Amsal 15:27

15:27 The one who is greedy for gain ¹  troubles ²  his household, ³ 

but whoever hates bribes ⁴  will live.

Amsal 23:3-4

23:3 Do not crave that ruler’s ⁵  delicacies,

for ⁶  that food is deceptive. ⁷ 

23:4 Do not wear yourself out to become rich;

be wise enough to restrain yourself. ⁸ 

Amsal 23:2

23:2 and put a knife to your throat ⁹ 

if you possess a large appetite. ¹⁰ 

1 Samuel 18:11-13

18:11 and Saul threw the spear, thinking, “I’ll nail David to the wall!” But David escaped from him on two different occasions.

18:12 So Saul feared David, because the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul. 18:13 Saul removed David ¹¹  from his presence and made him a commanding officer. ¹²  David led the army out to battle and back. ¹³ 

1 Samuel 18:2

18:2 Saul retained David ¹⁴  on that day and did not allow him to return to his father’s house.

Kisah Para Rasul 5:20-27

5:20 “Go and stand in the temple courts ¹⁵  and proclaim ¹⁶  to the people all the words of this life.” 5:21 When they heard this, they entered the temple courts ¹⁷  at daybreak and began teaching. ¹⁸ 

Now when the high priest and those who were with him arrived, they summoned the Sanhedrin ¹⁹  – that is, the whole high council ²⁰  of the Israelites ²¹  – and sent to the jail to have the apostles ²²  brought before them. ²³  5:22 But the officers ²⁴  who came for them ²⁵  did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, ²⁶  5:23 “We found the jail locked securely and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them, ²⁷  we found no one inside.” 5:24 Now when the commander ²⁸  of the temple guard ²⁹  and the chief priests heard this report, ³⁰  they were greatly puzzled concerning it, ³¹  wondering what this could ³²  be. 5:25 But someone came and reported to them, “Look! The men you put in prison are standing in the temple courts ³³  and teaching ³⁴  the people!” 5:26 Then the commander ³⁵  of the temple guard ³⁶  went with the officers ³⁷  and brought the apostles ³⁸  without the use of force ³⁹  (for they were afraid of being stoned by the people). ⁴⁰ 

5:27 When they had brought them, they stood them before the council, ⁴¹  and the high priest questioned ⁴²  them,

Yeremia 22:17-19

22:17 But you are always thinking and looking

for ways to increase your wealth by dishonest means.

Your eyes and your heart are set

on killing some innocent person

and committing fraud and oppression. ⁴³ 

22:18 So ⁴⁴  the Lord has this to say about Josiah’s son, King Jehoiakim of Judah:

People will not mourn for him, saying,

“This makes me sad, my brother!

This makes me sad, my sister!”

They will not mourn for him, saying,

“Poor, poor lord! Poor, poor majesty!” ⁴⁵ 

22:19 He will be left unburied just like a dead donkey.

His body will be dragged off and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem.’” ⁴⁶ 

Mikha 2:1-3

Land Robbers Will Lose their Land

2:1 Those who devise sinful plans are as good as dead, ⁴⁷ 

those who dream about doing evil as they lie in bed. ⁴⁸ 

As soon as morning dawns they carry out their plans, ⁴⁹ 

because they have the power to do so.

2:2 They confiscate the fields they desire,

and seize the houses they want. ⁵⁰ 

They defraud people of their homes, ⁵¹ 

and deprive people of the land they have inherited. ⁵² 

2:3 Therefore the Lord says this: “Look, I am devising disaster for this nation! ⁵³ 

It will be like a yoke from which you cannot free your neck. ⁵⁴ 

You will no longer ⁵⁵  walk proudly,

for it will be a time of catastrophe.

Mikha 3:10-12

3:10 You ⁵⁶  build Zion through bloody crimes, ⁵⁷ 

Jerusalem ⁵⁸  through unjust violence.

3:11 Her ⁵⁹  leaders take bribes when they decide legal cases, ⁶⁰ 

her priests proclaim rulings for profit,

and her prophets read omens for pay.

