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Ecclesiastes
Chapter One
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO ECCLESIASTES 1
After
the title of the book
which describes the author of it
by his office
as a
preacher; by his descent
as the son of David; and by his dignity
king in
Jerusalem
Ecclesiastes 1:1;
the principal doctrine insisted on in it is laid down
that the world
and all
things in it
are most vain things
Ecclesiastes 1:2.
Which is proved in general
by the unprofitableness of all labour to attain
them
be they what they will
wisdom
knowledge
riches
honours
and
pleasures
Ecclesiastes 1:3;
by the short continuance of men on earth
though that abides
Ecclesiastes 1:4;
by the constant revolution
going and returning
of the most useful creatures
the sun
winds
and water
Ecclesiastes 1:5;
by the unfruitful and unsatisfactory labour all things are full of
Ecclesiastes 1:8;
by the continual repetition of the same things
and the oblivion of them
Ecclesiastes 1:9;
and by Solomon's own experience in one particular thing; his search after
and
acquisition of
knowledge and wisdom
which he attained a large share of; and
which he found attended with labour
difficulty
and little satisfaction; nay
was vanity and vexation of spirit; for
as his knowledge increased
so did his
grief and sorrow
Ecclesiastes 1:12.
Ecclesiastes 1:1 The
words of the Preacher
the son of David
king in Jerusalem.
YLT 1Words of a preacher
son of
David
king in Jerusalem:
The words of the preacher
.... Or the preacher's
sermon. The whole book is one continued discourse
and an excellent one it is;
consisting not of mere words
but of solid matter; of things of the greatest
importance
clothed with words apt and acceptable
which the preacher sought
out
Ecclesiastes 12:10.
The Targum is
"the
words of the prophecy
which the preacher
who is Solomon
prophesied.'
According
to which this book is prophetic; and so it interprets it
and owns it to be
Solomon's. The word "Koheleth"
rendered "preacher"
is by
some taken to be a proper name of Solomon; who
besides the name of Solomon
his parents gave him
and Jedidiah
as the Lord called him
had the name of
Koheleth; nay
the Jews sayF9Shirhashirim Rabba
fol. 2. 3. Midrash
Kohelet
fol. 60. 3.
he had seven names
and to these three add four more
Agur
Jake
Ithiel
and Lemuel; the word by many is left untranslatedF11קהלת "Koheleth"
Broughton
Pagninus
Montanus
Cocceius. Rambachius. ; but it seems rather to be an appellative
and is by
some rendered "gathered"
or the "soul gathered"F12 η ψυχη η επισυναγομενη
"anima congregata"
Cocceius
. Solomon had apostatized from the
church and people of God
and had followed idols; but now was brought back by
repentance
and was gathered into the fold
from whence he had strayed as a
lost sheep; and therefore chooses to call himself by this name
when he
preached his recantation sermon
as this book may be said to be. Others rather
render it
"the gatherer"F13"Collector"
Arabic
version; "congregator
q. d. sapientia congregatrix"
Amama
Rambachius; "the gathering soul
either recollecting itself
or by
admonitions gathering others"
Lightfoot
vol. 2. p. 76. ; and was so
called
as the Jewish writers sayF14Shirhashirim Rabba
fol. 2. 3.
& Jarchi
Aben Ezra
& Baruch in loc. Pesikta Rabbati apud Yalkut
ut
supra. (in Kohelet
l. 1.)
either because he gathered and got much wisdom
as
it is certain he did; or because he gathered much people from all parts
to
hear his wisdom
1 Kings 4:34; in
which he was a type of Christ
Genesis 49:10; or
this discourse of his was delivered in a large congregation
got together for
that purpose; as he gathered and assembled together the heads and chief of the
people
at the dedication of the temple
1 Kings 8:1; so he
might call them together to hear the retraction he made of his sins and errors
and repentance for them: and this might justly entitle him to the character of
a "preacher"
as we render it
an office of great honour
as well as
of great importance to the souls of men; which Solomon
though a king
did not
disdain to appear in; as David his father before him
and Noah before him
the
father
king
and governor of the new world
Psalm 34:11. The
word used is in the feminine gender
as ministers of the Gospel are sometimes
expressed by a word of the like kind; and are called maidens
Psalm 68:11; to
denote their virgin purity
and uncorruptness in doctrine and conversation: and
here some respect may be had to Wisdom
or Christ
frequently spoken of by
Solomon
as a woman
and who now spoke by him; which is a much better reason
for the use of the word than his effeminacy
which his sin or his old age had
brought him to. The word "soul" may be supplied
as by some
and be
rendered
"the preaching soul"F15"Concionatrix
anima"
Vatablus
Piscator. ; since
no doubt
he performed his work as
such with all his heart and soul. He further describes himself by his descent
the son of David; which he mentions either as an honour to
him
that he was the son of so great
so wise
so holy
and good a man; or as
an aggravation of his fall
that being the descendant of such a person
and
having had so religious an education
and so good an example before him
and
yet should sin so foully as he had done; and it might also encourage him
that
he had interest in the sure mercies of David
and in the promises made to him
that when his children sinned
they should be chastised
yet his lovingkindness
and covenant should not depart from them.
King of Jerusalem; not of Jerusalem only
but of all Israel
for as yet no division was made; see Ecclesiastes 1:12.
In Jerusalem
the city of Wisdom
as Jarchi observes
where many wise and good
men dwelt
as well as it was the metropolis of the nation; and
which was more
it was the city where the temple stood
and where the worship of God was
performed
and his priests ministered
and his people served him; and yet he
their king
that should have set them a better example
fell into idolatry!
