Pengkhotbah 8:2--9:12
Konteks8:2 Obey the king’s command, 1
because you took 2 an oath before God 3 to be loyal to him. 4
8:3 Do not rush out of the king’s presence in haste – do not delay when the matter is unpleasant, 5
for he can do whatever he pleases.
8:4 Surely the king’s authority 6 is absolute; 7
no one can say 8 to him, “What are you doing?”
8:5 Whoever obeys his 9 command will not experience harm,
and a wise person 10 knows the proper time 11 and procedure.
8:6 For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter,
for the oppression 12 of the king 13 is severe upon his victim. 14
8:7 Surely no one knows the future, 15
and no one can tell another person what will happen. 16
8:8 Just as no one has power over the wind to restrain it, 17
so no one has power over the day of his 18 death.
Just as no one can be discharged during the battle, 19
so wickedness cannot rescue the wicked. 20
8:9 While applying 21 my mind 22 to everything 23 that happens in this world, 24 I have seen all this:
Sometimes one person 25 dominates 26 other people 27 to their harm. 28
8:10 Not only that, 29 but I have seen the wicked approaching 30 and entering the temple, 31
and as they left the holy temple, 32 they
boasted 33 in the city that they had done so.
This also is an enigma. 34
8:11 When 35 a sentence 36 is not executed 37 at once against a crime, 38
the human heart 39 is encouraged to do evil. 40
8:12 Even though a sinner might commit a hundred crimes 41 and still live a long time, 42
yet I know that it will go well with God-fearing people 43 – for they stand in fear 44 before him.
8:13 But it will not go well with the wicked,
nor will they 45 prolong their 46 days like a shadow, 47
because they 48 do not stand in fear 49 before God.
8:14 Here is 50 another 51 enigma 52 that occurs on earth:
Sometimes there are righteous people who get what the wicked deserve, 53
and sometimes there are wicked people who get what the righteous deserve. 54
I said, “This also is an enigma.”
8:15 So I recommend the enjoyment of life, 55
for there is nothing better on earth 56 for a person to do 57 except 58 to eat, drink, and enjoy 59 life. 60
So 61 joy 62 will accompany him in his toil
during the days of his life which God gives him on earth. 63
8:16 When I tried 64 to gain 65 wisdom
and to observe the activity 66 on earth –
even though it prevents anyone from sleeping day or night 67 –
8:17 then I discerned all that God has done: 68
No one really comprehends what happens 69 on earth. 70
Despite all human 71 efforts to discover it, no one can ever grasp 72 it. 73
Even if 74 a wise person claimed 75 that he understood,
he would not really comprehend 76 it. 77
9:1 So I reflected on all this, 78 attempting to clear 79 it all up.
I concluded that 80 the righteous and the wise, as well as their works, are in the hand of God;
whether a person will be loved or hated 81 –
no one knows what lies ahead. 82
9:2 Everyone shares the same fate 83 –
the righteous and the wicked,
the good and the bad, 84
the ceremonially clean and unclean,
those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.
What happens to the good person, also happens to the sinner; 85
what happens to those who make vows, also happens to those who are afraid to make vows.
9:3 This is the unfortunate fact 86 about everything that happens on earth: 87
the same fate awaits 88 everyone.
In addition to this, the hearts of all people 89 are full of evil,
and there is folly in their hearts during their lives – then they die. 90
9:4 But whoever is among 91 the living 92 has hope;
a live dog is better than a dead lion.
9:5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead do not know anything;
they have no further reward – and even the memory of them disappears. 93
9:6 What they loved, 94 as well as what they hated 95 and envied, 96 perished long ago,
and they no longer have a part in anything that happens on earth. 97
9:7 Go, eat your food 98 with joy,
and drink your wine with a happy heart,
because God has already approved your works.
9:8 Let your clothes always be white,
and do not spare precious ointment on your head.
9:9 Enjoy 99 life with your beloved wife 100 during all the days of your fleeting 101 life
that God 102 has given you on earth 103 during all your fleeting days; 104
for that is your reward in life and in your burdensome work 105 on earth. 106
9:10 Whatever you find to do with your hands, 107
do it with all your might,
because there is neither work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, 108
the place where you will eventually go. 109
9:11 Again, 110 I observed this on the earth: 111
the race is not always 112 won by the swiftest,
the battle is not always won by the strongest;
prosperity 113 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 114 always come to those with the most knowledge –
for time and chance may overcome 115 them all.
