Ecclesiastes 8:13

8:13 But it will not go well with the wicked,

nor will they prolong their days like a shadow,

because they do not stand in fear before God.


tn Heb “he.”

tn The word “their” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness.

tn The phrase “like a shadow” (כַּצֵּל, katsel) modifies the verb (“prolong”) rather than the noun (“days”). Several English versions misconstrue the line: “he will not prolong his days, [which are] like a shadow” (KJV, ASV); “the man who does not fear God is like a shadow” (NEB); and “he will not prolong his shadowy days” (NAB). It should be rendered “he will not prolong his days like a shadow” (RSV, NRSV, NASB, MLB, NIV). Unlike a shadow that lengthens at sunset, the wicked do not normally live long.

tn Heb “he.”

tn Heb “they do not fear.”