Ecclesiastes 6:4

6:4 Though the stillborn child ¹  came into the world ²  for no reason ³  and departed into darkness,

though its name is shrouded in darkness, ⁴ 

Ecclesiastes 2:13

2:13 I realized that wisdom is preferable to folly, ⁵ 

just as light is preferable to darkness:

Ecclesiastes 5:17

5:17 Surely, he ate in darkness every day of his life, ⁶ 

and he suffered greatly with sickness and anger.

Ecclesiastes 2:14

2:14 The wise man can see where he is going, ⁷  but the fool walks in darkness.

Yet I also realized that the same fate ⁸  happens to them both. ⁹ 

Ecclesiastes 11:8

11:8 So, if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all,

but let him remember that the days of darkness ¹⁰  will be many – all that is about to come is obscure. ¹¹ 

[6:4]  ¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (“the stillborn child”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:4]  ² tn The phrase “into the world” does not appear in Hebrew, but is added in the translation for clarity.

[6:4]  ³ sn The birth of the stillborn was in vain – it did it no good to be born.

[6:4]  ⁴ sn The name of the stillborn is forgotten.

[2:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “and I saw that there is profit for wisdom more than folly.”

[5:17]  ⁹ 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.

[2:14]  ¹³ tn Heb “has his eyes in his head.” The term עַיִן (’ayin, “eye”) is used figuratively in reference to mental and spiritual faculties (BDB 744 s.v. עַיִן 3.a). The term “eye” is a metonymy of cause (eye) for effect (sight and perception).

[2:14]  ¹⁴ sn The common fate to which Qoheleth refers is death.

[2:14]  ¹⁵ tn The term כֻּלָּם (kullam, “all of them”) denotes “both of them.” This is an example of synecdoche of general (“all of them”) for the specific (“both of them,” that is, both the wise man and the fool).

[11:8]  ¹⁷ tn The phrase “the days of darkness” refers to the onset of old age (Eccl 12:1-5) and the inevitable experience of death (Eccl 11:7-8; 12:6-7). Elsewhere, “darkness” is a figure of speech (metonymy of association) for death (Job 10:21-22; 17:13; 18:18).

[11:8]  ¹⁸ tn The term הֶבֶל (hevel) here means “obscure,” that is, unknown. This sense is derived from the literal concept of breath, vapor or wind that cannot be seen; thus, the idea of “obscure; dark; difficult to understand; enigmatic” (see HALOT 236–37 s.v. I הֶבֶל; BDB 210–11 s.v. I הֶבֶל). It is used in this sense in reference to enigmas in life (6:2; 8:10, 14) and the future which is obscure (11:8).