9:12 Surely, no one 116 knows his appointed time! 117
Like fish that are caught in a deadly 118 net, and like birds that are caught in a snare –
just like them, all people 119 are ensnared 120 at an unfortunate 121 time that falls upon them suddenly.
[8:2] 1 tc The Leningrad Codex (the basis of BHS) reads אֲנִי (’ani, 1st person common singular independent personal pronoun): “I obey the king’s command.” Other medieval Hebrew
[8:2] 2 tn The phrase “you took” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness.
[8:2] 3 tn The genitive-construct שְׁבוּעַת אֱלֹהִים (shÿvu’at ’elohim, “an oath of God”) functions as a genitive of location (“an oath before God”) or an adjectival genitive of attribute (“a supreme oath”).
[8:2] 4 tn The words “to be loyal to him” do not appear in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[8:3] 5 tn Or “do not stand up for a bad cause.”
[8:4] 8 tn Heb “Who can say…?”
[8:5] 9 tn The word “his” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness and clarity.
[8:5] 10 tn Heb “the heart of a wise man.”
[8:5] 11 tn The term עֵת (’et, “time”) connotes “a proper, suitable time for an event; the right moment” (HALOT 900 s.v. עֵת 6; BDB 773 s.v. עֵת 2.b); e.g., “it was the time for rain” (Ezra 10:13); “a time of judgment for the nations” (Ezek 30:3); “there is an appropriate time for every occasion” (Eccl 3:1); “the time when mountain goats are born” (Job 39:1); “the rain in its season” (Deut 11:14; Jer 5:24); “the time for the harvest” (Hos 2:11; Ps 1:3); “food in its season” (Ps 104:27).
[8:6] 12 tn Heb “evil”; or “misery.”
[8:7] 15 tn Heb “what will be.”
[8:7] 16 tn Heb “Who can tell him what will be?”
[8:8] 17 tn Heb “There is not a man who has mastery over the wind to restrain the wind.”
[8:8] 18 tn The word “his” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.
[8:8] 19 tn Heb “There is no discharge in war.”
[8:9] 21 tn The term נָתוֹן (naton, Qal infinitive absolute from נָתַן , natan, “to give”) is a verbal use of the infinitive absolute, used with vav to indicate an action that took place simultaneous to the main verb (see IBHS 596-97 §35.5.2d). Thus, the clause וְנָתוֹן אֶת־לִבִּי (vÿnaton ’et-libbi, “while applying my mind…”) indicates contemporaneous action to the clause, “All this I have seen” (אֶת־כָּל־זֶה רָאִיתִי, ’et-kol-zeh ra’iti). This is view is taken by several translations: “All this I have seen, having applied my mind to” (NEB); “All this I observed while applying my mind to” (RSV); “All this I saw, as I applied my mind to” (NIV); “All this I saw, as thoughtfully I pondered” (Moffatt). On the other hand, the LXX vav is taken in a coordinating sense (“and”) and the infinitive absolute as an independent verb: Και συμπαν τουτο εἰδον, και ἐδωκα την καρδιαν μου εἰς (“I saw all this, and I applied my heart to”). This reading is adopted by other English versions: “All this I have seen, and applied my heart” (KJV); “All these things I considered and I applied my mind” (NAB); “All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto” (ASV); “All this I have seen and applied my mind to” (NASB); “All these things I observed; I noted” (NJPS).
[8:9] 23 tn Heb “every work”; or “every deed.”
[8:9] 24 tn Heb “that is done under the sun.” The phrase “that is done under the sun” (אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשָׂה תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ, ’asher na’asah takhat hashamesh) is an idiom for “what happens in this world” or “on the earth” (BDB 1039 s.v. שֶׁמֶשׁ 4.c). Moffatt renders this idiom, “what goes on within this world.”