Yet they claim to trust ⁶¹  the Lord and say,

“The Lord is among us. ⁶² 

Disaster will not overtake ⁶³  us!”

3:12 Therefore, because of you, ⁶⁴  Zion will be plowed up like ⁶⁵  a field,

Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,

and the Temple Mount ⁶⁶  will become a hill overgrown with brush! ⁶⁷ 

Habakuk 2:9

2:9 The one who builds his house by unjust gain is as good as dead. ⁶⁸ 

He does this so he can build his nest way up high

and escape the clutches of disaster. ⁶⁹ 

Kisah Para Rasul 8:19-20

8:19 saying, “Give me this power ⁷⁰  too, so that everyone I place my hands on may receive the Holy Spirit.” 8:20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, ⁷¹  because you thought you could acquire ⁷²  God’s gift with money!

Kisah Para Rasul 8:1

8:1 And Saul agreed completely with killing ⁷³  him.

Saul Begins to Persecute the Church

Now on that day a great ⁷⁴  persecution began ⁷⁵  against the church in Jerusalem, ⁷⁶  and all ⁷⁷  except the apostles were forced to scatter throughout the regions ⁷⁸  of Judea and Samaria.

Titus 3:3

3:3 For we too were once foolish, disobedient, misled, enslaved to various passions and desires, spending our lives in evil and envy, hateful and hating one another.

Titus 1:9-10

1:9 He must hold firmly to the faithful message as it has been taught, ⁷⁹  so that he will be able to give exhortation in such healthy teaching ⁸⁰  and correct those who speak against it.

1:10 For there are many ⁸¹  rebellious people, idle talkers, and deceivers, especially those with Jewish connections, ⁸² 

Yakobus 5:1-4

Warning to the Rich

5:1 Come now, you rich! Weep and cry aloud ⁸³  over the miseries that are coming on you. 5:2 Your riches have rotted and your clothing has become moth-eaten. 5:3 Your gold and silver have rusted and their rust will be a witness against you. It will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have hoarded treasure! ⁸⁴  5:4 Look, the pay you have held back from the workers who mowed your fields cries out against you, and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.

Yakobus 5:2

5:2 Your riches have rotted and your clothing has become moth-eaten.

Pengkhotbah 2:3

2:3 I thought deeply ⁸⁵  about the effects of ⁸⁶  indulging ⁸⁷  myself ⁸⁸  with wine

(all the while ⁸⁹  my mind was guiding me ⁹⁰  with wisdom) ⁹¹ 

and the effects of ⁹²  behaving foolishly, ⁹³ 

so that ⁹⁴  I might discover what is profitable ⁹⁵ 

for people ⁹⁶  to do on earth ⁹⁷  during the few days ⁹⁸  of their lives.

Pengkhotbah 2:14-16

2:14 The wise man can see where he is going, ⁹⁹  but the fool walks in darkness.

Yet I also realized that the same fate ¹⁰⁰  happens to them both. ¹⁰¹ 

2:15 So I thought to myself, “The fate of the fool will happen even to me! ¹⁰² 

Then what did I gain by becoming so excessively ¹⁰³  wise?” ¹⁰⁴ 

So I lamented to myself, ¹⁰⁵ 

“The benefits of wisdom ¹⁰⁶  are ultimately ¹⁰⁷  meaningless!”

2:16 For the wise man, like ¹⁰⁸  the fool, will not be remembered for very long, ¹⁰⁹ 

because ¹¹⁰  in the days to come, both will already have been forgotten. ¹¹¹ 

Alas, ¹¹²  the wise man dies – just like ¹¹³  the fool!

[15:27]  ¹ tn Heb “the one who gains.” The phrase בּוֹצֵעַ בָּצַע (botseakh batsa’) is a participle followed by its cognate accusative. This refers to a person who is always making the big deal, getting the larger cut, or in a hurry to get rich. The verb, though, makes it clear that the gaining of a profit is by violence and usually unjust, since the root has the idea of “cut off; break off; gain by violence.” The line is contrasted with hating bribes, and so the gain in this line may be through bribery.

