Genesis 9:1-29

God’s Covenant with Humankind through Noah

9:1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 9:2 Every living creature of the earth and every bird of the sky will be terrified of you. ¹  Everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea are under your authority. ²  9:3 You may eat any moving thing that lives. ³  As I gave you ⁴  the green plants, I now give ⁵  you everything.

9:4 But ⁶  you must not eat meat ⁷  with its life (that is, ⁸  its blood) in it. ⁹  9:5 For your lifeblood ¹⁰  I will surely exact punishment, ¹¹  from ¹²  every living creature I will exact punishment. From each person ¹³  I will exact punishment for the life of the individual ¹⁴  since the man was his relative. ¹⁵ 

9:6 “Whoever sheds human blood, ¹⁶ 

by other humans ¹⁷ 

must his blood be shed;

for in God’s image ¹⁸ 

God ¹⁹  has made humankind.”

9:7 But as for you, ²⁰  be fruitful and multiply; increase abundantly on the earth and multiply on it.”

9:8 God said to Noah and his sons, ²¹  9:9 “Look! I now confirm ²²  my covenant with you and your descendants after you ²³  9:10 and with every living creature that is with you, including the birds, the domestic animals, and every living creature of the earth with you, all those that came out of the ark with you – every living creature of the earth. ²⁴  9:11 I confirm ²⁵  my covenant with you: Never again will all living things ²⁶  be wiped out ²⁷  by the waters of a flood; ²⁸  never again will a flood destroy the earth.”

9:12 And God said, “This is the guarantee ²⁹  of the covenant I am making ³⁰  with you ³¹  and every living creature with you, a covenant ³²  for all subsequent ³³  generations: 9:13 I will place ³⁴  my rainbow ³⁵  in the clouds, and it will become ³⁶  a guarantee of the covenant between me and the earth. 9:14 Whenever ³⁷  I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 9:15 then I will remember my covenant with you ³⁸  and with all living creatures of all kinds. ³⁹  Never again will the waters become a flood and destroy ⁴⁰  all living things. ⁴¹  9:16 When the rainbow is in the clouds, I will notice it and remember ⁴²  the perpetual covenant between God and all living creatures of all kinds that are on the earth.”

9:17 So God said to Noah, “This is the guarantee of the covenant that I am confirming between me and all living things ⁴³  that are on the earth.”

The Curse of Canaan

9:18 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Now Ham was the father of Canaan.) ⁴⁴  9:19 These were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was populated. ⁴⁵ 

9:20 Noah, a man of the soil, ⁴⁶  began to plant a vineyard. ⁴⁷  9:21 When he drank some of the wine, he got drunk and uncovered himself ⁴⁸  inside his tent. 9:22 Ham, the father of Canaan, ⁴⁹  saw his father’s nakedness ⁵⁰  and told his two brothers who were outside. 9:23 Shem and Japheth took the garment ⁵¹  and placed it on their shoulders. Then they walked in backwards and covered up their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned ⁵²  the other way so they did not see their father’s nakedness.

9:24 When Noah awoke from his drunken stupor ⁵³  he learned ⁵⁴  what his youngest son had done ⁵⁵  to him. 9:25 So he said,

“Cursed ⁵⁶  be Canaan! ⁵⁷ 

The lowest of slaves ⁵⁸ 

he will be to his brothers.”

9:26 He also said,

“Worthy of praise is ⁵⁹  the Lord, the God of Shem!

May Canaan be the slave of Shem! ⁶⁰ 

9:27 May God enlarge Japheth’s territory and numbers! ⁶¹ 

May he live ⁶²  in the tents of Shem

and may Canaan be his slave!”

9:28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 9:29 The entire lifetime of Noah was 950 years, and then he died.