[8:9] 25 tn Heb “the man.” The article on הָאָדָם (ha’adam, “the man”) can be taken in a particularizing sense (“one person”) or in a collective sense as humankind as a whole (“humankind”); see HALOT 14 s.v. I אָדָם 1; BDB 9 s.v. אָדָם 2. So LXX: “All the things in which man has power over [his fellow] man to afflict him.” This is adopted by the RSV (“man lords it over man to his hurt”); NJPS (“men still had authority over men to treat them unjustly”); Moffatt (“men have power over their fellows, power to injure them”); MLB (“man has mastery over another to harm him”); and YLT (“man hath ruled over man to his own evil”). On the other hand, 8:1-9 focuses on the absolute power of the king, so the referent of הָאָדָם is probably the king. The article functions in an individualizing, particularizing sense. The particularization of הָאָדָם is reflected in many English versions: “one man” (KJV, ASV, NEB, NAB, Douay), “a man” (NASB, NIV), and “one person” (NRSV).
[8:9] 26 tn The verb שָׁלַט (shalat) denotes “to domineer; to dominate; to lord it over” (HALOT 1522 s.v. שׁלט; BDB 1020 s.v. שָׁלַט). The English versions have: “rule over” (KJV, YLT, Douay), “have power over” (NEB, ASV), “lord it over” (RSV, NIV), “have authority over” (NJPS), “exercise authority over” (NASB, NRSV); “have mastery over” (MLB); “tyrannize” (NAB).
[8:9] 27 tn Heb “man.” The word “other” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity. The singular noun אָדָם (’adam, “man”) functions as a collective singular, connoting “men, people” (cf. HALOT 14 s.v. אָדָם 1; BDB 9 s.v. אָדָם 2). The absence of the article might suggest an indefinite rather than an individual, particular sense.
[8:9] 28 tn Heb “a man exercises power over [another] man to his harm” [or “to his own harm”]. The 3rd person masculine singular singular pronominal suffix לוֹ (lo, “to his”) may refer to the antecedent אָדָם (’adam, “man” or “men”), being understood either in a singular sense (so NEB, RSV, NRSV, NAB, ASV, NASB) or in a collective sense (Moffatt, NJPS, NIV margin). However, the antecedent might be הָאָדם (ha’adam, “[one] man” = the king) with the suffix functioning reflexively: “to his own harm” (KJV, ASV margin, YLT, Douay, NIV).
[8:10] 29 tn Heb “Then…” The construction בְכֵן (vÿkhen) means “then; thereupon; on this condition” (cf. Eccl 8:10; Esth 4:16; Sir 13:7; see GKC 384 §119.ii; BDB 486 s.v. כֵּן 3.b; HALOT 483 s.v. כֵּן 8.c). The line could be rendered, “It is was then that I saw.”
[8:10] 30 tc There are three textual options: (1) The MT reads קְבֻרִים וָבָאוּ וּמִמְּקוֹם (qÿvurim vava’u umimmÿqom, “they were buried, and they came, and from the place”). קְבֻרִים is a Qal passive participle mpl from קָבַר, qavar, “to bury.” The MT reading is retained by most translations: “[And so I saw the wicked] buried, who had come and gone from the place [of the holy]” (KJV); “[Then I saw the wicked] buried; they used to go in and out of the [holy] place” (RSV, NRSV); “[I saw how the wicked] were buried, who had gone in and out from the [holy] place” (MLB); “[I have seen the wicked] buried, those who used to go in and out from the [holy] place” (NASB); “[Then too, I saw the wicked] buried – those who used to come and go from the [holy] place” (NIV); and “[And then I saw] scoundrels coming from the [Holy] Site and being brought to burial” (NJPS). (2) The LXX reflects the reading קְבָרִים מוּבָאִים וּמִמְּקוֹם (qÿvarim muva’im umimmÿqom, “to the tombs they are brought, and from the place”). The LXX reflects the consonantal text of קברים but τάφους (tafous, “tombs”) reflects a vocalization tradition of קְבָרִים (“tombs”). (3) Several scholars suggest emending the text to קרבים ובאים וממקום (“approaching and coming to the place”). The emendation involves קרבִים (Qal active participle mpl from קרב “to approach; to draw near”). The emendation is adopted by several English versions: “I saw wicked men approach and enter…the sacred place” (NAB); “I saw wicked men approaching and even entering the holy place” (NEB). The emendation makes good sense because קָרַב (qarav, “to approach; to draw near”) is a synonym to בּוֹא (bo’, “to enter”), and is often used in reference to a person approaching the Lord at the tabernacle or temple. The textual corruption would be due to transposition of ב (bet) and ר (resh) in קָרַב (qarav, “to approach”) and קָבַר (qavar, “to bury”). See D. Barthélemy, Preliminary and Interim Report on the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, 3:584.
