IS WISDOM BETTER THAN FOLLY UNDER THE SUN?

Verses 12-17 reveal Solomon’s conclusion that wisdom excels folly, under the sun, in that it provides light rather than darkness, while one lives under the sun; but offers nothing better than madness or folly, beyond life, under the sun. One certainly awaits all; they die and are soon forgotten. Life under the sun is therefore vanity and vexation of spirit.

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

CRITICAL NOTES.

Ecc. 2:12. What can the man do that cometh after the King?] What will my successor do? He will probably, like the rest of the world, follow the well-worn path of sin and follyeven that which hath been already donefulfilled in Rehoboam.

Ecc. 2:16. And how dieth the wise man? As the fool!] This is an inexpressible burst of feelinga deep regret that it should be so. It is a question painfully asked of the Supreme Wisdom, not in anger but in grief.

MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Ecc. 2:12-16

PRACTICAL WISDOM

The Royal Preacher had exercised his wisdom on speculative subjects: he now applies it to the practical matters of human life. Of such wisdom, or philosophical prudence, we learn

I. That it possesses high Absolute Value. Of all earthly treasures, wisdom has the greatest worth. This is a truth at once evident to every reflecting mind. The perception of it is quick as vision. Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, &c. Such wisdom may be compared to the light.

1. Like light, wisdom is a revealing power. Without light, our knowledge of nature would be scanty. We could only have knowledge of near objects. The distant glories of the universe are completely veiled to the blind. But light reveals themmakes all things manifest. So wisdom reveals to man the true state of things around himhis position in the worldthe conditions of earthly happiness. He is thus able to form the most sagacious plans, and to use expedients for the maintenance of his life, for avoiding dangers, and varying his pleasures. In physical endowments, man is inferior to the lower animals, but he obtains supremacy over them by that wisdom which reveals to him more of that world in which he lives.

2. Like light, wisdom is a guiding power. The wise mans eyes are in his head. The eyes of the wise man are where they ought to bethe lofty windows of the palace of the soul, through which she takes a large survey of the outward world, and the scene of man. The eyes of the mind, like those of the body, serve both to inform and direct. Every truth of nature or of man, that we discover, becomes for us a rule of action or duty. The facts revealed to the understanding guide us in our way through the world. He who walks in darkness runs the risk of stumbling. All nature is against the fool.

3. Like light, wisdom is a vitalising power. Light is absolutely necessary to the growth and preservation of all kinds of life. The light of the day not only warms, but fertilises. The sun is a source of energy, performing all the work of this lower world. So practical wisdom is the real strength of mans life here. Folly is darknessa dull negationunproductive of vitality or beautygenerates fear. The ignorant are the victims of unnecessary fears, as we see from the history of superstition. Wisdom is a light to quicken all things necessary for man as an inhabitant of this world. It supplies that vital energy by which we do our work. By the life-giving power of wisdom, man conquers nature, by directing her forces to serve his own uses. The dull existence of the fool is not worthy of the name of life. We learn of this practical wisdom

II. That it is complicated with certain facts giving rise to painful doubts and questionings. The superiority of wisdom to folly is beyond dispute. It is at once apparent. Like the light, this truth is its own evidence. But there are attendant facts which lead to painful doubts and questionings as to whether wisdom, on the whole, has such a superior advantage; or whether, in the upshot of things, the wise man is better off than the fool.

1. We are not sure that posterity will preserve the fruits of our work and wisdom. Men labour that they may increase their earthly joys, amass wealth, and accomplish some wise designs; but how often are the fruits of their anxious toil spoiled and wasted by those who come after! As the custom of the world is folly, the Royal Preacher could only expect that his successor would be a foolish manaccording to the general type. Every worker upon merely human principles, no matter how accomplished, must say at last, I have laboured in vain, and spent my strength for nought. The fact, that what we have gathered with such labour and pains may thus be wasted and dissipated by others, is enough to make the wisest serious and sad. The speech acquires a painful hue of reflectiveness, and the contemplation of life becomes a distress.

2. All our diligence and wisdom cannot avail to save us from oblivion. There is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever. It is not intended to deny all posthumous fame. Some names will live through the whole range of time, names like Mosesthe earliest in literature, and sounding through the endless songs of heaven. But the great bulk of mankind are not remembered by posteritythe wise and the fool alike are soon forgotten: One Csar lives, a thousand are forgot. Even if we live in fame ever so long, and are at last forgotten; when compared with eternity, this is equivalent to oblivion.

3. All our wisdom cannot save us from the common doom of the race. One event happeneth to all. Our wisdom and skill cannot save us from accidents, pains, and from that sum of all fears and distressesdeath. The terrible necessity of death awaits alike the foolish and the wise. We take pains to gather knowledge, and the maxims of wisdom; death comes, and our fancied superiority over others vanishes. If there be no future, the most sagacious of men may mournfully ask at the close of life, Why was I then more wise? The wise and foolish appear to go out of life in the same manner. All differences are lost in the darkness of the tomb. Let us learnthat heavenly wisdom is complicated with no painful facts to fill us with doubts and misgivings. Nothing can arise to dull the pure splendour of this Divine gift. The glory of it only increases as all that is precious in life is fading away. We can only be saved from the fate of oblivion when we seek the honour that cometh from God only, when we are confessed before the angels, and our names inscribed in the Book of Life. All who are truly wise shall be fixed in the regions of immortalityshall shine as the stars for ever and ever.

SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES

Ecc. 2:12. Whatever we desire to understand, it is necessary that we should not only look upon it, but behold itthere must be a prolonged look. The object must not only be seen, but seen through. All men are bound to see what lies in their way, but few see with the eye of intelligent observation. The wealth of the mind comes not as a sudden gift of fortune: it is gathered slowly.

