 1, b. Lay it or put it to heart, is the familiar phrase in Ileb. to designate the consideration of a thing ; for this mean- ing of "(P3, see Lex. It is placing the thing before the mind, in order that it may be the object of consideration. H'itzig says that there are two benefits designated here as belonging to the house of mourning : the one, which the author claims for him- self, since he cannot himself die, the pleasure of seeing others permitted to die; the other, the sober reflection which is occa- sioned in all, and is useful to them. The first of these reasons appears strained and unnatural, too much so to be admissible ; ECCLESIASTES VII. 3—5. 245 the second is enough to establish the letter in the case which is asserted. This is the end — what? The answer must be, that the house of mourning is, i. e., represents, symbolizes in an expressive manner, the end or death of all men. (3) Better is sorrow than laughter; for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made glad. &55, aegritudo, mocror, grief or sorrow ; often it means vexa- tion, irritation, but not so here, as the antithesis shows. — pinb , lit. laughter, but this is merely the expression here of merriment, the opposite of sorrow. — sn , sadness, see Lex. — 5a^ , Imperf. with Pattah, § 69, 1. The heart is made glad; Hitzig: is made sound. But plainly soundness is not the opposite of sadness; and Sia , moreover, has all along the sense of enjoyment, glad- ness. Usually, the countenance expresses the state of the heart, and when that is sorrowful, we conclude the heart to be so ; see in Neh. 2 : 2. But there the writer employs an Oxymoron, in order to express himself with point (see this word explained in New Test. Gramm. p. 300). We might say, with something of the like point : The look is sad, but the heart not bad. — axa'w need not be regarded as implying mere ordinary merriment here, but the pleasure derived from sober reflection. The whole verse is only an extension of the thought in v. 2. In v. 4 we have an exhibition of the part which wisdom will act. (4) The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools in the house of merriment. For the reasons above stated, we may anticipate what part the wise will act. They will frequent the house of mourning, for the solid profit which will accrue ; but fools, who love laughter, will prefer the house of merriment. Heart, in the text, means inclina- tion, feeling, which prompts the course in question. (5) Better is it to hear the rebuke of a wise man, than that one should hear the song of fools. 21* 2-46 ECCLESIASTICS VII. 0,7. This is partly digressive. The writer pursues the idea of the difference between the foolish and the wise, beyond the matter of mourning and rejoicing. So much more highly are the wise to be held in estimation, that one had rather suffer even rebuke from them, than to hear the plaudit-song of fools. As song here is the opposite of rebuke, so encomiastic or plaudit-song is plainly meant. In other words: Rebuke from the wise is more tolerable than the eulogy of fools. — Tdd , Part, auditurus, or it may merely express the repeated act of hearing, i. e., what one habitually does ; which is a special office of the participle. The Heb. runs thus, lit. : than a man, the hearer of a song, etc. The plaudit-song of fools is, indeed, noisy enough, but very short- lived and insignificant. So the next verse : (6) For as the noise of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This too is vanity. There is a kind of paronomasia or assonance in this verse. The preceding verse has D^D3, and this D'niSri (art. generic) ; In v. G itself, ^*sn follows d^vsn ; words evidently selected for the sake of assonance; for this is often employed to give point to a sententious saying. The state of Palestine as to fuel, makes plain the expression, thorns under the pot. Bushes are the only fuel, and the thorn of the desert, often employed in cooking food, blazes and snaps fiercely, and makes much noise for a little while, and leaves few if any coals behind. Of course something more substantial is needed for convenient use. So is it with the noisy merriment — the laughter and song of fools. We have a vulgar proverb of nearly the same tenor as that here quoted : Great cry and little wool. The *® at the beginning of the verse, shows that the design is to give the ground of the preceding declaration. — Ml, this too, I. e., this as well as other things before mentioned. (7) Rut oppression rendereth mad n wise man, and a gift corrupteth the heart. ECCLESIASTICS VII. 8. 247 Rendereth mad, i. e., foolish ; in other words, the practice of oppressing will soon bring a wise man to act as a fool. The author refers to the practice of the magistrates of that day, of which he so often complains. As to making mad, comp. Is. 44 : 25. As to the character and effect of the gift (bribery), see Deut. 16 : 19 ; Exod. 23 : 8. — *J2!0, in Piel, either leads astray, which is the original idea, or corrupts, in the moral sense. sb , heart, i. e., mind or soul. In Arabic, Hahem (=. ten) means magistrate, and not improbably it does so in the passage before us; for it is the corruption of sl judge, to which the gift (bribery) refers. In such a case, there would be an exception to the value of a rebuke from a Dsn , as mentioned in v. 5 ; and perhaps the writer means to produce an oppressive D=n here in the way of an exception to the general principle. (8) The end of a matter is better than its beginning; forbearance of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit. The first part of the verse seems at first view to be a kind of parallel to v. 1. But in v. 8 it stands in a different connection. Both parts of the verse are doubtless proverbial sayings, applied by the writer to the case in hand. What he means is, that the end of this matter of oppressing will show at last the true state of the thing ; and that it is better to wait — to exercise forbear- ance of mind, than haughtily to resent the injuries received. We might expect mi "isp, hastiness of spirit, in contrast with >yn 7£8. But haughtiness is the passion which most and quick- est of all resents oppression, being very sensitive to indignity. The caution is, not to move too hastily in such a matter, but to wait, and see how it will turn out in the sequel. That such is the indication, may be seen by what follows. — ^nx is probably the const, form of "rpN (adj.), according to the vowel-points. The sense is better, at least more expressive, if pointed ?fnK (as a noun) ; and so Pjha (Infin. noun) may be regarded as a parallel construction with tri*. 248 ECCLESIASTES VII. 9—11. (9) Be not hasty in thy spirit to be irritated, for irritation dwcHeth in the bosom, of fools. This repeats the sentiment of the preceding verse, with an additional reason. Avoid an irritable temper of mind, for only the foolish indulge it. ' Embroil not yourself with the oppressive ruler, by reason of hasty vexation or sudden passion,' is the sub- stance of the sentiment. — rW, Imperf. of ritt, indicating (as often) habitude, § 125, 4. b. (10) Say not, Why is it that former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely respecting this. i-PH, was and still is. — W, that. — rra?rT0, lit. fro?n ivisdom, i. e., it comes not from wisdom as its source = wisely. — nH>5, concerning this, viz., concerning the superiority of former times over the present. This has a bearing on the then present state of things. Men are presented as groaning under oppression ; and present evils are always magnified in the view of sufferers. Hence it is natural to praise former times, as if they were ex- empt from evils, when in fact their evils are merely forgotten. Every day, even now, furnishes us with examples of this kind. Coheleth means to say that ' such comparisons will provoke the rulers as well as help to aggravate our evils, and thus increase the difficulties which they occasion. Therefore be wise, and refrain from this.' That this is implied, seems to be clearly shown from the next two verses, which speak in praise of wis- dom, i. c., discretion or sagacity. (11) Wisdom is good as well as an inheritance, specially to those who Bee the sun. In other words : 'Act wisely in respect to rulers; for wisdom will protect yon as much as money. It is of great benefit to tlio e who are in active life.' — hbrja b?, as well as wealth; for . may and docs have such a meaning, is clear; see 2 : 1G, and remarks there, and also Lex. D5, B. 1. d. The word in* ECCLESIASTES VII. 12,13. 249 heritance has here a more generic sense, meaning wealth of any kind. Besides, in the next verse, wealth or money is made coordi- nate with wisdom, not subordinate to it. The sentiment drawn by many from this verse, viz., that ' wisdom is good if you have money with it,' is both tame and untrue in its implication ; for the implication would be, that wisdom is not good unless accom- panied by wealth. — ^"i" 1 , an adverb here, viz., very, very much, abundantly; see in 2:15. Sentiment: 'Wisdom is good as well as wealth, and especially good for those on the stage of action.' Those who see the sun, means living men abroad in the world of action ; com p. G : 5 ; 1 1 : 7. So the Greeks : 'Opav aos = £r}v ; and so the Latins : Diem videre. (12) For wisdom is a defence, and silver is a defence; but a preeminence of knowledge is wisdom, which preserves the lives of its possessors. In b^S , the S is the so-called 5 esseniiae, and therefore need not be translated, indeed cannot be, so as truly to represent the Heb. idiom. See Lex. a, D., and compare aiaa in v. 14 = 3^. See in Job 23 : 13 ; Gen. 49 : 24, al. in Lex. — bs, lit. shadotu. In the glowing east, shade is a most grateful and salutary pro- tection. The Scriptures often employ the word as here; Is. 30 : 2, 3 ; 32 : 2 ; Num. 14:9; Lam. 4 : 20. A preeminence or excellence of knowledge is the predicate in the second clause ; and so I have translated. It is put first, for the sake of empha- sis. ' That wisdom,' says Coheleth, ' which preserves life, must be regarded as an excellent knowledge,' having the preeminence even over money ; for this, although it may and does at times shield us, is still liable to be lost, for it is exposed to robbery, to accident, and to ill success in business, etc. Ail this looks back to the case of demeanor under the oppres- sion of rulers, and is designed to show the importance of acting discreetly, that our safety may not become endangered. Wisdom here is truly a yhrY 1 .. (13) Consider the work of God; who can make straight that which lie hath made crooked ? 250 ECCLESIASTLS VII. 11. That is, in all these troubles and perplexities, remember that there is an overruling Providence, whose arrangements cannot be opposed or disturbed. When the will of God is ascertained, bow to it in quiet and silent submission. — Cin?xn, like 0eos in Greek, used either with or without the article. Here emphasis is intended, and the article becomes necessary. — is (causal), stands before a reason for considering well how much of present trouble results from the unchangeable ordinance of the power above. — in**, Piel with suff., root rflS with movable 1 . (14) In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity con- sider ; moreover God hath arranged this in connection with that, in order that man should not discover anything which will be after him. Whatever may be the confusion and disorder of the times, when good and evil alternate and are fluctuating, it is plain that nothing forbids your enjoyment of prosperity, when it is your lot ; and when adversity comes, make good use of that by exer- cising sober reflection and consideration. — siiiSt — afe , with 3 essentiae; see on bsa in the verse above. Consider, instead of which we should have expected "^2 STjh , be sad, as the opposite of Z"J2. But fix") gives a more expressive and useful counsel. Men do not need exhortation to sadness, when misfortunes come upon them. God has arranged these alternations in such a way, and so entirely are they under his own control, that we can never predict the future with certainty. We know, indeed, that alter- nations must needs take place; but 'how and when, are beyond our ken.' — r'zvb , together with, or in connection with, — rrfcs, arrange, constitute, a frequent meaning of this word ; see Lex. r tfW ~v (const form of tt^a 1 ?), on the ground that, in order thai ( licit merely s<> that, as many translate). The sentiment plainly is, thai God has so arranged the alternations of good and evil, thai no man can know the future with certainty; and in all this he has a design. He does not mean to admit man to pry into the >< i r< : things which belong to him alone. ECCLBSIASTK8 VII. 15. 2.31 The mass of commentators are content with this view; but Ilitzig, ever watchful to detect and bring to view any scepticism in the Hebrews, finds this sentiment: 'To the intent that he shall seek for nothing after death. God leaves good and evil to alter- nate here, in order that nothing may be expected or found after death.' He adds : " This sense of the passage interpreters en masse have failed to discover." But it seems to me no matter of wonder that they have failed to see what was not to be seen. Hitzig gets his view by a Hinein-exegesiren, and not by a Her* aus-exegesiren. The writer has said again and again, that good and evil are not duly rewarded in the present life. His greatest complaint is, that they are not. How, then, can he be made to say now that good and evil are awarded here, and are so dis- pensed that no further award is to be expected ? (15) All this have I considered in the days of my vain efforts ; there is a righteous man who peris heth through his righteousness ; and there is a wicked man who prolongeth [his days] by reason of his wickedness. Vsn-ritf , lit. the all, but the article makes V3 refer to something which precedes, viz., what is contained in vs. 13, 14, all this. He means to say that the subject of the mysterious alternations of good and evil he has often considered in the days of his ban, i. e.j of his vain efforts in trying to solve the problem. As to the mere fact of being vanity, personally considered, i. e.-> a frail dying creature, that was as true when this was uttered as it ever had been. This was not something which had passed, and there- fore this was not the kind of vanity meant in the text. Brt there is a new attitude in which the subject maybe placed, which will show more fully still that there is a mystery respecting the dispensation of good and evil, which is more perplexing than their mere alternations. ' Right fails, and wrong prospers.' The righteous sometimes perish (instead of receiving a reward) for the very reason that they are righteous ; while the wicked enjoy the benefits promised to the righteous, by means of their 252 ECCLF.SIASTES VII. 1C, 17. wickedness, irtf^S. The wicked often prolong their days by the acquisition of various comforts and means of promoting health, through gains wickedly obtained; or it may be that they escape penal justice by means of bribery. How Providence could permit this, was a great mystery, and one which Coheleth thinks has not been uncovered. Of some attempts to account for this he has indeed a cognizance ; or it may be that he tells us what once passed in his own mind, in the days of his vanity. As to the fact, '•' persecution for righteousness' sake " has always existed in some shape; so that a man may perish "Ip'i^a, by or through his righteousness, not merely in it. After Tp"^."? the word D*^ is implied ; for the full expression of this see 8:13; Deut. 4:26, 40 ; 5 : 30 ; Josh. 24 : 31 ; Prov. 8:16, al. For the elliptical expression as here, see Prov. 28 : 2. Long life is everywhere counted among the Hebrews as a blessing, Ex. 20 : 12 ; Deut. 1 1 : 9, 21 ; Is. 65 : 20 ; Ps. 49 : 10 ; Prov. 28 : 16, al. (16) Be not righteous over much, nor display thyself as being wise ; why Bhouldest thou make thyself to be forsaken 1 In other words, a course too exact, rigid, and severe, occasions the misfortunes of the righteous. They overdo. And so also they shoiu themselves as wise, or demean themselves as claiming to be wise, csnrn Ilith., i. e., wiser than others ; and so, by carry- ing these things to excess, they cause themselves to be deserted or forsaken, trailSFl, Ilithp. for traidnfi, make thyself desolate or lonely. Like Job in 16:7 (on which passage the writer perhaps had his eye), friends forsake him, and leave him to his fancied superior sanctity and wisdom. But the verse above speaks of ri 'siting. This also may be involved in tKailEFi, or at least the consequence of it. — nrii is evidently adverbial here (see in v. 1 1), and corresponds to ruin in the first clause. The next continues the comparison. (17) Benot wicked overmuch, and be not foolish; why shouldest thou die before ti ; Dagh. omitted in the first b, as oftentimes, § 20, 3, b. — ^-, suff. in pause ; see p. 288, Par. col. A. (22) For thine own heart also knowcth many times when even thou thy- self hast cursed others. As a proof or ground of what he had just said, lie now appeals to the experience of the individual addressed. He suggests that he himself must be sensible that he has exercised the temper which would lead him to curse others ; and why may he not expect the like from them? There is nothing strange in it. D^SS, fern, with a masc. form, as nia'n shows, § 105, 4. It means here cases, or what we usually call instances; and it is in the Ace. governed by yij . So Hitzig. — QK = finx , as the Qeri shows ; see in Neb. 9:6; Ps. 6 : 4 al. Such being the prone- ness of human nature to think and speak ill of superiors, one needs to be well guarded against this vice. (23) All this have I tried by wisdom. I have said : Let me become wise now ; but it was far from me. He means to say that he had made a discerning and sagacious trial of the much talked-of wisdom. He had applied practical wisdom in order to search out and investigate the true nature and essence of wisdom; for this seems to be the object now be- fore as. Already has he told what practical wisdom achieves. But now he wishes to go deeper, to inquire into and search out its real nature and essence. — rT03fl», Imperf. hortative, § 48, 8, with parag. n-. — trn, this thing, viz., the becoming wise, fem. for neuter, as usual. Far from me, i. e., out of his reach, ild not attain to it. Viewed in the light in which it is now : . this verse La not a contradiction of the asserted value of ECCLESIASTES VII. 21,25. 259 wisdom, already made in various ways. It is designed to show- that beyond the point of that value, i. e., beyond its practical effects, he could not successfully pursue inquiries so as to discover its real nature or essence. The next verse shows how fully he was persuaded of this. (24) That which is far off and very deep — who can find it out 1 Not with Herzf. : far off remains, what was far off; nor with Ewald : far off — what is it? nor with Rosenm. : that is far off which before ivas present (?) — !-nn£rrra, that which is. The predicate pirn is placed first for the sake of emphasis. — pias is made emphatic by repetition, § 100, 4. — *I3- verbal suff. The w r hole hangs on the iir^m of v. 23. The gender of the adjec- tives is changed in v. 24, because the proposition there assumes a more generic form. Indeed, it appears like a common collo- quial apothegm ; and here it is cited probably in the way that accords with its usual popular form. Sentiment: 'What I sought was exceedingly beyond my power to attain.' But although he discovered thus much, as to the way in which he had been investigating, yet he did not wholly abandon the pursuit. He tried the matter once more in the w r ay of examin- ing the opposite or antithesis of wisdom, in order that he might thus, i. e., in the way of antithetical comparison, discover some- thing more of the true nature of that which he w r as investigat- es) I turned myself, and my purpose was to acquire knowledge and to investigate, even to seek out wisdom and intelligence, and to know wicked- ness as folly, and folly as madness. *2b*\ has been an offendiculum criticorum here. Knobel, Heiligs., and even Hitzig, with others, make it the instrumental Ace, and translate : with my mind, as if it were *>a!?a (as a num- ber of Codices have it). But lab 1 ] cannot be here translated with or by my mind. If this were the meaning, the 1 must of course 200 1 CCLESIASTES VII. 25. be omitted, and *»ai be taken as the Ace. of manner or instru- ment (116, o) = inteUigenter. But as the text is, *zb must be the subject of the clause; the copula (rnn or X*tn) is implied, and the Infinitives (nominascent) that follow are the complement or predicate. That sb may mean desire, purpose, wish, admits of no doubt ; see Lex. nnb , d. — fel IB^SI forms a new clause, to distinguish which the b before the Inf. is omitted. The clause is epexegetical and supplementary, inasmuch as the first clause says nothing more than that he addressed himself to acquiring knowledge and investigating, but without saying what it was which he investigated ; while the second clause tells us what the objects of inquiry were, and D£2 sums up and comprises the meaning of the two preceding verbs. Hitz. puts rr^b and linb in the Ace. after ttJjsa , and of course translates thus : And with my mind to seek to know and to investigate. The sense in itself is well enough, but one of the two Vafs must be ejected in this case from the text, either that before iab] or else that before lBjsja. It is unnecessary and inexpedient to do this. Heiligs. moves on without the least notice of any difficulty in the text, and .-ays nothing of the *[ in question. Knobel recognizes it, but ejects the first 1 sans ceremonie. None of these plans admit and explain the text as it is. But surely there is no necessity of changing it, as the version above shows. In the case of vJgai, I have rendered *i by even (§ 152, B. 2), which is the proper translation before an epexegetical clause designed rather to explain than to add anything new. — "pS'rn is another term for wisdom, designating it as meditating or excogitating. Both terms increase the intensity of expression = wisdom in the highest sense. It is the nature of this which he is now seeling out. — fcos -~~!, not the wickedness of folly (for this would be :"'i : ~), but wickedness as folly. And folly as madness, the same ion as before, the latter noun having no article and no 1, and thus Bhowing that it is subordinate and explana- and not a i const, noun with a Genitive after it. In ECCLESIASTIC VII. 25. 201 ruba&rr, the article merely points to the preceding ^SO, and is a= much as to say: that folly . 