[8:10] 31 tn The phrase “the temple” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness. Note the reference to the sanctuary in the next line.
[8:10] 32 tn Heb “the holy place.”
[8:10] 33 tc The MT reads וְיִשְׁתַּכְּחוּ (vÿyishtakkÿkhu, “and they were forgotten”; Hitpael imperfect 3rd person masculine plural from שָׁכַח, shakhakh, “to forget”). Apart from the MT reading here, the verb שָׁכַח “to forget” never occurs elsewhere in the Hitpael (HALOT 1490 s.v. I שׁכח; BDB 1013 s.v. שָׁכַח). Many medieval Hebrew
[8:10] 34 tn The term הֶבֶל (hevel) here means “enigmatic,” that is, difficult to grasp mentally. 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” (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, 10).
[8:11] 35 tn The particle אֲשֶׁר (’asher) is used as a conjunction in a conditional/temporal clause to introduce the protasis (“when” or “if”), and עַל־כֵּן (’al-ken) introduces the apodosis (“then”); cf. BDB 83 s.v. אֲשֶׁר 8.d.
[8:11] 36 tn The noun פִתְגָם (fitgam, “decision; announcement; edict; decree”) is a loanword from Persian patigama (HALOT 984 s.v. פִּתְגָם; BDB 834 s.v. פִּתְגָם). The Hebrew noun occurs twice in the OT (Eccl 8:11; Esth 1:20), twice in the Apocrypha (Sir 5:11; 8:9), and five times in Qumran (11QtgJob 9:2; 29:4; 30:1; 34:3; 1QapGen 22:27). The English versions consistently nuance this as a judicial sentence against a crime: “sentence” (KJV, NEB, NAB, ASV, NASB, RSV, NRSV, MLB, YLT), “sentence for a crime” (NIV), “sentence imposed” (NJPS), “sentence on a crime” (Moffatt).
[8:11] 37 tn Heb “is not done.” The verb עָשַׂה (’asah, “to do”) refers to a judicial sentence being carried out (HALOT 892 s.v. 2). The Niphal can denote “be executed; be carried out” of a sentence (Eccl 8:11) or royal decree (Esth 9:1; BDB 795 s.v. 1.a). Similarly, the Qal can denote “to execute” vengeance (Judg 11:36) or judgment (1 Sam 28:18; Isa 48:14; Ezek 25:11; 28:26; Ps 149:7, 9; BDB 794 s.v.).
[8:11] 39 tn Heb “the heart of the sons of man.” The singular noun לֵב (lev, “heart”) is used collectively. The term לֵב is often used figuratively (metonymy) in reference to inclinations and determinations of the will (BDB 525 s.v. 4), moral character (BDB 525 s.v. 6), and as a synecdoche for the man himself (BDB 525 s.v. 7).
[8:11] 40 tn Heb “is full to do evil.” The verb מָלֵא (male’, “to fill”) is used figuratively (metonymy): the lack of swift judicial punishment only emboldens the wicked to commit more crimes without fear of retribution. Most English versions translate the term literally: “are filled” (NIV, MLB, YLT), “is fully set” (KJV, ASV, RSV, NRSV). However, several versions nuance it figuratively: “emboldened” (ASV, NJPS) and “boldly” (NEB). Moffatt renders the line, “Because sentence on a crime is not executed at once, the mind of man is prone to evil practices.”
[8:12] 41 tn Heb “does evil one hundred [times].”
[8:12] 42 tn Heb “and prolongs his [life].”
[8:12] 43 tn Heb “those who fear God.”
[8:13] 46 tn The word “their” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness.
[8:13] 47 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] 49 tn Heb “they do not fear.”
[8:14] 50 tn Heb “there is.” The term יֶשׁ (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]).
[8:14] 51 tn The word “another” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness.
[8:14] 52 tn Or “vanity” (again at the end of this verse). The Hebrew term הֶבֶל (hevel) here denotes “enigma,” that is, something that is difficult to understand. This sense is derived from the literal referent of breath, vapor or wind that cannot be seen; thus, “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, 10).
