Ecclesiastes 5:17-19

5:17 Surely, he ate in darkness every day of his life, ¹ 

and he suffered greatly with sickness and anger.

Enjoy the Fruit of Your Labor

5:18 I have seen personally what is the only beneficial and appropriate course of action for people: ² 

to eat and drink, ³  and find enjoyment in all their ⁴  hard work ⁵  on earth ⁶ 

during the few days of their life which God has given them,

for this is their reward. ⁷ 

5:19 To every man whom God has given wealth, and possessions,

he has also given him the ability ⁸ 

to eat from them, to receive his reward and to find enjoyment in his toil;

these things ⁹  are the gift of God.

Genesis 47:9

47:9 Jacob said to Pharaoh, “All ¹⁰  the years of my travels ¹¹  are 130. All ¹²  the years of my life have been few and painful; ¹³  the years of my travels are not as long as those of my ancestors.” ¹⁴ 

[5:17]  ¹ 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.

[5:18]  ² tn Heb “Behold, that which I have seen, I, good which is beautiful.” The phrase “for people” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[5:18]  ³ sn The phrase “to eat and to drink” is a common idiom in Ecclesiastes for a person enjoying the fruit of his labor (e.g., 2:24; 3:13).

[5:18]  ⁴ tn Heb “his,” and three times later in the verse.

[5:18]  ⁵ tn Heb “the toil which one toils.”

[5:18]  ⁶ tn Heb “under the sun.”

[5:18]  ⁷ tn The term חֵלֶק (kheleq, “lot”) has a wide range of meanings: (1) “share of spoils” (Gen 14:24; Num 31:36; 1 Sam 30:24), (2) “portion of food” (Lev 6:10; Deut 18:8; Hab 1:16), (3) “portion [or tract] of land” (Deut 10:9; 12:12; Josh 19:9), (4) “portion” or “possession” (Num 18:20; Deut 32:9), (5) “inheritance” (2 Kgs 9:10; Amos 7:4), (6) “portion” or “award” (Job 20:29; 27:13; 31:2; Isa 17:14) or “profit; reward” (Eccl 2:10, 21; 3:22; 5:17-18; 9:6, 9); see HALOT 323 s.v. II חֵלֶק; BDB 324 s.v. חֵלֶק. Throughout Ecclesiastes, the term is used in reference to man’s temporal profit from his labor and his reward from God (e.g., Eccl 3:22; 9:9).

[5:19]  ⁸ tn The syntax of this verse is difficult. The best approach is to view הִשְׁלִיטוֹ (hishlito, “he has given him the ability”) as governing the three following infinitives: לֶאֱכֹל (le’ekhol, “to eat”), וְלָשֵׂאת (vÿlase’t, “and to lift” = “to accept [or receive]”), and וְלִשְׂמֹחַ (vÿlismoakh, “and to rejoice”). This statement parallels 2:24-26 which states that no one can find enjoyment in life unless God gives him the ability to do so.

[5:19]  ⁹ tn Heb “this.” The feminine singular demonstrative pronoun זֹה (zoh, “this”) refers back to all that preceded it in the verse (e.g., GKC 440-41 §135.p), that is, the ability to enjoy the fruit of one’s labor is the gift of God (e.g., Eccl 2:24-26). The phrase “these things” is used in the translation for clarity.

[47:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the days of.”

[47:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “sojournings.” Jacob uses a term that depicts him as one who has lived an unsettled life, temporarily residing in many different places.

[47:9]  ¹² tn Heb “the days of.”

[47:9]  ¹³ tn The Hebrew word רַע (ra’) can sometimes mean “evil,” but that would give the wrong connotation here, where it refers to pain, difficulty, and sorrow. Jacob is thinking back through all the troubles he had to endure to get to this point.

[47:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and they have not reached the days of the years of my fathers in the days of their sojournings.”