80 that from both clauses we obtain the sentiment that wickedness is both folly and madness; which surely is a sound doctrine of the Scriptures. The word mbsD is merely a variation inform (not in meaning) from the preceding bro. Thus much for the grammatical part of our investigation. The occasion of what is here said seems to have been taken from v. 17 : Be not ivicked overmuch, nor he thou foolish. It seems to be there assumed that it is only a high degree of wick- edness (Minn) which makes a man foolish ; that is, he may be somewhat wicked, and yet be wise. Coheleth is not satisfied with such a view of the subject, although the sentiment which it conveys is designed to apologize or account for the mysterious providence described in v. 15. He thinks all wickedness to be folly, and that this folly is, moreover, a lack of reason, or mad- ness. He had sought to discover the nature of true wisdom contemplated by itself; but this was far away and deep. He now makes another effort ; and this is, to seek out what wisdom is by searching into its opposite or antithesis, viz., folly. This is equivalent to wickedness, and also to madness. True wisdom stands opposed to all three. All sin, then, in his view is folly ; and not merely an excess of wickedness is sin, but every degree of it. Consequently, to be ivise is to refrain from all sin ; for the commission of it, in any manner or measure, is folly and wickedness so far as it goes. What follows I regard as designed to exhibit how widely sin and folly are diffused abroad. Examples on all sides are before him, and he can easily discover what folly is by observing and examining these examples. And if folly can be fully seen, then its opposite, viz., wisdom, may of course be better understood. Withal, the reader should compare the verse before us with 1:17 and 2 : 12 — 15, where he speaks more despairingly of acquiring an adequate knowledge, and thinks it to be ry,n 'y.v. ECCLESIASTES VII. 26. (26) And I found more bitter than death the woman whoso heart is nets and snares, whose hands arc chains ; he who is pleasing to God shall he de- livered from her, but the sinner shall be caught by her. This is trul)' oriental in its conception. Women, it seem?, are the examples most in point of the folly in question. The low estimate in which females are held throughout the east, even down to the present day, never associating nor even eating with men, being moreover without education or any true dignity of character, and reckoned as mere menial instruments of man's pleasure, leads of course to degradation and depravation of char- Here, then, Coheleth seeks his most striking examples of folly, either in its mental or moral sense. Plow different is the case in those countries on which the light of the gospel has dawned ! Were we now r to make the same inquest which he did, we should first betake ourselves to the male rather than the female sex, in order to light upon those where wickedness more fully abounds. So much has Christianity done for women. But still, Coheleth's proposition cannot, as many suppose, be a general, or rather a universal, one in respect to the sex. Plainly, he speaks only of those women who employ their arts and charms to inveigle paramours. lie likens these arts to nets and toils, which inclose and secure their prey ; and their clinging hands he calls chains, because they hold fast the victim. Highly favored of God is the man who escapes their enticements, and only those who are displeasing in his sight, /. e., sinners, will be ensnared by them. This is a high although not directly designed encomium on chastity in men; and it shows that the writer was ii" mere voluptuary. What he says of women bearing the char- acter here described, we may fully accede to, even at the present time ; and among them wc might say as he afterwards says, that there is not one in a thou -and, i. e., one example of wisdom in its inn- sen e. — niSXin-riX, Ace. after arte; which last word is pointed, as to ii> final vowel, in the Syriac fashion, instead of the usual Tseri ; see § 74, VI. n. 21, a. So KBirt, in this ECCLESIASTES VII. 27. 20:3 same verse, is written N»in in 8 : 12 5 : 18. There is some difficulty in the construction of Js'rr^rx here The mosl facile method of rendering the clause is to put together i^zb . . . ^uttjt, and translate : ivhose heart. The only objection to this is that made by llitzig, viz., that if ftzh were the subject or Nom. of the clause, then the fern, ton could not be employed, but &tth must be inserted. But this rests simply on the ground that -'? is masc, and that consequently the pronoun must be of the same gender. But this is far from being certain. — nb makes its plur. hialb ; which Fuerst says (Conccrd.) must come from Sisb, fern. But why ? Are there not many nouns of comm. gender which have a masc. form for their singular; e. g., ©SI), plur. rvitzJB?, a word of kindred meaning with ib. So the fuller form inb has masc. and fern, forms both in the plural, indicating a common gender of the singular. Adopting this view here (Ges. Lex. says nothing about the gender), then fc^H is in due order. But it is a mere copula here = is, as often elsewhere in this book. In this way the version above is justified. But we may take another way, and yet arrive at a like conclusion. We may translate thus : who is nets and snares as to her heart, i. e., ih is in the Ace. of the manner or the respect in wliich she is snares, etc. So Herz. ; although he prefers making K*nic. as it is called ; Tor nouns of this form do not elsewhere exhibit such a Dagh., e. , it is said, stands in the way of this. Moreover, it is not by his own efforts that life is prolonged ; but in this case it seems to be said that he pro- longs something for himself i. e., by his own efforts. Still, as the Dative is often used after verbs (e.g., like ~\?~T\?., Gen. 12:1) which have no complement, it may possibly come under this cat- egory, if the Hiphil sense does not prevent it. Hitzig supplies for the Ace. here, the Sn nid2 of the preceding verse. In favor of the other construction is the same elliptical use of Tf ^RE in 7 : 15, where D 1 ^ must plainly be the supplement; and the full form occurs here in v. 13. Conceding this, "ft must be regarded as a Dativus commodi. — ^3 , yet, still; see Lex. — ca , profecto, qualifies S'i'h (as the Maqqeph shows), and renders it intense = I certainly or truly know. It shall be well, nSza , lit. there shall be good. Who fear before him repeats the idea of the preceding clause, for the sake of intensity. The one is a participle, and the other a verb in Kal. Imperf. of K'lJ . Both therefore denote continued, habitual action. The repetition, then, must be for the sake of intensity. Both phrases = those who truly and habitu- ally fear God. In other words : ' Whatever advantage oppressors may gain, and however great the evils which they occasion, it remains true after all, and it is a consolation for the oppressed, that those who fear God shall sooner or later obtain their reward.' In this world ? The tenor of the book is plainly against this, for it is often repented that "all things come alike to all," and that "the wise man and the fool die alike." That it is in another world, then, seems to be the necessary implication; although it seems strange to us that it is not spoken out more plainly and fre- quently, since we are prone to forget that " The gospel [only] has brought life and immortality to light." ECCLESIASTES VIII. 13,11. 281 (13) But to the wicked it shall not he well, nor shall he prolong his days ; as a shadow is he who doth not fear God. This is the antithesis of the closing part of v. 12. 'The wicked shall be punished ; they shall not prolong their days. 1 The accents join bst3 to the preceding clause, much to the injury of the sense. Altogether preferable is it to join (as I have done) baa to the closing part ; and so Hitzig. The copula is of course implied after this word, so that the sense is as the version above expresses it. As a shadow, means and designates the idea of what is brief and fugitive, or evanescent, and also unsub- stantial. Shadows are constantly varying, and at most continue but a little time. Such will be the condition and destiny of the sinner, and specially of oppressive rulers, for he has them still in his eye. Here, then, seems to be a very full and firm conviction of the doctrine of a retribution, both for the good and for the evil. To this, however, an objection rises up when we come to the exam- ination of actual occurrences. He goes on fully to state it. (14) There is a vanity which is done on the earth; there are righteous to whom it happens according to the doing of the wicked ; and there are wicked to whom it happens according to the doing of the righteous ; I said that this surely is vanity. &2 belongs to all numbers and genders. — Ipsa , Hiph. Part, of 353 , pervenit, advenit, comes, happens. The sentiment coin- cides with 2 : 19 — 21, and specially with 7:15. The fact itself cannot indeed be denied. The writer does not attempt to deny or evade it. Still, he does not take back what he has said in vs. 12, 13. But if what he meant to say there was to assert the doctrine of complete retribution in the present world, then how could he speak as he does here ? We are forced then to conclude, on the ground of consistency, that he must have meant some- thing more. And now, without denying the allegation made in the verse before us, he goes on to prescribe what must be done 24* 282 ECCLESIASTES VIII. 15,16. in order to obtain any enjoyment in a world where such things are constantly occurring. He comes again to the oft-repeated conclusion, viz., that we must seek for enjoyment in the sober and prudent use of such good things as our toil may procure. After all, however, even this toil, if rendered strenuous, may annoy us more than the good is worth which it acquires. Mod- eration in this is necessary. He finds his ultimate refuge, then, in implicit submission to an overruling Providence, whose ways are utterly beyond our investigation. This thought is expanded in the coming chapter. (15) Then I praised enjoyment, because there is no good to man under the sun but to eat, and to drink, and be joyful; for this will cleave to him for his toil during the days of his life which God hath given him under the sun. "i;x, because, as it often means, see Lex. Under the sun,i.e., in the present world. — EX ^3 , but, except, see Lex. s. v. B. 2. hfoia . neut. intrans. verb, as also the preceding verbs are in this connection. — '2^ , Imperf. Kal of rvfc with suff. *IS— , Gramm. p. 289. The 1 is a consonant throughout. — feosa, for his labor, or in respect to or on account of Ms labor. "We have seen (on 2 : 24) that a in this book and in the later Hebrew not unfrequently coincides with b in regard to meaning. — "^, Ace. const., the Ace. of time, § 110, 2. Compare with this what has before been said on passages of the same tenor, viz., 2 : 24 ; 3 : 1 2, 13, 22 ; 5:18. The reasoning stands thus : ' Since virtue and wickedness are both treated in a way that reverses their tendency and natural consequences, it follows that virtue does not afford the certain means at all times to procure happiness in the present world. But still, this does not forbid the enjoyment of* all the comforts that toil can procure. Of this one can make sure.' Yet the next verse throws in a caution against too much reliance even on this. (1G) When I gave m y mind to know wisdom, and to consider the busi- ECCLESIASTES VIII. 17. 283 ness which is done on earth — that even by day and by night one enjoyeth no sleep with his eyes ; The verse is a protasis to the next verse, and inseparably con- nected with it thus: ' "When I did so and so — then I perceived, etc. — rc"]b , to know, here in order to know, i. e., acquire knowl- edge of. — 1"?^0 (as before) negotium, business, i. e., whatever is undertaken to be done. Specific here, and therefore it has the article. Before ^a the preceding verb I*nsn is implied, but it should be put in the past tense, viz., [/sew] that, etc. — ^'r, Ace. placed first in the clause on account of the stress here laid upon it. — nx'n , lit. seeth, but here experienced or enjoyeth, as often elsewhere. But who seeth no sleep? Plainly it is the man who is deeply engaged in the £» (business) mentioned above. In other words : ' Even the enjoying of the fruit of toil is often marred by engaging too earnestly in it.' (17) Then I saw all the work of God — that man cannot find out the work which is done under the sun : in that which a man may toil to find out, he will still make no discovery ; and even if the wise man should say that he knows it, he will not be able to discover it. V** 1 *! 5 % then, here introducing the apodosis or after-clause. Work of God, is what he does. In the second case, where, after work, God is left out, it is still the same ntt}?tt, as the article shows, which refers to the first MBSE. Therefore i"riz)53, done, means done by God who doeth all things; see 9 : 1. — bttia = b 'Titea , but as it is followed by another hWX , the meaning is somewhat embarrassed. Ewald and others read ^irsrbra, in- stead of both words now in the text ; a more facile text, no doubt, but not the true one on this account. — IniJa is used twice in Jonah, viz., 1 : 7, 12, comp. v. 8, where it is explained as = b T38ta , and means in each case because of, on account of We might so translate here, and the clause would run thus: because that whatever a man may toil to find, etc. But it may also be rendered as in the version, which runs somewhat easier. — *rx 284: ECCLESIASTES IX. 1-10. is Ace. governed by fck3£ . — K^l , 1 in the apodosis, yet, still. Not even crnn , the wise man, the article by way of eminence. In other words, this matter of the righteous and the wicked, as having their respective lots reversed, and the insufficiency of an attempt to enjoy the fruits of labor — all this is a matter too deep for us to fathom. God has kept the grounds of this myste- rious dispensation to himself. " Who can by searching find out God?" § 13. Suffering and Sorrow the common Lot of All, both Good and Bad. We should look at the brighter Side of Things, and enjoy what we may. Chap. IX. 1—10. [The ninth should not have been dissevered from the preceding chapter, with the close of which it is most intimately connected. The author had said that God's work is inscrutable, and to him must be attributed the ar- rangement of all events. He now says that the righteous and the wise, and all their doings, are at the divine disposal, and subjected to the will of God. All have one common lot, whatever their character may be, v. 1. All men have more or less of folly, and all die alike (vs. 2, 3), and when dead all enjoyment ceases, and they know not anything more, vs. 4, 5. All sensa- tion ceases, and they have no more a part to act in life, v. 6. The only alleviation is that one should betake himself to enjoy all the innocent pleas- ures he can while Providence is smiling upon him, for this is all the earthly portion allotted to him, vs. 7 — 9. Let him do this with energetic effort, for such and all action is speedily to cease, v. 10. Neither strength nor skill will always command success; that is at the disposal of a power above, v. 11. Man cannot foresee his misfortunes, and is often and unexpectedly overtaken by evil, v. 12. There is one thing more, however, to which some preeminence must be given, viz., wisdom, v. 13. This sometimes contrives to prevent threatened evil, even when superior force is employed to inflict it, vs. 14, If). Wisdom, then, is better than power, although some despise it, v. 1G. The noiseless persuasion of wisdom is better than the vociferous boasting of fools, v. 17. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, and one unskilled in it mav do much mischief.! ECCLESIASTES TX.l. 285 (1) For all this have I considored, and searched our all this; that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God ; neither love nor hatred doth any man know ; all is before them. The ^3 here Hitzig renders j", truly, verily. Of course he disconnects this from the preceding verse. But it seems to me a plain case of a causal meaning. In 8 : 1 7, it is said that no man can fathom the mystery of the exchange of lots hy the righteous and the wicked. The grievous part is assigned to the righteous. Now, he gives a reason why this cannot be investi- gated by men, viz., that all is at the divine disposal, which has so ordered matters that what happens is not an index of appro- bation or disapprobation as to persons. To put to heart is to con- si do; to revolve in one's mind; as often before. — "Wap, Inf. const., but filling the place of an Inf. absolute, which sometimes continues a discourse after a finite verb, in the same manner as if it were itself finite. For an example of the Inf. abs. so em- ployed, see Is. 42 : 24, comp. with Ezek. 20 : 8. For the like of the Inf. const., see 1 Sam. 8 : 12, three Infinitives with b. In Is. 44 : 14, 28 ; 38 : 20 ; 10 : 32 ; Jer. 19 : 12 ; 2 Chron. 7:17, we find the Inf. const, with b employed as a definite verb in discourse. — Ifcb is employed in the same way as if it were "^nns, i. e.^ I sought out or explored, root ""iia. All this, in the second clause, is a repetition designed to specify his entire inves- tigation, and to add intensity to the affirmation. It refers to what is said in vs. 14 — 17 of Chap. VIII. The righteous and the wise are the party for whom the writer is most deeply con- cerned, and therefore they only are mentioned here. In the hand of God, i. e., they and all their doings are in his power, and at his disposal. Neither love nor hatred, Knobel takes in the passive sense, i. e«, neither love nor hatred on the part of another toward the righteous, etc., not that which they themselves exercise. IlerzC, Heiligst., and Hitzig, however, understand the latter; which can make sense only by interpreting it as meaning that men do not know whether the/ are hereafter to love or to 286 ECCLESIASTES IX. 2. hate, since God directs all. This seems to me tame and insipid. The writer is laboring to show (at least the objector whom he here personates is doing so) that as all is in the hands of God, who deals undistinguishingly with the righteous and the wicked (see 7 : 14), so no man can tell whether favor or disfavor is to be shown him in future. The next verse fully confirms this view, for he goes on to say that " all have one common lot." I have translated by neither love nor hatred on account of the "px (not) that follows. A direct literal translation would be : both love as well as hatred no man knoweth, which sounds rather awkwardly in our idiom. The true sense is given in the version. The whole is before them, Van, the whole matter, viz., that which he is discussing, or rather all that pertains to their future lot in re- gard to favor or disfavor. Before them means that the matter in question, viz., the showing of these, is yet future, or that the ex- hibition of these is to be during the period that is before them, i. e., which is yet to come. In other words : No man can tell whether good or ill fortune is to betide him, because he cannot know the future. (2) All are like to all; there is one destiny to the righteous and to tho wicked ; to the good and pure and to the impure ; to him who sacrificeth and to him who doth not sacrifice ; as is the good so is the sinner ; he that Bweareth is like to him that feareth an oath. The \zt\ in this verse becomes personal, viz., the whole or every man is like to every man, or rather (as in the version) : all are like to all. Doubtless it is a kind of apothegm here, applied to the writer's purpose. Some have supposed that it might be trans- lated, everything is alike to every person ; i. e., the same things happen to all, as the context goes on to show. But the article prevents this rendering by a specific individual sense ; for hi ri means the totality, like to tuv. Each one must be Vs. The whole are the parties mentioned in 8 : 14 — 17; for a totality of things cannot hen- be made out. The first version is more con- ECCLESIASTES IX. 3. 287 formable to the original, and seems more easy and natural. All are like to all (Van generic), gives us the sentiment that every one is like to his fellow in regard to the events or evils of life. Like most proverbial sayings, this will not bear minute scanning. We ask : If all is one totality, then who are the others whom the first resembles ? " Qui haeret in litem, haeret in cortice," a maxim of jurisprudence says ; and it applies well here. The simple meaning is : ' Every one is like to all the rest.' Literally the phrase would run thus : The whole [is] according to that which [is] to the whole; i. e., all share the same destiny, each one is subjected to that which happens to all others. — p**ntb > with the article ; and so of all the names of whole classes that follow. — zrJb,good, in the moral sense here, although it seldom has such a meaning in this book. — RBi$b is opposed both to good and pure, and was selected as being the opposite of the im- mediate antecedent, liirj . In 23T±n the construction is changed. If it followed suit, it would be 5?att?33 . The change of construc- tion is doubtless for the sake of variety. — TX&ati: is placed be- fore the Part. K£J which governs it, in order to give it emphasis. The oath in question may be a civil one (see 8 : 2) ; or more probably it is here a religious one. To sivear by Jehovah is to appeal to him as the Supreme God, and is an express acknowl- edgment that he is such. The characteristics of the classes are such here in general as designate moral and immoral, religious and irreligious. The next verse presents to us fully the design of the writer in bringing these discrepant classes together, and placing them side by side. (3) There is an evil in everything which is done under the sun, that there is one destiny to all ; and moreover the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that — to the dead. !P*1, an evil, not with Rosenm. the most grievous evil. The evil in question is described in the next clause. — ^3, that, conj. 288 ECCLESIASTES IX. 4. »TJ|?«, occurrence, lot, lack, destiny. — DJH introduces an additional evil, discrepant from that just described. Full of evil is in 8 : 11 expressed by full to do evil. In the latter passage this fulness of evil is consequent on the delay of punishment ; but in our text it seems to be consequent on the common destiny of all, as to suffering and sorrow. Madness, in this book, sometimes de- notes unreasonable and obstinate folly in refusing to obey or sub- mit to God. While they live, i. e., during the whole of their lifetime, this madness continues. And then what? — D^ltati-V!