Ecclesiastes 2:17

2:17 So I loathed ¹  life ²  because what

happens ³  on earth ⁴  seems awful to me;

for all the benefits of wisdom ⁵  are futile – like chasing the wind.

Ecclesiastes 5:11

5:11 When someone’s ⁶  prosperity ⁷  increases, those who consume it also increase;

so what does its owner ⁸  gain, except that he gets to see it with his eyes? ⁹ 

Ecclesiastes 9:6

9:6 What they loved, ¹⁰  as well as what they hated ¹¹  and envied, ¹²  perished long ago,

and they no longer have a part in anything that happens on earth. ¹³ 

[2:17]  ¹ tn Or “I hated.”

[2:17]  ² tn The term הַחַיִּים (hakhayyim, “life”) functions as a metonymy of association, that is, that which is associated with life, that is, the profitlessness and futility of human secular achievement.

[2:17]  ³ tn Heb “the deed that is done.” The root עָשָׂה (’asah, “to do”) is repeated in הַמַּעֲשֶׂה שֶׁנַּעֲשָׂה (hamma’aseh shenna’asah, “the deed that is done”) for emphasis. Here, the term “deed” does not refer to human accomplishment, as in 2:1-11, but to the fact of death that destroys any relative advantage of wisdom over folly (2:14a-16). Qoheleth metaphorically describes death as a “deed” that is “done” to man.

[2:17]  ⁴ tn Heb “under the sun.”

[2:17]  ⁵ tn Heb “all,” referring here to the relative advantage of wisdom.

[5:11]  ⁶ tn The word “someone’s” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[5:11]  ⁷ tn The term טוֹבָה (tovah, “good”) connotes “prosperity” (Deut 23:7; Job 9:25; 21:25; Ps 106:5; Lam 3:17; Eccl 4:8; 5:10, 17; 6:3, 6; 7:14; 9:18; Neh 2:10; Sir 6:11; 41:13); cf. HALOT 372 s.v. טוֹבָה 2. The related term טוֹב (tov, “good”) connotes “prosperity” as well (Prov 11:10; Job 20:21; 21:16); cf. HALOT 372 s.v. טוֹבָה 1.b. Here, it refers to the possessions and wealth a person acquires as the fruit of his labors. This nuance is well reflected in several English versions: “The more a man gains, the more there are to spend it” (Moffatt); “When riches multiply, so do those who live off them” (NEB); “As his substance increase, so do those who consume it” (NJPS); and “Where there are great riches, there are also many to devour them” (NAB). The line does not describe the economic law of “supply and demand,” as some versions seem to imply, e.g., “As goods increase, so do those who consume them” (NIV); “When goods increase, those who eat them increase” (NRSV); cf. also KJV, ASV, RSV, MLB, NASB.

[5:11]  ⁸ tn The form is plural in the Hebrew text, but the plural is one of intensification; it is used here to emphasize the owner’s authority over his wealth. See GKC 399 §124.i. See v 13 as well.

[5:11]  ⁹ tn The rhetorical question is an example of negative affirmation, expecting a negative answer: “There is no ultimate advantage!” (see E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 947-48).

[9:6]  ¹¹ tn Heb “their love.”

[9:6]  ¹² tn Heb “their hatred.”

[9:6]  ¹³ tn Heb “their envy.”

[9:6]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “under the sun.”