[15:27]  ² sn The participle “troubles” (עֹכֵר, ’okher) can have the connotation of making things difficult for the family, or completely ruining the family (cf. NAB). In Josh 7:1 Achan took some of the “banned things” and was put to death: Because he “troubled Israel,” the Lord would “trouble” him (take his life, Josh 7:25).

[15:27]  ³ tn Heb “his house.”

[15:27]  ⁴ tn Heb “gifts” (so KJV). Gifts can be harmless enough, but in a setting like this the idea is that the “gift” is in exchange for some “profit [or, gain].” Therefore they are bribes (cf. ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT), and to be hated or rejected. Abram, for example, would not take anything that the king of Sodom had to offer, “lest [he] say, “I have made Abram rich” (Gen 14:22-24).

[23:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “his”; the referent (the ruler mentioned in v. 1) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:3]  ⁶ sn The final line gives the causal clause: The impressive feast is not what it appears to be; the king is not doing you a favor, but rather wants something from you or is observing you (K&D 17:104); cf. TEV “he may be trying to trick you.”

[23:3]  ⁷ sn Verses 1-3 form the sixth saying about being cautious before rulers (cf. Instruction of Amememope, chap. 23, 23:13-18). One should not get too familiar with rulers, for they always have ulterior motives. The Mishnah cites Gamaliel as warning that a ruler only draws someone into his court for his purpose, but in their day of trouble he will not be there to help them (m. Abot 2:3).

[23:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “from your understanding cease.” In the context this means that the person should have enough understanding to stop wearing himself out trying to be rich (cf. NRSV “be wise enough to desist”).

[23:2]  ⁹ sn The expression “put a knife to your throat” is an idiom that means “curb your appetite” or “control yourself” (cf. TEV). The instruction was from a time when people dealt with all-powerful tyrants. To enter the presence of such a person and indulge one’s appetites would be to take a very high risk.

[23:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “lord of appetite.” The idiom בַּעַל נֶפֶשׁ (ba’al nefesh) refers to someone who possesses a large appetite (cf. NAB “a ravenous appetite”). A person with a big appetite is in danger of taking liberties when invited to court.

[18:13]  ¹¹ tn Heb “him”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:13]  ¹² tn Heb “an officer of a thousand.”

[18:13]  ¹³ tn Heb “and he went out and came in before the people.” See v. 16.

[18:2]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “him”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:20]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[5:20]  ¹⁶ tn Or “speak.”

[5:21]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “the temple.” See the note on the same phrase in the preceding verse.

[5:21]  ¹⁸ tn The imperfect verb ἐδίδασκον (edidaskon) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[5:21]  ¹⁹ tn Or “the council” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[5:21]  ²⁰ tn A hendiadys (two different terms referring to a single thing) is likely here (a reference to a single legislative body rather than two separate ones) because the term γερουσίαν (gerousian) is used in both 1 Macc 12:6 and Josephus, Ant. 13.5.8 (13.166) to refer to the Sanhedrin.

[5:21]  ²¹ tn Grk “sons of Israel.”

[5:21]  ²² tn Grk “have them”; the referent (the apostles) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:21]  ²³ tn The words “before them” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

[5:22]  ²⁴ tn The Greek term ὑπηρέτης (Juphreth") generally means “servant,” but in the NT is used for many different types of servants, like attendants to a king, the officers of the Sanhedrin (as here), assistants to magistrates, and (especially in the Gospel of John) Jewish guards in the Jerusalem temple (see L&N 35.20).

[5:22]  ²⁵ tn The words “for them” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

[5:22]  ²⁶ tn Grk “reported, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[5:23]  ²⁷ tn The word “them” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[5:24]  ²⁸ tn Or “captain.”

