Discovery BoxEcclesiastes 2:22
Context2:22 What does a man acquire from all his labor
and from the anxiety that accompanies his toil on earth? 1
Ecclesiastes 3:10
Context3:10 I have observed the burden
that God has given to people 2 to keep them occupied.
Ecclesiastes 3:13
Context3:13 and also that everyone should eat and drink, and find enjoyment in all his toil,
for these things 3 are a gift from God.
Ecclesiastes 6:1
Context6:1 Here is 4 another misfortune 5 that I have seen on earth, 6
and it weighs 7 heavily on people: 8
Ecclesiastes 6:11
Context6:11 The more one argues with words, the less he accomplishes. 9
How does that benefit him? 10
Ecclesiastes 7:20
Context7:20 For 11 there is not one truly 12 righteous person on the earth
who continually does good and never sins.
Ecclesiastes 8:6
Context8:6 For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter,
for the oppression 13 of the king 14 is severe upon his victim. 15
[2:22] 1 tn Heb “under the sun.” The rhetorical question is an example of negative affirmation, expecting a negative answer: “Man acquires nothing” (see E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 949-51).
[3:10] 2 tn Heb “the sons of man.”
[3:13] 3 tn Heb “for it.” The referent of the 3rd person feminine singular independent person pronoun (“it”) is probably the preceding statement: “to eat, drink, and find satisfaction.” This would be an example of an anacoluthon (GKC 505-6 §167.b). Thus the present translation uses “these things” to indicate the reference back to the preceding.
[6:1] 4 tn The term יֵשׁ (yesh, “there is”) is often used in aphorisms to assert the existence of a particular situation that occurs sometimes. It may indicate that the situation is not the rule but that it does occur on occasion, and may be nuanced “sometimes” (Prov 11:24; 13:7, 23; 14:12; 16:25; 18:24; 20:15; Eccl 2:21; 4:8; 5:12; 6:1; 7:15 [2x]; 8:14 [3x]).
[6:1] 5 tn The noun רָעָה (ra’ah, “evil”) probably means “misfortune” (HALOT 1263 s.v. רָעָה 4) or “injustice, wrong” (HALOT 1262 s.v. רָעָה 2.b); see, e.g., Eccl 2:17; 5:12, 15; 6:1; 10:5.
[6:1] 6 tn Heb “under the sun.”
[6:1] 7 tn The word “weighs” does not appear in Hebrew, but is added in the translation for smoothness.
[6:1] 8 tn Heb “it is great upon men.” The phrase וְרַבָּה הִיא עַל־הָאָדָם (vÿrabbah hi’ ’al-ha’adam) is taken in two basic ways: (1) commonality: “it is common among men” (KJV, MLB), “it is prevalent among men” (NASB), “that is frequent among men” (Douay). (2) oppressiveness: “it lies heavy upon men” (RSV, NRSV), “it weighs heavily upon men” (NEB, NAB, NIV), “it presses heavily on men” (Moffatt), “it is heavy upon men” (ASV), and “a grave one it is for man” (NJPS). The preposition עַל (’al, “upon”) argues against the first in favor of the second; the notion of commonality would be denoted by the preposition בְּ (bet, “among”). The singular noun אָדָם (’adam) is used as a collective, denoting “men.” The article on הָאָדָם (ha’adam) is used in a generic sense referring to humankind as a whole; the generic article is often used with a collective singular (IBHS 244 §13.5.1f).
[6:11] 5 tn Heb “The more the words, the more the futility.”
[6:11] 6 tn Or “What benefit does man have [in that]?”
[7:20] 6 tn The introductory particle כִּי (ki) is rendered variously: “for” (KJV); “indeed” (NASB); not translated (NIV); “for” (NJPS). The particle functions in an explanatory sense, explaining the need for wisdom in v. 19. Righteousness alone cannot always protect a person from calamity (7:15-16); therefore, something additional, such as wisdom, is needed. The need for wisdom as protection from calamity is particularly evident in the light of the fact that no one is truly righteous (7:19-20).
[7:20] 7 tn The term “truly” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity. Qoheleth does not deny the existence of some people who are relatively righteous.
