1:18 For with great wisdom comes 1 great frustration;
whoever increases his 2 knowledge merely 3 increases his 4 heartache.
9:13 This is what I also observed about wisdom on earth, 5
and it is a great burden 6 to me:
9:16 So I concluded that wisdom is better than might, 7
but a poor man’s wisdom is despised; no one ever listens 8 to his advice. 9
9:18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner can destroy much that is good.
10:10 If an iron axhead 10 is blunt and a workman 11 does not sharpen 12 its edge, 13
he must exert a great deal of effort; 14
so wisdom has the advantage of giving success.
1 tn This term does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.
2 tn This term does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.
3 tn This term does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.
4 tn This term does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.
5 tn Heb “under the sun.”
6 tn The term “burden” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.
9 tn Or “power.”
10 tn The participle form נִשְׁמָעִים (nishma’im, Niphal participle mpl from שָׁמַע, “to listen”) is used verbally to emphasize a continual, durative, gnomic action.
11 tn Heb “his words are never listened to.”
13 tn The term “ax head” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity. The preceding noun “iron” functions as a metonymy of material (i.e., iron) for the object with which it is associated (i.e., ax head).
14 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the workman) is implied, and has been specified in the translation for clarity
15 tn The verb קלל in the Pilpel means “to sharpen; to make a blade sharp” (HALOT 1104 s.v. קלל 1).This denominative verb is derived from the rare noun II קָלַל “smooth; shiny” (referring to bronze; Ezek 1:7; Dan 10:6; HALOT 1105 s.v.). Sharpening the blade or head of a bronze ax will make it smooth and shiny. It is not derived from I קָלַל (qalal) “to treat light” or the noun I קְלָלָה (qÿlalah) “curse.” Nor is it related to I קָלַל “to shake” (Ezek 21:26); cf. HALOT 1104. BDB 886 s.v. קָלַל 2 erroneously relates it to I קָלַל, suggesting “to whet” or “to move quickly to and fro.”
16 tn Heb “face.”
17 tn Heb “strength.” The term וַחֲיָלִים (vakhayalim, conjunction + plural noun from חַיִל, khayil, “strength; efficiency”) is an example of a plural of intensification (GKC 397-98 §124.e). The point is that it is a waste of a great deal of strength and energy. If a person is not smart, he will have to use a lot of energy and waste his efficiency.