[5:24]  ²⁹ tn Grk “the official of the temple,” a title for the commander of the Jewish soldiers guarding the temple (thus the translation, “the commander of the temple guard”). See L&N 37.91.

[5:24]  ³⁰ tn Grk “heard these words.”

[5:24]  ³¹ tn Grk “concerning them,” agreeing with the plural antecedent “these words.” Since the phrase “these words” was translated as the singular “this report,” the singular “concerning it” is used here.

[5:24]  ³² tn The optative verb here expresses confused uncertainty.

[5:25]  ³³ tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[5:25]  ³⁴ sn Obeying God (see v. 29), the apostles were teaching again (4:18-20; 5:20). They did so despite the risk.

[5:26]  ³⁵ tn Or “captain.”

[5:26]  ³⁶ tn Grk “the official [of the temple],” a title for the commander of the Jewish soldiers guarding the temple (thus the translation, “the commander of the temple guard”). See L&N 37.91.

[5:26]  ³⁷ tn The Greek term ὑπηρέτης (Juphreth") generally means “servant,” but in the NT is used for many different types of servants. See the note on the word “officers” in v. 22.

[5:26]  ³⁸ tn Grk “brought them”; the referent (the apostles) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:26]  ³⁹ tn Or “without violence.” It is clear, as well, that the apostles did not resist arrest.

[5:26]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “for they feared lest they be stoned by the people.” The translation uses a less awkward English equivalent. This is an explanatory note by the author.

[5:27]  ⁴¹ tn Or “the Sanhedrin” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[5:27]  ⁴² tn Or “interrogated,” “asked.”

[22:17]  ⁴³ tn Heb “Your eyes and your heart do not exist except for dishonest gain and for innocent blood to shed [it] and for fraud and for oppression to do [them].” The sentence has been broken up to conform more to English style and the significance of “eyes” and “heart” explained before they are introduced into the translation.

[22:18]  ⁴⁴ sn This is the regular way of introducing the announcement of judgment after an indictment of crimes. See, e.g., Isa 5:13, 14; Jer 23:2.

[22:18]  ⁴⁵ tn The translation follows the majority of scholars who think that the address of brother and sister are the address of the mourners to one another, lamenting their loss. Some scholars feel that all four terms are parallel and represent the relation that the king had metaphorically to his subjects; i.e., he was not only Lord and Majesty to them but like a sister or a brother. In that case something like: “How sad it is for the one who was like a brother to us! How sad it is for the one who was like a sister to us.” This makes for poor poetry and is not very likely. The lover can call his bride sister in Song of Solomon (Song 4:9, 10) but there are no documented examples of a subject ever speaking of a king in this way in Israel or the ancient Near East.

[22:19]  ⁴⁶ sn A similar judgment against this ungodly king is pronounced by Jeremiah in 36:30. According to 2 Chr 36:6 he was bound over to be taken captive to Babylon but apparently died before he got there. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, Nebuchadnezzar ordered his body thrown outside the wall in fulfillment of this judgment. The Bible itself, however, does not tell us that.

[22:19]  map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[2:1]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “Woe to those who plan sin.” The Hebrew term הוֹי (hoy, “woe”; “ah”) was a cry used in mourning the dead.

[2:1]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “those who do evil upon their beds.”

[2:1]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “at the light of morning they do it.”

[2:2]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “they desire fields and rob [them], and houses and take [them] away.”

[2:2]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “and they oppress a man and his home.”

[2:2]  ⁵² tn Heb “and a man and his inheritance.” The verb עָשַׁק (’ashaq, “to oppress”; “to wrong”) does double duty in the parallel structure and is understood by ellipsis in the second line.

[2:3]  ⁵³ tn Heb “clan” or “extended family.”

[2:3]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “from which you will not remove your neck.” The words “It will be like a yoke” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[2:3]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “you will not.”

[3:10]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “who.”

[3:10]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “bloodshed” (so NAB, NASB, NIV); NLT “murder.”