*, to the dead, plainly elliptical, tfoVn (they ivill go) being implied. The brevity adds to the energy of the representation. — ^"ins , after that, viz., after suffering and doing evil all his days ; or it may be simply adverbial, afterwards. (4) Truly, whoever is joined to all the living — there is hope [for him] ; for as to a living dog, it is better than a dead lion. The ^3 at the beginning of the verse seems to be causal. But the preceding clause, they go to the dead, appears hardly to be so connected with this verse as to call for or admit here a cause or reason of going thither. The critics who call it causal (Kno- bcl, ITitzig), do not show how or why it is so. It seems prefer- able, therefore, since this cannot be readily shown, to take ^3 in its occasional affirmative sense, viz., profecto (Germ, ya or aber ya), truly; Lex. •*», No. 6, c. .See on 4 : 16 for *3. Then the connection of thought would stand thus : * They go to the dead . . . truly a great evil, since there is hope only for the living,' etc. •na, although generally interrogative and meaning who? is also at times used indefinitely to designate whoever, or he ivho ; see Lex. 8. v. No. 2. If we could join Trx with it, and take both as meaning whoever, it would make a facile sense. But I know of no example to support and justify this. We seem compelled, then, to regard th<- Heb. as running thus: whoever [there is] that shall be joined, etc. If ra be made an interrogative z=wha is th re that is joined? etc., then no tolerable sense can be made out ECCLK SIASTES IX. 4. 2 of the passage. — ina* has vowels that belong to the Qeri *~~*. If the Kethibh be retained, then it must bo pointed ~~~". Bat the clause who shall choose (for this is the meaning of ""-"), will make no sense here. We feel obliged, therefore, to adopt the Qeri, as the ancient translators and most of the modern ones have done. A further reason for preferring the Qeri is, that *ina does not take bx after it, as here ; while this particle appro- priately follows 13JTr». The latter means -.joined to or associated with. All the living designates multitudinous living beings. The whole expression wears a somewhat singular air — joined to the mass of living beings, instead of saying simply to n "tOR. The phrase has, I believe, no parallel in the Heb. Scriptures- There is hope, i. e., amidst the vicissitudes of things, the bright side may sometimes present itself as well as the dark one. There is hope, then, of some enjoyment. Such a living man is much better than a dead man ; for even a living animal, although contempti- ble, is better than the king of beasts when dead. The *2 here is causal. The clause that follows is no doubt a proverbial maxim. Knobel produces one from the Arabic (in Golius's Adag. Cent.) of just the same tenor as our text: "A living hound is better than a dead lion." In the East the dog is accounted as a contemptible, unclean, detestable animal. The opposite to the dog is here the king of beasts. The antithesis is striking. If what the proverb says of the dog be conceded, then how much better of course is a living man than a dead one ! — -""??, with b prefix, and yet it is the subject of the sentence. Cases of b prefixed to the Nom. have been generally recognized ; e. g., such cases as in Ps. 16 : 3 ; Is. 31 : 1 ; 2 Chron. 7 : 21. Without appealing, however, to this somewhat doubtful principle, we may solve the difficulty in another way. It is plain that b not unfre- quently means in respect to, quod attinet ad; see Lex. No. 5. We may, however, translate so as to preserve here the usual sense of b when standing before a Dative : To a living dog there is good, compared with a dead lion. Then all runs smoothly, and 25 290 ECCLESIASTES IX. 5. the same sense comes out as before. In S-pix , the Si- is a parag. formation, the simple word being *na. (5) For the living know that they must die, but the dead know not any- thing, nor is there any more a reward for them, for their memory is forgot- ten. But what comfort is there in knowing that we are to die ; specially where there is no definite hope of future happiness ? If death is so fearful as the writer (personating, however, the objector) has just told us, it must be only a matter that harasses the mind, and causes dejection of spirit whenever it is thought of. What, then, is this advantage or reward of the living ? And has not the writer said (7:1) that " the day of one's death is better than the day of his birth " ? Has he not " praised the dead which are already dead, more than the living which are yet alive " ? Has be not said that " better than both of those is he that hath not been " ? 4 : 2, 3. Yes, all this has been said ; but then it was in a despairing moment, and in a dejected and gloomy state of mind. And even now the speaker claims small meed for the living — merely the consciousness that they must die. Is it better, then, to have such a painful consciousness con- tinually, than, like the dead, to have none, or, as he says, " to know not anything " ? I cannot, amid such embarrassments, do otherwise than suppose his mind to be intent on what he has said in 7 : 2, viz., that " the living who go to the house of mourn- ing, will lay it to heart." The consciousness that they must die may produce two important effects upon them ; the one, that in prospect of death they will soberly and gravely and equitably demean themselves, so as to be prepared for death ; the other, that, knowing the shortness of life, they will make the best of it in a sober use of the good things they may possess or acquire ; see v. 7 Beq. below, If this, or something like it, be not the design of the writer, 1 know not what it is. Hitzig Iris shunned the difficulty, and Knobel and Herzfeld have merely " nibbled ECCLESIASTES IX. 6. 291 at the bait." One must at least have a very gloomy view of death, if lie is willing to deem the mere consciousness that he must die an important advantage over a state of death. Yet this would seem to be the literal and obvious meaning of our text. Then, again, that the dead know nothing, and will not have even the reward of being remembered (one of the least of all rewards, because they cannot participate in it), is spoken of as the consummation of human misery. Must not language like this come from a worldling who indulges gloomy reveries, and doubts of any future existence ? What Christian can speak suff. form of Brfc (reg.), with ?]_ in pau <■. — Z"J>, glad rather than merry. The latter, as Coheleth thinks, belongs only to fools. — Spas*?, prob. sing, here, although it has the form of the plural; see § 91, 9, where it is shown that ECCLESIASTES IX. 8,9. 203 the suffix state of nouns from roots fib, is often the same in both the sing, and plural. Thy work or thy doing is the thing done, or to be done, in obeying the command as given above. God has permitted and given his approbation to such doing, is what the writer means to say. (8) At all times let thy garments be white, and let not oil upon thy head he lacking. The Hebrews often employ T\"J (sing, number) in the same way as we do the plural. I have translated in accordance with our usual idiom. Garments be white, because such were the garments worn by those who were rejoicing, while sackcloth was the usual costume of mourners, and of such as fasted. See 2 Sam. 12 : 20 ; 19 : 24, and the opposite of these in Ps. 35 : 14 ; Mai. 3 : 14; 2 Sam. 14 : 2. The anointing of the head with oil was another custom observed by those who were rejoicing ; comp. Matt. 6 : 17 ; Ruth 3:3; Dan. 10 : 3. (9) Enjoy life with the wife whom thou lovest, all the days of thy vain life which he hath given to thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity : for this is thy portion in life, and in the toil which thou hast performed under the sun. h&t*i, see in 2 : 1, enjoy. — l »av*bs J Ace. of time. — "jW, he hath given; who? God of course is implied, as it has often been already expressed; see 5 : 17. — 6MM, masc, but here used for the neuter, it is or this is, viz., that which had been before en- joyed. Ewald says " that this is a i schlechtes Kethibh ' (a sorry orthography) of the Babylonian Jews !" But see the same in 3 : 22 ; 5 : 17. It is hardly correct to say that only the fern, ion is employed elsewhere as the neuter, although this is the most frequent usage. In the Pent, both are usually written Kin , but when fern., pointed Kin, in reference to a supplied Qeri in the margin, &on . And besides this, Kin is fern., or used as fern, in 1 K. 17 : 15 ; Job 31 : 11 ; I>. 30 : 33, see Lex. The position of Hitzig, then, does not seem to be quite firm. 25* 294 ECCLESIASTES IX. 10. In all this there is nothing Epicurean. It is plainly the sober enjoyment of life which he commends, and nothing is mentioned which is unlawful or forbidden. Such is the course to which Coheleth advises, rather than to indulge in the gloomy views and feelings that had just been expressed. Here again we, under the meridian sun of the gospel, are at a loss to see why he did not point the disconsolate complainer to a brighter and better world. It would be spontaneous in us to do so. But this subject has already been discussed above, and the discussion need not be repeated here. Beyond a doubt, the course advised is better than gloom and murmuring ; and so far as this world merely is concerned, to pursue this course w r ouid make us more contented and happy than to turn from it or forsake it. (10) All which thy hand findeth to do with thy might, do [it] ; for there is no work, nor planning, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the world beneath whither thou art going. Thy hand jindeth, i. e., whatever thou canst grasp, or whatever is at thy disposal; comp. Lev. 12 : 8 ; 25 : 28. — ^=3, by thy power, i. e., with thy might or ability. — n'e», do [it], the pro- noun being implied after the verb. Do it forthwith and energet- ically. Why ? Because there is no work, etc. The 1 prefix I have rendered nor, because of the "px at the head of the clause. The advice here given is adapted to increase the enjoyment of a rational man, one of whose instincts is to be active and engaged in something. To be and to do this renders him more con- tented and happy. There is no work nor planning, etc., comp. v. 5 above, where is the same sentiment. Does Coheleth say this for himself, or does he merely recapitulate what the objector had said ? I prefer the latter view. Then the matter would stand thus : ' Enjoy thyself all that thou canst ; be ever busy and engaged with something ; for this will help thee to forget thy gloomy forebodings. And this is sound advice, provided that all you say is true, viz., that there is no work, etc. All this ECCLESIASTES IX. 10. 295 need not hinder the enjoyment that you may reasonably have.' b'xrzi, in Sheol, I. occur, meet, come upon. In other words : All are subject to the sports of fortune, and neither strength, nor wisdom, nor intelli- gence can prevent it. This is the old complaint against wisdom, viz., that it is of no avail. An irresistible power orders all these things as it pleases. All this is aggravated by the fact that men can have no previous knowledge of disasters so as to shun them. So the next verse : (12) For no man knoweth his time ; like fishes that are caught in a de- structive net, or like sparrows which are caught in a snare, so they, the sons of men, are ensnared in an evil time when it comes suddenly upon them. rv Hitzig explains by time of death. But the last part of the verse shows that it is the time of misfortune. The ^ at the beginning is causal. The preceding verse declares that time and chance come upon all. One reason here given for this is, that no man can do any thing to escape the evils of life, because he knows not when they are coming, and therefore cannot do any- thing effectual to prevent them. They come upon men as unex- pectedly as upon the fishes and the birds, who cannot anticipate ECCLESIASTES I X . in, 14. 207 them. — B 1 ??'? ^ is added to explain BPJ, and is put in apposi- tion with it. — Di«5j5!p, Part. Pual of ttjfc*, dropping its £ pre- formative; see § 51, 2, n. 4 and 5. The Dagh. forte which would regularly be in p is dropped because of the preceding long vowel *i — " solvitur ob vocalem longam." — ^iBPltiS=biKn and "NCStS) , when. The verb is fem. Imperf. of bsD , and agrees with Pi5, which is fem. Such is the unhappy lot of man, in the view of the objector. Let us hear the reply, which shows that wisdom ought not to be so underrated. (13) I too have seen this [namely], wisdom under the sun, and it was great to me. The H't is fem. and refers to the subsequent rtBBn. The He- brew construction is involved. We should naturally expect n't rrarn. On this account Hitzig writes it fit, and translates : That have I seen: Wisdom, etc. This seems too hard. I should prefer to repeat the verb waft mentally, and place it before )TC3n. I take n't as anticipative, and have so translated. — ton, was it. — ibx , to me, i. e., in my view, or to my mind or "appre- hension ; comp. Jon. 3:3. What the wisdom in question is, he is going to explain by example. (14) There was a little city, and the men in it were few; and there came unto it a great king, and he surrounded it, and built over against it large towers. There was is the necessary implication of the text, but is not written. — »"i22p, fem. of 1»9{3, a Pilel form with Dagh. implied in the final "J , which makes its appearance in the fem. ; see §91, 8. — BSa, in pause, lit. fewness. A great king, here so called probably from his leading on many troops. — ii^bv , against it, but this preposition involves something more, viz., over against which means that the towers corresponded to the walls, and prob- ably (of course) overtopped or overlooked them. Such towers were movable, and could be advanced to the walls, or drawn 298 ECCLESIASTES IX. 15,16. back from them, and so gave much advantage to besiegers. cVra, both capacious and lofty. (15) And there was found in it a wise poor man, and he rescued the city by his wisdom ; and yet no one remembered that poor man. The verb XS'a is without any Nom. expressed ; and of course we may translate thus: One found, etc., or in the Pass, as above. The two adjectives, trn "jSOri, are coordinate, and both belong to IB^X . The omission of the conjunctive 1 denotes a close union, like poor-wise, almost a kind of compound word. — &MM is em- phatic, and therefore expressed. Wisdom here means sagacity, i. e., in employing the means of defence or aggression. — fcttrtTj, that same, an intensive here. Hitzig refers this to the besieging of the little town of Dora, on the sea-shore, by Antiochus the Great of Syria, about 218 b. c. He could not take it with all his troops. So he repre- sents the time of writing the book to be that during the period of Ptolemy Euergetes's reign. But, in the first place, cases of this kind are so frequent that there is no necessity of supposing in the present one that this or that individual fact is before the writer's eyes, but only a vivid recollection of instances of the like kind. Secondly, it will by no means follow that we must come so low down, and insist on finding an appropriate example that is actually on record ? Were there not many such cases at an earlier period of which we have no existing record, although they may have once been chronicled ? Enough, that the exam- ple adduced would be readily admitted as a fact, i. e., acknowl- edged to be true and in point. (16) Then I said : "Wisdom is better than force; yet the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not listened to. Tin' meaning is not that he then said so and so, but now Bays differently, but that he then said and still says. — FTW3, fein. Part, pass., masc isita, from hta. And his words, etc., ECCLESIASTES IX. 17,18. 200 Heb. lit., and as to his words (Xom. abs.) they arc not, etc But how then was the city saved if his wisdom was despised, and his counsel not listened to? The answer is, that the writer is here characterizing the man in a general way ; lie is stating what usually happens, and thus describing the neglect which such men usually have to suffer; and not telling us merely what happened in relation to him on the particular occasion now brought before us. He wishes to show that a poor and wise man, who commonly is looked down upon, and to whom no one is dis- posed to listen, because he occupies a low place, may still accom- plish important objects, beyond the reach of mere force. (17) The words of the wise, in a quiet way, arc heard rather than the shouting of a leader among fools. The meaning clearly is, that the words of the wise are calmly and modestly uttered, instead of their making a bluster and out- cry ; for this word, SnH52, is opposed to the boisterousness (r£"}) of fools. Even a bttJia , a leader, prince among fools, has less chance of producing any effect by his vociferous addresses than the wise man quietly giving counsel. This prince, by the way, is himself supposed to be one of the fools; for otherwise the point of the discourse would vanish. A wise man might reign over fools, and still act wisely. But the outcry which this S>ejva makes, shows that he belongs to the fools. (18) Better is wisdom than instruments of war ; and one sinner destroy- eth much good. The meaning of the first clause is evident from vs. 14, 15 above. — KOin has final Seghol instead of Tseri, for which see § 74, VI. n. 21. The word here evidently points to an offender against wisdom, i. e., a fool. He who neglects the precepts ami guidance of wisdom can do nothing but harm by his mis- management; yea, in case he is a fctDia, he will do much harm, i. c, destroy much good. 300 ECCLESIASTES X. 1 Chap. X. (1) Dead flies make the ointment of the apothecary to stink — to fer- ment ; more weighty than wisdom, and also than what is costly, is a little folly. It is difficult, in the first clause, to account for the sing, num- ber of the two verbs. There is a small class of cases where the verb agrees, in case of a composite subject, with the noun that follows the const, state, rather than with the const, noun itself, which is the usual and natural Nom. or subject, § 145, 1. But most of these cases are such as that a kind of compound noun may be made of the two nouns ; or they are cases in which the const, noun, i. e., that which comes first, is virtually an adjec- tive, § 104, l,n. 1. Here neither of these principles will readily apply. We must, then, either suppose this is an unusual exten- sion of the principle above noticed, or that the i in i&UT is merely euphonic, as, e. g., p^—ob^ , and the like. But these last forms are mostly compound proper names only. To render ■^-T by the singular, *. e.,fly (which Ewald has done, and Hit- zig seems to approve), is cutting the knot, not untying it. Be- sides, to talk of one fly as corrupting a parcel of unguent, seems to us very odd, to say the least. It must be a very small parcel of ointment, at any rate, and a very large fly. On the whole, I see no solution so promising as that dead flies are considered en masse here, t. e., as a totality, and so the apparently plural subject may take a verb singular. The principle of severalty, or individ- uality, in the continuance of the sentence after a plural subject cannot in this case be well admitted, for that again would bring us virtually to the incredible assertion that each fly produces the effects that are described. On the whole, however, Ilitzig thinks it most feasible to adopt this solution, and refers us for like ex- amples to v. 15 below and to Hos. 4 : 8. But both of these ca i a are of such a nature, that what is asserted of the many is ECCLESIASTICS X . 1. SOL specially and plainly true of each individual, lint this cannot be said here ; for it is only the many which can produce the effect asserted. On the contrary, he notes a case of the opposite nature, where the writer goes from the singular over to the plural (Zech. 14 : 12), DftTDS . . . isub. But here again the \ is a pronoun of multitude. If the grammar is not in his favor (and this seems to be the case), the sense thus made is still more against him, because an individual fly could not produce the effects in question. As to the rendering : poisonous or deadly flies, the words might mean this of themselves, but they cannot do so here. It makes nothing to the writer's purpose to call them deadly, for such would corrupt the mass no more than others. Moreover, there would then be an implication that other flies would not corrupt it, which is not true. — n£"h , of the unguentarius, i. e., of the person who compounds the ointment for sale. Of course it was a composition which required skill in order to make it saleable. Both words, tt£'h, •jtdizj, indicate precious ointment, viz., such as was compounded with skill and care. *ij£ has here its original sense, viz., weighty, heavy. The imagery is drawn from scales in which the greater weight pre- ponderates. Both clauses here illustrate the latter clause of the preceding verse, viz., one sinner destroyeth much good. The flies, although small and contemptible animals, may do much mischief to valuable substance. — ttJ^l^ (Hiph.), makes or causes an ill savor; Jiaj (Hiph. of 3>53), makes to bubble up, i. e., fer- ments. The two verbs are asyndic, i. e., joined without any 1 between them, but we are unable to render either of them ad- verbially here, or (as usual) to make one qualify the other (§ 139, 3, b) as a kind of helping verb. But still there is an intimate connection between them, for a rendering fetid is accomplished by causing fermentation.- The effect is first named in our text, and tlten the cause of it is described. This energetic mode of expression is not unfrequent in Heb., but we can rarely imitate 26 302 ECCLESIASTES X. 2. it in English with much success, because the structure of the idioms is so diverse. In the latter clause, the preponderance which only a little of folly has over wisdom and over whatever is precious shows " how great a matter a little fire kindleth," or that " one sinner may destroy much good." Such is the debas- ing and corrupting influence of folly, that only a little of it will spoil the most valuable and precious qualities or virtues. The object of the verse before us (to confirm what precedes), and the manner of accomplishing this object, seem then to be quite plain ; so plain, that the separation of chapters here is incongruous and almost preposterous. It is not. improbable that both parts of v. 1 are apothegms, applied here to the writer's special purpose. He might indeed have expressed his present views in plain and direct words; but he has chosen a method of doing it which gives more life and vivacity to the discourse. An ordinary reader mistakes such passages for mere unconnected apothegms. But we have seen how little ground there is for this. (2) The heart of a wise man is on his right, but the heart of a fool on his left. The physical place of the literal heart is out of the question here, for that would reverse the statement, the beating heart being on the left side of the breast. Right and left are used metaphorically for dexterous and ungained or unskilful. The right hand is the usual one for action ; the left is more rarely and awkwardly employed. Right and left, in the Heb., do not mean merely right hand and left hand, but the words are more cr Hiph. of ritt, see Lex. to quiet, tranquillize, or appease. Great offences, i. e., such as the angry ruler deems great. Even he, although foolish, may usually be appeased by firmness and gentleness. (5) There is an evil I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceeds from a prince. Further confirmation as to what a foolish ruler may do, and often does. Coheleth calls it an evil, and with good reason. To designate his special meaning, he goes on to show from what quarter the evil comes. It is such an error as can proceed only from a ruler. After evil, the Heb. omits "itSX as being of course implied ; I have done the same in the version. As the error, the 3 , says Hitzig, is Kaph veritatis, and if so, we may render thus : verily an error, etc. But I apprehend that this does not give the exact meaning of the Hebrew. The writer means to say that the evil in question is such an error as rulers only can commit. — &ts'*d , contracted from the fern. Part, nx:^ , and so agreeing with the fern. nw$. — h 3s!?73, lit. from the face of, from the presence of But this word is often used in the same way, at least with the same meaning as the simple )& , which designates the cause or source whence this or that springs : see Lex. E. F. 2. We shall soon see what the error in question is. (G) Folly is placed in many high stations, and the rich sit in degradation. Folly is placed, the abstract for concrete, folly for fools. That the plural is meant is shown by the plur. antithesis, d*r»ttS3>. By this last word is meant not. so much the wealthy merely, as ECCLESIASTICS X. 7,8. 