Ecclesiastes 3:13

3:13 and also that everyone should eat and drink, and find enjoyment in all his toil,

for these things ¹  are a gift from God.

Ecclesiastes 4:11

4:11 Furthermore, if two lie down together, they can keep each other warm,

but how can one person keep warm by himself?

Ecclesiastes 4:14

4:14 For he came out of prison ²  to become king,

even though he had been born poor in what would become his ³  kingdom.

Ecclesiastes 5:17

5:17 Surely, he ate in darkness every day of his life, ⁴ 

and he suffered greatly with sickness and anger.

Ecclesiastes 6:5

6:5 though it never saw the light of day ⁵  nor knew anything, ⁶ 

yet it has more rest ⁷  than that man –

Ecclesiastes 6:9

6:9 It is better to be content with ⁸  what the eyes can see ⁹ 

than for one’s heart always to crave more. ¹⁰ 

This continual longing ¹¹  is futile – like ¹²  chasing the wind.

Ecclesiastes 7:6

7:6 For like the crackling of quick-burning thorns ¹³  under a cooking pot,

so is the laughter of the fool.

This kind of folly ¹⁴  also is useless. ¹⁵ 

Ecclesiastes 9:13

Most People Are Not Receptive to Wise Counsel

9:13 This is what I also observed about wisdom on earth, ¹⁶ 

and it is a great burden ¹⁷  to me:

Ecclesiastes 10:3

10:3 Even when a fool walks along the road he lacks sense, ¹⁸ 

and shows ¹⁹  everyone what a fool he is. ²⁰ 

[3:13]  ¹ 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.

[4:14]  ² tn Heb “came from the house of bonds.”

[4:14]  ³ tn The phrase “what would become” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity. However, it is not altogether clear whether the 3rd person masculine singular suffix (“his”) on בְּמַלְכוּתוֹ (bÿmalkhuto, “his kingdom”) refers to the old foolish king or to the poor but wise youth of 4:13.

[5:17]  ³ tn Heb “all his days.” The phrase “of his life” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[6:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “it never saw the sun.”

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

[6:5]  ⁶ sn The Hebrew term translated rest here refers to freedom from toil, anxiety, and misery – part of the miserable misfortune that the miserly man of wealth must endure.

[6:9]  ⁵ tn The phrase “to be content with” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[6:9]  ⁶ tn The expression מַרְאֵה עֵינַיִם (mar’eh ’enayim, “the seeing of the eyes”) is a metonymy of cause (i.e., seeing an object) for effect (i.e., being content with what the eyes can see); see E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 552-54.

[6:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “the roaming of the soul.” The expression מֵהֲלָךְ־נָפֶשׁ (mehalakh-nafesh, “the roaming of the soul”) is a metonymy for unfulfilled desires. The term “soul” (נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh) is used as a metonymy of association for man’s desires and appetites (BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 5.c; 6.a). This also involves the personification of the roving appetite as “roving” (מֵהֲלָךְ); see BDB 235 s.v. הָלַךְ II.3.f; 232 I.3.

[6:9]  ⁸ tn The phrase “continual longing” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[6:9]  ⁹ tn The term “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness.

[7:6]  ⁶ tn The term “thorns” (הַסִּירִים, hassirim) refers to twigs from wild thorn bushes which were used as fuel for quick heat, but burn out quickly before a cooking pot can be properly heated (e.g., Pss 58:9; 118:12).

[7:6]  ⁷ tn The word “kind of folly” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[7:6]  ⁸ tn It is difficult to determine whether the Hebrew term הֶבֶל (hevel) means “fleeting” or “useless” in this context. The imagery of quick-burning thorns under a cooking pot is ambiguous and can be understood in more than one way: (1) It is useless to try to heat a cooking pot by burning thorns because they burn out before the pot can be properly heated; (2) the heat produced by quick-burning thorns is fleeting – it produces quick heat, but lasts only for a moment. Likewise, the “laughter of a fool” can be taken in both ways: (1) In comparison to the sober reflection of the wise, the laughter of fools is morally useless: the burning of thorns, like the laughter of fools, makes a lot of noise but accomplishes nothing; (2) the laughter of fools is fleeting due to the brevity of life and certainty of death. Perhaps this is an example of intentional ambiguity.

[9:13]  ⁷ tn Heb “under the sun.”

[9:13]  ⁸ tn The term “burden” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[10:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “he lacks his heart.”

[10:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “he tells everyone.”

[10:3]  ¹⁰ sn A fool’s lack of wisdom is obvious to everyone, even when he is engaged in the simple, ordinary actions of life.