Exodus 24:11

24:11 But he did not lay a hand ¹  on the leaders of the Israelites, so they saw God, ²  and they ate and they drank. ³ 

Deuteronomy 12:7

12:7 Both you and your families ⁴  must feast there before the Lord your God and rejoice in all the output of your labor with which he ⁵  has blessed you.

Deuteronomy 12:11-12

12:11 Then you must come to the place the Lord your God chooses for his name to reside, bringing ⁶  everything I am commanding you – your burnt offerings, sacrifices, tithes, the personal offerings you have prepared, ⁷  and all your choice votive offerings which you devote to him. ⁸  12:12 You shall rejoice in the presence of the Lord your God, along with your sons, daughters, male and female servants, and the Levites in your villages ⁹  (since they have no allotment or inheritance with you). ¹⁰ 

Deuteronomy 16:14-17

16:14 You are to rejoice in your festival, you, your son, your daughter, your male and female slaves, the Levites, the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows who are in your villages. ¹¹  16:15 You are to celebrate the festival seven days before the Lord your God in the place he ¹²  chooses, for he ¹³  will bless you in all your productivity and in whatever you do; ¹⁴  so you will indeed rejoice! 16:16 Three times a year all your males must appear before the Lord your God in the place he chooses for the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Temporary Shelters; and they must not appear before him ¹⁵  empty-handed. 16:17 Every one of you must give as you are able, ¹⁶  according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you.

Deuteronomy 16:2

16:2 You must sacrifice the Passover animal ¹⁷  (from the flock or the herd) to the Lord your God in the place where he ¹⁸  chooses to locate his name.

Deuteronomy 7:10

7:10 but who pays back those who hate ¹⁹  him as they deserve and destroys them. He will not ignore ²⁰  those who hate him but will repay them as they deserve!

Nehemiah 8:12

8:12 So all the people departed to eat and drink and to share their food ²¹  with others ²²  and to enjoy tremendous joy, ²³  for they had gained insight in the matters that had been made known to them.

Ecclesiastes 2:24

Enjoy Work and its Benefits

2:24 There is nothing better for ²⁴  people ²⁵  than ²⁶  to eat and drink,

and to find enjoyment ²⁷  in their ²⁸  work.

I also perceived that this ability to find enjoyment ²⁹  comes from God. ³⁰ 

Ecclesiastes 3:12-13

Enjoy Life in the Present

3:12 I have concluded ³¹  that there is nothing better for people ³² 

than ³³  to be happy and to enjoy

themselves ³⁴  as long as they live,

3:13 and also that everyone should eat and drink, and find enjoyment in all his toil,

for these things ³⁵  are a gift from God.

Ecclesiastes 8:15

Enjoy Life In Spite of Its Injustices

8:15 So I recommend the enjoyment of life, ³⁶ 

for there is nothing better on earth ³⁷  for a person to do ³⁸  except ³⁹  to eat, drink, and enjoy ⁴⁰  life. ⁴¹ 

So ⁴²  joy ⁴³  will accompany him in his toil

during the days of his life which God gives him on earth. ⁴⁴ 

Ecclesiastes 9:7

Life is Brief, so Cherish its Joys

9:7 Go, eat your food ⁴⁵  with joy,

and drink your wine with a happy heart,

because God has already approved your works.

Ecclesiastes 9:1

Everyone Will Die

9:1 So I reflected on all this, ⁴⁶  attempting to clear ⁴⁷  it all up.

I concluded that ⁴⁸  the righteous and the wise, as well as their works, are in the hand of God;

whether a person will be loved or hated ⁴⁹  –

no one knows what lies ahead. ⁵⁰ 

Ecclesiastes 6:1

Not Everyone Enjoys Life

6:1 Here is ⁵¹  another misfortune ⁵²  that I have seen on earth, ⁵³ 

and it weighs ⁵⁴  heavily on people: ⁵⁵ 

Ecclesiastes 6:1

Not Everyone Enjoys Life

6:1 Here is ⁵⁶  another misfortune ⁵⁷  that I have seen on earth, ⁵⁸ 

and it weighs ⁵⁹  heavily on people: ⁶⁰ 

[24:11]  ¹ tn Heb “he did not stretch out his hand,” i.e., to destroy them.

