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...
• 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...
• 1. Adversity and prosperity 7:1-14
  He began by exposing our ignorance of the significance of adversity and prosperity (7:1-14; cf. Job). Both of these conditions, he noted, can have good and bad effects depending on how a person responds to them. Prosperity is...
• 2. Righteousness and wickedness 7:15-29
  Even though the righteous sometimes do not receive a reward in this life and the wicked prosper, it is still better to live righteously."Proper evaluation of a man's character helps to explain the apparent inequalities in div...
• 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...
• 1. Joyful living 11:7-10
  11:7-8 The first reason we should enjoy life now is that we cannot do so after we die. As Christians we realize that life beyond the grave will be much better for believers than life on this earth. Solomon would not have disp...
• 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...