Ecclesiastes 7:1-29

Ecclesiastes 7:1-Song of Solomon : . Proverbs and Reflections.— After asking, “ What is good for man in life?” ( Ecclesiastes 6:12), Qoheleth gives us advice as to what a man may do by way of mitigating his worries. First of all it is advisable for him to cultivate seriousness rather than levity ( Ecclesiastes 7:1-Judges :). The curious remark that “ a (good) name is better than precious ointment” ( cf. Ca. Ecclesiastes 1:3 *) is in the Heb. a play on the words shem and shemen; ointment is highly esteemed in the East.

Ecclesiastes 7:1 b reminds us of the Thracian tribe mentioned by Herodotus ( Ecclesiastes 7:4) who at the birth of a child bewailed its entry on life’ s trials, and celebrated death as a joyful release ( cf. also Ecclesiastes 6:4-Joshua :).

Ecclesiastes 7:2 . Jewish mournings lasted a week or even a month, and would teach the visitor to number his days and get a heart of wisdom ( Psalms 90:12).

Ecclesiastes 7:3 . the heart is made glad: better, “ it is well with the heart,” “ to suffer is to learn,” “ pain is gain.”

Ecclesiastes 7:4 . Like draws to like.

Ecclesiastes 7:5 . the rebuke of the wise ( cf. Proverbs 13:1) . . . songs of fools: licentious and vulgar tavern songs ( cf. Amos 6:5, Ephesians 5:4).— In Ecclesiastes 7:6 there is another play on words ( sirim = thorns, sir = pot) , which we may reproduce in English by nettles and kettles, or stubble and bubble. Thorns as fuel produce more noise than heat. The words “ this also is vanity” may be omitted as a gloss.

Ecclesiastes 7:7 . Surely is an attempt to get over the real meaning of the Heb. word, which means “ for.” To give sense we must suppose that some sentence like that in Proverbs 16:8 has dropped out, or perhaps the whole verse is an insertion. The despotic use of power (“ extortion” ) unbalances even a wise man, and bribes ruin the moral nature.

Ecclesiastes 7:8 . thing perhaps = “ word” ( cf. Ecclesiastes 6:11); the verse is then a caution against uncontrolled speech as Ecclesiastes 7:9 is a caution against its source, hasty anger.

Ecclesiastes 7:10 . The aged and the pessimist are alike unwisely prone to praise the “ good old times” at the expense of the present and the future.

Ecclesiastes 7:11 f. is a gloss; mg. is preferable. It is good to have wisdom if one has nothing else, but if one has something else so much the better; “ them that see the sun” means the living. Wisdom has this advantage over money, that it is not only a defence (lit. “ shade” ) but a quickener and stimulus of life.

Ecclesiastes 7:13 connects with Ecclesiastes 7:10.— With Ecclesiastes 7:13 b cf. Ecclesiastes 1:15.

Ecclesiastes 7:14 . God has so balanced and mingled prosperity and adversity that man cannot foretell the future. Plumptre quotes a striking parallel to Ecclesiastes 7:13 f. from the Stoic hymn of Cleanthes to Zeus ( Ecclesiastes 7:18):

Ecclesiastes 7:15 controverts the old idea that righteousness and wickedness mean respectively a long and short life.

Ecclesiastes 7:16 is aimed at the extreme pietism of the Hasidim ( Psalms 4:3 *), the early Pharisees whose strict legalism was a menace to the tranquillity of the nation ( 2Ma_14:6 ); like an excess of “ wisdom” it meant self-inflation and collapse. Yet there is greater danger in extreme wickedness and folly ( Ecclesiastes 7:17); debauchery means death. Lay firm hold of both these cautions, medio tutissimus ibis; he that fears God “ shall be quit in regard to both” (Barton). Both Ecclesiastes 7:18 b and Ecclesiastes 7:19 seem to have been inserted by later and different hands.— ten rulers reminds us of the Athenian archons (and the Venetian Council of Ten), but is simply a round number. The usual number of elders who act as a council in an Oriental village is five. Wisdom is the individual’ s borough or city council.

Ecclesiastes 7:20 . Cf. 1 Kings 8:46; for “ surely” read “ because,” and so connect with Ecclesiastes 7:21. There is so much folly spoken that it is waste of time to listen to every conversation; besides, listeners hear no good of themselves ( Ecclesiastes 7:21 f.).