[24:11]  ² tn The verb is חָזָה (khazah); it can mean “to see, perceive” or “see a vision” as the prophets did. The LXX safeguarded this by saying, “appeared in the place of God.” B. Jacob says they beheld – prophetically, religiously (Exodus, 746) – but the meaning of that is unclear. The fact that God did not lay a hand on them – to kill them – shows that they saw something that they never expected to see and live. Some Christian interpreters have taken this to refer to a glorious appearance of the preincarnate Christ, the second person of the Trinity. They saw the brilliance of this manifestation – but not the detail. Later, Moses will still ask to see God’s glory – the real presence behind the phenomena.

[24:11]  ³ sn This is the covenant meal, the peace offering, that they are eating there on the mountain. To eat from the sacrifice meant that they were at peace with God, in covenant with him. Likewise, in the new covenant believers draw near to God on the basis of sacrifice, and eat of the sacrifice because they are at peace with him, and in Christ they see the Godhead revealed.

[12:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “and your houses,” referring to entire households. The pronouns “you” and “your” are plural in the Hebrew text.

[12:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 12:5.

[12:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “and it will be (to) the place where the Lord your God chooses to cause his name to dwell you will bring.”

[12:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “heave offerings of your hand.”

[12:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 12:5.

[12:12]  ⁹ tn Heb “within your gates” (so KJV, NASB); NAB “who belongs to your community.”

[12:12]  ¹⁰ sn They have no allotment or inheritance with you. See note on the word “inheritance” in Deut 10:9.

[16:14]  ¹¹ tn Heb “in your gates.”

[16:15]  ¹² tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 16:1.

[16:15]  ¹³ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 16:1.

[16:15]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “in all the work of your hands” (so NASB, NIV); NAB, NRSV “in all your undertakings.”

[16:16]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 16:1.

[16:17]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “a man must give according to the gift of his hand.” This has been translated as second person for stylistic reasons, in keeping with the second half of the verse, which is second person rather than third.

[16:2]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “sacrifice the Passover” (so NASB). The word “animal” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[16:2]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in the previous verse.

[7:10]  ¹⁹ tn For the term “hate” as synonymous with rejection or disobedience see note on the word “reject” in Deut 5:9 (cf. NRSV “reject”).

[7:10]  ²⁰ tn Heb “he will not hesitate concerning.”

[8:12]  ²¹ tn Heb “to send portions.”

[8:12]  ²² tn The Hebrew text does not include the phrase “with others” but it has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[8:12]  ²³ tn Heb “to make great joy.”

[2:24]  ²⁴ tn The preposition בְּ (bet) on בָּאָדָם (ba’adam) has been taken in two ways: (1) locative with טוֹב (tov, “good”) in reference to man’s moral nature: “There is nothing [inherently] good in man.” (2) advantage with טוֹב (“good”) in reference to the enjoyment theme of 2:24-26: “There is nothing better for a man than…” (this assumes a comparative מִן, min, on מִשֶׁיֹּאכַל, misheyyo’khal); see text critical note on the word “than” below). The latter is preferred for two reasons: (1) The preposition בְּ is used with a similar idiom in 3:12 in collocation with the particle phrase אִם…כִּי (ki…’im, “except”): “There is nothing better…than to rejoice/be happy” (NASB, NIV). (2) The theme of 2:1-26 focuses on the futility of human toil, concluding that the only real reward that man has in his labor is to find enjoyment in it (e.g., 2:10, 24-26). The section says nothing about man’s inherent sinful nature.

[2:24]  ²⁵ tn Heb “man.”