[3:10]  ⁵⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:11]  ⁵⁹ sn The pronoun Her refers to Jerusalem (note the previous line).

[3:11]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “judge for a bribe.”

[3:11]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “they lean upon” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV); NAB “rely on.”

[3:11]  ⁶² tn Heb “Is not the Lord in our midst?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course he is!”

[3:11]  ⁶³ tn Or “come upon” (so many English versions); NCV “happen to us”; CEV “come to us.”

[3:12]  ⁶⁴ tn The plural pronoun refers to the leaders, priests, and prophets mentioned in the preceding verse.

[3:12]  ⁶⁵ tn Or “into” (an adverbial accusative of result).

[3:12]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “the mountain of the house” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV).

[3:12]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “a high place of overgrowth.”

[2:9]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “Woe [to] the one who profits unjustly by evil unjust gain for his house.” On the term הוֹי (hoy) see the note on the word “dead” in v. 6.

[2:9]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “to place his nest in the heights in order to escape from the hand of disaster.”

[2:9]  sn Here the Babylonians are compared to a bird, perhaps an eagle, that builds its nest in an inaccessible high place where predators cannot reach it.

[8:19]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “ability”; Grk “authority.”

[8:20]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “May your silver together with you be sent into destruction.” This is a strong curse. The gifts of God are sovereignly bestowed and cannot be purchased.

[8:20]  ⁷² tn Or “obtain.”

[8:1]  ⁷³ tn The term ἀναίρεσις (anairesi") can refer to murder (BDAG 64 s.v.; 2 Macc 5:13; Josephus, Ant. 5.2.12 [5.165]).

[8:1]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “severe.”

[8:1]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “Now there happened on that day a great persecution.” It is less awkward to say in English “Now on that day a great persecution began.”

[8:1]  ⁷⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[8:1]  ⁷⁷ sn All. Given that the Jerusalem church is still active after this and that the Hellenists are the focus of Acts 6-8, it is possible to argue that only the Hellenistic Christians were forced to scatter.

[8:1]  ⁷⁸ tn Or “countryside.”

[1:9]  ⁷⁹ tn Grk “the faithful message in accordance with the teaching” (referring to apostolic teaching).

[1:9]  ⁸⁰ tn Grk “the healthy teaching” (referring to what was just mentioned).

[1:10]  ⁸¹ tc ‡ The earliest and best mss lack καί (kai) after πολλοί (polloi; so א A C P 088 81 104 365 614 629 630 al sy co), though the conjunction is found in several significant witnesses, chiefly of the Western and Byzantine texts (D F G I Ψ 33 1739 1881 Ï lat). Although it is possible that some scribes omitted the word, thinking it was superfluous, it is also possible that others added the conjunction for clarification. Judging by the pedigree of the witnesses and the inconclusiveness of the internal evidence, the shorter reading is considered to be most likely original. NA²⁷ puts the conjunction in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.

[1:10]  ⁸² tn Grk “those of the circumcision.” Some translations take this to refer to Jewish converts to Christianity (cf. NAB “Jewish Christians”; TEV “converts from Judaism”; CEV “Jewish followers”) while others are less clear (cf. NLT “those who insist on circumcision for salvation”).

[5:1]  ⁸³ tn Or “wail”; Grk “crying aloud.”

[5:3]  ⁸⁴ tn Or “hoarded up treasure for the last days”; Grk “in the last days.”

[2:3]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “In my heart I explored.” The verb תּוּר (tur, “to seek out, to spy out, to explore”) is used in the OT to describe: (1) the physical activity of “spying out” or “exploring” geographical locations (Num 13:2, 16, 17, 21, 25, 32; 14:6, 7, 34, 36, 38; Job 39:8) and (2) the mental activity of “exploring” or “examining” a course of action or the effects of an action (Eccl 1:13; 2:3; 7:25; 9:1). See BDB 1064 s.v. תּוּר 2; HALOT 1708 s.v. תּוּר. It was used as a synonym with דָרָשׁ (darash, “to study”) in 1:13: “I devoted myself to study (לִדְרוֹשׁ, lidrosh) and to explore (לָתוּר, latur).”