Ecclesiastes 1:2 2 “Vanity[a] of
vanities
” says the Preacher; “Vanity
of vanities
all is vanity.”
YLT 2Vanity of vanities
said
the Preacher
Vanity of vanities: the whole [is] vanity.
Vanity of vanities
saith the preacher
.... This is
the preacher's text; the theme and subject he after enlarges upon
and proves
by an induction of particulars; it is the sum of the whole book;
vanity of vanities
all is vanity; most
extremely vain
exceedingly so
the height of vanity: this is repeated
both
for the confirmation of it
men being hard of belief of it; and to show how
much the preacher was affected with it himself
and to affect others with the
same. The Targum reads
"vanity of vanities in this world";
which is right as to the sense of the passage; for though the world
and all
things in it
were made by God
and are very good; yet
in comparison of him
are less than nothing
and vanity; and especially as become subject to it
through sin
a curse being brought upon the earth by it; and all the creatures
made for the use of men liable to be abused
and are abused
through luxury
intemperance
and cruelty; and the whole world usurped by Satan
as the god of
it. Nor is there anything in it
and put it all together
that can give satisfaction
and contentment; and all is fickle
fluid
transitory
and vanishing
and in a
short time will come to an end: the riches of the world afford no real
happiness
having no substance in them
and being of no long continuance; nor
can a man procure happiness for himself or others
or avert wrath to come
and
secure from it; and especially these are vanity
when compared with the true
riches
the riches of grace and glory
which are solid
substantial
satisfying
and are for ever: the honours of this world are empty things
last
a very short time; and are nothing in comparison of the honour that comes from
God
and all the saints have
in the enjoyment of grace here
and glory
hereafter: the sinful pleasures of life are imaginary things
short lived ones;
and not to be mentioned with spiritual pleasures
enjoyed in the house of God
under the word and ordinances; and especially with those pleasures
for
evermore
at the right hand of God. Natural wisdom and knowledge
the best
thing in the world; yet much of it is only in opinion; a great deal of it
false; and none saving
and of any worth
in comparison of the knowledge of
Christ
and of God in Christ; all the forms of religion and external
righteousness
where there is not the true fear and grace of God
are all vain
and empty things. Man
the principal creature in the world
is "vain
man"; that is his proper character in nature and religion
destitute of
grace: every than is vain
nay
vanity itself; high and low
rich and poor
learned or unlearned; nay
man at his best estate
as worldly and natural
is
so; as even Adam was in his state of innocence
being fickle and mutable
and
hence he fell
Psalm 39:5; and especially
his fallen posterity
whose bodies are tenements of clay; their beauty vain and
deceitful; their circumstances changeable; their minds empty of all that is
good; their thoughts and imaginations vain; their words
and works
and
actions
and their whole life and conversation; they are not at all to be
trusted in for help
by themselves or others. The Targum is
"when
Solomon
king of Israel
saw
by the spirit of prophecy
that the kingdom of
Rehoboam his son would be divided with Jeroboam
the son of Nebat; and that
Jerusalem
and the house of the sanctuary
would be destroyed
and the people
of the children of Israel would be carried captive; he said
by his word
Vanity of vanities in this world
vanity of vanities; all that I and my father
David have laboured for
all is vanity!'
Ecclesiastes 1:3 3 What profit has a man from
all his labor In
which he toils under the sun?
YLT 3What advantage [is] to man
by all his labour that he laboureth at under the sun?
What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the
sun? This is a general proof of the vanity of all things
since there
is no profit arises to a man of all his labour; for
though it is put by way of
question
it carries in it a strong negative. All things a man enjoys he gets
by labour; for man
through sin
is doomed and born unto it
Job 5:7; he gets
his bread by the sweat of his brow
which is a part of the curse for sin; and
the wealth and riches got by a diligent hand
with a divine blessing
are got
by labour; and so all knowledge of natural and civil things is acquired through
much labour and weariness of the flesh; and these are things a man labours for
"under the sun"
which measures out the time of his labour: when the
sun riseth
man goeth forth to his labour; and
by the light and comfortable
warmth of it
he performs his work with more exactness and cheerfulness; in
some climates
and in some seasons
its heat
especially at noon
makes labour
burdensome
which is called
bearing "the heat and burden of the
day"
Matthew 20:12; and
when it sets
it closes the time of service and labour
and therefore the
servant earnestly desires the evening shadow
Job 7:2. But now
of what profit and advantage is all this labour man takes under the sun
towards
his happiness in the world above the sun? that glory and felicity
which lies
in super celestial places in Christ Jesus? none at all. Or
"what remains
of all his labour?"F16מה יתדון בכל עמלו
"quid habet amplius homo?" V. L. "quid residui?" Vatablus
Piscator
Mercerus
Gejerus
Rambachius; "quantum enim homini reliquum
est
post omnem saum laborem?" Tigurine version. as it may be rendered;
that is
after death: so the Targum
"what
is there remains to a man after he is dead
of all his labour which he laboured
under the sun in this world?'
nothing
at all. He goes naked out of the world as he came into it; he can carry nothing
away with him of all his wealth and substance he has acquired; nor any of his
worldly glory
and grandeur
and titles of honour; these all die with him
his
glory does not descend after him; wherefore it is a clear case that all these
things are vanity of vanities; see Job 1:21. And
indeed
works of righteousness done by men
and trusted in
and by which they
labour to establish a justifying righteousness
are of no profit and advantage
to them in the business of justification and salvation; indeed
when these are
done from right principles
and with right views
the labour in them shall not
be in vain; God will not forget it; it shall have a reward of grace
though not
of debt.
