Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

• 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 ...
• 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...
• 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...
• 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...
• 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...

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...