[2:3]  sn As the repetition of the term לֵב (lev, “heart” or “mind”) indicates (2:1, 3), this experiment appears to have been only an intellectual exercise or a cognitive reflection: “I said to myself (Heb “in my heart [or “mind”],” 2:1); “I explored with my mind (Heb “heart,” 2:3a); and “my mind (Heb “heart”) guiding me with wisdom” (2:3b). Qoheleth himself did not indulge in drunkenness; but he contemplated the value of self-indulgence in his mind.

[2:3]  ⁸⁶ tn The phrase “the effects of” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[2:3]  ⁸⁷ tn Or “I sought to cheer my flesh with wine.” The term לִמְשׁוֹךְ (limshokh, Qal infinitive construct from מָשַׁךְ, mashakh, “to draw, pull”) functions in a complementary sense with the preceding verb תּוּר (tur “to examine”): Heb “I sought to draw out my flesh with wine” or “I [mentally] explored [the effects] of drawing out my flesh with wine.” The verb מָשַׁךְ means “to draw, to drag along, to lead” (BDB 604 s.v. מָשַׁךְ) or “to draw out; to stretch out [to full length]; to drag; to pull; to seize; to carry off; to pull; to go” (HALOT 645–46 s.v. משׁך). BDB suggests that this use be nuanced “to draw, to attract, to gratify” the flesh, that is, “to cheer” (BDB 604 s.v. מָשַׁךְ 7). While this meaning is not attested elsewhere in the OT, it is found in Mishnaic Hebrew: “to attract” (Qal), e.g., “it is different with heresy, because it attracts [i.e., persuades, offers inducements]” (b. Avodah Zarah 27b) and “to be attracted, carried away, seduced,” e.g., “he was drawn after them, he indulged in the luxuries of the palace” (b. Shabbat 147b). See Jastrow 853-54 s.v. מְשַׂךְ. Here it denotes “to stretch; to draw out [to full length],” that is, “to revive; to restore” the body (HALOT 646 s.v. משׁד [sic] 3). The statement is a metonymy of cause (i.e., indulging the flesh with wine) for effect (i.e., the effects of self-indulgence).

[2:3]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “my flesh.” The term בְּשָׂרִי (bÿsari, “my flesh”) may function as a synecdoche of part (i.e., flesh) for the whole (i.e., whole person). See E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 642. One could translate, “I sought to cheer myself.”

[2:3]  ⁸⁹ tn The phrase “all the while” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[2:3]  ⁹⁰ tn The word “me” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[2:3]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “and my heart was leading along in wisdom.” The vav + noun, וְלִבִּי (vÿlibbi) introduces a disjunctive, parenthetical clause designed to qualify the speaker’s remarks lest he be misunderstood: “Now my heart/mind….” He emphasizes that he never lost control of his senses in this process. It was a purely mental, cognitive endeavor; he never actually gave himself over to wanton self-indulgence in wine or folly.

[2:3]  ⁹² tn The phrase “the effects of” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[2:3]  ⁹³ tn Heb “embracing folly.” The verb אָחָז (’akhaz, “to embrace”) is normally used to describe the physical action of taking hold of an object. Here is it is used metaphorically to describe a person’s choice of lifestyle, that is, adopting a particular course of moral conduct (e.g., Job 17:9); see HALOT 31–32 s.v. אחז; BDB 28 s.v. אָחַז.