[8:14] 53 tn Heb “to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked”; or “who are punished for the deeds of the wicked.”
[8:14] 54 tn Heb “to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous”; or “who are rewarded for the deeds of the righteous.”
[8:15] 55 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] 56 tn Heb “under the sun.”
[8:15] 57 tn The phrase “to do” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness.
[8:15] 58 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] 59 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] 60 tn The term “life” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness.
[8:15] 61 tn The vav introduces a logical conclusion.
[8:15] 62 tn Heb “it”; the referent (enjoyment of life) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:15] 63 tn Heb “under the sun.”
[8:16] 64 tn Heb “I applied my heart.”
[8:16] 66 tn Heb “and to see the business which is done.”
[8:16] 67 tn Heb “for no one sees sleep with their eyes either day or night.” The construction גַם …כִּי (ki… gam) expresses a concessive sense: “even though” (e.g., Ps 23:4; Prov 22:6; Eccl 4:14; Isa 1:15; Lam 3:8; Hos 8:10; 9:16); cf. HALOT 196 s.v. גַּם 9; BDB 169 s.v. גַּם 6; 473 s.v. כִּי 2.c.
[8:17] 68 tn Heb “all the work of God.”
[8:17] 69 tn Heb “the work that is done.”
[8:17] 70 tn Heb “under the sun.”
[8:17] 71 tn Heb “his”; the referent (man, in a generic sense) has been specified in the translation as the adjective “human” for clarity.
[8:17] 73 tn The term “it” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness.
[8:17] 74 tn The particle אִם (’im, “even if”) introduces the protasis in a real conditional clause (“If a wise man …”); see IBHS 636-37 §38.2d; R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 74, §453.
[8:17] 75 tn The imperfect tense verb יֹאמַר (yo’mar, “to say”) functions in a modal sense, denoting possibility (see IBHS 508 §31.4e; R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 31, §169).
[8:17] 76 tn Heb “he cannot find”; or “he does not find.”
[8:17] 77 tn The term “it” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is an implied direct object and has been supplied in the translation for smoothness and stylistic reasons.
[9:1] 78 tn Heb “I laid all this to my heart.”
[9:1] 79 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] 80 tn The words “I concluded that” do not appear in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[9:1] 81 tn Heb “whether love or hatred.”
[9:1] 82 tn Heb “man does not know anything before them.”
[9:2] 83 tn Heb “all things just as to everyone, one fate.”
[9:2] 84 tc The MT reads simply “the good,” but the Greek versions read “the good and the bad.” In contrast to the other four pairs in v. 2 (“the righteous and the wicked,” “those who sacrifice, and those who do not sacrifice,” “the good man…the sinner,” and “those who make vows…those who are afraid to make vows”), the MT has a triad in the second line: לַטּוֹב וְלַטָּהוֹר וְלַטָּמֵא (lattov vÿlattahor vÿlattame’, “the good, and the clean, and the unclean”). This reading in the Leningrad Codex (ca.
[9:2] 85 tn Heb “As is the good (man), so is the sinner.”
[9:3] 87 tn Heb “under the sun.”
[9:3] 88 tn The term “awaits” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness and stylistic reasons.
[9:3] 89 tn Heb “also the heart of the sons of man.” Here “heart” is a collective singular.
[9:3] 90 tn Heb “and after that [they go] to [the place of] the dead.”
[9:4] 91 tn The consonantal text (Kethib) has “is chosen, selected.” The translation follows the marginal reading (Qere), “is joined.” See BDB 288 s.v. חָבַר Pu.
[9:4] 92 tn Heb “all the living.”
[9:5] 93 tn Heb “for their memory is forgotten.” The pronominal suffix is an objective genitive, “memory of them.”
[9:6] 95 tn Heb “their hatred.”
[9:6] 97 tn Heb “under the sun.”
[9:9] 100 tn Heb “the wife whom you love.”