Ecclesiastes 1:4 4 One
generation passes away
and another generation comes; But the earth abides
forever.
YLT 4A generation is going
and
a generation is coming
and the earth to the age is standing.
One generation passeth away
and another generation cometh
.... This shows that a
man can have no profit of all his labour under the sun
because of his short
continuance; as soon almost as he has got anything by his labour
he must leave
it: not only particular persons
but families
nations
and kingdoms; even all
the inhabitants of the world
that are contemporaries
live together in the
same age
in a certain period of time; these gradually go off by death
till
the whole generation is consumed
as the generation of the Israelites in the
wilderness were. Death is meant by passing away; it is a going out of time into
eternity; a departure out of this world to another; a quitting of the earthly
house of this tabernacle for the grave
the house appointed for all living; it
is man's going to his long home: and this is going the way of all the earth; in
a short time a whole race or generation of men go off the stage of the world
and then another succeedsF17"Nihil enim semper floret
aetas
succedit aetati"
Cicero. Orat. Philip. 11. ; they come in by birth; and
men are described from their birth by such as "come into the world";
for which there is a set time
as well as for going out
John 1:9; and these
having been a while in the world
go off to make room for another generation;
and so things have been from the beginning of the world
and will be to the end
of it. HomerF18Iliad. 6. v. 146
&c. So Musaeus apud Clement.
Stromat. l. 6. p 649. "Ut silvae foliis"
&c. Horat. de Arte
Poctica
v. 60. illustrates this by the succession of leaves of trees; as is
the generation of trees
he says
such is that of men; some leaves
the wind
sheds them on the ground; others the budding forest puts forth
and they grow
in their room in the springtime; so is the generation of men; one is born
and
another ceases. Now death puts an end to all a man's enjoyments got by labour
his riches
honour
and natural knowledge; these all cease with him
and
therefore he has no profit of all his labour under the sun;
but the earth abideth for ever; for a long time
until
the dissolution of all things; and then
though that and all in it will be
burnt up
yet it will rather be changed than destroyed; the form of it will be
altered
when the substance of it will continue; it will not be annihilated
but renewed and refined. This is mentioned to show that the earth
which was
made for man
of which he is the inhabitant and proprietor
is more stable than
he himself; he soon passes off from it
but that continues; he returns to the
earth
from whence he came
but that remains as it did; he dies
and leaves the
earth behind him
and all his acquisitions in it; and therefore what profit has
he of all his labours on it? Besides
that remains to have the same things
transacted on it
over and over again
as has been already; God
that made it
for men to dwell in
has determined the times before appointed
and the bounds
of men's habitations in it; he has appointed who shall dwell on it
and where
in successive generations; and till all these men are born and gone off
age
after age
the earth shall continue
and then pass through its last change. The
Targum is
"the
earth stands for ever
to bear the vengeance that is to come upon the world for
the sins of the children of men.'
The
Midrash Tanchuma
as Jarchi observes
interprets it of all the righteous of
Israel
called the earth; and he himself
of the meek that shall inherit the
earth: says R. IsaacF19Apud R. Joseph. Titatzak in loc.
"one
kingdom comes
and another goes
but Israel abideth for ever.'
Ecclesiastes 1:5 5 The sun also rises
and
the sun goes down
And
hastens to the place where it arose.
YLT 5Also
the sun hath risen
and the sun hath gone in
and unto its place panting it is rising there.
The sun also ariseth
and the sun goeth down
and hasteth to his
place where he arose. The sun rises in the morning and sets at evening in our
hemisphere
according to the appearance of things; and then it makes haste to
go round the other hemisphere in the night: it "pants"
as the wordF20שואפ "anhelus"
Montanus
Tigurine version;
"anhelat"
Drusius
Piscator
Cocceius
Amama; "anhelaus
est"
Rambachius; "doth he breathe"
Broughton. signifies; the
same figure is used by other writersF21"Placebits
anhelat"
Claudian. Epigrarm. "Equis oriens afflavit anhelis"
Virgil. Georgic. l. 1. v. 250. Aeneid
l. 5. ; like a man out of breath with
running; so this glorious body
which rejoiceth as a strong man to run his
race
and whose circuit is from one end of the heavens to the other
Psalm 19:5; is in
haste to get to the place where he rose in the morning
and there he makes no
stop
but pursues his course in the same track again. By this instance is
exemplified the succession of the generations of men one after another
as the
rising and setting of the sun continually follows each other; and also sets
forth the restless state of things in the world
which
like the sun
are never
at a stand
but always moving
and swiftly taking their course; and likewise
the changeable state of man
who
like the rising sun
and when at noon day
is
in flourishing circumstances
and in the height of prosperity
but as this
declines and sets
so he has his declining times and days of adversity.
Moreover
like the rising sun
he comes into this world and appears for a
while
and then
like the setting sun
he dies; only with this difference
in
which the sun has the preference to him
as the earth before had; the sun
hastens and comes to its place from whence it arose
but man lies down and
rises not again till the heavens be no more
and never returns to his place in
this world
that knows him no more
Job 7:10. The JewsF23Apud
R. Joseph. Titatzak in loc. Midrash Kohelet in loc. say
before the sun of one
righteous
man sets
the sun of another righteous man rises.
Ecclesiastes 1:6 6 The wind goes toward the
south
And turns
around to the north; The
wind whirls about continually
And
comes again on its circuit.