He who contemplates human nature must be prepared to find it a mixed scene of wisdom, madness, and folly. There are wise men who govern their conduct by reason, and maxims gained from experience and observation. There are others who have some intellectual power, but it is rashly applied. There is no sufficient guiding principletheir conduct is madnesspower wasted in an irregular manner, without order or plan. There are simple men who are easily led, and become the willing dupes of cunning craft.
The evils of the world are incurable by human means. We can only expect that the future will be as the past. The dream of human perfection is not realised. The paths of sin and folly are old and well worn. Generations to come will be content to travel in them.
Posterity may forget our wisdom, and destroy the fruits of our labours. But he who works with eternity in view will find the grave a place of restitution.
How vain are those possessions which the most foolish of mankind can disperse as chaff before the wind!
It is well noted by Hugo, that first he looked upon wisdom as thereby coming to behold madness and folly. For as he speakethNo one goeth to darkness that he may see darkness; but he cometh to the light, that by the light he may see, not only light, but light and darkness also. First therefore the Preacher saith he beheld wisdom, so that he might behold in wisdom itself what itself is, and by itself madness and folly, which wisdom itself is not [Jermin].

The utmost comfort that creatures can yield, when happiness is sought in them, may soon be attained. It is no such depth but that it may be sounded by those who will put it to the trial. One man may in a short time find out so much thereof as that he may defy others after him to find more. Whence appears a manifest difference between heavenly and earthly consolations, the heavenly being still upon the growing hand, and incomprehensible by any of the saints till in heaven they be filled with all the fulness of God. For here Solomon professeth himself to have been at the bottom of earthly delights, so as none after him could go deeper. What can the man do who cometh after the king? [Nisbet].

Ecc. 2:13. There are endowments of human nature, and improvements in character, which, though not distinctly spiritual, have high absolute value. Moral virtue and practical wisdom may beautify and adorn the character so as to win Divine commendation. The young man in the Gospel fell short of the highest excellence, yet Jesus beholding him, loved him.

There is great variety in the courses which natural men take in the pursuit of happiness. Some employ the highest prudence and caution, others are abandoned to the most reckless folly. There is all the difference between darkness and light in human conduct, even when it comes short of the highest requirements.
Let us not despise the natural beauties and graces of character. All light should be welcomed. The Gospel has an attraction for all that is pure and lovely in human nature.
It is the property of good things that they do not need an external praiser, but themselves when they are seen do testify their grace. It is a greater excellency which is approved by sight, than that which is commended by speech [St. Ambrose].

It is of human wisdom whereof I conceive him to speak, which therefore, though he could not be free from vanity, yet doth he prefer before folly, as much as light before darkness. Now light hath God himself for the praiser of it, and it is the first thing that God praised. Let there be light, is the first word that God ever spoke; and that God saw the light to be good, is the first praise that God ever gave. As soon as God made the light, He divided the darkness from it, as if he would not have the excellency thereof to be dishonoured by the company of it. Let it therefore be our care also to divide wisdom from folly. The society of the one doth much shame the other, and indeed most unworthy is folly, so much as to be joined in comparison with wisdom [Jermin].

Ecc. 2:14. Sensual pleasures dim the light of reason, and weaken mans power to direct his way.

When the animal in man surmounts the rational, the eyes which should be the light of the body, are degraded to the dust, and blinded.
The superior light, which the wise man of this world holds aloft to illuminate his path in life, does not prevent him from taking his last step into the darkness of the grave. The light that comes from beyond the sun can alone pierce that darkness.
A fool hath not his eyes in his head, but in his heels. For when the comtemplative power of the soul is busied in worldly things, the nature of the eyes passeth to the heels, which the serpent pursueth and biteth with his teeth [Jermin].

Ecc. 2:15. Thoughts on the dread humility of dying will betimes oppress the most favoured and exalted of men.

The terrible realities of our troubled life must sooner or later come home to the individual,So it happeneth even to me.
In the voyage of life, our fellow passengers are marked by a great variety. There are rich and poor, obscure and noble, wise and foolish, good and evil. But one fate awaits us alltotal shipwreck. We must all sink into the gulf of death. Our only consolation lies in the hope that we shall be supplied with Divine strength to climb up the other bank of life.
To the wise man of the world, there is humiliation in the thought of the disgraceful necessity of death. But Jesus has passed through the tomb and sanctified it, so that for the Christian, death becomes the gate of life. No one who has learned the knowledge of the holy will have mournfully to ask when his last hour draws nearWhy was I then more wise? For such a man, the tree of knowledge becomes the tree of life.
A man is placed in a high situation, receives an expensive education at school or college, and a still more expensive one of time and experience. And then, just when we think all this ripe wisdom, garnered up from so many fields, shall find its fullest use, we hear that all is over, he has passed from among us, and the question, hideous in its suggestiveness, arisesWhy was he then more wise? Asked from this worlds stand-pointif there is no life beyond the grave, then the mighty work of God is all to end in nothingness. But if this is only a state of infancy, only the education for eternity, then to ask why such a mind is taken from us is just as absurd as to question why the tree of the forest has its first training in the nursery garden. This is but the nursery ground, from whence we are to be transplanted into the great forest of Gods eternal universe. There is an absence of all distinction between the death of one man and another. The wise man dies as the fool with respect to circumstances [Robertson].

The Preacher objecteth, that although the wise man seeth so far into the nature and condition of things, yet that one event happeneth to them all. And, as to this objection.

1. He granteth it, Then said I in my heart, I said that it was so, and in my heart confessed it to be true.
2. He applieth it, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me. I cannot deny it in myself, of whom it cannot be denied that my wisdom is the greatest of any.
3. He repineth at it in these words, And why was I then more wise? Why did I so carefully search into the nature and condition of things, forecast the events of things?
4. He delivereth his sentence, Then I said in my heart that this also is vanity. Then I concluded of it, and said so in my heart when I had considered of it [Jermin].

