Ecclesiastes 4:16

Context

4:16 There is no end to all the people¹ nor to the past generations,²

yet future generations³ will not rejoice in him.

This also is profitless and like⁴ chasing the wind.

Ecclesiastes 9:1

Context

Everyone Will Die

9:1 So I reflected on all this,⁵ attempting to clear⁶ it all up.

I concluded that⁷ the righteous and the wise, as well as their works, are in the hand of God;

whether a person will be loved or hated⁸ –

no one knows what lies ahead.⁹

[4:16] ¹tn Heb “the people.” The term עַם (’am, “people”) can refer to the subjects of the king (BDB 766 s.v. עַם 2).

[4:16] ²tn Heb “those who were before them.”

[4:16] ³tn Heb “those coming after.” The Hebrew term הָאַחֲרוֹנִים (ha’akharonim, “those coming after”) is derived from the preposition אַחַר (’akhar, “behind”). When used in reference to time, it refers to future generations (e.g., Deut 29:21; Pss 48:14; 78:4, 6; 102:19; Job 18:20; Eccl 1:11; 4:16); cf. HALOT 36 s.v. אַחַר B.3; BDB 30 s.v. אַחַר 2.b).

[4:16] ⁴tn The word “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:1] ⁵tn Heb “I laid all this to my heart.”

[9:1] ⁶tn The term וְלָבוּר (velavur, conjunction + Qal infinitive construct from בּוּר, bur, “to make clear”) denotes “to examine; to make clear; to clear up; to explain” (HALOT 116 s.v. בור; BDB 101 s.v. בּוּר). The term is related to Arabic baraw “to examine” (G. R. Driver, “Supposed Arabisms in the Old Testament,” JBL 55 [1936]: 108). This verb is related to the Hebrew noun בֹּר (bor, “cleanness”) and adjective בַּר (bar, “clean”). The term is used in the OT only in Ecclesiastes (1:13; 2:3; 7:25; 9:1). This use of the infinitive has a connotative sense (“attempting to”), and functions in a complementary sense, relative to the main verb.

[9:1] ⁷tn The words “I concluded that” do not appear in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:1] ⁸tn Heb “whether love or hatred.”

[9:1] ⁹tn Heb “man does not know anything before them.”