[2:3]  ⁹⁴ tn Or “until.” The construction עַד אֲשֶׁר (’ad ’asher, “until”) introduces a temporal result clause (e.g., Gen 27:44; 28:15; Num 21:35; Isa 6:11); see HALOT 787 s.v. III עַד B.b. With an imperfect verb (such as אֶרְאֶה, ’er’eh, Qal imperfect first common singular from רָאָה, ra’ah, “to see”), the compound construction עַד אֲשֶׁר usually refers to future time (Gen 27:44; 29:8; Exod 23:30; 24:14; Lev 22:4; Num 11:20; 20:17; 1 Sam 22:3; Hos 5:15), but it also rarely refers to past time (Jonah 4:5; Eccl 2:3); see BDB 725 s.v. III עַד II.1.a.b. Joüon 2:370 §113.k notes that when the compound construction עַד אֲשֶׁר is occasionally used with an imperfect depicting past action to denote a virtual nuance of purpose: “until” = “so that,” e.g., Jonah 4:5; Eccl 2:3.

[2:3]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “I might see where is the good?” The interrogative particle אֵי (’e, “where?”) used with the demonstrative pronoun זֶה (zeh, “this”) forms an idiom: “where [then]?” (HALOT 37–38 s.v. אֵי 2.a; see, e.g., 1 Sam 9:18; 1 Kgs 13:12; 2 Kgs 3:8; Isa 50:1; 66:1; Jer 6:16; Job 28:12, 20; 38:19, 24; Esth 7:5). The phrase אֵי־זֶה טוֹב (’e-zeh tov) is an indirect question that literally means, “Where is the good?” that is, “what good?” (HALOT 38 s.v. אֵי 2.d).

[2:3]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “the sons of man.”

[2:3]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “under the heavens.”

[2:3]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “number of the days.” The Hebrew noun מִסְפַּר (mispar, “number, quantity”) sometimes means “few” (e.g., Gen 34:30; Num 9:20; Deut 4:27; 33:6; Isa 10:19; Jer 44:28; Ezek 12:16; Ps 105:12; Job 16:22; 1 Chr 16:19); see HALOT 607 s.v. מִסְפָּר 2.b; BDB 709 s.v. מִסְפָּר 1.a. This phrase is an idiom that means, “during all their lives” (BDB 709 s.v.), “during their total [short] time of life,” that is, “as long as they live” (HALOT 608 s.v. מִסְפָּר 3.d). Ecclesiastes often emphasizes the brevity of life (e.g., 5:17; 6:12; 9:9). The LXX rendered מִסְפַּר in a woodenly literal sense: ἀριθμόν (ariqmon, “the number [of days of their lives]”). Several English translations adopt a similar approach: “all the days of their life” (ASV, Douay) and “the number of days of their lives” (YLT). However, this idiom is handled well by a number of English translations: “during the few days of their lives” (RSV, NRSV, NASB, NIV, Moffatt, NJPS), “during the limited days of their life” (NAB), and “throughout the brief span of their lives” (NEB).

[2:14]  ⁹⁹ 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]  ¹⁰⁰ sn The common fate to which Qoheleth refers is death.

[2:14]  ¹⁰¹ 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).

[2:15]  ¹⁰² tn The emphatic use of the 1st person common singular personal pronoun אֲנִי (’ani, “me”) with the emphatic particle of association גַּם (gam, “even, as well as”; HALOT 195–96 s.v. גַּם) appears to emphasize the 1st person common singular suffix on יִקְרֵנִי (yiqreni) “it will befall [or “happen to”] me” (Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular + 1st person common singular suffix from קָרָה, qarah, “to befall; to happen to”); see GKC 438 §135.e. Qoheleth laments not that the fate of the wise man is the same as that of the fool, but that even he himself – the wisest man of all – would fare no better in the end than the most foolish.

[2:15]  ¹⁰³ tn The adjective יוֹתֵר (yoter) means “too much; excessive,” e.g., 7:16 “excessively righteous” (HALOT 404 s.v. יוֹתֵר 2; BDB 452 s.v. יוֹתֵר). It is derived from the root יֶתֶר (yeter, “what is left over”); see HALOT 452 s.v. I יֶתֶר. It is related to the verbal root יתר (Niphal “to be left over”; Hiphil “to have left over”); see HALOT 451–52 s.v. I יתר. The adjective is related to יִתְרוֹן (yitron, “advantage; profit”) which is a key-term in this section, creating a word-play: The wise man has a relative “advantage” (יִתְרוֹן) over the fool (2:13-14a); however, there is no ultimate advantage because both share the same fate, i.e., death (2:14b-15a). Thus, Qoheleth’s acquisition of tremendous wisdom (1:16; 2:9) was “excessive” because it exceeded its relative advantage over folly: it could not deliver him from the same fate as the fool. He had striven to obtain wisdom, yet it held no ultimate advantage.