[9:9] 101 tn As discussed in the note on the word “futile” in 1:2, the term הֶבֶל (hevel) has a wide range of meanings, and should not be translated the same in every place (see HALOT 236–37 s.v. I הֶבֶל; BDB 210–11 s.v. I הבֶל). The term is used in two basic ways in OT, literally and figuratively. The literal, concrete sense is used in reference to the wind, man’s transitory breath, evanescent vapor (Isa 57:13; Pss 62:10; 144:4; Prov 21:6; Job 7:16). In this sense, it is often a synonym for “breath; wind” (Eccl 1:14; Isa 57:13; Jer 10:14). The literal sense lent itself to the metaphorical sense. Because breath/vapor/wind is transitory and fleeting, the figurative connotation “fleeting; transitory” arose (e.g., Prov 31:30; Eccl 6:12; 7:15; 9:9; 11:10; Job 7:16). In this sense, it is parallel to “few days” and “[days] which he passes like a shadow” (Eccl 6:12). It is used in reference to youth and vigor (11:10) or life (6:12; 7:15; 9:9) which are “transitory” or “fleeting.” In this context, the most appropriate meaning is “fleeting.”
[9:9] 102 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:9] 103 tn Heb “under the sun”
[9:9] 104 tc The phrase כָּל יְמֵי הֶבְלֶךָ (kol yÿme hevlekha, “all your fleeting days”) is present in the MT, but absent in the Greek versions, other medieval Hebrew
[9:9] 105 tn Heb “in your toil in which you toil.”
[9:9] 106 tn Heb “under the sun.”
[9:10] 107 tn Heb “Whatever your hand finds to do.”
[9:10] 109 tn Or “where you are about to go.”
[9:11] 110 tn Heb “I returned and.” In the Hebrew idiom, “to return and do” means “to do again.”
[9:11] 111 tn Heb “under the sun.”
[9:11] 112 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] 115 tn Heb “happen to.”
[9:12] 116 tn Heb “man.” The term is used here in a generic sense and translated “no one.”
[9:12] 117 tn Heb “time.” BDB 773 s.v. עֵת 2.d suggests that עֵת (’et, “time”) refers to an “uncertain time.” On the other hand, HALOT 901 s.v. עֵת 6 nuances it as “destined time,” that is, “no one knows his destined time [i.e., hour of destiny].” It is used in parallelism with זְמָן (zÿman, “appointed time; appointed hour”) in 3:1 (HALOT 273 s.v. זְמָן; BDB 273 s.v. זְמָן). Eccl 3:9-15 teaches God’s sovereignty over the appointed time-table of human events. Similarly, Qoheleth here notes that no one knows what God has appointed in any situation or time. This highlights the limitations of human wisdom and human ability, as 9:11 stresses.
[9:12] 118 tn Heb “bad, evil.” The moral connotation hardly fits here. The adjective would seem to indicate that the net is the instrument whereby the fish come to ruin.
[9:12] 119 tn Heb “the sons of man.”
[9:12] 120 tn The Masoretes pointed the consonantal form יוקשׁים (“are ensnared”) as יוּקָשִׁים (yuqashim, Pual participle mpl from ַָיקֹשׁ, yaqosh, “to be ensnared”). This is an unusual form for a Pual participle: (1) The characteristic doubling of the middle consonant was omitted due to the lengthening of the preceding short vowel from יֻקָּשִׁים to יוּקָשִׁים (GKC 74 §20.n and 143 §52.s), and (2) The characteristic prefix מְ (mem) is absent, as in a few other Pual participles, e.g., Exod 3:2; Judg 13:8; 2 Kgs 2:10; Isa 30:24; 54:11 (GKC 143 §52.s). On the other hand, the consonant form יוקשים might actually be an example of the old Qal passive participle which dropped out of Hebrew at an early stage, and was frequently mistaken by the Masoretes as a Pual form (e.g., Jer 13:10; 23:32) (GKC 143 §52.s). Similarly, the Masoretes pointed אכל as אֻכָּל (’ukkal, Pual perfect 3rd person masculine singular “he was eaten”); however, it probably should be pointed אֻכַל (’ukhal, old Qal passive perfect 3rd person masculine singular “he was eaten”) because אָכַל (’akhal) only occurs in the Qal (see IBHS 373-74 §22.6a).
[9:12] 121 tn Heb “evil.” The term רָעָה (ra’ah, “evil; unfortunate”) is repeated in v. 12 in the two parts of the comparison: “fish are caught in an evil (רָעָה) net” and “men are ensnared at an unfortunate (רָעָה) time.”