Genesis 7:1

7:1 The Lord said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, for I consider you godly among this generation. ⁶³ 

Genesis 11:6

11:6 And the Lord said, “If as one people all sharing a common language ⁶⁴  they have begun to do this, then ⁶⁵  nothing they plan to do will be beyond them. ⁶⁶ 

Genesis 11:1

The Dispersion of the Nations at Babel

11:1 The whole earth ⁶⁷  had a common language and a common vocabulary. ⁶⁸ 

Genesis 29:30

29:30 Jacob ⁶⁹  had marital relations ⁷⁰  with Rachel as well. He loved Rachel more than Leah, so he worked for Laban ⁷¹  for seven more years. ⁷² 

Esther 1:13

1:13 The king then inquired of the wise men who were discerners of the times – for it was the royal custom to confer with all those who were proficient in laws and legalities. ⁷³ 

Job 34:24-29

34:24 He shatters the great without inquiry, ⁷⁴ 

and sets up others in their place.

34:25 Therefore, he knows their deeds,

he overthrows them ⁷⁵  in the night ⁷⁶ 

and they are crushed.

34:26 He strikes them for their wickedness, ⁷⁷ 

in a place where people can see, ⁷⁸ 

34:27 because they have turned away from following him,

and have not understood ⁷⁹  any of his ways,

34:28 so that they caused ⁸⁰  the cry of the poor

to come before him,

so that he hears ⁸¹  the cry of the needy.

34:29 But if God ⁸²  is quiet, who can condemn ⁸³  him?

If he hides his face, then who can see him?

Yet ⁸⁴  he is over the individual and the nation alike, ⁸⁵ 

Psalms 31:14-15

31:14 But I trust in you, O Lord!

I declare, “You are my God!”

31:15 You determine my destiny! ⁸⁶ 

Rescue me from the power of my enemies and those who chase me.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

A Time for All Events in Life

3:1 For everything ⁸⁷  there is an appointed time, ⁸⁸ 

and an appropriate time ⁸⁹  for every activity ⁹⁰  on earth: ⁹¹ 

3:2 A time to be born, ⁹²  and a time to die; ⁹³ 

a time to plant, and a time to uproot what was planted;

3:3 A time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up;

3:4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance.

3:5 A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones;

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

3:6 A time to search, and a time to give something up as lost; ⁹⁴ 

a time to keep, and a time to throw away;

3:7 A time to rip, and a time to sew;

a time to keep silent, and a time to speak.

3:8 A time to love, and a time to hate;

a time for war, and a time for peace.

Jeremiah 27:5-7

27:5 “I made the earth and the people and animals on it by my mighty power and great strength, ⁹⁵  and I give it to whomever I see fit. ⁹⁶  27:6 I have at this time placed all these nations of yours under the power ⁹⁷  of my servant, ⁹⁸  King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I have even made all the wild animals subject to him. ⁹⁹  27:7 All nations must serve him and his son and grandson ¹⁰⁰  until the time comes for his own nation to fall. ¹⁰¹  Then many nations and great kings will in turn subjugate Babylon. ¹⁰² 

[9:2]  ¹ tn Heb “and fear of you and dread of you will be upon every living creature of the earth and upon every bird of the sky.” The suffixes on the nouns “fear” and “dread” are objective genitives. The animals will fear humans from this time forward.

[9:2]  ² tn Heb “into your hand are given.” The “hand” signifies power. To say the animals have been given into the hands of humans means humans have been given authority over them.

[9:3]  ³ tn Heb “every moving thing that lives for you will be for food.”

[9:3]  ⁴ tn The words “I gave you” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[9:3]  ⁵ tn The perfect verb form describes the action that accompanies the declaration.

[9:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “only.”

[9:4]  ⁷ tn Or “flesh.”

[9:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “its life, its blood.” The second word is in apposition to the first, explaining what is meant by “its life.” Since the blood is equated with life, meat that had the blood in it was not to be eaten.

[9:4]  ⁹ tn The words “in it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[9:5]  ¹⁰ tn Again the text uses apposition to clarify what kind of blood is being discussed: “your blood, [that is] for your life.” See C. L. Dewar, “The Biblical Use of the Term ‘Blood,’” JTS 4 (1953): 204-8.

