Ecclesiastes 5:8

Government Corruption

5:8 If you see the extortion ¹  of the poor,

or the perversion ²  of justice and fairness in the government, ³ 

do not be astonished by the matter.

For the high official is watched by a higher official, ⁴ 

and there are higher ones over them! ⁵ 

John 3:7

3:7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must all ⁶  be born from above.’ ⁷ 

Acts 3:12

3:12 When Peter saw this, he declared to the people, “Men of Israel, ⁸  why are you amazed at this? Why ⁹  do you stare at us as if we had made this man ¹⁰  walk by our own power or piety?

Revelation 17:7

17:7 But ¹¹  the angel said to me, “Why are you astounded? I will interpret ¹²  for you the mystery of the woman and of the beast with the seven heads and ten horns that carries her.

¹ tn Alternately, “oppression.” The term עֹשֶׁק (’osheq) has a basic two-fold range of meaning: (1) “oppression; brutality” (e.g., Isa 54:14); and (2) “extortion” (e.g., Ps 62:11); see HALOT 897 s.v. עֹשֶׁק; BDB 799 s.v. עֹשֶׁק. The LXX understands the term as “oppression,” as the translation συκοφαντίαν (sukofantian, “oppression”) indicates. Likewise, HALOT 897 s.v. עֹשֶׁק 1 classifies this usage as “oppression” against the poor. However, the context of 5:8-9 [7-8 HT] focuses on corrupt government officials robbing people of the fruit of their labor through extortion and the perversion of justice.

² tn Heb “robbery.” The noun גֵזֶל (gezel, “robbery”) refers to the wrestling away of righteousness or the perversion of justice (HALOT 186 s.v. גֵּזֶל). The related forms of the root גזל mean “to rob; to loot” (HALOT 186 s.v. גֵּזֶל). The term “robbery” is used as a figure for the perversion of justice (hypocatastasis): just as a thief robs his victims through physical violence, so corrupt government officials “rob” the poor through the perversion of justice.

³ tn Heb “in the province.”

⁴ tn The word “official” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

⁵ sn And there are higher ones over them! This may describe a corrupt system of government in which each level of hierarchy exploits its subordinates, all the way down to the peasants: “Set in authority over the people is an official who enriches himself at their expense; he is watched by a more authoritative governor who also has his share of the spoils; and above them are other officers of the State who likewise have to be satisfied”; see A. Cohen, The Five Megilloth (SoBB), 141.

⁶ tn “All” has been supplied to indicate the plural pronoun in the Greek text.

⁷ tn Or “born again.” The same Greek word with the same double meaning occurs in v. 3.

⁸ tn Or perhaps “People of Israel,” since this was taking place in Solomon’s Portico and women may have been present. The Greek ἄνδρες ᾿Ισραηλῖται (andre" Israhlitai) used in the plural would normally mean “men, gentlemen” (BDAG 79 s.v. ἀνήρ 1.a).

⁹ tn Grk “or why.”

¹⁰ tn Grk “him”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

¹² tn Grk “I will tell you,” but since what follows is the angel’s interpretation of the vision, “interpret for you” is the preferred translation here.