[2:24]  ²⁶ tc The MT reads שֶׁיֹּאכַל (sheyyo’khal, “that he should eat”; Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular from אָכַל, ’akhal, “to eat,” with relative pronoun שֶׁ, she, “that”). However, the variant textual tradition of מִשֶּׁיֹּאכַל (misheyyo’khal, “than he should eat” (comparative preposition מִן, min, “than” + Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular from אָכַל “to eat”) is reflected in the LXX, Coptic, Syriac, Aramaic Targum, Old Latin, and Jerome. The textual error, an example of haplography, arose from a single writing of מ (mem) from בָּאָדָם מִשֶּׁיֹּאכַל (ba’adam misheyyo’khal). The same idiom appears in the expanded form אִם…כִּי followed by טוֹב…אֵין (’en tov … ki ’im, “there is nothing better for man than …”) in Eccl 3:12; 8:15.

[2:24]  ²⁷ tn Heb “to cause his soul to see good.” The idiom רָאָה טוֹב (ra’ah tov, “to see good”) is a metonymy of association, meaning “to find enjoyment” (e.g., 3:13; 5:17; 6:6). In 3:12-13 and 5:17-18 it is in collocation and/or parallelism with בְּ (bet) + שָׂמַח (samakh, “to rejoice in,” or “to find satisfaction or pleasure in” something). Here, it is used in collocation with חוּשׁ (khush, “to enjoy”). The term נַפְשׁוֹ (nafsho, “his soul”) is a metonymy of part (i.e., soul) for the whole (i.e., whole person), e.g., Num 23:10; Judg 16:30; Pss 16:10; 35:13; 103:1 (see E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 640-41).

[2:24]  ²⁸ tn Heb “his.”

[2:24]  ²⁹ tn The phrase “ability to find enjoyment” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[2:24]  ³⁰ tn Heb “is from the hand of God.”

[3:12]  ³¹ tn Heb “I know.”

[3:12]  ³² tn Heb “for them”; the referent (people, i.e., mankind) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:12]  ³³ tn Qoheleth uses the exceptive particle אִם…כִּי (ki…’im, “except”) to identify the only exception to the futility within man’s life (BDB 474 s.v. כִּי 2).

[3:12]  ³⁴ tn Heb “to do good.” The phrase לַעֲשׂוֹת טוֹב (la’asot tov) functions idiomatically for “to experience [or see] happiness [or joy].” The verb עָשַׂה (’asah) probably denotes “to acquire; to obtain” (BDB 795 s.v. עָשַׂה II.7), and טוֹב (tov) means “good; pleasure; happiness,” e.g., Eccl 2:24; 3:13; 5:17 (BDB 375 s.v. טוֹב 1).

[3:13]  ³⁵ tn Heb “for it.” The referent of the 3rd person feminine singular independent person pronoun (“it”) is probably the preceding statement: “to eat, drink, and find satisfaction.” This would be an example of an anacoluthon (GKC 505-6 §167.b). Thus the present translation uses “these things” to indicate the reference back to the preceding.

[8:15]  ³⁶ tn Heb “the enjoyment.” The phrase “of life” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[8:15]  ³⁷ tn Heb “under the sun.”

[8:15]  ³⁸ tn The phrase “to do” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness.

[8:15]  ³⁹ tn The construction אִם…כִּי (ki…’im) is used as a particle of exception to limit the preceding clause (“except; nothing but”). See, e.g., Gen 28:17; 39:9; Lev 21:2; Num 14:30; Deut 10:12; 1 Sam 30:22; 2 Kgs 4:2; 5:15; 2 Chr 21:17; Esth 2:15; 5:12; Eccl 3:12; Isa 42:19; Dan 10:21; Mic 6:8 (cf. HALOT 471 s.v. אִם כִּי B.2; BDB 474 s.v. אִם כִּי 2.a).