[9:5]  ¹¹ tn The word “punishment” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification. The verb דָּרָשׁ (darash) means “to require, to seek, to ask for, to exact.” Here it means that God will exact punishment for the taking of a life. See R. Mawdsley, “Capital Punishment in Gen. 9:6,” CentBib 18 (1975): 20-25.

[9:5]  ¹² tn Heb “from the hand of,” which means “out of the hand of” or “out of the power of” and is nearly identical in sense to the preposition מִן (min) alone.

[9:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “and from the hand of the man.” The article has a generic function, indicating the class, i.e., humankind.

[9:5]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “of the man.”

[9:5]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “from the hand of a man, his brother.” The point is that God will require the blood of someone who kills, since the person killed is a relative (“brother”) of the killer. The language reflects Noah’s situation (after the flood everyone would be part of Noah’s extended family), but also supports the concept of the brotherhood of humankind. According to the Genesis account the entire human race descended from Noah.

[9:6]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the blood of man.”

[9:6]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “by man,” a generic term here for other human beings.

[9:6]  ¹⁸ sn See the notes on the words “humankind” and “likeness” in Gen 1:26, as well as J. Barr, “The Image of God in the Book of Genesis – A Study of Terminology,” BJRL 51 (1968/69): 11-26.

[9:6]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:7]  ²⁰ sn The disjunctive clause (conjunction + pronominal subject + verb) here indicates a strong contrast to what has preceded. Against the backdrop of the warnings about taking life, God now instructs the people to produce life, using terms reminiscent of the mandate given to Adam (Gen 1:28).

[9:8]  ²¹ tn Heb “to Noah and to his sons with him, saying.”

[9:9]  ²² tn Heb “I, look, I confirm.” The particle הִנְנִי (hinni) used with the participle מֵקִים (meqim) gives the sense of immediacy or imminence, as if to say, “Look! I am now confirming.”

[9:9]  ²³ tn The three pronominal suffixes (translated “you,” “your,” and “you”) are masculine plural. As v. 8 indicates, Noah and his sons are addressed.

[9:10]  ²⁴ tn The verbal repetition is apparently for emphasis.

[9:11]  ²⁵ tn The verb וַהֲקִמֹתִי (vahaqimoti) is a perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive and should be translated with the English present tense, just as the participle at the beginning of the speech was (v. 9). Another option is to translate both forms with the English future tense (“I will confirm”).

[9:11]  ²⁶ tn Heb “all flesh.”

[9:11]  ²⁷ tn Heb “cut off.”

[9:11]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and all flesh will not be cut off again by the waters of the flood.”

[9:12]  ²⁹ tn Heb “sign.”

[9:12]  ³⁰ sn On the making of covenants in Genesis, see W. F. Albright, “The Hebrew Expression for ‘Making a Covenant’ in Pre-Israelite Documents,” BASOR 121 (1951): 21-22.

[9:12]  ³¹ tn Heb “between me and between you.”

[9:12]  ³² tn The words “a covenant” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[9:12]  ³³ tn The Hebrew term עוֹלָם (’olam) means “ever, forever, lasting, perpetual.” The covenant would extend to subsequent generations.

[9:13]  ³⁴ tn The translation assumes that the perfect verbal form is used rhetorically, emphasizing the certainty of the action. Other translation options include “I have placed” (present perfect; cf. NIV, NRSV) and “I place” (instantaneous perfect; cf. NEB).

[9:13]  ³⁵ sn The Hebrew word קֶשֶׁת (qeshet) normally refers to a warrior’s bow. Some understand this to mean that God the warrior hangs up his battle bow at the end of the flood, indicating he is now at peace with humankind, but others question the legitimacy of this proposal. See C. Westermann, Genesis, 1:473, and G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:196.

[9:13]  ³⁶ tn The perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here has the same aspectual function as the preceding perfect of certitude.