YLT 6Going unto the south
and
turning round unto the north
turning round
turning round
the wind is going
and by its circuits the wind hath returned.
The wind goeth toward the south
and turneth about unto the north
.... The word
"wind" is not in this clause in the original text
but is taken from
the next
and so may be rendered
"it goeth towards the south"
&c. that is
the sunF24Jarchi
Alshech
and Titatzak
interpret
it of the sun; so Mercerus
Varenius
Gejerus; accordingly Mr. Broughton
renders it "he walketh to the south." before mentioned
which as to
its diurnal and nocturnal course in the daytime goes towards the south
and in
the night towards the north; and as to its annual course before the winter
solstice it goes to the south
and before the summer solstice to the north
as
interpreters observe. And the Targum not only interprets this clause
but even
the whole verse
of the sun
paraphrasing the whole thus
"it
goes all the side of the south in the daytime
and goes round to the side of
the north in the night
by the way of the abyss; it goes its circuit
and comes
to the wind of the south corner in the revolution of Nisan and Tammuz; and by
its circuit it returns to the wind of the north corner in the revolution of
Tisri and Tebet; it goes out of the confines of the east in the morning
and
goes into the confines of the west in the evening.'
But
Aben Ezra understands the whole of the wind
as our version and others do
which is sometimes in the south point of the heavens
and is presently in the
north;
it whirleth about continually; and the wind returneth again
according to his circuits; which may be meant of the circuits of the
sun
which has a great influence on the wind
often raising it in a morning and
laying it at night; but it is the wind itself which whirls and shifts about all
the points of the compass
and returns from whence it came
where the treasures
of it are. Agreeably to Solomon's account of the wind is Plato's definition of
it
"the
wind is the motion of the air round about the earthF25Definition. p.
1337. Ed. Ficin. .'
This
also exemplifies the rotation of men and things
the instability
inconstancy
and restless state of all sublunary enjoyments; the unprofitableness of men's
labours
who
while they labour for riches and honour
and natural knowledge
labour for the wind
and fill their belly with east wind
which cannot satisfy
Ecclesiastes 5:16;
as well as the frailty of human life
which is like the wind that passes away
and comes not again; and in this respect
like the rest of the instances
exceed man
which returns to its place
but man does not
Job 7:7.
Ecclesiastes 1:7 7 All the rivers run into
the sea
Yet
the sea is not full; To
the place from which the rivers come
There they return again.
YLT 7All the streams are going
unto the sea
and the sea is not full; unto a place whither the streams are
going
thither they are turning back to go.
All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full
.... Which
flow from fountains or an formed by hasty rains; these make their way to the
sea
yet the sea is not filled therewith
and made to abound and overflow the
earth
as it might be expected it would. So Seneca saysF26Nat.
Quaest. l. 3. c. 4. we wonder that the accession of rivers is not perceived in
the sea; and LucretiusF1De Rerum Natura
l. 6. observes the same
that it is wondered at that the sea should not increase
when there is such a
flow of waters to it from all quarters; besides the wandering showers and
flying storms that fall into it
and yet scarce increased a drop; which he
accounts for by the exhalations of the sun
by sweeping and drying winds
and
by what the clouds take up. HomerF2Iliad. 21. v. 193
&c. makes
every sea
all the rivers
fountains
and wells
flow
from the main ocean.
Hence PindarF3Olymp. Ode 5. v. 4. calls the lake or fountain
Camarina the daughter of the ocean But VirgilF4"Omnia sub
magna"
&c. Georgic. l. 4. v. 366
&c. makes the rivers to flow
into it
as the wise man here; with which AristotleF5Meterolog. l. 1.
c. 13. agrees. So LactantiusF6De Orig. Error. l. 2. c. 6. says
"mare quod ex fluminibus constat"
the sea consists of rivers. Both
may be true
for
through secret passages under ground
the waters of it are
caused to pass back again to their respective places from whence they flowed
as follows;
unto the place from whence the rivers come
thither they return
again; this also illustrates the succession of men
age after age
and
the revolution of things in the world
their unquiet and unsettled state; and
the unsatisfying nature of all things; as the sea is never full with what comes
into it
so the mind of man is never satisfied with all the riches and honour
he gains
or the knowledge of natural things he acquires; and it suggests that
even water
as fluctuating a body as it is
yet has the advantage of men; that
though it is always flowing and reflowing
yet it returns to its original
place
which man does not. And from all these instances it appears that all
things are vanity
and man has no profit of all his labour under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 1:8 8 All things are full
of labor; Man
cannot express it. The
eye is not satisfied with seeing
Nor the ear filled with hearing.
YLT 8All these things are
wearying; a man is not able to speak
the eye is not satisfied by seeing
nor
filled is the ear from hearing.