305 those in a flourishing and elevated condition. Comp. 1 Sam. 2 ; 7, 8. — ^Bi?3j in a loir place, in a state of degradation. The sudden elevation of persons in a low condition to office under an eastern despot is a transaction that occurs almost every day; and on the other hand, the degradation of those in office, lbr the sake of confiscating their property, is equally frequent in the eastern world. This oppression, and avarice, and selfishness, Coheleth deems to be a grave error, and the whole affords addi- tional evidence that " one sinner can destroy much good." (7) I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants on the ground. This is only another method of illustrating what he had just said. Servants are promoted to office, and ride forth in state ; for horses are used in the East principally by the rich and nobles. On the other hand, they who once were princes are now cast down, and obliged to take the place and attitude of servants, who walk on the ground, and hold the bridle of him who rides. Everything is varcpov irporcpov. (8) He who diggeth a ditch may fall into it; he who hreakcth down a wall, a serpent may bite him. This looks simply like something merely apothegmatic ; and in fact it is somewhat difficult to discover its connection with the context. Merely to designate the ordinary business of digging a ditch or pulling down a wall, we can hardly suppose this to be intended. The meaning is, that when one digs a ditch or pit- fall for the annoyance or destruction of others, he may chance to share himself in their intended fate ; not that he certainly will fall into it, for this cannot be true in such a universal sense. Accordingly I have translated by may fall — may bite, etc. So the pulling down a wall implies some unlawful destruction of the hedge or fence. In doing this, the serpents which lodge in the chinks of the wall may bite him. — "j'^-a, properly a participial 2G* 306 ECCLESIASTES X. 9, 10. noun of Pual, so that the doubling of the middle radical (a) here is normal. The *i is merely orthographic, being short here by reason of the Daghesh, and not a proper Shureq. — ^STB?, Im- perf. Kal. of ^03 , with sun°. *i- . (9) He who plucketh up stones shall he annoyed by them; he who cleav- eth wood shall he endangered thereby. I do not find any authority for Gesenius's excidit lapides, as the meaning of trass 51&H . The verb SD3 means to pluck up, e. g., trees, vines, tents, etc., and in connection with the last meaning, to move from an encampment, etc. The action here which annoys, seems to be the pulling out of stones from their beds in the earth, which often, being rough, and being laid hold of incautiously in order to pull them out, annoy the persons con- cerned in the labor. So the splitting of wood (d-ass , plur. in Heb.) brings one into danger who does not manage with skill. ■}d&? is a doubtful word. Its meaning in Kal is to dwell with. It is found in Niphal only in the case before us. It seems best explained by the Chaldee "jdD , to expose to danger, naso , danger. Hitzig and Ges. derive it from "pSto, coidter, and so they con- sider it as a denominative verb, meaning to cut. Possible ; but hardly probable. The other method is more obvious and satis- factory. The last two verses seem designed to show how numerous the dangers and exposures to harm are, even in the common occu- pations of life, and how important, therefore, that wisdom should be present as a guide in all of them. The cases here stated are not designed to be statements of things that uniformly and of necessity occur, but such as need wisdom or dexterity to avoid all evil consequences that might easily ensue. If so, they help to elevate wisdom at the expense of folly; and this stands in accordance with the writer's aim. (10) If one lias dulled the iron, and there is no edge, he swings [it] that lie may increase the force ; an advantage is the dexterous use of wisdom. EC CLE SI AST ES X. 11. 307 Here the object of the writer comes out fully, i. c, to show the advantage of making a dexterous use of wisdom. The dex- terity here, in case of a tool that is dulled, consists in so swing- ing it and increasing its force, as still to make it cut. — Ftinjj is to be dull; ttnj?, Piel, is to make dull, or (as we say) to dull. The Nom., then, is the indef. one, and btisri is in the Ace. tnttTttb , no faces, i. e., no edges, or without edge (see Lex. No. 4) ; like DTn-x^>, childless, 1 Chron. 2:30,32. — D^3Q means the front part of anything, which, in a cutting instrument, is the edge. — b^bp, Pilpel of bb^, to move hither and thither; see Ezek. 21 : 26, where this is plain. The notion of polishing or sharpening has no etymological ground of support. The other meaning is supported by the Arabic and Aethiopic. If this be admitted, the pause-accent should be placed on tP2Q , and not on ^j5bj5. This last is in the Perf., which may be rendered as Pres. (§ 124, 3), he swings [it] that he may increase the force or power. When the Ace. is placed before the verb (as ta^nj is here), then the 1, which belongs to the verb and affects the sense of it, still has the same power that it would have if the verb immediately followed it. So here : that he may increase, etc., 1 , that, § 152, B. e. — "nirstt, Inf. abs. nominascens, but retaining its power of governing the Ace. ^r*} • By this last clause we have the key put into our hands which will unlock vs. 8 — 10. In all cases of difficulty, embarrassment, or danger in the com- mon business of life, a dexterous use of wisdom is indispensable to safety and success. To the same purpose Hitzig explains our text, and, as it seems to me, with satisfactory reasons. Whoever is curious to see the variety of opinions that have been given, may consult Knobel in loc. (11) If the serpent bite without enchantment, then is there no advantage to him who hath a tongue. urr-rrj, with the article, because it refers to the serpent men- tioned in v. 8. The idea conveyed by the verse is built on the 308 ECCLESIASTES X . 12, 13. universal belief of the East (partly founded on fact) that ser- pents can be charmed so as to render them harmless. It is done every day at Cairo, and has been witnessed by Mr. Lane, a most intelligent and recent English traveller. — fj&, Imperf. Kal. from fpBjl. Without enchantment ; i. e., if a serpent bite because he is not enchanted (for if he were enchanted he would not bite) then there is lack of wisdom which might have pre- vented the bite. The writer has also conveyed this last senti- ment in another way. It was only the wise, it would seem, who were able to enchant; comp. Ps. 58 : 6 ; Is. 3 : 3. "When a man had not wisdom to use his tongue so as to render harmless the serpent, then no advantage accrued to him from being bra yfafert, the possessor of a tongue; like ?p3 ^?3j Prov. 1 : 17, possessor of a wing =: winged. In other words, even the most distinguished members of the body are comrjaratively useless without wisdom to direct their use. This verse, therefore, is of the same tenor as the preceding verses. That the tongue was specially employed in enchantment, is evident from the fact that this mostly consists of cantillating certain forms of exorcism. The Greeks called a man who performed this work c7raoiSos, cantiUator. Although the serpent cannot understand the exor- cism, he is, as experience shows, operated on by the power of the music, for he will leave his lurking-place to come out and hear it. (12) The words of the Avise man's mouth are favor : but the lips of the fool destroy him. Favor, h ,n, i. e., are such as procure favor; they are goodly words, such as conciliate favor. The lips of a fool, not his literal lips, but what they utter, i. e., the words. — r*r-:'2, the reg. plur. in const, state, instead of the dual ^rsb, Ps. 45 : 3, for a like usage. Destroy him need not be taken in its full and literal Bense, but in that of doing much injury. (13) The beginning of the words of his mouth is folly, and the ending of hi* mouth i- Grievous madness. ECCLESIASTES X. 14,15. 309 This gives a reason for what was affirmed in the preceding verse. From beginning to end, he plays the Cool in all that he says. What he utters is foil}, and oftentimes even a madness which is mischievous (i"J3p) to himself. Not until this mischief overtakes him will he cease prating; it will be well if he does then. The ending of his mouth is an abridged form for the words of his mouth, as in the preceding clause, which is in part omitted in order to avoid repetition. (14) The fool multiplies words, when no man can know what shall be ; for what shall be after him, who can tell ? Although much speaking leads to the utterance of many fool- ish things (5 : 2, C), yet the fool indulges in it, and this even when neither he nor any one else can tell what mischievous con- sequences will follow. For ivhen, there is no special word in the original ; but the connection of S^-fctb shows that such a mean- ing is implied. — l^&y, for what, § 152, B. c. After Mm, or after it, viz., the utterance of many words. There is no important difference between the two. The first is the most simple and obvious. The reasoning stands thus : He must be a fool who utters things that may have mischievous consequences which none can foretell. (15) The toil of fools wearies them, because they know not how to go to the city. But may not toil weary others who do know how to go thither ? Assuredly it may, if there be much of it ; but here the case is supposed of a man who toils much in order to get to the city, and does this because he is so foolish as not to know how to get there in a direct way. — W?*5*Jj in Piel, but fern., whilst feas, the subject, is generally masc. Perhaps n here assumes the place of *" prefix formative, which would regularly be ""^ ( see § 69, 2), for the sake of a more euphonic pronunciation. So Hitzig. The true solution doubtless is that a large number of nouns in 310 ECCLESIASTES X. 1G. Heb. with the masc. form, have a fern, gender ; and quite a considerable number are both masc. and fern., ad libitum scripto- ris. Ewald (Gramm.) has collected a great mass of both these in § 174. Cases of fern., like &PS are Dir, nrn, xns, daPB, etc. Of course all difficulty vanishes by the aid of this consider- ation, and ^"r^n is reg. Piel Imperf. fern. The sing. suff. here, siS- , is either generic, and so can accord ad sensum, with D^Vba , or else it individualizes, and signifies that each and every fool is wearied in the manner described. The same in respect to s"i^ , which is sing., t. e., no fool knows, etc. Knows not how to go into the city is doubtless a proverbial saying descriptive of fools. So we may say of a man : ' He has not wit enough to travel on a broad, open highway' (for such are the ways leading to a city). This is only a satirical but covert description of a fool. The labor of a man who has not wit or knowledge enough to keep the broad thoroughfare to a city may well be supposed to weary him. Literally the thing is not intended to be taken. What is meant is, that when a man is a fool, he does a great many things that weary him and worry him, in consequence of his being so. A little sound wisdom would save such a one much trouble. Here, again, the preference of wisdom over folly comes into view. (1G) Woe to thee, O land, for thy king is a youth, and thy princes feast in the morning. The meaning of the word ISO is not limited by a particular year. Any one short of some twenty-five to thirty years of age may be so named. However, in the present case the probability is that one who is yet a child, a lad (as we say) is meant ; at any rate, one who, through inexperience and a bad education, is in- clined to sensual indulgences. For thy in both cases may be substituted whose. This would make the meaning less specific: whereas 1 apprehend from the tenor of the book, and the fre- quent and loud complaints against oppressive rulers, that the ECCLESIASTICS X . 17. 311 author's design is specific. This is bold, then, but not bolder than the Hebrew prophets in general are. Princes feast in ih"- moming, therefore at a very untimely and improper season ; see Is. 5:11, and comp. Acts 2 : 15. This shows what devotees to sensuality the shameless rulers were. (17) All hail to thee, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes feast in proper season, for strength and not for banqueting. As to ipfl^M ' smce tne pronoun is/em., the normal form would be T^fcJN ; but the first form is a mere contraction of the second, which is admissible in a case where the gender of the pronoun cannot be doubtful, and no obscurity can arise from the contrac- tion. However, if land be taken for people (which in fact it really means here), we might take Tj as masc. ; in which case, however, we must point it TV 1 -. All hail gives well the sense of the word. Hitz. : Heil dir! — D"nin, nobles, from "inrl, liber, in- genuus fuit. So in the Arabic and Syriac. A king of high descent, the writer seems to suppose, will act on a generous and noble scale, and will not feel such temptations to extortion as a poor man does. — nsa plainly means, at a proper time or season, ?'. e., thy princes are not such debased gluttons or drunkards as to carouse at improper seasons. The feasting (lit. eating) is temperate ; for first, it is in proper season; and secondly, it goes not beyond the measure of obtaining nutriment so as to acquire strength. — "TUBS, Ht. for drinking, compotation. The banquet- drinking, of course, is meant here ; and so I have translated it : for banqueting. In the later Hebrew a is sometimes used in the same sense as b ; it occurs twice here. See on 2 24. In real- ity the a stands before the thing obtained by commutation with some other things ; see 2 : 24. The food is exchanged to ac- quire, or is the price of the strength. — "TUBa, with the article, because it refers to what was included in the 'featf' 1 , which desig- nates both eating and drinking, t. e., feasting. The innumerable evils inflicted on a land by gluttonous and drunken rulers, are oo obvious to need specification. 312 ECCLESIASTES .X. 18-20. (18) Through idleness the timber decayeth, and through slackness of hands the house drizzleth. tt^P^j lit* beam, but generic here, and so it means timber. ff»pfcs?, lit. by two idle [hands] . — Tp??, Imperf. Niph. of TjM, to dissolve, pine away, decay. — CjVrj, drizzles, i. e., lets through the rain, because it is not repaired. Hitz. : it rains into the house. I take the house as the Nom. in this case, which makes a sense nearer to the meaning of the Heb. verb, which is used in speak- ing of the eye when distilling tears. So the house distils rain on those within it, i. e., drizzles. (19) For merriment they celebrate the feast, and wine makes life joyful, and money procures everything. pinbb , lit. for laughter, i. e., boisterous merriment ; the h being in the place of a , as, vice versa, a is in the place of \ ; see 2 Chron. 20 : 21 ; 1 Chron. 4 : 22 ; Ps. 102 : 6 ; Hos. 12:9, etc. D"|£J3> , Part, used as a verb, does not mean to make, i. e., to man- ufacture bread, but to keep or celebrate a feast (6:12; 3:12), of which Gnb , the leading element (bread) is taken as a repre- sentative. Life joyful, viz., their life, i. e., that of the carousing rulers. Money procures everything, lit. silver makes everything respond. The usual coin was silver. — pqag is in Hiphil Imperf., and so must be rendered makes everything respond, viz., respond to their wishes, will procure everything they wish. In other words : Their golden key will open all storehouses, and furnish them with the choicest means of revelling. See on 5:19, where this word (m?".?) is particularly explained. (20) Moreover, in thy thoughts curse not the king, even in thy bed- chamber curse not the rich, for the birds of the air will convey the report, and the winged tribe will publish the matter. That Lb (after all that has been said in the way of exposing the debauchery and folly of rulers and rich men) guard well against indulging bitter feelings of indignation and vengeance F.CCLESIASTLS XI. 1. 313 toward them. It is dangerous to do so. In some unforeseen way, what is done in secret will be brought before them ; as if the birds of the air could listen and make report. The winged tribe, lit. the possessor of wings. Both 5)1* and b*a are generic, and so they have the article, which of course must be placed on the following words in the Gen. after a const, state, § 109, 1. Here again wisdom or discretion is needed in order to restrain a just indignation where the indulgence of it can do no good, and will almost with certainty occasion harm. It is evident that the rulers of Coheleth's time were very sen- sual, oppressive, and avaricious men, who made the land to groan under their yoke. But whether they were foreigners or Hebrews nothing in the text indicates with entire certainty. Nothing is said or even hinted respecting idolatry in the whole book. Is not this an indication that the book was written after the exile ? All the bad kings before the captivity were idolaters ; and as here there is no reference to this subject, nor any complaint founded upon it, it would seem that the rulers in question were not idolaters. § 15. Counsel in regard to many inevitable Evils of Life; spe- cially in regard to old Age and Death. Chap. XI. 1— XII. 8. [Many trials and evils must come, and Divine Providence has made them inevitable. One should be prepared for them as well as lies within his power, vs. 1 — 5. One should be busily engaged in what is useful, and while he is permitted to be joyful lie should never forget that the days of sorrow will come, vs. 6 — 8. The season of youth is specially fitted for enjoyment; which, however, passes speedily away, and while it lasts should be indulged with reference to a. future retribution, vs. 9, 10. The Creator should be re- membered in youthful days, so that when the infirmities and sorrows of old age come, they may be borne with fortitude and cheerfulness, ch xii. 1 — 8.] (1 ) Cast thy bread upon the face of the waters ; for after many days thou sl;aii find it. 27 314 ECCLESIASTES XI. 2. Not in the literal sense can this be taken ; for literal bread cast upou the waters soon disappears, being disintegrated. The meaning seems to be : Give up the cherishing of definite and specific expectations of ample support {r^znb, here the image or symbol of all needed good) ; leave the future to care for itself, but still with a hope that in due time, although this time may be protracted, you will experience what you reasonably desire. He does not encourage those whom he is admonishing to hope always for immediate success or relief; but only that after many days, or (lit.) within much of time, the expectants may come to have their wishes satisfied. The amount of all seems to be this : ' It is better to forbear the forming and cherishing of definite and confident hopes, since this will save us from harassing disappoint- ments. Leave all to Providence. In due time, what we hope for may come to pass. (2) Make a portion into seven, and even into eight, for thou knowest not the evil which shall be on earth. nrn"3 p5n— ,n means make or constitute a portion into seven [portions]. See Gen. 32 : 8, 9. — pbn is not a part of a whole, but a portion or appropriation more or less. Here the meaning is, divide what you obtain or possess in such a way as not to risk all in one adventure ; or, as a seaman would say : ' Risk not all your goods in one ship.' Into seven — seven what ? If men or persons were meant, we should expect them to be named. As the text now is, we must find a noun to agree with the adj. num- ber seven ; and what other does the text afford, except n^n ? Therefore "ft cannot here mean give, i. e., to another, but j>/(f, place, constitute, etc. Thou hnowest not the evil, etc. The 11(d)., as it stands, seems to read thus: 'Thou knowest not what shall be [viz.], the evil on earth.' In this way thou hnowest not must be mentally supplied before insn. Sentiment: 'I have advised against definite and confident hopes ; I also advise that you em- bark not too much on any one pursuit ; tor if this fails, then ail ECCL KM A ST is \ I . :;, l. 315 is lost.' The addition of one to the seven, %. e., the mention of eighty is a customary mode of speech among- the Hebrews. This idiom is peculiarly and forcibly exhibited in Amos 1 : 3 seq. (3) When the clouds are filled with rain they empty [it] on the earth ; ami when a tree falleth toward the south or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth there it will he. That is, the great operations and events of nature are con- trolled by a power above, and cannot be hindered or changed by the efforts of man. It is useless to strive against them. Both ] tarts of the verse wear the air of proverbial sayings, which are here applied by the writer to his particular purpose. Clouds are filed, etc. In Job. 38 : 37 it is asked : u Who can stay the bot- tles of heaven ? " This gives the popular idea of the formation, or rather the collection of rain-showers, and on this view is founded the expression before us of being filled. — ^ft?, Imperf. Niph., rather than Praeter, because what is habitually done is here des- ignated. — Diaa, Ace. after the verb of filling, § 135, 3, b. — np^j Hiph. Imperf. of p*F\, The pronoun ^corresponding to ram, is of course implied here. — b"iEP DK, when, etc., see Lex. s. v. No. 4. — ci-nn, lit. ire the south, i. e., in a southern direction. We say toward in such a case. — D-Ipp , Ace. of place, and in reg. before ri = -«&», § 114, 2. — TOK, where, Lex. s. v. No. G. Kirn, apoc. Imperf. of rrn = rnn. The K is otiant and merely orthographical. — siirp corresponds to IJTH apoc. (4) He who wateheth the wind will not sow; and he who obscrvcth the clouds will not reap. That is, what God has arranged we cannot alter, nor can we foretell what he will do. The husbandman, if he wait for the wind to come into what he deems a favorable quarter before he ventures to sow, may not sow in good time. If he depends on the appearance of the clouds, and regards them as ominous of evil, i. e., of bad weather, then, by delaying to sow in due time, 316 ECCLESIASTES XI. 5,6. he will not reap a harvest. One must go straight forward in his duty, and not make this dependent on slight circumstances and uncertain omens. — HTi , wind; we should expect the article, but the word is here used in a kind of generic way which would be shown by striking out the in the version, but which corresponds not with our mode of expression. In this case the Hebrew has the advantage, rn"l = any wind. — BTC39%i with the article, being the name of a class of specific objects in nature. (5) As thou knowest not what is the way of the wind, or the bones in the womb of her avIio is with child, so thou knowest not the work of God, who doeth all things. As thou knowest not what is the way of the windihou canst gain nothing by watching it. The next clause is elliptical, thou knowest not being implied and mentally carried forward from the preceding clause, and inserted after 3. The bones in the womb, etc. ; i. e., the bones of the foetus, which are in a state of forma- tion in the womb. — PJS&an, the pregnant, like the Latin gravida jolena, and the Greek TrXrjpovv ywcuxa. — )"J=5 , even so, so so, in- tensive. Sentiment : ' As thou art confessedly ignorant of such matters as these, so thou art in reality ignorant of what God does, who does everything.' (6) In the morning sow thy seed, and at evening withhold not thy hand, for thou knowest not which shall prosper, whether this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good. That is, since these things are so, go on in the regular way of duty and activity, and leave the rest with God. Morning and evening are mentioned as the times of sowing ; i. e., the former and latter part of the day, because these are the laboring hours in Palestine, inasmuch as the heat of the sun obliges laborers to retreat during four or five hours of the middle of the day. — nsn, Iliph. of rVD, see Lex. — hi ^x, strengthened sign of an inter- rogative position of the pronoun. — "X is const, of ■'X before hi, ECCLESIASTES XI. 7,8. 