[8:15]  ⁴⁰ sn Except to eat, drink, and enjoy life. Qoheleth is not commending a self-indulgent lifestyle of Epicurean hedonism. Nor is he lamenting the absolute futility of life and the lack of eternal retribution. He is submitting to the reality that in a sin-cursed world there is much of human existence marked by relative futility. Since the righteous man cannot assume that he will automatically experience temporal prosperity and blessings on this earth, he should – at the very least – enjoy each day to its fullest as a gift from God. D. R. Glenn (“Ecclesiastes,” BKCOT, 997) notes, “Each day’s joys should be received as gifts from God’s hands and be savored as God permits (3:13; 5:19).”

[8:15]  ⁴¹ tn The term “life” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness.

[8:15]  ⁴² tn The vav introduces a logical conclusion.

[8:15]  ⁴³ tn Heb “it”; the referent (enjoyment of life) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:15]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “under the sun.”

[9:7]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “your bread.”

[9:1]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “I laid all this to my heart.”

[9:1]  ⁴⁷ 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]  ⁴⁸ tn The words “I concluded that” do not appear in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:1]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “whether love or hatred.”

[9:1]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “man does not know anything before them.”

[6:1]  ⁵¹ tn 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]).

[6:1]  ⁵² tn The noun רָעָה (ra’ah, “evil”) probably means “misfortune” (HALOT 1263 s.v. רָעָה 4) or “injustice, wrong” (HALOT 1262 s.v. רָעָה 2.b); see, e.g., Eccl 2:17; 5:12, 15; 6:1; 10:5.

[6:1]  ⁵³ tn Heb “under the sun.”

[6:1]  ⁵⁴ tn The word “weighs” does not appear in Hebrew, but is added in the translation for smoothness.

[6:1]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “it is great upon men.” The phrase וְרַבָּה הִיא עַל־הָאָדָם (vÿrabbah hi’ ’al-ha’adam) is taken in two basic ways: (1) commonality: “it is common among men” (KJV, MLB), “it is prevalent among men” (NASB), “that is frequent among men” (Douay). (2) oppressiveness: “it lies heavy upon men” (RSV, NRSV), “it weighs heavily upon men” (NEB, NAB, NIV), “it presses heavily on men” (Moffatt), “it is heavy upon men” (ASV), and “a grave one it is for man” (NJPS). The preposition עַל (’al, “upon”) argues against the first in favor of the second; the notion of commonality would be denoted by the preposition בְּ (bet, “among”). The singular noun אָדָם (’adam) is used as a collective, denoting “men.” The article on הָאָדָם (ha’adam) is used in a generic sense referring to humankind as a whole; the generic article is often used with a collective singular (IBHS 244 §13.5.1f).

[6:1]  ⁵⁶ tn 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]).

[6:1]  ⁵⁷ tn The noun רָעָה (ra’ah, “evil”) probably means “misfortune” (HALOT 1263 s.v. רָעָה 4) or “injustice, wrong” (HALOT 1262 s.v. רָעָה 2.b); see, e.g., Eccl 2:17; 5:12, 15; 6:1; 10:5.

[6:1]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “under the sun.”

[6:1]  ⁵⁹ tn The word “weighs” does not appear in Hebrew, but is added in the translation for smoothness.

[6:1]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “it is great upon men.” The phrase וְרַבָּה הִיא עַל־הָאָדָם (vÿrabbah hi’ ’al-ha’adam) is taken in two basic ways: (1) commonality: “it is common among men” (KJV, MLB), “it is prevalent among men” (NASB), “that is frequent among men” (Douay). (2) oppressiveness: “it lies heavy upon men” (RSV, NRSV), “it weighs heavily upon men” (NEB, NAB, NIV), “it presses heavily on men” (Moffatt), “it is heavy upon men” (ASV), and “a grave one it is for man” (NJPS). The preposition עַל (’al, “upon”) argues against the first in favor of the second; the notion of commonality would be denoted by the preposition בְּ (bet, “among”). The singular noun אָדָם (’adam) is used as a collective, denoting “men.” The article on הָאָדָם (ha’adam) is used in a generic sense referring to humankind as a whole; the generic article is often used with a collective singular (IBHS 244 §13.5.1f).