All things are full of labour
.... Or
"are laborious"F7יגעים
"laboriosae"
Pagninus
Vatablus
Mercerus
Gejerus
Schmidt. ;
gotten by labour
and attended with fatigue and weariness; riches are got by
labour
and those who load themselves with thick clay
as gold and silver be
weary themselves with it; honour and glory
crowns and kingdoms
are weighty
cares
and very fatiguing to those that have them; much study to acquire
knowledge is a weariness to the flesh; and as men even weary themselves to
commit iniquity
it is no wonder that religious exercises should be a weariness
to a natural man
and a carnal professor;
man cannot utter it; or declare all the
things that are laborious and fatiguing
nor all the labour they are full of;
time would fail
and words be wanting to express the whole; all the vanity
unprofitableness
and unsatisfying nature of all things below the sun; particularly
the eye is not satisfied with seeing
nor the ear filled with
hearing; both one and the other require new objects continually; the
pleasure of these senses is blunted by the same objects constantly presented;
men are always seeking new ones
and when they have got them they want others;
whatever curious thing is to be seen the eye craves it; and
after it has dwelt
on it a while
it grows tired of it
and wants something else to divert it; and
so the ear is delighted with musical sounds
but in time loses the taste of
them
and seeks for others; and in discourse and conversation never easy
unless
like the Athenians
it hears some new things
and which quickly grow
stale
and then wants fresh ones still: and indeed the spiritual eye and ear
will never be satisfied in this life
until the soul comes into the perfect
state of blessedness
and beholds the face of God
and sees him as he is; and
sees and hears what eye hath not seen
nor ear heard below. The Targum is
"all
the words that shall be in the world
the ancient prophets were weary in them
and they could not find out the ends of them; yea
a man has no power to say
what shall be after him; and the eye cannot see all that shall be in the world
and the ear cannot be filled with hearing all the words of all the inhabitants
of the world.'
Ecclesiastes 1:9 9 That which has been is
what will be
That
which is done is what will be done
And there is nothing new under the sun.
YLT 9What [is] that which hath
been? it [is] that which is
and what [is] that which hath been done? it [is]
that which is done
and there is not an entirely new thing under the sun.
The thing that hath been
it is that which shall be
.... The thing
that has been seen and heard is no other than what shall be seen and heard
again; so that what is now seen and heard is only what has been seen and heard
before; it is but the same thing over again; and that is the reason why the eye
and ear are never satisfied; the same objects
as the visible heavens and
earth
and all therein
which have been from the beginning
these are they
which shall be
and there is nothing else to be seen and heard
and enjoyed;
and that which is done
is that which shall be done; what is done
in the present age
nay
in this year
month
or day
shall be done over again
in the next;
and there is no new thing under the sun; which is to
be understood of things natural
as the works of creation
which were finished
from the beginning of the world
and continue as they were ever since
Hebrews 4:3; the
various seasons of day and night
of summer and winter
of spring and autumn
of heat and cold
of seed time and harvest
come in course
as they always did;
these ordinances never fail
Genesis 8:22. The
things before mentioned
the constant succession of men on earth
who are born
into the world and die out of it
just as they always did; the sun rises and
sets at its appointed time
as it did almost six thousand years ago; the winds
whirl about all the points of the compass now as formerly; the rivers have the
same course and recourse
and the sea its ebbing and flowing
they ever had;
the same arts and sciences
trades and manufactures
obtained formerly as now
though in some circumstances there may be an improvement
and in others they
grow worse; see Genesis 4:2
Exodus 31:3; and
even such things as are thought of new invention
it may be only owing to the
ignorance of former times
history failing to give us an account of them; thus
the art of printing
the making of gunpowder
and the use of guns and bombs
and of the lodestone and mariner's compass
were thought to be of no long
standing; and yet
according to the Chinese histories
that people were in
possession of these things hundreds of years before; the circulation of the
blood
supposed to be first found out by a countryman of ours in the last
century
was known by Solomon
and is thought to be designed by him in Ecclesiastes 12:6;
and the like may be observed of other things. The emperor Mark AntonineF6De
Orig. Error. l. 2. c. 6. has the very phrase ουδεν
καινον
"nothing new": so SenecaF7יגעים "laboriosae"
Pagninus
Vatablus
Mercerus
Gejerus
Schmidt.
"nothing
new I see
nothing new I do.'
This
will likewise hold good in moral things; the same vices and virtues are now as
ever
and ever were as they are; men in every age were born in sin
and were
transgressors from the womb; from their infancy corrupt
and in all the stages
of life; there were the same luxury and intemperance
and unnatural lusts
rapine
and violence
in the days of Noah and Lot
as now; in Sodom and Gomorrah
and
in the old world
as in the present age; and there were some few then
as now
that were men of sobriety
honesty
truth
and righteousness. There is nothing
to be excepted but preternatural things
miraculous events
which may be called
new
unheard of
and wonderful ones; such as the earth's opening and swallowing
men alive at once; the standing still of the sun and moon for a considerable
time; the miracles wrought by the prophets of the Old and the apostles of the
New Testament
and especially by Christ; and particularly the incarnation of
Christ
or his birth of a virgin
that new thing made in the earth; these and
such like things are made by the power of
he divine Being
who dwells above
the sun
and is not bound by the laws of nature. Spiritual things may also be
excepted
which are the effects of divine favour
or the produce of efficacious
grace; and yet these things
though in some sense new
are also old; or there have
been the same things for substance in former ages
and from the beginning
as
now; such as the new covenant of grace; the new and living way to God; new
creatures in Christ; a new name; the New Testament
and the doctrines of it;
new ordinances
and the new commandment of love; and yet these
in some sense
are all old things
and indeed are the same in substance: there is nothing new
but what is above the sun
and to be enjoyed in the realms of bliss to all
eternity; and there are some things newF8Vid. R. Alshech in loc.
new wine in Christ's Father's kingdom
new glories
joys
and pleasures
that
will never end.
Ecclesiastes 1:10 10 Is there anything of which
it may be said
“See
this is new”? It
has already been in ancient times before us.
YLT 10There is a thing of which
[one] saith: `See this
it [is] new!' already it hath been in the ages that
were before us!