Ecc. 2:16. It is always a startling thing to see the rapidity with which the wisest and the best are forgotten. We plough our lives in water, leaving no furrow; two little waves break upon the shore, but no further vestige of our existence is left [Robertson].

The footprints we leave on the sands of time are soon washed away by the advancing tide.
The words, And how dieth the wise man? in the original are an exclamationBut O, how is it that the wise man dieth as the fool! This is not the conclusion of a cold and severe logic, but the expression of deep emotion. Beneath all the glory of this life, there is an unutterable sorrow. There are truths too deep for words. They are only to be uttered with a gasp and a sigh.
Faith alone can cure the terrible melancholy with which this view of life afflicts the soul. The intellect, the throne of human wisdom, is part of the Divine image, and God will not suffer it to die in imperfect rudiments. Man has in him some resemblances of the Eternal God, who will not leave His image in the grave, nor suffer this spark of Him to see corruption.

Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell

2. Conclusions Ecc. 2:12-26

a. Value of this wisdom and pleasure stop at the grave. Ecc. 2:12-17

TEXT 2:1217

12

So I turned to consider wisdom, madness and folly, for what will the man do who will come after the king except what has already been done?

13

And I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness.

14

The wise mans eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that one fate befalls them both.

15

Then I said to myself, As is the fate of the fool, it will also befall me. Why then have I been extremely wise? So I said to myself, This too is vanity.

16

For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man as with the fool, inasmuch as in the coming days all will be forgotten. And how the wise man and the fool alike die!

17

So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after the wind.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 2:1217

46.

List the six reasons stated in this passage (Ecc. 2:12-26) that led to the conclusion that all is vanity and futility.

47.

What could be expected of the man who succeeds the king? Ecc. 2:12

48.

Although wisdom excels folly, and it is better to be wise, what fate comes to both the wise and the foolish?

49.

Give proof that Solomon numbered himself among the wise. Ecc. 2:15

50.

What will happen to the memory of both wise men and fools?

51.

Why did Solomon hate life and consider his work grievous?

PARAPHRASE 2:1217

I turned my attention to another matter. I was interested in making a comparison of wisdom with foolishness and stupidity to determine the value of wisdom. My intention as king was to thoroughly examine this proposal. I did examine it with greater detail than any man who preceded me or any man who would follow me. I reached the conclusion that wisdom is an advantage over folly just as light is an advantage over darkness. The wise man walks in the light as he is guided by the eyes in his head. The fool, the one who practices folly, goes forward blindly, stumbling along the path. Yet they are both influenced by chance and fate. Then I said to myself, I am a wise man, but one day I shall lie in the grave along side the fool. What advantage has my wisdom been to me? Looking at it from that angle, I concluded that this too was futility. Death brings both the wise man and the foolish man to common ground. Not only do both die, but before many days pass, the memories of both have been forgotten. There is no lasting memory of either the wise man or the fool! All of my labor under the sun has thus been interpreted as clutching for wind, unrewarding, and only a vapor. I concluded that since this is true, I hated life.

COMMENT 2:1217

I turned does not indicate a new experiment, but additional conclusions to be drawn from testing the meaning of life with pleasure. He has already indicated that he is aware that history repeats itself. He stated that God seeks what has passed by (Ecc. 3:15); that what happens in the future has already happened in the past (Ecc. 1:9). He is manifesting this same truth when he draws our attention to the question, What will the man do who will come after the king except what has already been done? In this question, Solomon indicates that one will come after the king. Is Solomon speaking only of one who might experiment in the same manner, if such were possible, or is he speaking historically of one who is already standing in the wings waiting his turn to rule over the kingdom? It is difficult to determine. However, the import of his question appears to be that whoever follows, whether in his authority or by his example, will certainly reach similar conclusions. Human nature is the same generation after generation.

One should not conclude that Solomons experiment was a failure. He did what he proposed to do as stated in verse twelve. He said that his heart was pleased because of all his labor (Ecc. 2:10). The experiment, however, did not yield the satisfaction that he sought. His dilemma is found in the fact that he did not discover what good there is for the sons of men, and he now admits that the one who follows him will not discover the answer either!

I set my mind (Ecc. 1:17), and I turned to consider (Ecc. 2:12), should be understood as similar statements. In each instance, the objective is to know wisdom, madness and folly (cf. Ecc. 7:25). Wisdom here is the earthly wisdom previously discussed. Although it is not of the high level where wisdom from above is discovered, it still excels madness and folly as light excels darkness. Madness and folly have been identified as foolishness and silliness which is so often associated with those who are caught up in the sheer enjoyment of earthly things.

The metaphor is wisely chosen in verse thirteen. Wisdom is likened to light while folly is likened to darkness. The contrast is sharpened in Eph. 5:8 and 1Th. 5:5, because light is the symbol of truth from God, and darkness is the symbol of sin. It should be noted that Solomon makes a similar distinction in Ecc. 2:26 when he identifies the wise man as the good man, and the foolish man as the sinner. Solomon admits to the availability of a particular earthly wisdom that gives an advantage to men. In Ecc. 7:11-12; Ecc. 7:19, he states that wisdom is (1) good and an advantage to men on this earth, (2) a protector to those who possess it, and (3) gives strength to a wise man. In Ecc. 9:18, he writes that (4) wisdom is better than weapons of war, and in Ecc. 10:10, he speaks of wisdom (5) as bringing success. It is this kind of wisdom that excels foolishness as light excells darkness. Note the following comparisons and conclusions made in the remaining section of chapter two.