317 and both of them merely make out a pronoun equivalent in this place to which. — htn is ht with the interrogative, n before it, whether this, viz., shall prosper ; and so as to the other nt, al- though the interrogative sign is omitted before it, as being un- necessary. — ^HiO, as one, i. e., alike, equally (so to speak), onely. dMft, in a second disjunctive member of successive interrogative clauses, is the usual interrogative sign after r^ in the first clause. See Lex. B. The Hebrew construction in the last clause, if filled out, would run thus : Or whether both of them shall be good as one [of them is], i. e., alike good. Sentiment: ' Do your duty, and trust Providence for the issue.' (7) For the light is sweet, and pleasant is it to the eyes to sec the sun. The *i at the beginning introduces a species of causal clause, and is often employed in like manner, § 152, B. c. This is a reason, then, why one should industriously provide for life as he had just been advised to do With all its evils life intermingles many enjoyments. As only the living can see the sun, it may be taken here as " the light of life." Light stands connected with enjoyment. So Eurip. Iphig. in Aulis, v. 1218 : fj&b yap to u>s (8) But if a man should live many years, let him rejoice in all of them ; yet let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. All that comcth [into the world] is vanity. BTOli with the article, to designate an individual particular man and not the genus, although what is said might apply to all. We say a man, in such a case, i. e., any or every individual man ; which in Hebrew would be nnx'bs. — rroto}, hortative, let Jtim rejoice, not and should rejoice. The writer, then, is no gloomy, luckless wight, brooding constantly over the evils of life, and never looking except upon the dark side of the picture. lie advises to enjoy all that we can rationally enjoy. But still, we must never forget that we have to suffer, as well as to act and 27* 318 ECCLESIASTICS XI. 9. enjoy. The days of darkness, i. e., of suffering and sorrow, will come, and will be many. The reason of this is adverted to in the last brief clause. All that cometh is vanity, i. e., all that come into the world ; comp. 1 : 4, ixn nin , generation cometh into the world. Or we may make K3 a participial noun, every comer, which of course means every one who is born. Since this is the case, viz., that all who come into the world are destined to a course of trial by suffering and sorrow, there is reason or ground for expecting days of darkness, even many of them. (9) Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thine early life, and walk thou in the way of thy desire, and by the sight of thine eyes ; but know thou that respecting all these God will bring thee into judgment. In v. 8 he had said that one should rejoice during all the many years that he may live. Here he specificates that portion of life when enjoyment is most attainable. Therefore the young man (for such a one has special ability to comply with his injunction) is particularly exhorted to do so. In thy youth, i. e., during thy youth ; not that youth is the object to be rejoiced in, but the season for joy. Walk in the ways of thy desire, lit. of thy heart, which is the seat of desire. — "WTOM , as written and pointed, would indicate things seen; the Qeri reads ns-i^a , i. e., the const, state of the sing., and meaning sight or seeing. This is doubtless the correct reading ; for the seeing of the eyes is what excites desire in man, and thus influences his whole conduct. In other words : ' Whatever thou seest and desirest which would increase thy happiness, enjoy it. But know well, i. e., remember in the midst of all thine enjoyment, that God will bring thee into judg- ment for the manner in which everything of this nature is ac- complished.' The purport of the last clause maybe stated thus: 1 Abuse not his blessings and thy comforts or pleasures. He will surely call thee to an account for all that thou doest.' In this world ? or in the next ? Ilitzig says : In the first ; and so he ECCLESTASTES XT. 10. .110 refers to old age as the season of judgment and retribution. The true state of this matter, in the book before us, I have endeav- ored to investigate in my remarks on 3 : 17 above. (10) Put away vexation from thy heart, and remove evil from thy flesh, for youth, like the morning-dawn, is vanity. Put away from thy heart, because the heart is the seat or source of vexation or indignation at suffering. Evil from thy flesh, that is, thy corporeal physical frame. The first precept respects the mind, the second, the body; both of these make up self, or the entire man. The two verbs are in Hiph. Imper. apoc, because they are hortative. The paragogic forms in Hiph. belong only to the 1st. pers. sing, and plur. ; the others are con- tracted ; see § 48, 4. — *»fert from "no. This is merely following on in the train of advice given in v. 9. There the command is, to do something positive in the way of enjoyment ; here it is, to shun or avoid evil and suffering. Taking both together, the amount is : ' Enjoy all that a sober, rational man, in view of a day of retribution, can enjoy, and avoid all the evil and suffering that can be properly avoided.' But why is this so strongly urged upon the young ? Plainly because that even they, although in the best estate of man, hold life by a very frail tenure. " Man in his best estate is altogether vanity." Therefore, as even youth is so frail and evanescent, make the best of it that can be made, keeping a retribution always in sight. It is almost as if he said : Then or never. — n^nrnrrn, lit. and the early dawn; but the \ here is one of comparison, and hardly differs in meaning from s> . It might be translated even. If the sentence were filled out it would run thus: Youth is vanity, and so early dawn is vanity; i. e., one is as vain as the other. Hence the use of 1 in such cases, as the connecting link between the two parts of a compar- ison. Both the objects named are equal to a tertium quid, and therefore one is like the other. If a right view of vs. 8 — 10 has been presented, it follows of 320 ECCLESIASTES XII. 1. course that the exegesis is erroneous which assumes that v. f J is sarcastic or ironical. Certainly this verse is only a comment on v. 8, where it is said to every one, n?:b? rfssa , i. e., evermore be joyful. No one thinks of irony here. Again, in v. 10 we have a clear indication that the advice in v. 9 is serious and bona fide. Certainly there can be no objection to Coheleth's advice here, associated as it is with all his cautions ; none except on the part of mere strenuous ascetics. Chap. XII. (1) Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the days of evil come, and the years draw nigh when thou shalt say : I have no pleasure in them. SpX'Yia , plur. like other appellations of God, both nouns and adjectives ; see § 106, 2, b. — sprnwia, plur. fern., § 106, 2, a. The plur. form comes from the idea of an extended period. Before the days of evil, etc., lit. until that the days of evil have not come, which would sound harshly in English. The <"J>^ with the art. refers to the H:^ of 11 : 10. Hitzig finds in the mention of days and years here evidence that the time of retri- bution is the season of old age, when evil is wont to come ; for as he avers, " the dead have no division of time." But is this his philosophy, or that of Coheleth? Not of the latter, surely ; for in the case before us, both days and years have the same meaning for substance, i. e., both merely designate time. I am aware that time so divided, and philosophically considered, is not strictly predicable of a future state; but still, the Scriptures speak everywhere more humano, or in the popular way in regard to the future. Ages of ages is a frequent designation of it. That th ■ writer has old age in view in this verse, I should freely ad- Bul 1 do not sec how this would affect the meaning of 11:0: God will bring thee into judgment. According to Hitzig, ECCLESIASTES XII. 2. 321 this would be merely equivalent to saying : ' God will make thee to become an old man.' But does not the Old Test, everywhere reckon long life as a blessing? What saith the fifth command- ment, Ex. 20 : 12 ? And yet this, if Hitzig is in the right, is held up mi terrorem here, as an indication of a penal period or process. This will hardly do. Old age has indeed its sorrows, and they are in some respects aggravated by increasing bodily weakness, and inability to endure or resist them. But it has its comforts too ; for " the hoary head is a crown of glory, when found in the way of righteousness." The orthodox, then, are not the only class of critics (as Hitzig sometimes insinuates) who practise the Hineinexegesiren upon the sacred text. It needed some resolution, at any rate, to make up and produce such an argument as that of Hitzig now before us, to show that Coheleth neither knew nor thought anything of & future judg- ment. Thus much is true, viz., that the days of evil here mentioned are the days of declining life, the infirmities and sorrows of which are most vividly painted in the sequel. Accumulated in- firmities, with a certain prospect of their increase, are sufficient to account for the exclamation of the sufferer : I have no pleas- ure in them! — VWll.i Hiph. Perf. of 5>«. — yzn . . . •px, here the const. *px has two intervening words between itself and the Gen. following and governing it. But any intervention of this kind must be of circumstantial words only. Otherwise, the const, and Gen. must be placed in immediate proximity. (2) Before the sun and the light shall grow dark, and the moon and the stars, and the clouds return after the rain. The first part is imagery to portray the joyous season of life. Light is the symbol of joy. ' Before this light is withdrawn, do thou remember thy Creator,' is the sentiment. But what ts it to remember him ? It is to fear, to love, and to obey him, ever keeping in mind that he will bring thee to judgment. After 322 ECCLESIASTES XII. 3. moon and stars, tobrn (shall grow dark) is implied from the preceding clause. 1 have joined the light with the sun, because the accents do so, and because there is ground to suppose that the writer means to present two couplets. The clouds return, etc. ; this happens only in the winter or rainy season in Pales- tine. The summer showers are short and violent, and are suc- ceeded by a blazing sun. But in winter, day after day the clouds return, and rains are often incessant. This season, then, is the image of old age, the winter of life. We of the present time call youth its spring, manhood its summer, and old age its w inter. Sentiment: 'Be mindful of God before the days of aggravated sorrow come, before the declining period or winter of life sets in.' The imagery is vivid and beautiful. (3) In the day when the keepers of the house shall be tremulous, and the strong men bow themselves, and the grinders pause because they are become few, and those that look out of the windows are darkened. This verse is subordinate to the preceding one, Di^a being used instead of repeating Tdx iv. — wry, from g*it, Imperf. Kal, t for sit. But who are the keepers of the house? Evidently the physical frame of the old man is here compared to a house, a comparison of the human frame often made in the Old Test. and in the New, Job 4 : 19 ; 2 Cor. 5 : 1 ; 2 Pet. 1 : 13, 14. The keepers of this house are the arms, specially the hands and fore- arms, which often become tremulous in old age. They are called keepers, because they are more specially employed in warding off evil or assault. These keepers are here regarded as being out of the house, not in it ; just as the arms are separate from the body of a man, and extraneous to it. And the men of strength bow themselves, seems to mean the legs, which are strong in their structure, being formed both to support the body, and to convey it hither and thither. It needs strength to bear such a burden and perform such a task. The bowing is the usual croak- ing at the knees which takes place in old age, because the mus- ECCLESIASTES XII. 1. cles are relaxed, and will not support the weight of the body without bending. In war, to be swift in tin- race of pursuil flight, and persevering in the march, required greal Btrength in the lower limbs ; and he who was wkvs 7ro'So)j/ was accounted among the best warriors, /. e., among the b^n *"r:X. To say lh<' least, if the appellation is not altogether congruous lor the I it is difficult to find any part of a man to which what is said so well applies. And the grinders cease or pause ; the latter ir, the better translation, for the pausing seems to be in order to take rest, since they are overtasked in grinding because of their few- ness. The teeth are doubtless meant by the grinders; and we apply this word in the same way to the teeth. When a few of these have to do all the work of a full set, some pause in the labor is occasionally necessary. — Ita^a, verb denom. from -j:^. in Piel and in pause (which occasions the Tseri), meaning grow few, become few, not simply are few, which would be An'. Those which look out, etc., are plainly the eyes. The eye-socket is like to a perforation for the window ; the eye-lashes may be compared to lattices in the window, which in oriental windows are employed instead of glass. Latticed windoivs would be an exact literal version. But nothing would be gained by such a translation. It would rather mislead the reader, because it would seem to point him only to some peculiar kind of a window, when the idea is in fact generic. The weakening of the sight, or darkening of the eyes in old age, is too well known to need de- scription ; see in Gen. 27 : 1 ; 1 Sam. 3:2; 1 K. 14 : 4. Eyes and teeth are both fern, in Hebrew, hence the fern, participles agreeing with them. (4) And closed are the doors on the street, while the noise of the mill is low, for it rises to the voice of a sparrow, and all the daughters of song are brought low. Doors of thy mouth, or lips, are expressions in Ps. 141 : 3 ; Mic. 5 : 7. The doors of his face is employed in Job 41 : 14. 324 LCCLESIASTES XII. 4. There can be no doubt, then, that the lips are designated by the doors on the street; i. e., like the outside double or two-valved door of a house, the way of entrance into it, as the lips are the en- trance to the mouth. On the street serves merely to show that the entrance or outside door is meant. Are shut or closed, ex- presses the position of the lips when the teeth are gone. They are shut or compressed closely together. Noise of the mill is low; but what is the mill? Not the teeth, for they are called grinders above. There seems to be no tolerable explanation of this, excepting that it is intended to designate the mouth, in which the grinders are. The noise is that made by the voice, as Hitzig and Heiligs. interpret it. In the aged this is weakened and low. This too is a trait of old age which is further developed in the sequel. To interpret the clause (which some do) as meaning the noise made by chewing, is said to be incongruous. But may it not be said in reply, that old people rarely undertake to eat hard substances, and the chewing of soft ones will make only a low noise ? Shall the b'ip, noise, be referred, then, to the chewing of soft food, such as the aged must take, because the noise in ques- tion, in such a case, is bad , quite low ? or must it refer to the voice of the aged, as stated above ? Neither of the alternatives is very inviting. However, as eating seems to be despatched in the third verse, there is some incongruity in supposing it to be again introduced here. But a greater difficulty in the way of this is that the noise of eating cannot well be a subject or Nom. to the next clause ; it must be the voice of the mouth. In a case so doubtful and obscure, this would seem to be a sufficient reason for giving this latter exegesis the preference. J*or it rises to the voice of the sparroiv, i. e., attains unto the voice of a sparrow ; comp. Mp in Zeph. 3 : 8 ; 1 Sam. 22 : 13 ; Mic. 2 : 8, for a like sense. Translated thus, the last two clauses •rive the grounds for the assertion in the preceding clause, or at any rale furnish illustrations of it. — 1,/or, § 152, B. c. The voice of a sparrow is a very slender one ; and a voice not louder ECCLKSI ASTES XII. 5. 320 than this may well be called low. Some interpret this as mean- ing : ' He (the old man) rises up from his couch very early, as soon as the voice of the sparrow is heard.' But where is the proof that the sparrow is an early matin-bird? or that the old man would be apt to hear his tiny voice ? If it were the crow- ing of the cock, the exegesis would seem more probable than it now does. And last, but not least, where is the proof that aged and infirm people are wont to be early risers ? Early they may wake, but they are not wont to rise as soon as they wake. Then again, D*p^ is not the word for such rising; we should expect All the daughters of song, is a locus vexatus. Still, some things are plain. Sons of men are men; daughters of men means wo- men. Why may not daughters of song mean songs ? Daughters of Tyre — Babylon — Philistia, etc., means Tyrians, Babyloni- ans, Philistines, etc. So in the Talmud : hip r.S , simply voice (probably = echo). All songs or singing, in old age, usually becomes low-toned; 1fl1B"i , Niph. Imperf. from Tin® , with a Dagh. in the form. Literally, are depressed; but I have translated by brought low, because there seems to be a kind of personification in the use of m'33, which is best carried out by translating brought low. Sentiment : ' All song-singing or music is low-toned, or with a depressed voice.' When the teeth are gone, and the lips fall in, as before stated, singing must necessarily be of the sort here described. If the two last clauses are not properly grounds or reasons for the preceding one, they at least help to establish it by illustration. (5) Moreover, they are afraid of that which is high, and terrors are in the way, and the almond disgusts, and the locust is hurdensome, and the kapper has no force ; for man is going to his everlasting home, and the mourners go around the streets. Afraid of that which is high, because mounting a height makes the aged pant for breath. The action of the lungs is constringed 28 326 ECCLESIASTES XII. 5. s, which contracts the muscles of the breast. To mount a narrow height, e. g., a tower or precipice, would also create sen a- tioDS of dizziness. They shun both. In the latter case, the terror of falling lies in the way, and constantly besets them. And the almond disgusts, not the almond-tree blooms, deriving ■)*x^ from y m 42, and making it = j*^, and so, as the almond-tree blooms in the winter, this class of critics say that it represents the hoary head of the old man. But then the almond-blossom is not white, but pink-colored, or of carnation hue. Besides, "x:^ for y£ has no parallel in Hebrew orthography. The root, then, must be "X3, which means to despise, contemn, treat with disgust. In Hiph., then, it would mean: causes disgust; and there, it seems to me, it should be reckoned, and. pointed yxt* ; unless, indeed, with Gesenius, we admit a Sijriasm in the pres- ent pointing, viz., " YVtS^ more Syrorum for "X^ ." This, how- ever, would not alter the meaning of the word. The almond, once a favorite fruit, now only creates disgust, for want of power to masticate it. There is no need of an Ace. case after the ^ erb ; for to cause disgust, is in itself intransitive. Still, if E- guff, were supplied, then we should translate thus : makes them to loathe. But this is quite superfluous. Hitzig proposes to read pfiO?, and translates thus: The almond-tree despises [them]. Of course he takes the tree as a mere symbol in this case ; like as the palm-tree (in Cant. 7 : 9) is the symbol of the bride, on account of its slender tallness and its sweet fruit. In Canticles the fruit is represented as accessible ; but here the fruit of the almond-tree is inaccessible to the old man, who cannot ascend that which is high. This, as he avers, is represented in a kind of poetic manner, viz., the almond-free looks down with con- tempt on tli" old man, who cannot climb it, and mocks his ef- forts to obtain its treasures. A congruous sense this may well ]><• called, when we compare it as related to the first part of the — afraid "/'heights. But in this case the verb becomes so far active thai it seem.