Is there any thing whereof it may be said
see
this is
new?.... This is an appeal to all men for the truth of the above
observation
and carries in it a strong denial that there is anything new under
the sun; and is an address to men to inquire into the truth of it
and
thoroughly examine it
and see if they can produce any material objection to
it; look into the natural world
and the same natural causes will be seen
producing the same effects; or into the moral world
and there are the same
virtues
and their contrary; or into the political world
and the same schemes
are forming and pursuing
and which issue in the same things
peace or war; or
into the learned world
and the same languages
arts
and sciences
are taught
and learned; and the same things said over againF9"Nullum est
jam dictum
quod non dictum sit prius"
Terent Prolog. Eunuch. v. 41. : or
into the mechanic world
and the same trades and businesses are carrying on: or
the words may be considered as a concession
and carry in them the form of an
objection
"there is a thingF11יש דבר "est quidpiam"
Pagninus
Mercerus
Gejerus;
"est res"
Drusius
Cocceius
Rambachius. whereof it may be
said"
or a man may say
"see
this is new"; so the Targum;
there were some things in Solomon's time it is allowed that might be objected
as there are in ours
to which the answer is
it hath been already of old time which was before us; what things
are reckoned new are not so; they were known and in use in ages past
long
before we had a being. R. Alshech takes the words to be an assertion
and not
an interrogation
and interprets it of a spiritual temple in time to come
which yet was created before the world was.
Ecclesiastes 1:11 11 There is
no remembrance of former things
Nor will there be any
remembrance of things that are to come By those who will come after.
YLT 11There is not a remembrance
of former [generations]; and also of the latter that are
there is no
remembrance of them with those that are at the last.
There is no
remembrance of former things
.... Which is the reason
why some things that are really old are thought to be new; because either the
memories of men fail them
they do not remember the customs and usages which
were in the former part of their own lives
now grown old; or they are ignorant
of what were in ages past
through want of history
or defect in it; either
they have no history at all
or what they have is false; or if true
as there
is very little that is so
it is very deficient; and
among the many things
that have been
very few are transmitted to posterity
so that the memory of
things is lost; therefore who can say with certainty of anything
this is new
and was never known in the world before? and the same for the future will be
the case of present things; see Ecclesiastes 2:16;
neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are
to come with those that shall come after; this will be the case of
things present and future
that they will be buried in oblivion
and lie
unknown to posterity that shall come after the things that are done; and if any
person or persons should rise up and do the same things
they may be called
new
though they are in fact old
for want of knowing that they were before.
The Targum is
"there
is no remembrance of former generations; and even of later ones
that shall be
there will be no remembrance of them
with the generations of them that shall
be in the days of the King Messiah.'
R.
Alshech interprets it of the resurrection of the dead.
Ecclesiastes 1:12 12 I
the Preacher
was king
over Israel in Jerusalem.
YLT 12I
a preacher
have been
king over Israel in Jerusalem.
I the preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. Solomon having
given a general proof of the vanity of all things here below
and of the
insufficiency of them to make men happy
proceeds to particular instances
and
begins with human wisdom and knowledge
which of all things might be thought to
be most conducive to true happiness; and yet it falls short of it: he instances
in himself for proof of it; and he could not have pitched on anyone more proper
and pertinent to the purpose
who had all the advantages of obtaining wisdom
was assiduous in his pursuit of it
and made a proficiency in it above all
mankind; wherefore he must be owned to be a proper judge
and whatever is
concluded by him may be taken for granted as certain; and this is the sum of
the following verses to the end of the chapter. Now let it be observed
that he
was a "preacher"
not a private person
and must have a good share of
knowledge to qualify him for teaching and instructing others; and
more than
this
he was a king
and did not want money to purchase books
and procure
masters to instruct him in all the branches of literature; and when he entered
upon the more profound study of wisdom
and especially when he said this
it
was not in his infancy or childhood
or before he came to the throne
but
after; even after he had asked
wisdom of God to govern
and it had been given
him; yea
after he had been a long time king
as he now was; though the Jewish
writers
as the Targum
Jarchi
and others
conclude from hence that he was not
now a king
but become a private person
deposed or driven from his throne
which does not appear: moreover
he was king of Israel
not over a barbarous
people
where darkness and ignorance reigned
but over a "wise and
understanding people"
as they are called Deuteronomy 4:6;
and he was king over them in Jerusalem too
the metropolis of the nation; there
he had his royal palace
where were not only the temple
the place of divine
worship
but a college of prophets
and a multitude of priests
and an
abundance of wise and knowing men
whom he had opportunity of conversing with
frequently; to which may be added
his large correspondence abroad; persons
from all kings and kingdoms came to hear his wisdom
as the queen of Sheba; and
by putting questions to him
and so exercising his talents
not a little
contributed to the improvement of them. Now a person so qualified must be a
judge of wisdom
and what he says deserves attention; and it may be observed
that what he says
as follows
is "in verbo regis et sacerdotis"
on
the word of a king and preacher
who would never risk his honour
or forfeit
his character
by saying an untruth.
Ecclesiastes 1:13 13 And I set my heart to seek
and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; this
burdensome task God has given to the sons of man
by which they may be
exercised.
YLT 13And I have given my heart
to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that hath been done under
the heavens. It [is] a sad travail God hath given to the sons of man to be
humbled by it.
