Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

• 3. The response of the Israelites 20:18-21
  The rest of this section contains the record of the Israelites' reaction to the giving of the Law and God's reason for giving it as He did. He wanted the people to reverence Him and therefore not to sin (v. 20).343"It can be ...
• 1. Solomon's purges 2:13-46
  Solomon wrote that the fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge (Prov. 1:7; cf. Eccles. 12:13; Ps. 111:10). At the very beginning of his reign he gave evidence of being wise by the way he dealt with his political enemies....
• 1. The first test 1:6-22
  These verses reveal that angels ("sons of God,"v. 6), including Satan, periodically report to God on their activities. Satan was doing then what he still does today, namely, "seeking whom he may devour"(1 Pet. 5:8).25Satan's ...
• 3. David's entreaty to trust only in God 62:9-12
  62:9-10 It is unwise to put one's ultimate confidence in other people whether they are of low or high position. The reason for this is all human beings are comparatively insignificant. They are as transitory and ephemeral as ...
• 1. The transitory nature of human life 90:1-12
  90:1-6 Moses began by attributing eternality to Yahweh. All generations of believers have found Him to be a protective shelter from the storms of life. God existed before He created anything, even the "world"(Heb. tebel, lit....
• 3. Concluding wisdom 111:10
  The writer may have quoted Job 28:28, Proverbs 1:7 or 9:10, or Ecclesiastes 12:13."This famous saying is virtually the motto of the Wisdom writers, where its truth appears in various forms . . ."185In view of God's great acts...
• 3. The thesis of the book 1:7
  This verse enjoys almost universal recognition as the key statement not only in Proverbs but in all the wisdom literature of the Bible (cf. 9:10; 15:33; Job 28:28; Ps. 111:10; Eccles. 12:13). Some people think of it as the mo...
• 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 ...
• Purpose
  This book helps the reader develop a God-centered worldview and recognize the dangers of a self-centered worldview. It does not describe the life of faith or teach what the responsibilities of faith in God are. It also prescr...
• 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 ...
• 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...
• 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...
• The effect of rash vows 5:1-7
  "The sacrifice of fools"in view (v. 1) is a rash vow, as is clear from what follows. Verse 3 seems to compare the verbosity of a fool in making a rash vow to God and the endless dreams one often experiences after a very busy ...
• III. THE LIMITATIONS OF WISDOM 6:10--11:6
  Clues in the text indicate the value and purpose of 6:10-11:6. The phrases "does not know"and "cannot discover"occur frequently (6:12; 7:14, 24, 28; 8:17; 19:1, 12; 10:14; 11:2, 6). Also the recurrence of "it is good"(7:18) a...
• 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...
• The basic imperative 12:1
  Again Solomon began with a clear statement of his point and then proceeded to prove and illustrate its truth in the verses that follow. "Remember"means to live your life with what you know about God clearly in view, not just ...
• The coming of old age 12:2-5
  Verses 2-7 are full of figures of speech that picture old age and death.7912:2-3 Solomon likened the evil days first to an approaching rainstorm (v. 2) that is fearful and uncertain (cf. 11:7-8). The Hebrews regarded any decl...
• The coming of death 12:6-7
  12:6 Solomon described the end of life first as the extinguishing of a light. The "golden bowl"is a bowl that holds a flame. When the "silver cord"that holds it breaks, the bowl crashes to the floor and the light goes out. Go...
• 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...
• The length of the exile and Babylon's fate 25:1-14
  Chapter 25 serves as a capstone for all of Jeremiah's previous prophecies. The prophet's perspective now broadens quickly to include the whole world and divine judgments ordained for it.25:1-2 Jeremiah received another prophe...
• The everlasting gospel 14:6-7
  14:6 John next saw another angel (cf. 7:2; 8:3; 10:1) flying between heaven and earth (cf. 8:13). He was "another"probably like Michael (12:7), the nearest specific angel in the context. This is the first of six specific ange...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

• The Conclusion Of The Matter
  Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; 2. While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not dark...