- to need a complement or object, while ECCLESIASTES X 1 1 . 5. £27 none is supplied. On this account I must incline to the preced- ing view, the almond occasions disgust. J am the more inclined to this on account of the next following clauses, which stand con- nected with the failure of appetite, so that both are congruous with each other. nsn is a species of the locust tribe, winged and edible (see Lew 11 : 22) ; which passage allows the Hebrews to eat four kinds of the locust. Some species of them are generally eaten in the East, and brought into the markets for sale, even at the present time. The hard-shelled ones resemble a crab-fish in point of taste. Some of them are even regarded as a great del- icacy. Hence the sentiment in the text : ' Even the most deli- cate viands — among which is the eatable locust — become a burden to the aged man, whose appetite fails.' This is perfectly natural. Delicate and rich viands disgust an enfeebled stomach, which cannot digest them. The most simple food is the only food that can be safely taken in these circumstances. Hence the locust, banp^ (Hiph. of bn&, § 53, 2), makes itself a burden; i.e., becomes burdensome, being difficult of digestion and occasioning nausea in the stomach. Hitzig gives the passage quite another turn, referring it, by virtue of a resemblance between SJjn and mis (voluptuous delight), to sexual intercourse, which becomes forced rather than voluntary. But this seems quite unsatisfac- tory when a plainer and more facile meaning presents itself. Heiligs. is still more imaginary. "As the locust, when its wings are grown, attempts to fly, but does this at first with great effort, even so the old man, about to ' shift oiF this mortal coil,' labori- ously attempts his flight." Altogether invito, Minerva. The most simple meaning is nearly always the preferable one ; and here it is altogether the most congruous. And the hopper (in vulgar usage spelled caper) is inert, or has no force; so Van der Palm, De Wette, Gesenius, and others. Hitzig supplies an im- plied r^--: after isn, and supposes the allusion to be made to an implied agreement that the kapper should aid the ^r\z=zyj, 328 ECCLESIASTES XII. 5. amatory pleasure, which agreement, in this case, is frustrated or annulled; ingenious, indeed, but too forced and far-fetched. The hopper was used as a stimulant for all the natural appetites, in- asmuch as it gave life and animation to the system. Specially was it regarded as a venereal stimulant. In this last sense it may be taken here. Food disrelishes, even the delicate viands are a burden. With the appetite for this, the other natural ap- petites decline, so that venery becomes rather disgusting than alluring ; at any rate, in extreme old age it becomes mischievous in most cases. The meaning of rtitaKh seems to be well settled (see Buxt. Lex. Chald., and Ges. Thesaurus s. v.). — iStt comes from TnB, and is 3d Praet. Hiph., and one of its meanings is, irritum fecit. It would seem to demand an Ace. of object after it, at least an implied one. It usually connects with such objects as covenant, law, promise, vow, etc. Gesenius (Lex.) makes it intransitive in our text ; and so it may be (§ 52), for Hiphil is often so. But if we insist on the active transitive here, then fi^a, or some equivalent word, may be supplied, the verb being taken as a constructio pregnans, § 138. So: the kapper breaheth promise. It was expected, from its qualities, to rouse by excite- ment, and this is what it usually does ; but now it frustrates wishes or expectations. It becomes inert, i. e., produces no ef- fect. This, indeed, is not a literal translation, but it is in effect, giving the sense of the passage, which, like those that precede it, is elliptical. The failure of these powers and appetites is indicative of what must speedily follow. For man is going to his eternal home, T\?p > abiturus, about to depart. Not has gone, for his death is after- wards described in vs. G, 7. As yet it is a future occurrence. Eternal home occurs nowhere else in the Scriptures, but the Targum on Is. 42 : 11 mentions eternal houses or homes, i. e., Bepulchres ; the Book of Tobit (•"> : (») calls the grave tottos aiw- wos; and the Egyptians called their catacombs di'Stpvs oikous. Compare the sentiment in .'1:20, 21, and i) : 3 — 6. Such a ECCLESIASTES XII. c. 329 name for the grave dors not necessarily imply a disbelief of a future resurrection (Dan. 12:2), but only that those who are laid in the sepulchre have a habitation that will never be ex- changed, as houses among the living are. A final home is a familiar expression even with us. AVe cannot defend it philo- sophically or theologically, but it is still in popular use. Just thai is meant here by the Hebrew. And the mourners go around the streets, Hitzig refers to mourning in anticipation of evil ; as, e. g., 2 Sam. 12 : 16 ; Ps. 35 : 13 ; Esth. 4:3; Jer. 48 : 38. But why not render lSl WSp 1 ], the mourners will surround, or go around, etc? Then the one occurrence is as much future as the other. This is certainly the more natural. The only difficulty is, that i conversive before a verb is seldom indeed to be seen in the book before us. The marching around in the street looks much like the funeriil procession, accompanied by artificial or hired mourners, as is usual in the East. In all the cases of an- ticipated mourning referred to above, there is nothing that indi- cates any yirocession. On this ground I must refer ! on& to the Pres., as to sense (§ 124, 3. b.), in the same manner as if a Pres. verb preceded it. The dead man going to an endless home, i. e., the grave, is accompanied by a procession winding through the streets. For such processions see 2 Sam. 3 : 31 ; Jer. 9 : 16 — 20, where is a full account ; also 2 Chron. 35 : 25 ; Matt. 9 : 23 ; 11 : 17 ; Mark 5 : 38 ; Luke 7 : 32. The same custom of hired mourners in procession is kept up in the East at the present time. For pWS, see Is. 15 : 3. (f>) While the silver cord is not broken, nor the cup of golden [oil] crushed, nor the pitcher dushed in pieces at the fountain, nor the wheel crushed at the cistern. At the beginning of the verse is a resumption of the particles in v. 2, showing that the same subject is still continued. — prn? has a substitute proposed in the Qeri (pn;:), probably because the meaning of the first verb (to remove to a distance) seems 28* 330 ECCLESIASTES XII. 6. incongruous. But pry? means to bind, and it has no Niphal un- less this in our text be one. There is no evidence, however, even if a Niph. form be admitted, that it would be privative in its meaning, viz., to unbind, to sever (the sense here demanded), nor can this be deemed probable in respect to a Niph. conjuga- tion. The probability, then, is, that here (as in the case of ^na?, 9:4), the n is transposed, and therefore that the word should be written p"W. In Arabic p^n means laceravit, an appropriate meaning as applied to the silver cord or chain in the present case, and so appropriate that we need not hesitate to adopt it. Silver cord must mean the silver chain by which the lamp is suspended. — "pn, Imperf. Kal. of y m 4^ (see § 66, n. 9, for the 1 instead of H), and is intransitive with a passive meaning. rfba, const., usually translated as meaning the knob or bowl of the lamp which holds the oil. But nn-rfi can hardly mean gold here. In Zech. 4 : 12 it means oil, and tropically so in Job 37 : 22 ; i. e., something of golden color. Here, if silver cord represents the thread of life, then the bowl would seem to sym- bolize the body, and the oil (a liquid) the liquid air which fills the lungs. But to make the life-principle silver, and the body gold, would seem to be incongruous. We may rather acquiesce in the more general symbol, viz., the lamp of life may have the cord by which it hangs broken, and the lamp be dashed in pieces, which holds the oil that supplies the flame of life. — T3 , the pitcher let down to draw up the water. This may be easily dashed in pieces ("Ofc : n = our English word shiver') at the foun- tain or source of the water. Wheel crushed, viz., the wheel which raises the water by the winding up of the draw-rope upon it. When such things befall the water-apparatus, water ceases to be had. So, to compare the air we breathe with the water which we drink, when the apparatus for breathing is broken and disabled, ili<; breath of course must cease. Beyond this general comparison we cannot well go ; and this is sufficient, and is also striking. ECCLESIASTES XII. 7. 331 (7) Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit to God who gave it. That man is made of dust is often recognized in the Old Test, and the representation takes its source from Gen. 3 : 19. See Ps. 104 : 29 ; Job 34 : 15. As it was, viz., before it was made into man. On the subject of the spirit and its return to God, I must refer the reader to the discussion connected with 3 : 21. What God gave he takes back. But he gave the body- as well as the spirit. The body, however, he does not take back to himself; nor can he any more be supposed to take back the mere breath of life, in such a sense as that it returns to him. If this meaning be given to rWi, we must acquiesce in the more general meaning of merely giving and taking away, without attaching to this any idea respecting how that is disposed of which is taken away ; which can hardly be reconciled with the idea of STOPI, shall return. Is there any emanation-philosophy to be discovered here ? Does the spirit (fisn) emanate from God as a particle (so to speak) of his being; and when man dies, does this particle become absorbed again in his immensity ? for this the philosophy in question teaches. If there were any evi- dence at all in the Hebrew Scriptures of the emanation-philos- ophy, we might explain the passage before us by the aid of it. But the whole tenor of these Scriptures is against this view r . God and man are beings widely and essentially diverse in their nature. The Hebrews brought God down, in his great con- descension, to watch over and to aid and bless man ; but they never dreamed of elevating man into the place of God. A moral resemblance man might have, and had, to his Maker ; but his on- tological nature admitted of no comparison ; for how can created compare with uncreated, finite with infinite? To see his face, to awake in the resurrection and put on his likeness, are the utmost to which the thoughts of the Hebrew extended or aspired. Then what is returning to God? Returning to dust, we understand. The body becomes united to it, or absorbed in it. But in what 032 ECCLESIASTES XII . 8. sense docs vital breath (frti) return to God? This question still remains, after all that has been said about n r n, and is more diffi- cult to be answered than Knobel and llitzig seem to imagine. if return lias the like meaning in both clauses (the verb in both is the same in the Hebrew), then must the emanation-doctrine be recognized here. But we have seen that there is no ground for supposing this to have been held by the Hebrews. What is it, then, we ask again — what is it that returns ? And what be- comes of it after its return ? In case nn here means spirit, in our usual English sense of the word, then we have a tangible meaning. The soul returns to the peculiar and immediate pres- ence of God, there to be judged (according to v. 14). In what other way can we make out a consistent Hebrew sentiment from this passage ? That God gave the spirit of man, is a sentiment often repeated; e.g., the God of the spirits of all flesh; the Father if oar spirits, etc. (8) Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher, all is vanity Thus end the discussions of the book, with the same sentiment which was made its thesis at the beginning. The writer has gone through the whole round of human employment and enjoy- ment, and he comes out at last fully with the sentiment which he announced at the beginning as the thing to be examined. Solid, lasting, and unchanging Jiajqnness is not to be found in any worldly occupation, or in any worldly circumstances. God has impressed this truth on everything, and made it visible everywhere. But the other side of the picture, which presents man's future condition and destiny, he has only glanced at. It was not his then present purpose to aim at developing this. We feel it in- deed to be strange thai he stops where he doe-:. We should not with our presenl views. But before we condemn him, we should at least become well acquainted with his special design and purpo es. We fhould know what questions of the time ECCLESIASTICS XII. 8. 333 were pressing upon him ; what Epicureanism lie was called to encounter on its own ground, and what sensuality needed a pow- erful cheek, by reasoning within its own circle. The book is an argumentum ad hominem, a refutation from the worldling's own stand-point. The writer certainly accomplishes one thing, and he does this effectually. Christianity would lead us to go farther ; but this, when Coheleth wrote, was yet to " bring life and im- mortality to light." He stops where Moses stopped in the Pen- tateuch ; and if we censure him, must we not also censure Mo- ses ? God did not reveal everything, not even every important -thing, under an imperfect and preparatory dispensation. The world has had its childhood, is having its youth, and is yet to arrive at complete manhood, and then, perhaps, have its old age. Why need we confound all these stages of human progress with each other ; or why think it strange that the author, living under the first stage, has not written and spoken as if he lived under the second or third? Caique swam; a maxim as true in respect to revelation, as it is in regard to the business and concerns of life. Many a striking view has Coheleth given of the vanity of mere worldly pursuits; many a sound precaution has he uttered in respect to incurring dangers and temptations. Above all, he has throughout maintained and inculcated the most profound submission as to the mysterious and afflictive dispensations of a holy Providence. With him, God is all in all ; and there is no way of obtaining safety or comfort left for man, excepting that of absolute and unqualified submission to God. Whatever he does is right ; and therefore it should be acquiesced in by all the creatures of his power. With all the doubtings and struggles of mind which he develops, it is quite evident that at the bottom of his heart lay a deep substratum of pious, submissive, obedient, holy feeling. In the midst even of a paroxysm of despair, when he is gazing intently on some gloomy aspect of the destiny of man until life becomes a burden, he never utters one disrespect- ful or murmuring word toward God. Indeed, he everywhere S34 ECCLESIASTES XII. 8. appeals to Iris rightful sovereignty, in order to hush every ten- s' to complaint. So firm, so solid was his persuasion that God is wise and good, that it is enough in his view to hush every complaint and silence every murmur to call to mind that this affliction or that was dispensed by his hand. What, now, shall Ave say to all this ? We must feel ourselves humbled by such an exhibition. We often murmur or are discontented when we are called to suffering and sorrow, notwithstanding all the light and love which the gospel has dhTused around us, and in spite of all our cheering hopes as to the future. What then should we have done, if placed in Coheleth's condition — bowed down, and in darkness, and merely catching some glances of the twilight that was beginning to gleam? The comparison would operate strongly to humiliate us, even in our own view. If those men of God who lived many centuries before the gospel was re- vealed, could think and act as they did, — could bow before God with the deepest reverence amid the deepest gloom, and never utter one murmuring word, or indulge one repining thought, — could believe with unshaken faith in his justice, and goodness, and wisdom, when the dealings of his Providence were utterly inexplicable, — then may we not well say: Shame! shame on us, for all our doubts, and repining, and coldness, and wavering? If they could feel and act as they did in circumstances such as theirs were, they might indeed have had far less knowledge than we have, — in fact, they had far less, — but must they not have had a more stable and ardent piety, and a more firm and endur- faith than Ave can justly attribute to ourselves? '* lie that doeth righteousness is righteous." We do in ess far more advantages than they had ; but if with all these Ave indulge in sin, our guilt and condemnation gravated. Instead of indulging in self-gratulation when we look at them in their struggles, Ave ought to be pene- ■ 1 with the deepest humility. Little to a good purpose has who. like Schleiermacher, believes. that it ECCLESIASTES XII. 9. ig very little in advance of the Greek philosophy, and who it aside as among the tilings which belonged to the merest child- hood of mankind. All the philosophy of Greece, and of the whole heathen world, never made one such man as Coheleth ; nay more, it never inspired any individual with such view- of the Godhead as he exhibits. Where philosophy doubts and de- spairs, and has recourse to inexorable destiny, and to fate which is superior to the gods, Coheleth may doubt indeed for a time, and for the moment even despair ; but he never fails to find a refuge at last in the supremacy and wisdom and goodness of God. He philosophizes in a very different way from the hea- then, and comes to very different results. Many other interesting topics stand connected with the subject before us ; but they belong more properly to an Introduction to the book, and will be found there. We proceed to the Epilogue or Conclusion of the book. § 1 G. Conclusion of the Booh. Summary of Results. Chap. XII. 9—14. [Since Coheleth -was a Hakam, i. e., a man devoted to study and writing, or :i crucpos, he occupied himself with practical views of human life. lie lias come to many results, which he commits to writing as truths to he depended on, vs. 9, 10. His words may help to stimulate others to do their duty, for he has brought together what may he regarded as firm and established, v. 1 1. "What he has written is sufficient for admonition; to make many books with labor and weariness would he to little purpose, v. 12. The conclusion of all is, that we should fair Cod, and obey him ; and this admonition extends to all men, v. 13. Men should do thus, because all that they do, and say, and think, and feel, will at some future period he brought into judgment, v. 14. Doderlcin. Bcrtholdt, Knohel, and others, have assailed the genui of this epilogue; hut, as Ewald and Hitzig well declare, without any good reason. The language and style is the same as elsewhere in the hook ; the conclusion is natural, and is naturally looked for by the reader. Their main 336 ECCLESIASTES . XII. 9. reasons arc altogether on a priori ground. "The epilogue is not genuine." they say, "because the author did not know or believe what it contains." But what is the evidence of this ? Has he not repeatedly urged elsewhere to the fear of God, and to obedience ? This cannot be denied. Has he not repeatedly brought to view the truth that there is a time appointed for the judgment of what men do? He who examines 3:17; 8:11, 12; 11:9, with care, and then compares with these passages the many which speak in concurrence with them, will be slow to say that there is anything specially new in v. 14 here. "But the particularity of the assertion, viz., that every work and every secret thing shall be brought into judgment, makes it certain," says Knobel, " that a future judgment is meant, and of this Coheleth knew nothing, and therefore could not have written the passage." But the assump- tion that he knew nothing of all this is without proof, and, as we have seen, without any good foundation. If we concede all that Knobel asserts in his premises, we might follow him in his conclusion. I say might follow, not must; for even if the other parts of the book develop nothing of such a knowledge, this would not decide that there can be no new truth in the epi- logue. At all events, the objections to the genuineness rest on grounds which are too slender to support them ; and the great body of critics have failed to concede that they have any force. This question may be regarded, on the whole, as a settled one, and one that will soon cease to be seriously debated any more.] (9) And further, [I say] that Coheleth was a wise man ; moreover, he taught the people knowledge, and he w r eighed and searched out — he set in order many parables. iryH'i , and further, with an implication of ^k , I say. This is indicated by the 123 = "TC3R, that, which follows. So : And further [I say], that, etc. So Ewald, Hitzig, and others; and rightly. Coheleth was a wise man, Dan, not the wise man, but one belong- ing to that class, a Hakim, as such a one is still called in Arabia. It was the business of such to make investigations. He speaks of himself in the third person here, as often elsewhere. — Tis, further, introducing a clause which stands as coordinate with was a vise man, giving an account of what such a man's em- ploymenl was. He f2?a, possessors of wings, i. e., winged, Ecc. 10 : 20 ; Abraham and his neighbors were "brs rvna, possessors of a covenant; i. e., leagued together, Gen. 14 : 13 ; TTS5 bra , possessors of desire ; i. e., greedy, Pro v. 23 : 2 ; even in b^e ^?a, the name of a town (2 Sam. 5 : 20), the meaning of bsa is still retained, viz., possessor of breaches, i. e., a town on which breaches have been made. In this last case we see it applied to things as well as to persons ; the latter, however, is the most common usage. So in Is. 41 : 15, m'^Q b?a, pos- sessor of edges, i. e., sharp, is applied to a new threshing-drag. Any person or thing, having any quality, or marked by any at- tribute or peculiarity, is (or may be) named bra in respect to that quality, etc. This seems to render plain the meaning of rvisox ^sa. The word rVi&bx (plur. of fiBO:*) is a Pilel forma- tion from t)BX, and means simply collections, collectanea. Hitzig has rendered the two connected words merely by Gesammelten, i. e., collectanea. But then what becomes of the modification made by *>bs;a ? Clearly persons are here concerned ; for what says the previous parallel clause ? It says that the words of the wise (D^oan) are like goads. A class of persons, who utter the CIO ECCLESIASTES XII. 11. words in question, are hereby designated. So in the next clause (now before us), the PHB&X ^3>a designates such of the wise men as made collectanea of wise and prudential sayings. The first class utter these ; the second collect writings (a*lM3 in v. 10) which contain them. Both are goads and nails to the careless and indifferent. The first quicken and stimulate by their ad- dresses; the second do the same thing, but ak&o fasten the im- pressions made more lastingly, because they are not only nails, but nails driven in, firmly planted or fixed, since, in consequence of the maxims being reduced to writing, they take an enduring or permanent form. It seems plain, then, that the nature of the parallelism here demands persons as agents in both its parts- The explanation now given meets that demand. If, with some critics of note, we translate here : masters of assemblies, i. e., of literary consessus, then we must incur the difficulty, not to say absurdity, of these masters being given by one shepherd. It u things which this rts'l , shepherd, i. e., teacher, gives, and not per- sons. They are given by one shepherd. What are given? Clearly the things just mentioned. So plainly is this the case, that even IttJSfj before Hiti is dispensed with as unnecessary. Nor is there any serious difficulty here. The words of the wise are given, and the collectanea of one class of them, i. e., maxims and mo- nitions already reduced to writing and collected by them, are both given by Coheleth. For what says he in the context ? He says that 'he sought out, and weighed, and arranged ti$r&a f and that he reduced to writing what he found to be true.' He is the man, then, the H"'"i , whose object it is to feed others with knowl- edge. As to the first two clauses of v. 11, where the plural number is used, a mere general fact or truth is here stated. The writer says that the wise (the Hahams) speak words that are as goads, and that their associates, who collect writings of this sort, are as nails. He takes it for granted that this will be conceded in the general form in which he states it. If so, then he, who ECCLESIASTES XII. 11. 