And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom
.... As he had
all advantages and opportunities
so he did not want for industry and
application to obtain knowledge; he gave his mind to it; he took up a
resolution not to be discouraged by any difficulties
but to break through
them
if possible; he set about the work with great readiness and cheerfulness;
he had a price in his hand to get wisdom
and he had a heart unto it; see Proverbs 17:16; and
he pursued it with all diligence
with all his might and main: nor did he
content himself with a superficial knowledge of things; but
"searched" after the most recondite and abstruse learning
and
penetrated into the utmost recesses of it
to find out all that was to be
known; and this he did "by" using all the "wisdom" and
sagacity
the light and strength of reason
and all those bright natural parts
which God had given him in a very extraordinary manner. And his inquiry was
very extensive; it was
concerning all things that are done under heaven; into the
nature of all things
animate and inanimate; trees
herbs
plants
fossils
minerals
and metals; beasts
birds
fish
and all creeping things; see 1 Kings 4:33; with
everything else in nature: he sought to make himself master of all arts and
sciences; to get knowledge of all trades and manufactures; to understand
everything in politics
relating to kingdoms and states
and the government of
them; to observe all the actions of men
wise and foolish
that he might know
the difference
and be a judge of what was right and wrong. And his observation
upon the whole is
this sore travail hath God given to the sons of men
to be
exercised therewith: he found by experience it was a heavy task
which God had put
upon the children of men
to get wisdom and knowledge in the way it was to be
gotten; which was very burdensome and wearisome to the flesh; nay
he found it
was anF12ענין רע
"occupationem malam"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator
Drusius
Amama
Gejerus. "evil business"
as it may be rendered; or there was
something sinful and criminal
which God suffered men in their pursuit after
knowledge to fall into
and which their studies exposed them to; as to indulge
a vain and sinful curiosity
to pry into things unlawful
and to be wise above
what is written; or to be too anxious in attaining natural knowledge
to the
neglect of things of great importance; or to abuse or trust in knowledge
attained unto
or be vainly elated and puffed up with it. Or this may be
understood of the evil of punishment
which God inflicts on men for the sin of
eating of the tree of knowledge; and that as he is doomed to get his bread
so
his knowledge
with the sweat of his brow
that is
with great pains and
labour; which otherwise would have been more easily obtained: but this God has
done to "afflict" or "humble"F13לענות "ad affligendum"
Montanus
Gejerus;
"ut affligent se in ea"
Vatablus
Rambachius; "ut ea humlies
redderet"
Tigurine version. men
as the word may be rendered; to afflict
or punish them for sin; and to humble them by showing them how weak are the powers
and faculties of their minds
that so much pains must be taken to get a small
share of knowledge. The Targum is
"and
I saw all the works of the children of men obnoxious to an evil business; the
Lord gave to the children of men
to be afflicted with it.'
Ecclesiastes 1:14 14 I have seen all the works
that are done under the sun; and indeed
all is vanity and grasping for
the wind.
YLT 14I have seen all the works
that have been done under the sun
and lo
the whole [is] vanity and vexation
of spirit!
I have seen all the works that are done under the sun
.... All
things done by the Lord
that were on the earth
and in it
and in the sea; he
considered them
and endeavoured to search into the nature of them; and did
attain to a very great knowledge of them
so that he could speak of them to the
instruction of others; see 1 Kings 4:33; and
all that were done by men
by their head
or by their hands; all that were
written or wrought by them; all their philosophical works and experiments
and
all their mechanic operations; as well as all their good and bad works
in a
moral sense; so the Targum
"I
saw all the deeds of the children of men
which are done under the sun in this
world;'
and
behold
all is vanity and vexation of spirit; not only the
things known
but the knowledge of them; it is mere vanity
there is nothing
solid and substantial in it
or that can make a man happy; yea
on the
contrary
it is vexatious and distressing; it is not only a weariness to the
flesh to obtain it
but
in the reflection of it
gives pain and uneasiness to
the mind: it is a "breaking of the spirit"F14רעות רוח "affiictio
spiritus"
V. L. Junius & Tremellius; "contritio spiritus"
so some in Vatablus. of the man
as the Targum
Jarchi
and Alshech
interpret
the phrase; it wastes and consumes his spirit
as well as his time
and all to
no purpose; it is
as some ancient Greek versions and others render it
and not
amiss
a "feeding on wind"F15
νομη ανεμου
Aquila; "pastio venti"
Mercerus
Piscator
Gejerus
Amama. ; what is useless and unprofitable
and like labouring for that; see Hosea 12:1
Ecclesiastes 5:16;
and so Aben Ezra.
Ecclesiastes 1:15 15 What is
crooked cannot be made straight
And what is lacking cannot be numbered.
YLT 15A crooked thing [one] is
not able to make straight
and a lacking thing is not able to be numbered.
That which is crooked cannot
be made straight
.... By all the art and cunning
wisdom and knowledge of man
that he can attain unto; whatever he
in the vanity of his mind
may find fault
with in the works of God
either of nature of providence
and which he may call
crooked
it is not in his power to make them straight
or to mend them; see Ecclesiastes 7:13.
There is something which
through sin
is crooked
in the hearts
in the
nature
in the principles
ways and works
of men; which can never be made
straight
corrected or amended
by all the natural wisdom and knowledge of men
which shows the insufficiency of it: the wisest philosophers among men
with
all their parade of wit and learning
could never effect anything of this kind;
this only is done by the Spirit and grace of God; see Isaiah 42:16;
and that which is wanting cannot be numbered; the
deficiencies in human science are so many
that they cannot be reckoned up; and
the defects in human nature can never be supplied or made up by natural
knowledge and wisdom; and which are so numerous
as that they cannot be
understood and counted. The Targum is
"a
man whose ways are perverse in this world
and dies in them
and does not
return by repentance
he has no power of correcting himself after his death;
and a man that fails from the law and the precepts in his life
after his death
hath no power to be numbered with the righteous in paradise:'
to
the same sense Jarchi's note and the Midrash.
