Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

• Title
  The title of this book in the Hebrew text is all of verse 1. The Septuagint translation (third century B.C.) gave it the name "Ekklesiastes"from which the English title is a transliteration. This word is the Greek translation...
• Writer and Date
  The commentators sometimes treat the Hebrew word qohelet("Preacher"; 1:1-2, 12; 7:27; 12:8-10) as a proper name.1However the fact that the article is present on the Hebrew word in 12:8, and perhaps in 7:27, seems to indicate ...
• Message8
  I believe that the message of Ecclesiastes is essentially a positive one. This may seem strange since the vanity of various human endeavors is such a major theme of this book. Nevertheless the total statement that Solomon mad...
• Outline9
  I. The introductory affirmation 1:1-11A. Title and theme 1:1-21. The title 1:12. The theme 1:2B. The futility of all human endeavor 1:3-111. The vanity of work 1:32. The illustrations from life 1:4-11II. The futility of work ...
• I. THE INTRODUCTORY AFFIRMATION 1:1-11
  The first 11 verses of the book introduce the writer, the theme of the book, and a general defense of the assertion Solomon made in the theme statement (v. 2).
• 1. The title 1:1
  The author identified himself by his titles. These titles as well as other references to the writer in the book (cf. 1:12, 16; 2:4-9) point to Solomon more than to any other person.10Later he claimed divine authority for this...
• 2. The theme 1:2
  "Vanity"(Heb. hebel) means "meaningless."11As Solomon used this word in Ecclesiastes he meant lacking real substance, value, permanence, or significance. "All"in the context of what he proceeded to describe refers to all huma...
• B. The Futility of All Human Endeavor 1:3-11
  In this pericope Solomon gave general support to his theme (1:2). Essentially he said that it is impossible for any human endeavor to have permanent value. This section is a poem.18Solomon chose the realm of nature as the set...
• 1. The vanity of work 1:3
  Rather than saying, "All work is vanity,"Solomon made the same point by asking this rhetorical question that expects a negative response. He used this literary device often throughout the book (cf. 2:2; 3:9; 6:8, 11-12; et al...
• 2. The illustrations from life 1:4-11
  To clarify his meaning and to support his contention in verse 3, Solomon cited examples from nature. Work produces nothing ultimate or truly satisfying.1:4 No person is permanent on the earth. The earth remains, but people di...
• A. Personal Observations 1:12-2:17
  There are four parts to this section (1:12-2:17) that fall into two pairs. Solomon first related his investigations (in 1:12-15 and 2:1-11) and then gave his evaluations of each of these experiments (in 1:16-18 and 2:12-17)....
• 1. Solomon's investigation of human achievement 1:12-15
  Solomon had unique resources for investigating life. He was the king of Israel (v. 12), and he possessed superlative wisdom (v. 13; cf. v. 16; 1 Kings 4:26-34). He says he made a comprehensive study of all kinds of human acti...
• 4. Solomon's evaluation of his investigation of pleasure 2:12-17
  The king realized that few people would be able to check the results of his experiments. Few if any would have the resources he had at his disposal to duplicate his experiments (v. 12). Wisdom is better than folly in some res...
• B. General Observations 2:18-6:9
  Thus far Solomon had reflected on the futility of all human endeavor generally (1:3-11) and the futility of human achievement (1:12-15) and his own achievements in particular (2:1-17). Next he turned to an evaluation of labor...
• 2. Labor and divine providence 3:1-4:3
  In this section Solomon expressed his conviction that in view of God's incomprehensible workings all human toil is without permanent profit.3:1-8 As is customary in Ecclesiastes the writer began this section by stating a thes...
• The way to enjoy the fruits of one's labor 5:18-6:9
  Again Solomon urged the enjoyment of life (v. 18; cf. 2:24-26; 3:12-13, 22), but he warned of some obstacles to that enjoyment. Solomon was not advocating hedonism but the simple enjoyment of life day by day (v. 18). In other...
• IV. THE WAY OF WISDOM 11:7--12:14
  In 1:12-6:9, Solomon demonstrated that all work is ultimately futile for two reasons. It does not yield anything really permanent under the sun. Moreover we can never be sure we will enjoy the fruits of our labor before we di...
• B. The Concluding Summary 12:8-14
  In conclusion Solomon repeated his original thesis (v. 8; cf. 1:2) and his counsel in view of life's realities (vv. 13-14). In between these statements he set forth his source of authority for writing what we have in Ecclesia...
• Bibliography
  Archer, Gleason L., Jr. "The Linguistic Evidence for the Date of Ecclesiastes'."Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society12:3 (Summer 1969):167-81.Barton, G. A. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Ecclesi...
• A. Introduction 1:1
  What follows are the words (i.e., collected messages, cf. Prov. 30:1; 31:1; Eccles. 1:1; Jer. 1:1) of Amos (lit. Burden), who was one of the sheepherders who lived in the Judean town of Tekoa, 10 miles south of Jerusalem. Thi...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

• What Passes And What Abides
  One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh : but the earth abideth for ever.'--Eccles. 1:4.And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.'--1 John 2:17.A ...
• The Past And The Future
  "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done : and there is no new thing under the sun.'--Eccles. 1:9.That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh...