Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 2:21
For there is a man whose labor [is] in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not labored therein shall he leave it [for] his portion. This also [is] vanity and a great evil.
21. For there is a man ] It is characteristic of the Debater that he broods over the same thought, and contemplates it as in a variety of aspects. It is not merely, as in Ecc 2:19, that another possessed his heaped up riches who may use them quite otherwise than he would have them used, but that the man who by his wisdom has achieved wealth (for “equity” we should rather read here and in chap. Ecc 4:4, Ecc 5:11 “ skill ” or “ success,” the moral character of the success not being here in question) has to leave it to one who has not worked at all, it may be to an alien in blood.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 21. For there is a man] Does he not allude to himself? As if he had said, “I have laboured to cultivate my mind in wisdom and in science, in knowledge of men and things, and have endeavoured to establish equity and dispense justice. And now I find I shall leave all the fruits of my labour to a man that hath not laboured therein, and consequently cannot prize what I have wrought.” Does he not refer to his son Rehoboam?
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; who useth great industry, and prudence, and justice too, in the management of his affairs, and therefore might as confidently expect Gods blessing, and the comfort of his labours, as any other man.
That hath not laboured therein, so as I have done; who hath spent his days in sloth and folly.
A great evil; a great disorder in itself, and a great disgrace to this world, and a great torment to a considering mind.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
21. Suppose “there is aman,” &c.
equityrather “withsuccess,” as the Hebrew is rendered (Ec11:6), “prosper,” though Margin gives “right”[HOLDEN and MAURER].
evilnot in itself, forthis is the ordinary course of things, but “evil,” asregards the chief good, that one should have toiled so fruitlessly.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For there is a man whose labour [is] in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity,…. Who does all he does, in natural, civil, and religious things, in the state, in his family, and the world, and whatsoever business he is engaged, in the wisest and best manner, with the utmost honesty and integrity, according to all the rules of wisdom and knowledge, and of justice and equity; meaning himself; the Midrash interprets this of God;
yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it [for] his portion; to his son, heir, and successor; who never took any pains, or joined with him, in acquiring the least part of it; and yet all comes into his hands, as his possession and inheritance: the Targum interprets this of a man that dies without children; and so others z understand it of his leaving his substance to strangers, and not to his children.
This also [is] vanity, and a great evil; not anything sinful and criminal, but vexatious and distressing.
z R. Joseph Titatzak in loc.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
“For there is a man who labours with wisdom, and knowledge, and ability; and to a man who has not laboured for it, must he leave it as his portion: also that is vain, and a great evil.” Ewald renders: whose labour aims after wisdom. But do not denote obj. (for the obj. of is certainly the portion which is to be inherited), but are particular designations of the way and manner of the labour. Instead of , there is used the more emphatic form of the noun: , who had his labour, and performed it; 1Sa 7:17, cf. Jer 9:5, Jer 9:6, “Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit,” and Hitz. under Job 9:27. Kishron is not (lxx), manliness, moral energy (Elster), but aptness, ability, and (as a consequence connecting itself therewith) success, good fortune, thus skilfulness conducting to the end. refers to the object, and to the result of the work; is the second obj.-accus., or, as we rather say, pred.-accus.: as his portion, viz., inheritance.
That what one has gained by skill and good fortune thus falls to the lot of another who perhaps recklessly squanders it, is an evil all the greater in proportion to the labour and care bestowed on its acquisition.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(21) Equity.Rather, skill, success (Ecc. 4:4; Ecc. 5:7). The noun is peculiar to this book. The corresponding verb occurs in Ecc. 10:10; Ecc. 11:6; Est. 8:5.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
21. There is a man The “man” who has had his labour as stated, is Koheleth himself.
To a man that hath not laboured If he had had children they would have worked with him to build up the family estate, but it must go to one who has given no aid or sympathy to the work of gathering it. There is a certain beauty in a family co-working to build an estate, like that of the Rothschilds.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Ecc 2:21 For there is a man whose labour [is] in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it [for] his portion. This also [is] vanity and a great evil.
Ver. 21. For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom. ] This seemed to Solomon – whose own case it was like to be – so unworthy a thing, and such a vexation of spirit, that he can never say enough of it; but could find in his heart to cry out with the poet, T , I am thrice miserable, nay, ten times, nay, a hundred, nay, a thousand times so, that am born to be a provident and a perfect drudge of an idle drone, or perhaps of a mere stranger.
This is also vanity and a great evil.
a D .
b .
c D .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
there = here.
leave it = “leave it [to another]”.
evil = calamity. Hebrew. ra’a’. App-44.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
whose: Ecc 2:17, Ecc 2:18, Ecc 9:18, 2Ch 31:20, 2Ch 31:21, 2Ch 33:2-9, 2Ch 34:2, 2Ch 35:18, 2Ch 36:5-10, Jer 22:15, Jer 22:17
leave: Heb. give
Reciprocal: Gen 1:20 – life Psa 39:6 – surely Psa 49:10 – leave Ecc 1:2 – General Ecc 4:4 – This is Ecc 11:8 – All that Jer 2:13 – broken cisterns
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2:21 For there is a man whose labour [is] in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not laboured in it shall he {o} leave it [for] his portion. This also [is] vanity and a great evil.
(o) Among other griefs that was not the least, to leave that which he had gotten by great travail, to one who had taken no pain therefore and whom he know not whether he were a wise man or a fool.