[9:14]  ³⁷ tn The temporal indicator (וְהָיָה, vÿhayah, conjunction + the perfect verb form), often translated “it will be,” anticipates a future development.

[9:15]  ³⁸ tn Heb “which [is] between me and between you.”

[9:15]  ³⁹ tn Heb “all flesh.”

[9:15]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “to destroy.”

[9:15]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “all flesh.”

[9:16]  ⁴² tn The translation assumes that the infinitive לִזְכֹּר (lizkor, “to remember”) here expresses the result of seeing the rainbow. Another option is to understand it as indicating purpose, in which case it could be translated, “I will look at it so that I may remember.”

[9:17]  ⁴³ tn Heb “all flesh.”

[9:18]  ⁴⁴ sn The concluding disjunctive clause is parenthetical. It anticipates the following story, which explains that the Canaanites, Ham’s descendants through Canaan, were cursed because they shared the same moral abandonment that their ancestor displayed. See A. van Selms, “The Canaanites in the Book of Genesis,” OTS 12 (1958): 182-213.

[9:19]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “was scattered.” The verb פָּצָה (patsah, “to scatter” [Niphal, “to be scattered”]) figures prominently in story of the dispersion of humankind in chap. 11.

[9:20]  ⁴⁶ sn The epithet a man of the soil indicates that Noah was a farmer.

[9:20]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard”; Heb “and Noah, a man of the ground, began and he planted a vineyard.”

[9:21]  ⁴⁸ tn The Hebrew verb גָּלָה (galah) in the Hitpael verbal stem (וַיִּתְגַּל, vayyitggal) means “to uncover oneself” or “to be uncovered.” Noah became overheated because of the wine and uncovered himself in the tent.

[9:22]  ⁴⁹ sn For the second time (see v. 18) the text informs the reader of the relationship between Ham and Canaan. Genesis 10 will explain that Canaan was the ancestor of the Canaanite tribes living in the promised land.

[9:22]  ⁵⁰ tn Some would translate “had sexual relations with,” arguing that Ham committed a homosexual act with his drunken father for which he was cursed. However, the expression “see nakedness” usually refers to observation of another’s nakedness, not a sexual act (see Gen 42:9, 12 where “nakedness” is used metaphorically to convey the idea of “weakness” or “vulnerability”; Deut 23:14 where “nakedness” refers to excrement; Isa 47:3; Ezek 16:37; Lam 1:8). The following verse (v. 23) clearly indicates that visual observation, not a homosexual act, is in view here. In Lev 20:17 the expression “see nakedness” does appear to be a euphemism for sexual intercourse, but the context there, unlike that of Gen 9:22, clearly indicates that in that passage sexual contact is in view. The expression “see nakedness” does not in itself suggest a sexual connotation. Some relate Gen 9:22 to Lev 18:6-11, 15-19, where the expression “uncover [another’s] nakedness” (the Piel form of גָּלָה, galah) refers euphemistically to sexual intercourse. However, Gen 9:22 does not say Ham “uncovered” the nakedness of his father. According to the text, Noah uncovered himself; Ham merely saw his father naked. The point of the text is that Ham had no respect for his father. Rather than covering his father up, he told his brothers. Noah then gave an oracle that Ham’s descendants, who would be characterized by the same moral abandonment, would be cursed. Leviticus 18 describes that greater evil of the Canaanites (see vv. 24-28).

[9:23]  ⁵¹ tn The word translated “garment” has the Hebrew definite article on it. The article may simply indicate that the garment is definite and vivid in the mind of the narrator, but it could refer instead to Noah’s garment. Did Ham bring it out when he told his brothers?

[9:23]  ⁵² tn Heb “their faces [were turned] back.”

[9:24]  ⁵³ tn Heb “his wine,” used here by metonymy for the drunken stupor it produced.

[9:24]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “he knew.”

[9:24]  ⁵⁵ tn The Hebrew verb עָשָׂה (’asah, “to do”) carries too general a sense to draw the conclusion that Ham had to have done more than look on his father’s nakedness and tell his brothers.

[9:25]  ⁵⁶ sn For more on the curse, see H. C. Brichto, The Problem of “Curse” in the Hebrew Bible (JBLMS), and J. Scharbert, TDOT 1:405-18.

[9:25]  ⁵⁷ sn Cursed be Canaan. The curse is pronounced on Canaan, not Ham. Noah sees a problem in Ham’s character, and on the basis of that he delivers a prophecy about the future descendants who will live in slavery to such things and then be controlled by others. (For more on the idea of slavery in general, see E. M. Yamauchi, “Slaves of God,” BETS 9 [1966]: 31-49). In a similar way Jacob pronounced oracles about his sons based on their revealed character (see Gen 49).

[9:25]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “a servant of servants” (עֶבֶד עֲבָדִים, ’eved ’avadim), an example of the superlative genitive. It means Canaan will become the most abject of slaves.

[9:26]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “blessed be.”

[9:26]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “a slave to him”; the referent (Shem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:27]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “may God enlarge Japheth.” The words “territory and numbers” are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:27]  ⁶² tn In this context the prefixed verbal form is a jussive (note the distinct jussive forms both before and after this in vv. 26 and 27).

[7:1]  ⁶³ tn Heb “for you I see [as] godly before me in this generation.” The direct object (“you”) is placed first in the clause to give it prominence. The verb “to see” here signifies God’s evaluative discernment.

[11:6]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “and one lip to all of them.”

[11:6]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “and now.” The foundational clause beginning with הֵן (hen) expresses the condition, and the second clause the result. It could be rendered “If this…then now.”

[11:6]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “all that they purpose to do will not be withheld from them.”

[11:1]  ⁶⁷ sn The whole earth. Here “earth” is a metonymy of subject, referring to the people who lived in the earth. Genesis 11 begins with everyone speaking a common language, but chap. 10 has the nations arranged by languages. It is part of the narrative art of Genesis to give the explanation of the event after the narration of the event. On this passage see A. P. Ross, “The Dispersion of the Nations in Genesis 11:1-9,” BSac 138 (1981): 119-38.

[11:1]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “one lip and one [set of] words.” The term “lip” is a metonymy of cause, putting the instrument for the intended effect. They had one language. The term “words” refers to the content of their speech. They had the same vocabulary.

[29:30]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:30]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “went in also to Rachel.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse, i.e., the consummation of the marriage.

[29:30]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:30]  ⁷² tn Heb “and he loved also Rachel, more than Leah, and he served with him still seven other years.”

[1:13]  ⁷³ tn Heb “judgment” (so KJV); NASB, NIV “justice”; NRSV “custom.”

[34:24]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “[with] no investigation.”

[34:25]  ⁷⁵ tn The direct object “them” is implied and has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[34:25]  ⁷⁶ tn The Hebrew term “night” is an accusative of time.

[34:26]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “under wicked men,” or “under wickednesses.” J. C. Greenfield shows that the preposition can mean “among” as well (“Prepositions B Tachat in Jes 57:5,” ZAW 32 [1961]: 227). That would allow “among wicked men.” It could also be “instead of” or even “in return for [their wickedness]” which is what the RSV does.

[34:26]  ⁷⁸ tn The text simply uses רֹאִים (ro’im): “[in the place where there are] seers,” i.e., spectators.

[34:27]  ⁷⁹ tn The verb הִשְׂכִּילוּ (hiskilu) means “to be prudent; to be wise.” From this is derived the idea of “be wise in understanding God’s will,” and “be successful because of prudence” – i.e., successful with God.

[34:28]  ⁸⁰ tn The verse begins with the infinitive construct of בּוֹא (bo’, “go”), showing the result of their impious actions.

[34:28]  ⁸¹ tn The verb here is an imperfect; the clause is circumstantial to the preceding clause, showing either the result, or the concomitant action.

[34:29]  ⁸² tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:29]  ⁸³ tn The verb in this position is somewhat difficult, although it does make good sense in the sentence – it is just not what the parallelism would suggest. So several emendations have been put forward, for which see the commentaries.

[34:29]  ⁸⁴ tn The line simply reads “and over a nation and over a man together.” But it must be the qualification for the points being made in the previous lines, namely, that even if God hides himself so no one can see, yet he is still watching over them all (see H. H. Rowley, Job [NCBC], 222).

[34:29]  ⁸⁵ tn The word translated “alike” (Heb “together”) has bothered some interpreters. In the reading taken here it is acceptable. But others have emended it to gain a verb, such as “he visits” (Beer), “he watches over” (Duhm), “he is compassionate” (Kissane), etc. But it is sufficient to say “he is over.”

[31:15]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “in your hand [are] my times.”

[3:1]  ⁸⁷ tn Verse 1 is arranged in an ABB’A’ chiasm (לַכֹּל זְמָן וְעֵת לְכָל־חֵפֶץ, lakkol zÿman vÿ’et lÿkhol-khefets): (A) “for everything”; (B) “a season”; (B’) “a time”; (A’) “for every matter.” The terms “season” (זְמָן, zÿman) and “time” (עֵת, ’et) are parallel. In the light of its parallelism with “every matter” (כָל־חֵפֶץ, khol-khefets), the term “everything” (כָל, khol) must refer to events and situations in life.

[3:1]  ⁸⁸ tn The noun זְמָן (zÿman) denotes “appointed time” or “appointed hour” (HALOT 273 s.v. זְמָן; BDB 273 s.v. זְמָן; see Eccl 3:1; Esth 9:27, 31; Neh 2:6; Sir 43:7), e.g., the appointed or designated time for the Jewish feasts (Esth 9:27, 31), the length of time that Nehemiah set for his absence from Susa (Neh 2:6), and the appointed times in the Jewish law for the months to begin (Sir 43:7). It is used in parallelism with מועד (“appointed time”), i.e., מועד ירח (“the appointed time of the moon”) parallels זמני חק (“the appointed times of the law”; Sir 43:7). The related verb, a Pual of זָמַן (zaman), means “to be appointed” (HALOT 273 s.v. זְמָן); e.g. Ezra 10:14; Neh 10:35; 13:31. These terms may be related to the noun I זִמָּה (zimmah, “plan; intention”; Job 17:11; HALOT 272 s.v. I זִמָּה) and מְזִמָּה (mÿzimmah, “purpose; plan; project”), e.g., the purposes of God (Job 42:2; Jer 23:20; 30:24; 51:11) and man’s plan (Isa 5:12); see HALOT 566 s.v. מְזִמָּה; BDB 273 s.v. מְזִמָּה.

[3:1]  ⁸⁹ tn The noun עֵת (’et, “point in time”) has a basic two-fold range of meanings: (1) “time of an event” and (2) “time for an event” (BDB 773 s.v. עֵת). The latter has subcategories: (a) “usual time,” (b) “the proper, suitable or appropriate time,” (c) “the appointed time,” and (d) “uncertain time” (Eccl 9:11). Here it connotes “a proper, suitable time for an event” (HALOT 900 s.v. עֵת 6; BDB s.v. עֵת 2.b). Examples: “the time for rain” (Ezra 10:13), “a time of judgment for the nations” (Ezek 30:3), “an appropriate time for every occasion” (Eccl 3:1), “the time when mountain goats are born” (Job 39:1), “the rain in its season” (Deut 11:14; Jer 5:24), “the time for the harvest” (Hos 2:11; Ps 1:3), “food in its season” (Ps 104:27), “no one knows his hour of destiny” (Eccl 9:12), “the right moment” (Eccl 8:5); cf. HALOT 900 s.v. עֵת 6.