341 has sought out, and weighed, and duly arranged all of these matters, and now brings them forward, is entitled to a hearing. Nay, he boldly intimates in the next verse that his book contains the essence of all, and moreover that it comprises all which is needed. The whole of vs. — 12, is one consistent and connected view of what he had done, and of the credit which he thinks is due to it. We can now easily dispose of the last clause. — *0M is plural Perf. of Niph ; its Nom. is "iu:x implied ; and *nz3« refers of course to the words and writings just mentioned. Coheleth has searched thoroughly, and written down whatever he judged to be true and important to his purpose. And now in his book are given to the world the results of his labors. — inx "T?^ > by one shepherd. This word Hitzig points ftTyq , and renders it pasture ; that is, as he avers, the writer has collected all the scattered par- ticulars, and thrown them into one pasture, where his readers may feed. But MFia (as plur. Niph.) said of the writer would be abnormal ; for the sing, active Kal, "jw , would in such a case be required. In the passive, then, the verb must be made. He renders thus: which are presented as a united pasture; which at least wears the air of something far-fetched and outre. It has no like in all the Scriptures. His objection to rendering taHn "nnx, by one shepherd, is that )"Q does nowhere else stand before the efficient cause, when connected with the passive. But in this he is mistaken; see Gen. 9 : 11 ; Ps. 76 : 7 ; and instru- mentalities are not unfrequently preceded by "}« ("q), as in Is. 28 : 7 ;• Ps. 28 : 7 ; Ezek. 28 : 18, al. There is no difference between these two classes of cases, in regard to the principle concerned in the grammatical construction. Then, again, he sug- gests that " the one (ihn) makes an insuperable difficulty here. Why one shepherd ? And what difference is there, whether the gift is from one, or from many? " Yet to my mind this difficulty does not seem weighty. Of whom had the writer just been speaking ? Of wise men, and of the possessors of collectanea. 29* 312 ECCLESIASTES XII. 12. These are many, and what they have given lies in many scat- tered portions. Coheleth has made a selection and a summary from them, and instead of being obliged to consult the many tFtiln and niBOX ^§3, learners find in one teacher all that they need. The one ttsh is plainly in contrast with the many iwi . The next verse fully confirms this view of the subject. But why does the writer call himself FisH? This word literally means feeder, e. g., of cattle, sheep, etc. Tropically it is very significant, and designates rector, curator, governor, king, prince (like Homer's 7rotya^v Acuov) ; and in Prov. 10 : 21 the verb MS^ means feeding with knowledge. Of course rash (the Part.) trop- ically designates a teacher, an instructor. He tells us expressly (v. 9) that he taught the people knowledge; and also that he searched out and arranged and wrote down words of truth, such as the wise utter, vs. 9, 10. He, then, is the iisp. He feeds the flock with knowledge. In thi3 view of the subject all the diffi- culties seem to vanish. I do not deem it necessary or expedient to recount and refute the almost endless varieties of opinion that have been given con- cerning this unique and hitherto difficult verse. It would be time spent to little purpose. Where conjecture takes the place of grammatical investigation, and random guessing of sober ex- egetical examination, opinions may be endless and discrepant ; but the history of them is not always worth preserving. But I am not disposed to be over-confident, in such a case, in my own opinion. I have aimed to get out the meaning by a simple grammatical and philological process. If I have not succeeded, I hope that others will be more fortunate. (12) And further : by these, my son, be thou admonished ; to make books abundant — without end, and much eagerness of study, are a weariness of the flesh. To translate, with Herzfeld, To make many books would admit no end; or with Knobel and Ewald, Admits no end — has no end f ECCLESIASTES X 1 1 . 12. 343 gives an irrelative and incongruous sense ; or at least one that cannot be true without much allowance for hyperbole. — Vg '"X seems to be added merely for the sake of intensity to ftSHtt. Hitzig, to make endlessly many books ; and this, no doubt, gives substantially the true idea. — y£ "px here = ^xp , which last, by the way, is never employed in this book. Doubtless there is hyperbole in the expression, even thus considered; but still, only such as is very common in animated discourse. To make very many books gives the real meaning ; while the form of ex- pression in Hebrew is thus : To make books, many, without end. The last two words are merely a circumstantial addition, qualify- ing what was before said. Thus far we have only one subject or Nom. of the sentence. But a second subject follows : and much eagerness of study. For 5rtb , found in Hebrew only here, see Lex. But the word is found in Arabic, and corresponds there with the meaning given in the version. Both of these subjects are now followed by the predicate ; viz., is a weariness of the flesh or body. Much study would be requisite to make very many books, at least if they were worth reading. And such books as are worth it, Coheleth has in view, for they are such as are goads and nails, not trecentos versus in hora, starts pede in uno. Verse 9 shows that he had made strenuous exertion to write one book. The character of this, as it stood in his view, we have yet to consider. For the rest, my son, be thou admonished, or get for thyself ad- monition from them, or by them, viz., from the things that are com- municated by the one shepherd. — ftsfTO refers to those things, and we may render » either from or by, as the particle is capa- ble of either sense, and either will fit the passage. — ^33 , my son, is the familiar address of a teacher to his pupil ; Prov. 1 : 8, 10, 15 ; 2 : 1 ; 3 : 1, 11, 21 ; 4 : 1, 10, 20 ; 5 : 1, 20, etc. — iron may be interpreted either by the simple passive, or the reflexive, as Niph. is often employed in the latter sense, and in accordance with this I have translated above. 3-14 ECCLESIASTES XII. 13. Sentiment : ' Reader, be diligent to learn, from the things that I have communicated, all needful admonition. Many books are unnecessary for such a purpose, and the labor which they would cost is severe, and would now be little more than useless.' (13) The conclusion of the whole matter let us hear: Fear God and keep his commandments; yea, this every man [should do]. tjl'O is not summary, sum, nor even final result here. It means the concluding part of the whole discussion, and so that which the writer has most of all at heart. " Finis coronat opus." The whole matter, where Vsn has the article, but *tt , in apposition, is without it. — Vs is not an adjective, but a noun, denoting the whole, the totality. Literally, a conclusion of the matter, of the whole [of the matter]. The article in this case, where there is a speciality of emphasis on the second word, is designedly added ; see § 109, 2, a. The accents give the following sense: Conclu- sion of the whole ; all is heard; Fear God, etc. The punctators were misled by not comprehending the true design of the article in Vsrt . — Yea, this should every man \do~\. With Hitzig, I have rendered T3 as an intensive here, as it often is in this book, and in the contemporary (?) Book of Job ; e. g., 11 : 6 ; 30 : 11 ; 31 : 18, 23; 39 : 19. But it may be causal, for, i. e.,fear — keep, etc., because it is every man's duty to do so. Our translation runs thus : The whole of man, and is against the Hebrew idiom, and without any tangible sense, for D'lX'bs cannot mean the whole of man, but every man. All that is lacking here is the verb, which, however, the context supplies, viz., 1fe«5? ; and then the clauses run thus : Keep his commandments ; yea, for this every man [should keep]. If filled out entirely it would run thus : For this [last commandment] every man [should keep]. This (ht) refers to the commandment, or to each commandment just given. In other words : ' "When I command you to keep the command- ments of God, obey this my command/ As to supplying a verb in such obvious cases, there are examples enough; see in ECCLESIASTES XII. 14. 345 2 : 12, comp. Deut. 20 : 19. Such ellipses are nothing strange, where the verb is so easily supplied. (14) For every work will God bring into the judgment concerning every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil. With every secret tiling (so our version), the Hebrew does not say. The word by does not mean with. The simple fact is that ■Si by defines and qualifies the word judgment, without making (as our version does) every work one thing, and every secret tiling another. — 2Q 'jfo should plainly be written with the article, B3£ft33 , as it is in 11 : 9. I have followed the accents, in my pointing of the first clause. So we have, by this well-authorized change of the vowels, the judgment, viz., the one which God has ap- pointed, 11 : 9; 3 : 17. But what kind of judgment will that be, or to what extent will it go ? It will extend over (V?) or unto even every concealed thing, i. e., concealed from men ; it will take cognizance of all actions whether good or evil. The word OQ*J73 is mentally repeated or implied, before by — [the judgment] concerning, or having respect to, every concealed thing, etc. No wonder that Knobel here finds a future judgment. "If," says he, " one considers this passage without prejudice, he must acknowledge the idea of a formal judgment, occurring, as men suppose, after death." He then states two reasons for this con- clusion : (1) " Every work is brought into judgment; (2) The expression every secret thing is always employed with reference to a judgment after death ;" for which he refers to Rom. 2:16; 1 Cor. 4:5; 1 Tim. 5 : 24, 25. Other passages might be added. He considers this so plain and certain as a result of the language, that he denies the genuineness of the verse, because, as he says, Coheleth had no knowledge of such a judgment, or belief in it. How much there is of sound argument in this last conclusion, has already been examined, in the remarks above made on the closing part of the book. That his philological conclusions are 316 ECCLESIASTES XII. 14. sound, it would not be difficult to prove. The writer plainly believes in a future judgment. Hitzig (on 11 : 9) endeavors to show that all the judgment which is spoken of there is the evils which attend old age, or which come upon it. He tacitly ex- tends this same view to the verse now before us ; but he is silent in regard to the matter in his commentary upon it. I have (in remarks on 11:9) already examined his views, and found good reason, as it seems to me, to differ from them. WARREN F. DRAPER, PUBLISHER AND BOOKSELLER, AN DOVER, MASS., PUBLISHES AND OFFERS FOB SALE TI1E FOLLOWING, WniCIT WILL BE SENT POST PAID ON RECEIPT OF THE SUM NAMED. GUERICKE'S CHURCH HISTORY (Ancient Church; including the First Six Centuries). Translated by William G T. Shedd, Brown 1'rofessor in Andover Theological Seminary. 442 pp. 8vo. $2.25. The established credit of Guerickc's labors in the department of Ecclesiastical History, and the use made of his works by many English writers will make this volume acceptable to a very large class of students and readers. — London Journal of Sacred Literature. Guericke's History is characterized by research, devotitness, firm grasp of evangelical truth, and careful exhibition of the practical as well as the intellectual aspects of Christianity. — North British Review. Wc regard Professor Shedd's version as a happy specimen of the transfusion, rather than a translation, which many of the German treatises should receive. The style of his version is far superior to that of the original. — Bibliotlicca Sacra. Among the most faithful, and yet the most independent, of the followers of Neander, may be mentioned Guericke, who carries out Neander's plan in a more compendious form, but with an almost bigoted attachment to the peculiar doctrines of Luther, in a style so crabbed and involved, that we should not have hesitated to pronounce it untranslatable, but for the fact thatan eminent teacher and accomplished writer of our own country has achieved what wc regarded as a sheer impossibility. Wc are glad to have a book made legible in English, which, in spite of its original uncouthness, has been eminently useful, as a vehicle, not only of the best historical know 1. dge, but of sincere piety, and sound religious sentiment in reference to all essentials.— Princeton Review. In clearness the style of the translation exceeds the original. The natural animation and life- like character, which commonly vanish in the process of translating from the German, have been retained with signal success. We are disposed to consider it the best of the current text-books for the use for which Prof. Shedd designs it. — New Englander. Here is a Manual of Church ITistor}' which may be confidently recommended, without reserve or qualification, to students belonging to all evangelical churches. Guericke is thoroughly Or- thodox. His evangelical belief and feeling give him a lively and appreciative interest in the in- ternal history of the Church ; he devotes special attention to the development of doctrines, and presents the range of thought and substance of opinion distinguishing the works of the princi- pal writers in successive ages of the Church. Guerickc's manual is complete in the particular lines of history he has chosen, and is a most useful and reliable book for the theological class- room Professor Shedd has wisely translated with freedom, and has improved the structure of the work. — Nonconformist. We are glad that a Manual of Church History has appeared which exhibits, at once, undoubted orthodoxy, and that grasp of mind which alone is capable of treating such a subject with a lu- minous anu lively brevity.— Clerical Journal. With the additions and improvements made in the successive editions, it is now, on the whole, the most readable work on Church History to be found. We have used the original for soma years, and entirely agree with the translator, that it hits the mean between an offensive fullness and a barren epitome.— Central Christian Herald. (1) Publications of W. F. Draper, Andocer. DISCOURSES AND ESSAYS. By William G. T Shedd. 324 rp 12mo. SI .00. The striking sincerity, vigor, and learning of this volume will be admired even by those rend- ers who cannot go with the author in all his opinions. 'Whatever debate the philosophic 1 ten- dencies of the book may challenge, its literary ability and moral spirit will be commended every where. — New Englander. These elaborate articles are written in a lucid and racy style, and invest with a rare interest the themes of which they treat. — Bibliotheca Sacra. These Discourses are all marked by profound thought, and perspicuity of sentiment.— Princeton Review. The Essay on a Natural Rhetoric we earnestly commend to all persons who publicly assume either to speak or to write. — Universalist Quarterly. Few clearer and more penetrating minds can be found in our country than that of Prof. Shedd. If the mind gets dull, or dry, or ungovernable, put it to grappling with these masterly produc- tions. — Congregational Herald, Chicago. Each of these Discourses is profoundly and ingeniously elaborated, and the volume as a whole is a testimony to highly intellectual and consistent views of evangelical truth. — Boston Recorder. LECTURES UPON THE PHILOSOPHY OP HISTORY. By William G. T. Shedd. 128 pp. 12mo. 60 cts. Professor Shedd has already achieved a high reputation for the union of philosophic insight with genuine scholarship, of depth and clearness of thought with force and elegance of style, and for profound views of sin and grace, cherished not merely on theoretical, but still more on moral and experimental grounds. — Princeton Review. This volume consists of four lectures, of which the following are the titles: The Abstract Idea of History; The Nature and Definition of Secular History; The Nature and Definition of Church History; The Verifying Test in Church History. It is written in a lucid style, and will interest the students of theology and of hiatory. — Bibliotheca Sacra. The style of these Lectures has striking merits. The author chooses his words with rare skill and taste, from an ample vocabulary; and writes with strength and refreshing simplicity. The Philosophy of Realism, in application to history and historical theology, is advocated by vigorous reasoning, and made intelligible by original and felicitous illustrations. — yew Englander. The "Lectures upon the Philosophy of History," is an extraordinary specimen of the meta- physical treatise, and the charm of its rhetoric is not less noticeable. Prof. Shedd never puts his creed under a bushel, but there are few students of any sect or class that will not derive great as- sistance from his labors. — Universalist Quarterly. It bears the impress of an elegant as well as highly philosophical mind. — Boston Recorder. OUTLINES OP A SYSTEMATIC RHETORIC. From the German of Dr. Francis Theremin, by William G. T. Shedd. Third and Revised Edition, with an Introductory Essay by the translator, pp 216. 12mo. 75 cts. Advanced students will find it well worthy of perusal. The adoption of its leading ideas would ennoble the arrof rhetoric into a science, the practice of speaking into a virtue, and would clothe the whole subject in our schools and colleges with a fresh and vital interest. — Bibliotheca Sacra. Every minister and theological professor (in composition and rhetoric especially) should rend it. A more thorough and suggestive, and, in the main, Sensible view of the subject is hardly to be (band. The central idea of Theremin's theory is, that Eloquence is a Virtue, and he who reads this little book will be sure to receive an impulse In the direction of masculine thoughtful dis- course. — Congregational Ihrald. (*) Publications of W. F. Draper. AUBERLEN ON DANIEL AND THE REVELATION. Trans- lated by Rev. Adolpb Saphlb. 8vo. pp. 4D0. $1.50. " It is refreshing to one's spirit to receive a book of tliis kind from Germany The Prophecies of Daniel and of John have long been the sport of unbelieving criticism; and if their authority as the products of Divine Inspiration could have been overthrown by learning and ingenuity und industry, this would long since have been accomplished. Undismayed by the long array of learned names against him, Auberlen, comparatively a young writer, has undertaken the defence of these books, and has manfully fulfilled his task."— Bib. Sacra. ELLICOTT'S COMMENTARY, CRITICAL AND GRAMMAT- ICAL, on St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians. With an Introductory Notice by C. E. STOWS, Professor in Audover Theological Seminary. 8vo. pp. 183. S1.50. The Commentaries of Prof. Ellicott supply an urgent want in their sphere of criticism. Prof. Stowe says of them, in his Notice: " It is the crowning excellence of these Commentaries that they are exactly what they profess to be, critical and grammatical, and therefore, in the best sense of the term, e.xegetical His results arc worthy of all confidence. He is more care- ful than Teschendorf, slower and more steadily deliberate than Alford, and more patiently laborious than any other living New Testament critic, with the exception, perhaps, of Tregel- lcs." " They [Ellieott's Commentaries] have set the first example, in this conntiy, [England] of a thorough and fearless examination of the grammatical and philological requirements of every word of the sacred text. I do not know of anything superior to them, in their own particular line, in Germany; and they add, what, alas! is so seldom found in that country, profound reverence for the matter and subjects on which the author is laboring; nor is their value lessened by Mr. Ellieott's having confined himself for the most part to one department of a commentator's work — the grammatical and philological." — Dean Alford. " The critical part is devoted to the settling of the text, and this is admirably done, with a labor, skill, and conscientiousness unsurpassed." — Bib. Sacra. " "We have never met with a learned commentary on any book of the New Testament so nearly perfect in every respect as the ' Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians.' by Prof. Ellicott, of King's College, London, — learned, devout, and orthodox."— Independent. '• We would recommend all scholars of the original Scriptures who seek directness, luminous brevity, the absence of everything irrelevant to strict grammatical inquiry, with a concise and yet very complete view of the opinions of others, to possess themselves of Ellieott's Commen- taries." — American Presbyterian. HENDERSON ON THE MINOR PROPHETS. TFIE BOOK OF THE TWELVE MINOR PROPHETS. Translated from the Original Hebrew. With a Commentary, Critical, Philological, and Exegetical. By E. Henderson, D.D. With a Biographical Sketch of the Author, by E. P. Barrows, Hitchcock Professor in Audover Theological Semiuary. 