[2:15]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “And why was I wise (to) excess?” The rhetorical question is an example of negative affirmation, expecting a negative answer: “I gained nothing!” (E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 949).

[2:15]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “So I said in my heart.”

[2:15]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “and also this,” referring to the relative advantage of wisdom over folly.

[2:15]  ¹⁰⁷ tn The word “ultimately” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[2:16]  ¹⁰⁸ tn The preposition עִם (’im, “with”) may occasionally function in a comparative sense, meaning “together with; even as; like” (e.g., Eccl 1:11; 2:16; 7:11; Job 9:26; 1 Chr 14:10: 20:6; 25:8; see HALOT 839 s.v. עִם 2). When used to describe a common lot, it connotes “together with” (Gen 18:23, 25; 1 Chr 24:5; Job 3:14, 15; 30:1; Pss 26:9; 28:3; 69:29; Isa 38:11), hence “like” (Pss 73:5; 106:6; Eccl 2:16; see BDB 767–68 s.v. עִם 1.e).

[2:16]  ¹⁰⁹ tn As HALOT 798–99 s.v. עוֹלָם and BDB 762-64 s.v. עוֹלָם note, עוֹלָם (’olam) has a wide range of meanings: (1) indefinite time: “long time; duration,” (2) unlimited time: “eternal; eternity,” (3) future time: “things to come,” and (4) past time: “a long time back,” that is, the dark age of prehistory. The context here suggests the nuance “a long time.”

[2:16]  ¹¹⁰ tn The preposition בְּ (bet) on בְּשֶׁכְּבָר (bÿshekkÿvar, the adverb כְּבָר [kÿvar,“already”] + relative pronoun שֶׁ [she] + preposition בְּ) is probably best classified as causal: “Because…already.”

[2:16]  ¹¹¹ tn The verb נִשְׁכָּח (nishkakh) is a future perfect – it describes an event that is portrayed as a past event from the perspective of the future: “they will have been forgotten.” The emphasis of the past perfect is not simply that the future generations will begin to forget him, but that he will already have been forgotten long ago in the past by the time of those future generations. This past perfect situation is brought out by the emphatic use of the temporal adverb כְּבָר (kÿvar) “already” (HALOT 459 s.v. I כְּבָר; BDB 460 s.v. I כְּבָר); see, e.g., Eccl 1:10; 2:12, 16; 3:15; 4:2; 6:10; 9:6-7.

[2:16]  ¹¹² tn The particle אֵיךְ (’ekh, “Alas!”) is an exclamation of lamentation and mourning (e.g., 2 Sam 1:19; Isa 14:4, 12; Jer 2:21; 9:18; Ezek 26:17; Mic 2:4); see HALOT 39 s.v. אֵיךְ 5; BDB 32 s.v. אֵיךְ 2; also E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 955.

[2:16]  ¹¹³ tn The preposition עִם (’im, “with”) may occasionally function in a comparative sense, meaning “together with; even as; like” (e.g., Eccl 1:11; 2:16; 7:11; Job 9:26; 1 Chr 14:10: 20:6; 25:8); see HALOT 839 s.v. עִם 2. When used to describe a common lot, it connotes “together with” (Gen 18:23, 25; 1 Chr 24:5; Job 3:14, 15; 30:1; Ps 26:9; 28:3; 69:29; Isa 38:11), hence “like” (Pss 73:5; 106:6; Eccl 2:16); see BDB 767–68 s.v. עִם 1.e.