Ecclesiastes 9:1

Everyone Will Die

9:1 So I reflected on all this, ¹  attempting to clear ²  it all up.

I concluded that ³  the righteous and the wise, as well as their works, are in the hand of God;

whether a person will be loved or hated ⁴  –

no one knows what lies ahead. ⁵ 

Ecclesiastes 9:11

Wisdom Cannot Protect against Seemingly Chance Events

9:11 Again, ⁶  I observed this on the earth: ⁷ 

the race is not always ⁸  won by the swiftest,

the battle is not always won by the strongest;

prosperity ⁹  does not always belong to those who are the wisest,

wealth does not always belong to those who are the most discerning,

nor does success ¹⁰  always come to those with the most knowledge –

for time and chance may overcome ¹¹  them all.

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

[9:1]  ² tn 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]  ³ tn The words “I concluded that” do not appear in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “whether love or hatred.”

[9:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “man does not know anything before them.”

[9:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “I returned and.” In the Hebrew idiom, “to return and do” means “to do again.”

[9:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “under the sun.”

[9:11]  ⁸ tn The term “always” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation (five times in this verse) for clarity.

[9:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “bread.”

[9:11]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “favor.”

[9:11]  ¹¹ tn Heb “happen to.”