Ecclesiastes 7:15

Exceptions to the Law of Retribution

7:15 During the days of my fleeting life ¹  I have seen both ²  of these things:

Sometimes ³  a righteous person dies prematurely ⁴  in spite of ⁵  his righteousness,

and sometimes ⁶  a wicked person lives long ⁷  in spite of his evil deeds.

Ecclesiastes 8:13

8:13 But it will not go well with the wicked,

nor will they ⁸  prolong their ⁹  days like a shadow, ¹⁰ 

because they ¹¹  do not stand in fear ¹²  before God.

Ecclesiastes 8:12

8:12 Even though a sinner might commit a hundred crimes ¹³  and still live a long time, ¹⁴ 

yet I know that it will go well with God-fearing people ¹⁵  – for they stand in fear ¹⁶  before him.

[7:15]  ¹ tn The word “life” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness and clarity.

[7:15]  ² tn As is the case throughout Ecclesiastes, the term הַכֹּל (hakkol) should be nuanced “both” rather than “all.”

[7:15]  ³ tn Heb “There is.” 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]).

[7:15]  ⁴ tn Heb “perishes.”

[7:15]  ⁵ tn Or “in his righteousness.” The preposition בְּ (bet) on the terms בְּצִרְקוֹ (bÿtsirqo, “his righteousness”) and בְּרָעָתוֹ (bÿra’ato, “his evil-doing”) in the following line are traditionally taken in a locative sense: “in his righteousness” and “in his wickedness” (KJV, NASB, NIV). However, it is better to take the בְּ (bet) in the adversative sense “in spite of” (e.g., Lev 26:27; Num 14:11; Deut 1:32; Isa 5:25; 9:11, 16, 20; 10:4; 16:14; 47:9; Pss 27:3; 78:32; Ezra 3:3); cf. HALOT 104 s.v. בְּ 7; BDB 90 s.v. בְּ 3.7. NJPS renders it well: “Sometimes a good man perishes in spite of his goodness, and sometimes a wicked one endures in spite of his wickedness.” In a similar vein, D. R. Glenn (“Ecclesiastes,” BKCOT, 993–94) writes: “The word ‘in’ in the phrases ‘in his righteousness’ and ‘in his wickedness’ can here mean ‘in spite of.’ These phrases…argue against the common view that in 7:16 Solomon was warning against legalistic or Pharisaic self-righteousness. Such would have been a sin and would have been so acknowledged by Solomon who was concerned about true exceptions to the doctrine of retribution, not supposed ones (cf. 8:10–14 where this doctrine is discussed again).”

[7:15]  ⁶ tn Heb “There is.” 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]).

[7:15]  ⁷ tn Heb “a wicked man endures.”

[8:13]  ⁸ tn Heb “he.”

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

[8:13]  ¹⁰ tn The phrase “like a shadow” (כַּצֵּל, katsel) modifies the verb (“prolong”) rather than the noun (“days”). Several English versions misconstrue the line: “he will not prolong his days, [which are] like a shadow” (KJV, ASV); “the man who does not fear God is like a shadow” (NEB); and “he will not prolong his shadowy days” (NAB). It should be rendered “he will not prolong his days like a shadow” (RSV, NRSV, NASB, MLB, NIV). Unlike a shadow that lengthens at sunset, the wicked do not normally live long.

[8:13]  ¹¹ tn Heb “he.”

[8:13]  ¹² tn Heb “they do not fear.”

[8:12]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “does evil one hundred [times].”

[8:12]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and prolongs his [life].”

[8:12]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “those who fear God.”

[8:12]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “they fear.”