THE WISE MAN

THE FOOLISH MAN

COMPARISONS

Light

Darkness

Eyes are in his head

Walks in darkness

Same fate (death)

Same fate (death)

No lasting remembrance

No lasting remembrance

Will be forgotten

Will be forgotten

In the coming days he will die

In the coming days he will die

CONCLUSIONS

1.

If one labors with wisdom, knowledge and skill only to accumulate a great legacy, he will discover this is futile and striving for the wind (Ecc. 2:19-21).

2.

If collecting and gathering a great fortune is your primary goal in life, your days will be filled with pain and grief and your nights will be restless (Ecc. 2:22-23).

3.

One should resolve to eat, drink and enjoy labor one day at a time as this is the gift of God (Ecc. 2:24).

4.

There is joy that comes to the good man who understands that he should enjoy life day by day. However, to the sinner who collects and gathers for his own satisfaction, there will be no joy but a realization that all that he has gathered will be given to the good man (Ecc. 2:26).

There is a difference that is discernable between one who practices common sense and keeps his eyes within his head, and one who seeks folly and thus walks in darkness. Solomon had written, Wisdom is in the presence of the one who has understanding, but the eyes of the fool are on the ends of the earth (Pro. 17:24). However, there is the recognition that even to the wise man death is an inevitable companion who never discerns between the wise man or the fool. It is in the light of this conclusion that Solomon states that he hates life. In addition he confesses that his work, even the fruit of his labor, is grievous, futile, and striving after wind. Vanity has once again robbed even the wise man of any possible profit of his labor under the sun.

The fact that both the wise man and the fool share equally in many ways is a recurring theme throughout the book. It is discussed in Ecc. 6:6, Ecc. 7:2 and Ecc. 9:2-3. One of the real tragedies of living is the fact that one must die. The tragedy is compounded because through mans natural eye, he cannot see beyond the grave. If indeed the premise is correct, that is that all activities qualified by the phrase under the sun do not have the redemptive nature of the higher values, then it is possible to interpret Solomons despair. David wrote of this when he said, even wise men die; the stupid and the senseless alike perish, and leave their wealth to others (Psa. 49:10).

It is in view of the fact that both the wise man and the fool die and go to the grave that Solomon despairs of being extremely wise. His extreme wisdom is the fruit of his life-long labor, and yet what does it profit him? He is certain that the wise man has no advantage over the fool in this respect (Ecc. 6:8; Ecc. 6:11). Of course one dare not assume these conclusions in the light of Christian hope. However, to the man who is restricted to only that which can be interpreted under the sun, death terminates everything! This is why Solomon amplifies this conclusion with the observation in Ecc. 9:3-4 : This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men . . . they go to the dead. For whoever is joined with the living, there is hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion.

The concept of the coming days is also important to the Preacher (Ecc. 2:16). In the days to come, how will a man be remembered? More to the point, however, is the question of will he be remembered? There is surely some profit in the awareness that ones reputation continues on in the minds of ones countrymen. Especially would this be true if one were a wise man. However, this is not to be under the sun! His original premise in Ecc. 1:11 underscored how quickly things are to be forgotten. Later in his book he offers two illustrations of this same tragic truth. He speaks of a young man who rises from adverse circumstances to become king. The multitudes, tired of the former king, throng to his side and offer their allegiance. However, he declares that in time even the new king will not be remembered (Ecc. 4:13-16). He speaks further of the dead who no longer have a reward. Their reward would have been for them to have been remembered. However, they no longer have a share in all that is done under the sun. No one remembers them.

There is a relentless correlation between the results of participating in fleeting things and the nature of the things themselves. His conclusions are consistent with the means employed in reaching them. It is not surprising, therefore, to hear him say that he hated life, that he questioned his endless endeavors to become wise, that he looked upon all his work as a grievous, empty, futile task. His thoughts were simply corresponding with the kind of wisdom, madness and folly which he sought. There is a sense in which the very wisdom which he found became the greatest kind of folly.

FACT QUESTIONS 2:1217

86.

Give three references from Ecclesiastes that Solomon understood that history repeats itself.

87.

What is meant by the man who will come after the king? Give two possible interpretations.

88.

Who ever follows the king will reach what conclusion concerning Solomons primary question concerning profit?

89.

In what sense was Solomons experiment found in the first eleven verses unsatisfactory? In what sense was it successful?

90.

Identify and define the three objectives which Solomon turned to consider.

91.

List the five good qualities that earthly wisdom affords.

92.

Who is the one who walks in darkness?

93.

The wise mans eyes are in his head means that he has what? (Cf. Pro. 17:24)

94.

Why does Solomon say he hates life?

95.

Why did he despair of being extremely wise?

96.

Will either the wise man or the fool be remembered after they die?

97.

Give an illustration found in Ecclesiastes chapter four that confirms your answer.

Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

(12) This verse presents some difficulties of translation which need not be discussed here. The Authorised Version gives the following very good sense: If the king has failed in his experiment, what likelihood is there that a private person should be more successful? Yet bearing in mind that in Ecc. 5:18 the man that cometh after the king means his successor, and also that the theme of the whole section is that in human affairs there is no progress, it is more simple to understand this verse: the kings successor can do no more than run the same round that has been trodden by his predecessor.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

12. Koheleth turns to take a comparative view of wisdom, and madness, and folly, arguing that a king, especially of all men, has the means of making a conclusive experiment.

The man Who is a mere subject, and not possessed of royal advantages. All the resources of the realm were at Solomon’s command, and he used them in the acquirement of wisdom.

After the king Attempting to make the same experiment over again.

Hath been done already He attains to only a stale and feeble repetition of an “already” conclusive experience.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

A Return To Philosophy and Its Hopelessness ( Ecc 2:12-17 ).

Ecc 2:12

‘And I turned my mind to observing wisdom and madness and folly. For what can a man do who follows what a king has done? Only what he has already done.’

His next step was again to consider the combined ‘wisdom’ of men. He studied what was wise, he studied what was madness, he studied what was foolish and absurd. Having as king indulged himself in all the pleasures open to a king, and having found them to fail, what was left for him? Only to return to what he had already done. This was in itself proof of the folly of it all.

‘For what can a man (any man) do who follows what a king has done? Only what the king has already done’ This does not necessarily contrast himself as a man with the king. He is both the king and a man. As king he had had special advantages not open to ordinary men. Yet as a king, with the resources of a king, he had tried everything out, he had covered all the ground, he looked into everything. So what was any man, including himself, to do to follow that? All any man could do was repeat the same old thing.

Ecc 2:13-14

‘Then I saw that wisdom exceeds folly, as much as light exceeds darkness. The wise man’s eyes are in his head, and the fool walks in darkness. And yet I saw that one thing (or ‘event’) happened to them all.’

He was not undiscerning. He recognised that there was wisdom and that there was folly. And that the first was totally superior to the second, just as light is superior to darkness. The wise man sees where he is going. He uses discernment. He walks in the light. The fool blunders on in darkness, with his eyes closed. But all come to the same end. All experience the same final event. All die (compare Ecc 3:19). All end in darkness.

‘One thing (event).’ Contingency, happening, chance, fortune, providence, fate.

Ecc 2:15-16

‘Then I said in my heart, “As it happens to a fool, so will it happen to me. And why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart that this also was vanity. For the wise man even as for the fool, there is no remembrance for ever, seeing that in the days to come all will have been already forgotten. How does the wise man die? Just as the fool.’

So he questions how he can really consider himself as more wise than a fool when both come to the same end. Both die. Both are forgotten by men. ‘The memory of them is forgotten’ (Ecc 9:5). Almost nothing of what they are lives on. Thus neither has accomplished more than the other. Neither has gained more than the other. They share the same fate. The wise man is finally as the fool.

Do we see here the first glimmer of a search after the idea of a possible future life, for if what he says here is true, and all ends at the end of this life, what is there to live for? Let us eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die. Compare Ecc 3:21 which surely has this in mind as a possibility. It was the same dilemma that the prophets and the psalmists faced. If death was the end how do we explain suffering? (See Psalms 73). How do we encourage men to positive living and achievement? How do we discover final meaning?

Ecc 2:17

‘So I hated life, because the effort that is wrought under the sun is grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind.’

The Preacher confesses that as a result of his meditations life was becoming distasteful to him because of its pointlessness. All the effort he had put in discouraged him, nay, grieved him, because it had achieved nothing. It was profitless. Again he summed it up as useless and striving after the unattainable.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

The Preacher Finds Vanity in the Mortality of Mankind: The Wise Man and the Fool Partake of the Same Fate, Which is Death – After the Preacher reflects upon his own frustration, he looks beyond his own personal experiences to find a purpose and meaning in life. Now he begins to observe the people who surround him in society. But alas, he comes to the same conclusion. Although a wise man walks in light and the fool in darkness (Ecc 2:14), wisdom does not appear to deliver one from the same fate at the fool (Ecc 2:15). Both must die and be forgotten (Ecc 2:16). Both will leave their substance to fate when they die (Ecc 2:18-19). He concludes that man should learn to enjoy each day by recognizing God’s blessings and not worry about the things of tomorrow (Ecc 2:24-26).

Ecc 2:12  And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done.

Ecc 2:12 Comments – King Solomon realized that if any man on earth could fine peace and happiness and meaning in life, it would be him, the richest man on earth; yet, he himself failed to achieve this in his own pursuits.

Ecc 2:13  Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.

Ecc 2:14  The wise man’s eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all.

Ecc 2:13-14 Comments Wisdom Excels Folly – The Preacher says that wisdom is better than folly. This insight is repeated later in the book (Ecc 4:13-14).

Ecc 4:13-14, “Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished. For out of prison he cometh to reign; whereas also he that is born in his kingdom becometh poor.”

Ecc 10:12, “The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.”

Ecc 2:24  There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.

Ecc 2:24 “and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour” Comments – Within the context of this passage the Preacher concludes that each person should learn to enjoy each day. The phrase “in his labour” refers to a person’s daily labours. If we recall the Story of Creation in Gen 1:1 to Gen 2:3 we see that God concluded each say by enjoying the good of his labour.

Ecc 2:24 Comments – Ecc 2:24 appears to state a third theme that is repeated throughout the book of Ecclesiastes, telling us to enjoy the blessings that God gives us daily and not to strive after vanity. When we devise projects and set goals and work towards them, and after we accomplish some great feat, we are still left empty inside and without purpose when we are not walking in fellowship God. It is better that we take one day at a time and enjoy that day’s labours with thankfulness in our hearts. For a child, this seems to come naturally for he has no thoughts of tomorrow, but rather finds things to enjoy and laugh about today. He does not understand the cares of this world. God created the family unit so that we can see our children and their natural desire to rejoice. If we are not careful, we as adults can allow the cares of this life to choke out the blessings that God gives to us today. The weight of our cares and energies diminishes our joy.

When the Preacher tells us to enjoy the good of our labour, he is talking about contentment. This theme of learning to be content in life and not covet after material things is woven throughout the book of Ecclesiastes. Note similar verses.

Ecc 3:13, “And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.”

Ecc 5:18, “Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion.”

Ecc 5:19, “Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.”

It is Solomon who teaches contentment again in the book of Proverbs.

Pro 30:8, “Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:”

Paul also preaches it in his first epistle to Timothy.

1Ti 6:6, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”

The Preacher in Ecclesiastes contrasts contentment with discontentment, or covetousness.

Ecc 1:8, “All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.”

Ecc 6:7, “All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.”

Ecc 2:25  For who can eat, or who else can hasten hereunto, more than I?

Ecc 2:25 Comments – In Ecc 2:25 the Preacher repeats a statement made in earlier in Ecc 2:12. No man has ever possessed so much wealth and sources of pleasure as was King Solomon. Who of all sons born to man had a greater opportunity to pursue the wealth and luxuries and wisdom of this world? Yet, in the midst of all of his material possessions and pursuits, he had to reevaluate the meaning of life. He had to acknowledge that there is no joy in such earthly pursuits, no matter how great they may seem.

Ecc 2:12, “And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done.”

Ecc 2:26  For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

Ecc 2:26 Comments – The fool will continue in his vain labour and travail, for he is addicted to it, even though it will fall into the hands of another (Ecc 2:18). By God’s design, these possessions will eventually make their way into the hands of a good man. The Scriptures provide a number of examples of the transfer of wealth from the wicked to the righteous:

Exo 12:35-36, “And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.”

Job 27:16-17, “Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay; He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver.”

2Sa 8:6, “Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus: and the Syrians became servants to David, and brought gifts. And the LORD preserved David whithersoever he went.”

2Ch 9:1, “And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great company, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.”

2Ch 18:1-2, “Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance, and joined affinity with Ahab. And after certain years he went down to Ahab to Samaria. And Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance, and for the people that he had with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramothgilead.”

2Ch 26:8, “And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entering in of Egypt; for he strengthened himself exceedingly.”

Psa 105:44, “And gave them the lands of the heathen: and they inherited the labour of the people;”

Pro 13:22, “A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.”

Pro 28:8, “He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.”

Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures

And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done. (13) Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.

What a striking conclusion doth the Preacher make of the whole in those verses? And how much the experience of men in all ages comes to the same termination. Reader! depend upon it, nothing out of Christ, nothing but Christ himself, can satisfy the desires of an immortal soul. The rich fool in the gospel, was a fool indeed, who said to his soul, Eat, drink, and be merry. For the soul can truly relish nothing that is carnal. Luk 12:19-20 . It was a blessed thing that Solomon was taught to make after all his pursuits this conclusion. And it is our mercy that he was commissioned to leave his testimony of it upon record!

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

Ecc 2:12 And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what [can] the man [do] that cometh after the king? [even] that which hath been already done.

Ver. 12. For what can the man do that cometh after the king? ] – q.d., Who is it that can outdo me in this review and discovery? Neither is this a vainglorious vaunting of his own virtues, but an occupation or prevention of an objection: thus,

Objection. It may be thou hast not perfectly known the difference of things, and so hast not rightly determined.

Solution. To this he answers, that he hath to quit himself in searching and trying the truth in these points, that it is not for any other to go beyond him. And having removed this rub, having carried this dead Amasa out of the way, that might have hindered his hearers’ march, he proceeds in his discourse.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Ecc 2:12-17

12So I turned to consider wisdom, madness and folly; for what will the man do who will come after the king except what has already been done? 13And I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness. 14The wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that one fate befalls them both. 15Then I said to myself, As is the fate of the fool, it will also befall me. Why then have I been extremely wise? So I said to myself, This too is vanity. 16For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man as with the fool, inasmuch as in the coming days all will be forgotten. And how the wise man and the fool alike die! 17So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind.

Ecc 2:12 Our author returns to wisdom to find lasting value, but he has tried that before also (cf. Ecc 1:16-18). There are advantages to wisdom as opposed to folly (cf. Ecc 7:11-12; Ecc 7:19; Ecc 9:18; Ecc 10:10; Proverbs 8), but they are not ultimate advantages (cf. Ecc 2:14-16).

1. one fate befalls them both (cf. Ecc 9:11; Psa 49:10)

2. there will be no lasting remembrance of either (note the opposite in Psa 112:6; Pro 10:7)

Ecc 2:13 wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness There is value in wisdom, but it is not ultimate.

The NASB translation has left out the significant term profit (BDB 452). See note at Ecc 1:3.

Ecc 2:14

NASB, NKJV,

NRSVeyes are in his head

TEVsee where they are going

NJBhave their eyes open

The two dynamic equivalent translations (TEV, NJB) show the Hebraic metaphor.

one fate befalls them both This fate (BDB 899) is a euphemism for death. Qoheleth feels the pain of the future common experience of all human beings (cf. Ecc 2:15; Ecc 3:19[twice]; Ecc 9:2-3).

Ecc 2:16 lasting This is literally forever. See Special Topic: Forever (‘olam) .

all will be forgotten This VERB (BDB 1013, KB 1489) is a Niphal PERFECT and denotes the completed action of a yet future event as if it were already complete.

Ecc 2:17 hated life This VERB (BDB 971, KB 1338, Qal PERFECT) means hate, but with the connotation of disgusted with life (cf. NJB) because of the futility that all he had worked for and built (cf. Ecc 2:18; Ecc 2:11) had no lasting value or gain.

Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley

behold = consider.

under the sun. See note on Ecc 1:1.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

Ecc 2:12-17

Ecc 2:12-17

THE WISE MAN IS NO BETTER OFF THAN THE FOOL

“And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been done long ago. Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness. The wise man’s eyes are in his head, and the fool walketh in darkness: and yet I perceived that one event happeneth to them all. Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so will it happen even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then said I in my heart, that this also is vanity. For of the wise man, even as of the fool, there is no remembrance forever; seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. And how doth the wise man die even as the fool! So I hated life, because the work that is wrought under the sun was grievous unto me; for all is vanity and a striving after wind.”

“For what can the man do that cometh after the king?” (Ecc 2:12). Solomon meant by this that no one after him would be able to surpass his pursuit of fulfillment by his unlimited indulgence in everything that came to his mind. He had already done it all; and with the nearly limitless resources in his power, no one after him would be able to exceed the variety and extent of Solomon’s extravagant and lustful indulgences.

