Ecclesiastes 7:25

True Righteousness and Wisdom are Virtually Nonexistent

7:25 I tried ¹  to understand, examine, and comprehend ² 

the role of ³  wisdom in the scheme of things, ⁴ 

and to understand the stupidity of wickedness ⁵  and the insanity of folly. ⁶ 

Ecclesiastes 9:3

9:3 This is the unfortunate fact ⁷  about everything that happens on earth: ⁸ 

the same fate awaits ⁹  everyone.

In addition to this, the hearts of all people ¹⁰  are full of evil,

and there is folly in their hearts during their lives – then they die. ¹¹ 

Hosea 9:7

9:7 The time of judgment ¹²  is about to arrive! ¹³ 

The time of retribution ¹⁴  is imminent! ¹⁵ 

Let Israel know! ¹⁶ 

Israel Rejects Hosea’s Prophetic Exhortations

The prophet is considered a fool ¹⁷  –

the inspired man ¹⁸  is viewed as a madman ¹⁹  –

because of the multitude of your sins

and your intense ²⁰  animosity.

Luke 16:11

16:11 If then you haven’t been trustworthy ²¹  in handling worldly wealth, ²²  who will entrust you with the true riches? ²³ 

Acts 26:11

26:11 I punished ²⁴  them often in all the synagogues ²⁵  and tried to force ²⁶  them to blaspheme. Because I was so furiously enraged ²⁷  at them, I went to persecute ²⁸  them even in foreign cities.

Acts 26:24-25

26:24 As Paul ²⁹  was saying these things in his defense, Festus ³⁰  exclaimed loudly, “You have lost your mind, ³¹  Paul! Your great learning is driving you insane!” 26:25 But Paul replied, ³²  “I have not lost my mind, most excellent Festus, ³³  but am speaking ³⁴  true and rational ³⁵  words.

[7:25]  ¹ tn Heb “I turned, I, even my heart.”

[7:25]  ² tn Heb “to seek.”

[7:25]  ³ tn The phrase “the role of” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness.

[7:25]  ⁴ tn The phrase חָכְמָה וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן (khokhmah vÿkheshbon, “wisdom and the scheme of things”) is a hendiadys (a figure of speech in which two nouns connote one idea): “wisdom in the scheme of things.” This is similar to the hendiadys עִצְּבוֹנֵךְ וְהֵרֹנֵךְ (’itsÿvonekh vÿheronekh, “pain and childbearing”) which connotes “pain in childbearing” (Gen 3:16).

[7:25]  ⁵ tn Or “the evil of folly” The genitive construct phrase רֶשַׁע כֶּסֶל (resha’ kesel) may be taken as a genitive of attribution (“the wickedness of folly”) or as a genitive of attribute (“the folly of wickedness”). The English versions treat it in various ways: “wickedness of folly” (KJV); “wrong of folly” (YLT); “evil of folly” (NASB); “stupidity of wickedness” (NIV); “wickedness, stupidity” (NJPS); “wickedness is folly [or foolish]” (ASV, NAB, NRSV, MLB, Moffatt), and “it is folly to be wicked” (NEB).

[7:25]  ⁶ tn Or “the folly of madness” The genitive construct phrase וְהַסִּכְלוּת הוֹלֵלוֹת (vÿhassikhlut holelot) may be taken as a genitive of attribution (“the stupidity of wickedness”) or a genitive of attribute (“the evil of folly”). The phrase is rendered variously: “foolishness and madness” (KJV); “foolishness of madness” (NASB); “madness of folly” (NIV); “madness and folly” (NJPS); “the foolishness which is madness” (NEB); and “foolishness [or folly] is madness” (ASV, NAB, NRSV, MLB, Moffatt).

[9:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “evil.”

[9:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “under the sun.”

[9:3]  ⁹ tn The term “awaits” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness and stylistic reasons.

[9:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “also the heart of the sons of man.” Here “heart” is a collective singular.

[9:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and after that [they go] to [the place of] the dead.”

[9:7]  ¹² tn Heb “the days of the visitation”; NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “the days of punishment.”

[9:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “has come” (בָּאוּ, ba’u). The two perfect tense (suffix-conjugation) verbs בָּאוּ (Qal perfect 3rd person common plural from בּוֹא, bo’, “to come”) repeated in this verse are both examples of the so-called “prophetic perfect”: the perfect, which connotes completed or factual action, is used in reference to future events to emphasize the certainty of the announced event taking place.

[9:7]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the days of the retribution”; NIV “of reckoning”; NRSV “of recompense.”

[9:7]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “has come”; NIV “are at hand”; NLT “is almost here.”

[9:7]  ¹⁶ tc The Aleppo Codex and Leningrad Codex (the MT ms employed for BHS) both place the atnach (colon-divider) after יֵדְעוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל (yedÿ’u yisra’el, “Let Israel know!”), indicating that this line belongs with 9:7a (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV). However, the LXX reads κακωθήσεται (kakwqhsetai) which reflects an underlying Vorlage of יָרֵעוּ (yare’u, Qal imperfect 3rd person common plural from יָרַע, yara’, “to cry”), as opposed to the MT יֵדְעוּ (yedÿ’u, Qal jussive 3rd common plural from יָדַע, yada’, “to know”). The Old Greek connects יֵדְעוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל (“Israel cries out”) with the following lines (cf. NRSV), which appear to be quotations of Israel mocking Hosea. Aquila (ἔγνω, egnw) and Symmachus (γνώσεται, gnwsetai) both reflect the proto-MT tradition. For a discussion of this textual and syntactical problem, see H. W. Wolff, Hosea (Hermeneia), 150.

[9:7]  ¹⁷ tn Or “is distraught”; cf. CEV, NLT “are crazy.”

[9:7]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “the man of the Spirit”; NAB, NRSV “spirit.”

[9:7]  ¹⁹ tn Or “is driven to despair.” The term מְשֻׁגָּע (mÿshugga’, Pual participle masculine singular from שָׁגַע, shaga’, “to be mad”) may be understood in two senses: (1) It could be a predicate adjective which is a figure of speech: “to be maddened,” to be driven to despair (Deut 28:34); or (2) it could be a substantive: “a madman,” referring to prophets who attempted to enter into a prophetic state through whipping themselves into a frenzy (1 Sam 21:16; 2 Kgs 9:11; Jer 29:26; see BDB 993 s.v. שָׁגַע). The prophetic context of 9:7 favors the latter option (which is followed by most English versions). Apparently, the general populace viewed these mantics with suspicion and questioned the legitimacy of their claim to be true prophets (e.g., 2 Kgs 9:11; Jer 29:26).

[9:7]  ²⁰ tn Heb “great.”

[16:11]  ²¹ tn Or “faithful.”

[16:11]  ²² tn Grk “the unrighteous mammon.” See the note on the phrase “worldly wealth” in v. 9.

[16:11]  ²³ sn Entrust you with the true riches is a reference to future service for God. The idea is like 1 Cor 9:11, except there the imagery is reversed.

[26:11]  ²⁴ tn Grk “and punishing…I tried.” The participle τιμωρῶν (timwrwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[26:11]  ²⁵ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[26:11]  ²⁶ tn The imperfect verb ἠνάγκαζον (hnankazon) has been translated as a conative imperfect (so BDAG 60 s.v. ἀναγκάζω 1, which has “ἠνάγκαζον βλασφημεῖν I tried to force them to blaspheme Ac 26:11”).

[26:11]  ²⁷ tn Or “was so insanely angry with them.” BDAG 322 s.v. ἐμμαίνομαι states, “to be filled with such anger that one appears to be mad, be enraged…περισσῶς ἐμμαινόμενος αὐτοῖς being furiously enraged at them Ac 26:11”; L&N 88.182 s.v. ἐμμαίνομαι, “to be so furiously angry with someone as to be almost out of one’s mind – ‘to be enraged, to be infuriated, to be insanely angry’ …‘I was so infuriated with them that I even went to foreign cities to persecute them’ Ac 26:11.”

[26:11]  ²⁸ tn Or “I pursued them even as far as foreign cities.”

[26:24]  ²⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:24]  ³⁰ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[26:24]  ³¹ tn On the term translated “lost your mind” see BDAG 610 s.v. μαίνομαι, which has “you’re out of your mind, you’re raving, said to one whose enthusiasm seems to have outrun better judgment 26:24.”

[26:25]  ³² tn Grk “said.”

[26:25]  ³³ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[26:25]  ³⁴ tn Or “declaring.” BDAG 125 s.v. ἀποφθέγγομαι states, “speak out, declare boldly or loudly…τὶ: σωφροσύνης ῥήματα Ac 26:25.”

[26:25]  ³⁵ tn BDAG 987 s.v. σωφροσύνη 1 has “gener. soundness of mind, reasonableness, rationality…ἀληθείας καὶ σωφροσύνης ῥήματα true and rational words (opp. μαίνομαι) Ac 26:25.”