[3:1]  ⁹⁰ tn The noun חֵפֶץ (khefets, here “matter, business”) has a broad range of meanings: (1) “delight; joy,” (2) “desire; wish; longing,” (3) “the good pleasure; will; purpose,” (4) “precious stones” (i.e., jewelry), i.e., what someone takes delight in, and (5) “matter; business,” as a metonymy of adjunct to what someone takes delight in (Eccl 3:1, 17; 5:7; 8:6; Isa 53:10; 58:3, 13; Pss 16:3; 111:2; Prov 31:13); see HALOT 340 s.v. חֵפֶץ 4; BDB 343 s.v. חֵפֶץ 4. It is also sometimes used in reference to the “good pleasure” of God, that is, his sovereign plan, e.g., Judg 13:23; Isa 44:28; 46:10; 48:14 (BDB 343 s.v. חֵפֶץ). While the theme of the sovereignty of God permeates Eccl 3:1–4:3, the content of 3:1-8 refers to human activities that are planned and purposed by man. The LXX translated it with πράγματι (pragmati, “matter”). The term is translated variously by modern English versions: “every purpose” (KJV, ASV), “every event” (NASB), “every delight” (NASB margin), “every affair” (NAB), “every matter” (RSV, NRSV), “every activity” (NEB, NIV), “every project” (MLB), and “every experience” (NJPS).

[3:1]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “under heaven.”

[3:2]  ⁹² tn The verb יָלָד (yalad, “to bear”) is used in the active sense of a mother giving birth to a child (HALOT 413 s.v. ילד; BDB 408 s.v. יָלָד). However, in light of its parallelism with “a time to die,” it should be taken as a metonymy of cause (i.e., to give birth to a child) for effect (i.e., to be born).

[3:2]  ⁹³ sn In 3:2-8, Qoheleth uses fourteen sets of merisms (a figure using polar opposites to encompass everything in between, that is, totality), e.g., Deut 6:6-9; Ps 139:2-3 (see E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 435).

[3:6]  ⁹⁴ tn The term לְאַבֵּד (lÿ’abbed, Piel infinitive construct from אָבַד, ’avad, “to destroy”) means “to lose” (e.g., Jer 23:1) as the contrast with בָּקַשׁ (baqash, “to seek to find”) indicates (HALOT 3 s.v. I אבד; BDB 2 s.v. אבד 3). This is the declarative or delocutive-estimative sense of the Piel: “to view something as lost” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 28, §145; IBHS 403 §24.2g).

[27:5]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “by my great power and my outstretched arm.” Again “arm” is symbolical for “strength.” Compare the similar expression in 21:5.

[27:5]  ⁹⁶ sn See Dan 4:17 for a similar statement.

[27:6]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “have given…into the hand of.”

[27:6]  ⁹⁸ sn See the study note on 25:9 for the significance of the application of this term to Nebuchadnezzar.

[27:6]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “I have given…to him to serve him.” The verb “give” in this syntactical situation is functioning like the Hiphil stem, i.e., as a causative. See Dan 1:9 for parallel usage. For the usage of “serve” meaning “be subject to” compare 2 Sam 22:44 and BDB 713 s.v. עָבַד 3.

[27:7]  ¹⁰⁰ sn This is a figure that emphasizes that they will serve for a long time but not for an unlimited duration. The kingdom of Babylon lasted a relatively short time by ancient standards. It lasted from 605 b.c. when Nebuchadnezzar defeated Necho at Carchemish until the fall of Babylon in 538 b.c. There were only four rulers. Nebuchadnezzar was succeeded by his son, Evil Merodach (cf. 52:31), and two other rulers who were not descended from him.

[27:7]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “until the time of his land, even his, comes.” The independent pronoun is placed here for emphasis on the possessive pronoun. The word “time” is used by substitution for the things that are done in it (compare in the NT John 2:4; 7:30; 8:20 “his hour had not yet come”).

[27:7]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “him.” This is a good example of the figure of substitution where the person is put for his descendants or the nation or subject he rules. (See Gen 28:13-14 for another good example and Acts 22:7 in the NT.)