“Solomon had already concluded that seeking happiness through worldly wisdom was `striving after the wind,’ and that in much wisdom there is much grief (Ecc 1:17-18), yet he makes it clear here that he considers wisdom much better than folly and ignorance. This is true because the wise man can see where he is going, and the fool cannot.

“Why was I then more wise” (Ecc 2:15). Since death comes alike to fool and wise man, why should a wise man be considered any smarter than a fool? “Solomon reached this conclusion while alienated from God and while seeking answers through purely worldly wisdom. The Holy Spirit gives us a true record of what he said, but does not guarantee the correctness of his conclusion (which was totally in error).

“For the wise man … as of the fool, there is no remembrance forever.” (Ecc 2:16). Here again is a statement that no impersonator, writing centuries after Solomon’s death, could have been stupid enough to write. Therefore, these words are Solomon’s, not those of an impersonator. If the alleged impersonator ever lived, as claimed, centuries after Solomon’s death, he would certainly have been aware that Solomon, the wise king, had not only been gloriously remembered for half a millennium, but that Israel would indeed never forget him. How then could an impersonator have put a falsehood like this in Solomon’s mouth? It is NOT an adequate explanation, as suggested by Kidner: “There is a lack here in Qoheleth’s honesty. NO! Solomon himself is the author here; and, in his state of satiety and despair, he simply feared that subsequent generations would forget all about him.

Thus, for the first time in Ecclesiastes, the terrible fact of man’s mortality terminates Solomon’s quest for happiness by worldly indulgence, rather than by service of God. The shocker to the sinful, lustful mind of Solomon was the thought of Death, the great Leveler, “Of wise men and fools, the good and the bad, the saints and the sinners, the sheep and the goats, the rich and the poor, the mighty and the obscure – name any contrasting pair that comes to mind. Death levels all in that universal cemetery, “Where wronged and wrong-doer alike, with meekened face and cold hands folded o’er a still heart pass the green threshold of our common grave, whither all footsteps tend, whence none depart.

Let every unbelieving infidel on earth get the message here. If he has a tenth of the wisdom of Solomon, he also will appraise the situation just like Solomon. “I hate life.” This, of course, is true, only for that person whose mind is set on this life alone and who has decided to walk without God.

“So I hated life” (Ecc 2:17). “How many infidels and hedonists have there been who have wished that they had never been born; and how many of the thousands of suicides every year are the result of a life lived without God, and which they have found to be grievous, empty, painful and profitless”?

I turned does not indicate a new experiment, but additional conclusions to be drawn from testing the meaning of life with pleasure. He has already indicated that he is aware that history repeats itself. He stated that God seeks what has passed by (Ecc 3:15); that what happens in the future has already happened in the past (Ecc 1:9). He is manifesting this same truth when he draws our attention to the question, What will the man do who will come after the king except what has already been done? In this question, Solomon indicates that one will come after the king. Is Solomon speaking only of one who might experiment in the same manner, if such were possible, or is he speaking historically of one who is already standing in the wings waiting his turn to rule over the kingdom? It is difficult to determine. However, the import of his question appears to be that whoever follows, whether in his authority or by his example, will certainly reach similar conclusions. Human nature is the same generation after generation.

One should not conclude that Solomons experiment was a failure. He did what he proposed to do as stated in verse twelve. He said that his heart was pleased because of all his labor (Ecc 2:10). The experiment, however, did not yield the satisfaction that he sought. His dilemma is found in the fact that he did not discover what good there is for the sons of men, and he now admits that the one who follows him will not discover the answer either!

I set my mind (Ecc 1:17), and I turned to consider (Ecc 2:12), should be understood as similar statements. In each instance, the objective is to know wisdom, madness and folly (cf. Ecc 7:25). Wisdom here is the earthly wisdom previously discussed. Although it is not of the high level where wisdom from above is discovered, it still excels madness and folly as light excels darkness. Madness and folly have been identified as foolishness and silliness which is so often associated with those who are caught up in the sheer enjoyment of earthly things.

The metaphor is wisely chosen in verse thirteen. Wisdom is likened to light while folly is likened to darkness. The contrast is sharpened in Eph 5:8 and 1Th 5:5, because light is the symbol of truth from God, and darkness is the symbol of sin. It should be noted that Solomon makes a similar distinction in Ecc 2:26 when he identifies the wise man as the good man, and the foolish man as the sinner. Solomon admits to the availability of a particular earthly wisdom that gives an advantage to men. In Ecc 7:11-12; Ecc 7:19, he states that wisdom is (1) good and an advantage to men on this earth, (2) a protector to those who possess it, and (3) gives strength to a wise man. In Ecc 9:18, he writes that (4) wisdom is better than weapons of war, and in Ecc 10:10, he speaks of wisdom (5) as bringing success. It is this kind of wisdom that excels foolishness as light excells darkness.

CONCLUSIONS

1. If one labors with wisdom, knowledge and skill only to accumulate a great legacy, he will discover this is futile and striving for the wind (Ecc 2:19-21).

2. If collecting and gathering a great fortune is your primary goal in life, your days will be filled with pain and grief and your nights will be restless (Ecc 2:22-23).

3. One should resolve to eat, drink and enjoy labor one day at a time as this is the gift of God (Ecc 2:24).

4. There is joy that comes to the good man who understands that he should enjoy life day by day. However, to the sinner who collects and gathers for his own satisfaction, there will be no joy but a realization that all that he has gathered will be given to the good man (Ecc 2:26).