8vo. pp.490. $3.00. " This Commentary on the Minor Prophets, like that on the Prophfcy of Isaiah, has been highly and deservedly esteemed by professional scholars, and has been of great service to the working ministry. We are happy to welcome it in an American edition, very neatly printed." — Lib. Sacra. "Clergymen and other students of the Bible will be glad to see this handsome American edition of a work which has a standard reputation in its department, and which fills a place that is filled, so far as we know, by no other single volume In the English language. Dr. Hen- derson was a good Hebrew and Biblical scholar, and in his Commentaries he is intelligent, brief, and fo the point." — Bonton Recorder. "The American publisher issues this valuable work with the consent and approbation of the author, obtained from himself before his death. It is published in substantial and elegant style, clear white paper and beautiful type. The work is invaluable for its philological research and critical acumen. The notes arc learned, reliable, and practical, and the volume deserves a place in every theological student's library."-' American Presbyterian, etc. " Of all his Commentaries none are more popular than his Book of the Minor Prophets." — Christian Observer. " This is probably the best Commentary extant on the Minor Prophets. The work is worthy of a place in the library of every scholar and every diligent and earuest reader of the Bible." — Christian Chronicle. " We have met with no so satisfactory a commentary on this part of the prophetic Scrip- tures."— Watchman «r ReficcUtT, (3) Publications ofW.F. Draper. COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS. By Moses Stuart, late Professor of Sacred Literature in the Theological Seminary at Andover. Third Edition. Edited and revised by ruoj)\ li. D. C. Bobbins. l2mo. pp.544. $1.50. " His Commentary on the Romans is the most elaborate of all his works. It has elicited more discussion than any of his other exegetical volumes. It is the result of long continued, patient thought. It expresses, in clear style, his maturest conclusions. It has the animating influence of an original treatise, written on a novel plan, and under a sense of personal responsibility. Regarding it in all its relations, its antecedents and consequents, we pronounce it the most important Commentary which has appeared in this country on this Epistle." — Bib. Sacra. '• We heartily commend this work to all students of the Bible. The production of one of the first Biblical scholars of our age, on the most important of all the doctrinal books of the New Testament, it deserves the careful study, not only of those who agree with Prof. Stuart in his theological and exegetical principles, but of those who earnestly dissent from some of his views in both respects." — Watchman and Reflector. "This contribution by Prof. Stuart has justly taken a high place among the Commentaries on the Epistle to the Romans, and, with his other works, will always be held in high estimation by I lie student of the Sacred Scriptures." — yew York Observer. COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. By Prof. M. Stuart. Third Edition. Edited and revised by Prop. 11. D. C. Hobbins. 12mo. pp. 575. $1.75. " It is a rich treasure for the student of the original. As a commentator, Prof. Stuart was especially arduous and faithful in following up the thought and displaying the connection of a passage, and his work as a scholar will bear comparison with any that have since appeared on either side of the Atlantic." — American Presbyterian. " This Commentary is classical, both as to its literary and its theological merits. The edition before us is very skilfully edited, by Professor Robbins, and gives in full Dr. Stuart's text, with additions bringing it down to the present day."— Episcopal Recorder. " We have always regarded this excellent Commentary as the happiest effort of the late Andover Professor. It seems to us well-nigh to exhaust the subjects which the author compre- hended in his plan." — Boston Recorder. " It is from the mind and heart of an eminent Biblical scholar, whose labors in the cause of sacred learning will not soon be forgotten."— Christian Observer. COMMENTARY ON THE BOOK OP PROVERBS. By Prop. M. Stuart. i2mo. pp.432. &1.25. " This is the last work from the pen of Prof. Stuart. Both this Commentary and the one preceding it, on Eccksiastes, exhibit a mellowness of spirit which savors of the good man ripen- ing for heaven; and the style is more condensed, and, in that respect, more agreeable, than in some of the works which were written in the unabated freshness and exuberant vigor of his mind. In learning and critical acumen they are equal to his former works. No English reader, we venture to say, can elsewhere find so complete a philological exposition of these two important books of the Old Testament." — Bib. Sacra. STUART'S MISCELLANIES, pp.369. 12mo. 75 cents. Contents. — I. Letters to Dr. Channing on the Trinity. — II. Two Sermons on the Atone- ment.— III. Sacramental Sermon on the Lamb of God. — IV. Dedication Sermon. — Real Christianity. — V. Letter to Dr. Channing on Religious Liberty. — VI. Supplementary Notes and Postscripts. STUART'S GREEK GRAMMAR OP THE NEW TESTA- MENT DIALECT. Second Edition. Corrected and rewritten. 8vo. 81.00 PRINCIPLES OP INTERPRETATION. Translated from the Latin of .1. A. Erneeti, and accompanied by Auks, with an Appendix containing Extracts from .Munis, Beck, Keil.and Henderson. By JM. Stuart. Fourth Edition. 12mo. Half cloth, pp.142. GO cents. STUART'S HEBREW CHRESTOMATHY. Designed as an Intro. doctiou to a coarse of Hebrew Study. Third Edition, 8vo. pp.231. 75cents. (4) Publications of W. F. Draper. MESSIANIC PROPHECY AND THE LIFE OF CHRIST. By Rev. W. S. Kennedy. 12mo. pp.484. $1.00. *' The plan of the author is to collect nil the prophecies of the Old Testament referring to the Messiah, with appropriate commenfa and reflections, and then to pursue the luhject through the New Testament In the lift of Christ us he appeared among men. The render will And the results of Hengstenherg and Neander here gathered up, and presented In n readable shape." — The Presbyterian. " This is a work of preat comprehensiveness. Here, in the compass of less than five hundred duodecimo pages, we have the Chris tology of the Old and New Testament Scriptures, some- thing like n combination Of the Christology of Hengstenherg and Neander's Lift of Christ. Of course the fulness of these great works is not imitated, but the reader will find the results of these and similar investigations carefully gathered up, and presented in a clear, readable shape. The Life of Christ is based upon Robinson's Harmony of the Gospels." — American Presbyterian. SCHAUFFLER'S MEDITATIONS ON THE LAST DAYS OF CHRIST. 12mo. pp.439. $1.00. The first sixteen chapters of the book consist of Meditations on the last days of Christ, preached in the midst of plague and death, by Rev. Mr. Schauffler, at Constantinople; the second part, of eight sermons on the 17th chapter of John, and is a practical exposition of that chapter. BIBLE HISTORY OF PRAYER. By C. A. Goodrich. 12mo. pp.384. $1.00. The aim of this little volume is to embody an account of the delightful and successful inter- course of believers with heaven for some four thousand years. The author has indulged a good deal in narrative, opening and explaining the circumstances which gave birth to the several prayers. MONOD'S DISCOURSES ON THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. Translated from the French, by Rev. J. II. Myers, D.D. 12mo. pp. 191. 75cts. " The aim of the author is to present an estimate of the character, labors, and writings of the apostle Paul in the light of an example, and to apply the principles which actuated him, and ■which he maintained, to Christians of the present day." — Boston Journal. "These Discourses are distinguished for genuine eloquence, thorough research, and pro- found thought, accompanied with a glowing, earnest 6pirit, adapting the lessons of the great Apostle to the spiritual wants of men." — Christian Observer. " The work is of rare merit. The author was one of the brightest lights of the French pulpit in the present age, and his death was a source of great grief throughout the evangelical Prot- estant world. As we read these Discourses, in which the preacher holds up the great Apostle before his hearers, and urges them to take him as their example, we cannot but ftel that there is a real sympathy between the preacher and his subject that could only exist in virtue of a work by the same Spirit of God upon natural temperaments and dispositions of mind strikingly akin to each other." — N. C. Presbyterian. " This little volume we regard as a very valuable addition to what may be called the ' Liter- ature of the apostle Paul.' The number of books that have been composed upon St. Paul is one of the many proofs of his greatness, both by nature and grace. Rut, of them all, there is not a more vital and appreciating book than this of Monod. Original and sugge s tive thoughts are continually struck out upon collateral subjects, while yet the principal aim of the work is never lost sight of. The account of the physique of the apostle, in its relations to eloquence (p. 115, seq.), will interest the preacher. The translation is faithful and elegant ; reproducing, in no ordinary degree, the finer and more intangible qualities in the style of a vivid and com- manding orator." — Bib. Sacra, 18G0. CARLYLE'S LATTER-DAY PAMPHLETS. 12mo. pp.427. $1.00. Contents. — The Present Time.— Model Prisons. — Downing Street. — The New Down- ing Street. — Stump Orator. — Parliaments. — Hudson's Statue. — Jesuitism. Publications of W. F. Draper, Andover THEOLOGIA GERMANICA. Which setteth forth many fair lineaments of Divine Truth, and saith very lofty and lovely things touching a Perfect Life. Edited hy Dr. Pfeiffeu, from the only complete manuscript yet known. Translated from the German hy Susanna Winkworth. With a Preface by the Rev. Charles Kingsley, Rector of Eversley ; and a Letter to the Trans- lator, by the Chevalier Bunsen, D. D., D. C. L., etc. ; and an Introduction by Prof. Calvin E Stowe, D. D. 275 pp. 16mo. Cloth, 81.00 : calf, $2.00. This treatise was discovered by Luther, who first brought it into notice by an edition which he published in 1516, of which he says : " And I will soy, though it be boasting of myself, and ' I speak as a fool,' that, next to the Bible and St. Augustine, no book hath ever come into my hands whence I have learnt, or would wish to learn, more of what God and Christ, and man, and all things, are." " The times and the circumstances in which this most rich, thoughtful, and spiritually quickening little treatise was produced, — the national and ecclesiastical tendencies and influ- ences which invested its author, and which gave tone, direction, and pressure to his thoughts, — are amply and well set forth in the preface by Miss Winkworth, and the letter of Bunsen. The treatise itself is richly deserving of the eulogies upon it so emphatically and affectionately uttered by Prof. Stowe and Mr. Kingsley, and, long before them, by Luther, who said that it had profited him ' more than any other book, save only the Bible and the works of Augustine.' Sin, as a universal disease and defilement of the nature of man ; Christ, as an indwelling life, light, and heavenly power ; Holiness, as the utmost good for the soul ; and Heaven, as the State or place of the consummation of this holiness, with the consequent vision of God, and the inefl'ubie joy and peace,— these are the theme of the book. Audit has the grand, and in this day the so rare and almost singular merit, of having been prompted by a real nnd deep relig- ious experience, and of having been written, not with outward assistance, but with the enthu- siasm, the spiritual wisdom, and the immense inward freedom and energy, of a soul itself con- scious of union with Christ, and exulting in the sense of being made, through him, ' a partaker Of the Divine nature.' " Those who have known the most of Christ will value most this " golden treatise." Those Whose experience of the divine truth has been deepest and most central will find the most in it to instruct and to quicken them. To such it will be an invaluable volume worth thousands upon thousands of modern scientific or hortatory essays upon " Religion made easy." " It is printed by Mr. Draper, at the Andover press, in the old English style, with beautiful car. fulness and skill, and is sent, post paid, to all who remit him one dollar."— Independent. " The work is at once a literary curiosity and a theological gem." — Puritan Recorder. " This little volume, whicli is brought out in antique type, is, apart from its intrinsic value, a curiosity of literature. It may be regarded as the harbinger of the Protestant Reformation." — Evening Traveller. THE CONFESSIONS OP ST. AUGUSTINE. Edited, with au Introduction, by Prof. W. G. T. Shedd. §1.25. "In this beautiful edition of Augustine's Confessions, published in the antique style, the translation has been carefully revised by Prof. Shedd, of Andover, from a comparison with the Latin text. His Introduction presents a fine analysis of Augustine's religious experience in its bearing upon his theological system. Both the intellect and the heart of the modern preacher may be refreshed and stimulated by the frequent perusal of these confessions." — Independent. " Prof. Shedd has earned our heartfelt thanks for this elegant edition of Augustine's Confes- sions. The book is profitable for the Christian to study, and we would commend it as a daily companion in the closet of the intelligent believer who desires to be taught the way to holiness through communion of the Spirit. Prof. Shedd's Introduction is a masterly essay, which itself is a volume for attentive reading. It ought to be read before the book is begun. Thorough, searching, and discriminating beyond the facts it communicates, its instructions and hints are suggestive and invaluable." — A'. Y. Observer. " This is a beautiful edition of a precious work. The Confessions of Augustine nre so honest, that we easily become enthusiastic in their praise. The depth of his piety, the boldness of his imagination, the profoundness of his genius, his extravagant conceptions, his very straining and Stretching of philosophical and biblical statements, have all a certain charm which ensures' for his works an enduring popularity."— Bib. Sacra, W.O, p. C'l. " We have long wanted to see just such an edition of Augustine's Confessions. The editor has done a public service in introducing it ; and its typographical beauty is no small recom- mendation of it." — I'res'jvtcrian, June 23, 1800. (•) Publications of W. K Drapt r. DODERLEIW'S HAND-BOOK OF LATIN SYNONYMES. Translated by Bbv. ll. n. Arnold, B. A., with an Introduction by 8. H. Taylob, LL l>. New Edition, with an Index of Greek words. lGmo. pp. 207. 80 cents. " The present hand-book of Dodcrlein is remarkable for the brevity, distinctness, perspicuity, mid appositcness of its definitions. It will richly reward not merely the classical, but the gen- eral student, for the labor he nuiy devote to it. It |g difficult to open the volume, even at random, witliout discovering sonic hint which may he useful to a theologian From the preceding extracts, it will he seen that this hand-book is useful in elucidating many Greek as well as Latin 6ynoiiymcs."— Bib. Sacra. " The little volume mentioned above, introduced to the American public by an eminent Scholar and Teacher, Samuel II. Taylor, LL. D., is one of the best helps to the thorough appre- ciation of the nice shades of meaning in Latin words that have met my eye. It deserves tin: attention of teachers and learners, and will amply reward patient study." — E. D. Sanborn, lute Profiusor of Latin in Dartmouth College. " 'Die study of it will conduce much to thorough and accurate knowledge of the old Roman tongue. To the present edition is appended an 'index of Greek words,' which embraces all the Greek words contained in the Latin Synonymeo, and affords valuable aid iu the elucidation of Greek Sy nony mes. "— Boston Recorder. POLITICAL ECONOMY. Designed as a Text-Book for Colleges. By John Bascom, A. M., Professor in Williams College. 12mo. pp. 306. § 1.00. "It goes over the whole ground in a logical order. The matter is perspicnonslv arranged under distinct chapters and sections; it is a compendious exhibition of the principles of the science witliout prolonged disquisitions on particular points, and it is printed in the style lor which the Andovcr Press has long been deservedly celebrated." — Princeton Review. " This work is one of value to the student. It treats of the relations and character of political economy, its advantages as a study, and its history. Almost every subject in the range of the science is here touched upon and examined in a manner calculated to interest and instruct the reader." — Amherst Express. " The book is worthy a careful study, both for the views it contains and as a mental training. The author understands himself, and has evidently studied his subject well. The style iu which it is put forth also commends it to the reading community." — Evening E?/>ress. "This is a valuable work upon a subject of much interest. Professor Iiascom writes well, and his book makes an excellent manual. His stand-point in the middle of the lStth century gives it a character quite unlike that of the older works upon the subject." — Boston Recorder. RUSSELL'S PULPIT ELOCUTION. Comprising Bemarks on the Effect of Manner in public Discourse; the Elements of Elocution applied to the Beading of the Scriptures, Hymns and Sermons; with Observations on the Principles of Gesture; and a Selection of Exercises in Beading and Speaking. With an Introduction by PBOF. E. A. Bark and Bev. E. N. Kirk. 413 pp. 12mo. Second Edition. $1.25. " Mr. Russell is known as one of the masters of elocutionary science in the United States. He has labored long, skilfully, and successfully in that most interesting held, and has acquired an honored name among the teachers and writers upon rhetoric. It is one of the most thorough publications upon the subject, and is admirably addressed to the correction of the various detects which diminish the influence of pulpit discourses. It is already an established authority iu many places."— Literary World. HISTORICAL MANUAL OF THE SOUTH CHURCH IN AN- DOVEB, MASS. Compiled by Bev. George Mooar; with a portrait of Bev. Samuel Biiillips, first Pastor of the Church. 12mo. pp 200. S 1.-5. " This manual has a value far beyond the promise made in its title-page. Henceforth, what- ever may befall the records of the South Church in Andover, or even the Church itself,— though both were blotted from the earth, — its history tor a hundred and fifty years is safe. Ami in that history is embraced an amount of instruction rarely condensed into BO small a space. The catalogue of members, numbering 2,177, indicates the date and manner of admission — whether by profession or letter; the date and manner of removal — whether by death, dismis- sion, or excommunication; generally the age of the deceased, and, if females who married during their membership, the names of their husbands."— Congregational Quarterly. »} Publications of W. F. Draper, Andover. BIBLIOTHECA SACRA AND BIBLICAL EEPOSITQBY. E. A. Pare and S. II. Taylor, Editors. Published at Andover on the first of January, April, July and October. Each number contains about 225 pages, making a volume of WO p-gcs yearly. This work is larger, by more than 100 pages per volume than any other religious quarterly in the country. This Review is edited by Prof. E. A. Park, of the Theological Seminary, and S. II. Taylor, LL. D., of Phillips Academy, Andover. Among its regular contributors, are eminent scholars connected with various theological and collegiate institutions of the United States. Its pages will be enriched by such contributions from Foreign Missionaries in the East as may illustrate the Biblical Record ; and also by sucli essays from distinguished naturalists as may elucidate the agreement between Science and Religion. It is the organ of no clique or party, but aims to exhibit the broad scriptural views of truth, aud to cherish a catholic spirit among the con- flicting schools of evangelical divines. " Questions of philosophy and the analysis of language, of Biblical and literary criticism, of the constitution and life of the Church of Christ, of practical morality and evangelical religion, of biblical geography and the interpretation of prophecy, and the relation of Science to Religion, together with rmplc literary intelligence, both foreign and domestic," — these make up t.ie matter of each number, and cannot fail to interest Christian Scholars, Clergymen and Lavmen. Terms.— $4.00 per annum. A discount of 25 per cent, will be made to those who pay strictly IN advance, and receive the numbers directly from the office of publication, post- age unpaid. When supplied by agents, $3,50, in advance ; otherwise $4 00. Postage.- The postage is five cents per number, or twenty cents per year, to any part of the United States. TESTIMONY OF THE PRESS. The articles, treating of interesting themes useful to the general scholar as well as the theolo- gian, fully sustain the very high character of this quarterly, which, restricted to no sect and broad in its range of thought and instruction, has commended itself to the best minds ; n our own and foreign lands. [Boston Courier. This, as is well known, is the great religious Quarterly of New England, if not of the coun- try, and is held in high estimation in England and Germany as the principal organ of biblical and philological criticism in the English language. This work as now conducted, deserves a large and generous patronage from clergymen of all denominations. [Puritan Recorder. No Parish is either poor or rich enough to be able to do without its benefit to its pastor. [Congregationalism INDEX TO THE BIBLIOTHECA SACEA AND EIBLICAL REPOSITORY, Volumes 1 to 13 (from 1844 to 1856.) Containing an Index of Subjects and Authors, a Topical Index, and a list of Scripture Texts. Pa- per covers, SI. 75; cloth, S2.00; half goat, S2.50. BIBLICAL BEPOSITOBY, First Series, comprising the twelve volumes from the commencement of the work to 1S3S. The first four volumes contain each four numbers ; the succeeding eight volumes, two numbers each. A few sets only remain. The Biblical Repository was commenced, at Andover, in 1831. The present series of the Bih- liotheca Sacra was commenced in 1844. The two periodicals were united in 1851. The volume of the combined periodicals tor the present year (1881) is the forty-ninth of the Biblical Repos- itory and the eighteenth of the Bibliotheca Sacra. VIEW OP ALiDOVER. A finely executed Lithographic View of An- dover, on a sheel 1 bj 24 inches, exclusive of the margin. The sheet contains a view of the Town from the west, and an enlarged delineation of the Literary Institutions in the border. It will be sent by mail, post paid, on receipt of $1,25. (lO) Date Due Afo HliTrtlft zm ,^^^ ^^ pv&±. XBlH^ up f^^iilH ^ii ■" IIWW jpu*^ y r""* i 9 ' •>