Ecclesiastes 1:16 16 I communed with my heart
saying
“Look
I have attained greatness
and have gained more wisdom than all
who were before me in Jerusalem. My heart has understood great wisdom and
knowledge.”
YLT 16I -- I spake with my heart
saying
`I
lo
I have magnified and added wisdom above every one who hath been
before me at Jerusalem
and my heart hath seen abundantly wisdom and knowledge.
I communed with my own heart
.... That is
looked into
it
examined it
and considered what a stock and fund of knowledge he had in
it
after all his researches into it; what happiness accrued to him by it
and
what judgment upon the whole was to be formed upon it; and he spoke within
himself after this manner:
saying
lo
I am come to great estate; or become a
great man; famous for wisdom
arrived to a very great pitch of it; greatly
increased in it
through a diligent application to it;
and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been
before me in Jerusalem; or
"that before me were over Jerusalem"F16על ירושלם "super
Jerusalaim"
Montanus
Cocceius
Schmidt; "qui praefueriut ante me
Jeruscthalamis"
Junius & Tremellius. ; governors of it
or in it; not
only than the Jebusites
but than Saul
the first king of Israel
or than even
his father David; or
as GussetiusF17Comment. Heb. p. 604.
than
any princes
rulers
and civil magistrates in Jerusalem
in his own days or in
the days of his father; and also than all the priests and prophets
as well as
princes
that ever had been there: and indeed he was wiser than all men
1 Kings 4:30; and
even than any that had been in Jerusalem
or any where else
or that should be
hereafter
excepting the Messiah; see 1 Kings 3:12. And
seeing this is said of him by others
and even by the Lord himself
it might
not only be said with truth by himself
but without ostentation; seeing it was
necessary it should be said to answer his purpose
which was to show the vanity
of human wisdom in its highest pitch; and it was nowhere to be found higher
than in himself;
yea
my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge; or
"saw
much wisdom and knowledge"F18ראה הרבה חכמה ודעת
"vidit multum sapientiae et scientiae"
Montanus
Amama; "vidit
plurimam sapientiam et scientiam"
Tigurine version. ; he thoroughly
understood it
he was a complete master of it; it was not a superficial knowledge
he had attained unto
or a few lessons of it he had committed to memory; some
slight notions in his head
or scraps of things he had collected together
in
an undigested manner; but he had made himself thoroughly acquainted with
everything worthy to be known
and had digested it in his mind.
Ecclesiastes 1:17 17 And I set my heart to know
wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is grasping
for the wind.
YLT 17And I give my heart to know
wisdom
and to know madness and folly: I have known that even this [is]
vexation of spirit;
And I gave my heart to know wisdom
.... Which is repeated
for the confirmation of it
from Ecclesiastes 1:13
and that it might be taken notice of how assiduous and diligent he had been in
acquiring it; a circumstance not to be overlooked;
and to know madness and folly: that he might the better
know wisdom
and learn the difference between the one and the other
since
opposites illustrate each other; and that he might shun madness and folly
and
the ways thereof
and expose the actions of mad and foolish men: so PlatoF19In
Timaeo
p. 1084. says
ignorance is a disease
of which there are two kinds
madness and folly. The Targum
Septuagint
and all the Oriental versions
interpret the last word
translated "folly"
by understanding
knowledge
and prudence; which seems to be right
since Solomon speaks of
nothing afterwards
as vexation and grief to him
but wisdom and knowledge: and
I would therefore read the clause in connection with the preceding
thus
"and the knowledge of things boasted of"
vain glorious knowledge;
"and prudence"
or what may be called craftiness and cunning; or what
the apostle calls "science falsely so called"
1 Timothy 6:20; see
Proverbs 12:8;
I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit; See Gill on Ecclesiastes 1:14;
the reason follows.
Ecclesiastes 1:18 18 For in much wisdom is
much grief
And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
YLT 18for
in abundance of wisdom
[is] abundance of sadness
and he who addeth knowledge addeth pain.'
For in much wisdom is much grief
.... In
getting it
and losing it when it is gotten: or "indignation"F20רב כעס "multa ira"
Pagninus
Montanus; "indignatio"
V. L. Tigurine version
Vatablus
Drusius; "multum indignationis"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator.
at himself and others; being more sensible of the follies and weakness of human
nature;
and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow: for
the more
he knows
the more he would know
and is more eager after it
and puts himself
to more pains and trouble to acquire it; and hereby becomes more and more
sensible of his own ignorance; and of the difficulty of attaining the knowledge
he would come at; and of the insufficiency of it to make him easy and happy:
and besides
the more knowledge he has
the more envy it draws upon him from
others
who set themselves to oppose him
and detract from his character; in
short
this is the sum of all human knowledge and wisdom
attained to in the
highest degree; instead of making men comfortable and happy
it is found to be
mere vanity
to cause vexation and disquietude of mind
and to promote grief
and sorrow. There is indeed wisdom and knowledge opposite to this
and
infinitely more excellent
and which
the more it is increased
the more joy
and comfort it brings; and this is wisdom in the hidden part; a spiritual and
experimental knowledge of Christ
and of God in Christ
and of divine and
evangelical truths; but short of this knowledge there is no true peace
comfort
and happiness. The Targum is
"for
a man who multiplies wisdom
when he sins and does not turn by repentance
he
multiplies indignation from the Lord; and he who increases knowledge
and dies
in his youth
increases grief of heart to those who are near akin to him.'
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)