There is a difference that is discernable between one who practices common sense and keeps his eyes within his head, and one who seeks folly and thus walks in darkness. Solomon had written, Wisdom is in the presence of the one who has understanding, but the eyes of the fool are on the ends of the earth (Pro 17:24). However, there is the recognition that even to the wise man death is an inevitable companion who never discerns between the wise man or the fool. It is in the light of this conclusion that Solomon states that he hates life. In addition he confesses that his work, even the fruit of his labor, is grievous, futile, and striving after wind. Vanity has once again robbed even the wise man of any possible profit of his labor under the sun.

The fact that both the wise man and the fool share equally in many ways is a recurring theme throughout the book. It is discussed in Ecc 6:6, Ecc 7:2 and Ecc 9:2-3. One of the real tragedies of living is the fact that one must die. The tragedy is compounded because through mans natural eye, he cannot see beyond the grave. If indeed the premise is correct, that is that all activities qualified by the phrase under the sun do not have the redemptive nature of the higher values, then it is possible to interpret Solomons despair. David wrote of this when he said, even wise men die; the stupid and the senseless alike perish, and leave their wealth to others (Psa 49:10).

It is in view of the fact that both the wise man and the fool die and go to the grave that Solomon despairs of being extremely wise. His extreme wisdom is the fruit of his life-long labor, and yet what does it profit him? He is certain that the wise man has no advantage over the fool in this respect (Ecc 6:8; Ecc 6:11). Of course one dare not assume these conclusions in the light of Christian hope. However, to the man who is restricted to only that which can be interpreted under the sun, death terminates everything! This is why Solomon amplifies this conclusion with the observation in Ecc 9:3-4 : This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men . . . they go to the dead. For whoever is joined with the living, there is hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion.

The concept of the coming days is also important to the Preacher (Ecc 2:16). In the days to come, how will a man be remembered? More to the point, however, is the question of will he be remembered? There is surely some profit in the awareness that ones reputation continues on in the minds of ones countrymen. Especially would this be true if one were a wise man. However, this is not to be under the sun! His original premise in Ecc 1:11 underscored how quickly things are to be forgotten. Later in his book he offers two illustrations of this same tragic truth. He speaks of a young man who rises from adverse circumstances to become king. The multitudes, tired of the former king, throng to his side and offer their allegiance. However, he declares that in time even the new king will not be remembered (Ecc 4:13-16). He speaks further of the dead who no longer have a reward. Their reward would have been for them to have been remembered. However, they no longer have a share in all that is done under the sun. No one remembers them.

There is a relentless correlation between the results of participating in fleeting things and the nature of the things themselves. His conclusions are consistent with the means employed in reaching them. It is not surprising, therefore, to hear him say that he hated life, that he questioned his endless endeavors to become wise, that he looked upon all his work as a grievous, empty, futile task. His thoughts were simply corresponding with the kind of wisdom, madness and folly which he sought. There is a sense in which the very wisdom which he found became the greatest kind of folly.

Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary

I turned: Ecc 1:17, Ecc 7:25, even that which hath already been done, or, in those things which have been already done, Ecc 2:25

Reciprocal: Ecc 9:11 – returned

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Ecc 2:12. And I turned myself, &c. Being frustrated of my hopes in pleasure, I returned to a second consideration of my first choice, to see whether there was not more satisfaction to be gotten from wisdom, than I discovered at my first view. For what can the man do To find out the truth in this matter; to discover the utmost satisfaction possible to be found in pleasure; that cometh after the king That succeeds me in this inquiry. So this is added as a reason why he gave over the pursuit of pleasures, and directed his thoughts to another object; and why he so confidently asserted the vanity of pleasures, from his own particular experience; namely, because he had made the best of them, and it was a vain thing for any private man to expect that from them which could not be found by a king, and such a king, who had so much wisdom to invent, and such great riches to pursue and enjoy all imaginable delights; and who had made it his design and business to search this matter to the bottom. Even that which, hath been already done As by others, so especially by myself. They can make no new discoveries as to this point. They can make no more of the pleasures of sense than I have done. Let me then try, once more, whether wisdom can give happiness.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Ecc 2:12-17. Qoheleth turns to the study of human nature in its wisdom and its folly. Though all is vanity yet wisdom is better than folly; it is better to face the outlook, dreary though it be, with intelligence, than to be stupid and dense. The wise man can at least see where he is going; the fool is in a fog, and blind; the eyes of his understanding are darkened. Yet there is no final advantage to the wise, the same death overtakes both wise and foolish, so that unusual wisdom is really a useless endowment. Wise man and fool are alike buried in oblivion (cf. Ecc 1:11). So I hated life, yet he continued in it. A pessimist who is able to vent his feelings in literary expression does not commit suicide (Barton).

Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible

2:12 And I turned myself to behold {h} wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what [can] the man [do] that cometh after the king? [even] that which hath been already done.

(h) I thought to myself whether it was better to follow wisdom, or my own affections and pleasures, which he calls madness.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

4. Solomon’s evaluation of his investigation of pleasure 2:12-17

The king realized that few people would be able to check the results of his experiments. Few if any would have the resources he had at his disposal to duplicate his experiments (Ecc 2:12).

Wisdom is better than folly in some respects, but neither provides a key to discovering real profit. Consequently, Solomon concluded that being wise only has temporary and limited advantages over being foolish. Ultimately there is not much difference. Both the wise man and the fool die, and their survivors forget them. "Grievous" (4:17, Heb. ra) is the opposite of "advantage" (Ecc 1:3, profit). It is loss. The fact that Solomon could find nothing in work or pleasure that could yield anything ultimately profitable led him to view life itself as distasteful and repugnant (Ecc 2:17). [Note: For a study of how the writer of Ecclesiastes viewed death, see James L. Crenshaw, "The Shadow of Death in Qoheleth," in Israelite Wisdom . . ., pp. 205-16.]

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)