Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 3:12
I know that [there is] no good in them, but for [a man] to rejoice, and to do good in his life.
12. for a man to rejoice, and to do good ] There is no instance in O. T. language of the phrase “do good” being used, like the Greek , in the sense of “prospering,” or “enjoying one’s self,” and in ch. Ecc 7:20 it can only have its full ethical meaning, such as it has in Psa 34:14; Psa 37:3; Isa 38:3. On the whole, therefore, we are led to assign that meaning to it here. Over and above the life of honest labour and simple joys which had been recognised as good before, the seeker has learnt that “honesty is the best policy,” that “doing good” (the term is more comprehensive in its range than our “beneficence”) is in some sense the best way of getting good. It is not the highest ethical view of the end of life, but it was an advance on his previous conclusion.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
In them – i. e., in the sons of men.
To do good – In a moral sense. Physical enjoyment is referred to in Ecc 3:13.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Ecc 3:12
I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.
Doing good and rejoicing
Solomon proposes two things to our practice, if we intend to live happily and comfortably in this world. First, that we do good; and, secondly, that we rejoice. I must invert the order in which the words stand in the text, because doing good is the reason why we rejoice; and to be sure there can be no true joy or comfort in possessing or using any worldly blessings, unless we can satisfy ourselves that we have done good with them. Doing good is a work of that known excellency in itself, yielding such sweetness and complacency in the practice of it, is so agreeable to the consent and opinion of all mankind in general, and so well pleasing and acceptable with God Himself, the grand Exemplar of doing good, that they must entirely have lost the principles of good nature, of improved reason, and revealed religion, who take care for none but themselves, regard not how it fares with others, so they may live in ease and plenty. Doing good is a public benefit, a great advantage to the world, and to the common state of mankind. Doing good, lastly, is a work of so large and comprehensive an extent, that high and low, rich and poor, learned or unlearned, may improve those talents God hath been pleased to entrust them with to His honour, and to the good of others; so that for me to go about to tell you what it is to do good, and wherein it consists, would be an endless task. However, superseding the most common acceptation of the phrase, of doing good by charity, and giving of alms, I shall reduce it to doing good to the benefit and advantage of the public; a subject no way unseasonable at all times, but more especially in these.
1. Men may do good by being diligent and industrious in their proper callings and particular employments, thereby rendering themselves very profitable members of a commonwealth. If we consult history, we shall find that the best men have all along been the most industrious in their respective places and offices; the worthy patriarchs, the holy prophets, the blessed apostles have been very exemplary and eminent in their doings for the service of God, and the benefit of mankind; nay, the angels are ever on the wing, in a readiness to receive and go upon Gods commands.
2. Men in public authority may do good by being careful, diligent and conscientious in the faithful discharge of those trusts and offices unto which they are called. That man who has a heart to act according to his duty is a public blessing, a man of great courage and resolution, aiming at nothing more than the glory of God and the public good; being always disposed in all his dealings to have a principal regard to the rules of his duty, and the dictates of his conscience, without being swayed by any appetite or passion, by any sinister respect to his own private interest, to the commission of any unworthy or base action, but acteth from good principles, and aims at good ends, without partiality, or distinguishing between public or private; can satisfy himself in his own conscience, and justify to all the world that his designs are truly good, and that whatever he doth, he doth all to the glory of God, and to the benefit of those over whom he presides. This is a reason why our Heavenly Father in His dispensations entrusts some with greater outward advantages than others, that they may have fairer opportunities of doing good. They are set up in the world as burning lights and visible examples to others, to recommend goodness to the minds and consciences of men by their own practice and conversation. I come now to the consequence of doing good, for a man to rejoice. By rejoicing, here we mean a constant habit of joy and cheerfulness, being always contented and well pleased, always free from those anxieties and uncomfortable reflections which render the life of man miserable and uneasy; virtue and innocence, a behaving ourselves so in the world that our consciences shall not reproach us. It is in vain to think of any true joy or peace without doing good. How pleasant and comfortable is it to us while we live, that sensible impression of delight which accompanies the duty at present, is proportionable to the necessity and strict injunction laid upon us to perform it; there is a sweet complacency in doing good, and being kind to those that want, for if even the bare wishes and desires of doing good, when out of our power, afford the well-wisher some degree of peace and content, and we can satisfy ourselves with the sincerity of our designs and purposes, then certainly when we can bring those wishes and desires to good effect, there cannot but be a spring of joy and pleasure arising in the soul, such an overflowing of the spirits as is not to be expressed in terms or words, and no one can fully understand it, but they that have been ravished with it. Our Saviour, we may observe throughout the Gospel, went about doing good; He coveted to spend His beams, rejoiced to spread His healing wings over every place He came to. And what delight do we find when we imitate Him! What inward peace and serenity of mind doth it raise, when love fills the heart, and stretches out the hand, when we carry about us the mercies of the Lord, are sent from the mercy-seat with comfort and relief to them that want both. How are we ourselves filled with joy and gladness, having had the honour and privilege of being in Gods stead to our brother at time of need; neither is this joy and satisfaction peculiar only to charity and relieving the poor and needy, but to all other actions and designs of doing good, upon what account soever, especially to those which are done for the public, for the honour and prosperity of Church and State. It is a favour that God gives us opportunities as well as abilities of doing good, and He hath allowed us to reap the profit and pleasure which redound from such good actions as long as we live; He seldom fails in this world amply to repay what good we do by outward blessings in the ordinary dispensations of His providence either one way or other, or it may be to our children after us. But it ends not here; this world lasts but a while, and we have souls that must live for ever. If, therefore, men have any kindness for them, if they mean not to undo them to all eternity, it is absolutely necessary that they should do good; let us then be all persuaded to labour and study to do good; let us be daily giving evidences to the public of our good dispositions towards it. (W. Baldwin, M. A.)
Life enjoyed and improved
All our temporal possessions are only valuable as they are expended upon ourselves or others; either as they aid our own comfort or advance the welfare of our fellow-creatures. Let me then call upon you–
I. To rejoice in them.
1. Let me begin with two cautions.
(1) The first regards justice. See that what you enjoy is your own. Owe no man anything. It was well said by Lord Mansfield, that for one cruel creditor, there were a hundred cruel debtors.
(2) The second regards moderation. You can never suppose that God requires, or even allows, intemperance. Watch and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.
2. After having cautioned you, allow me to admonish. If you would rejoice in the good things which God gives you under the sun–
(1) Cherish a grateful sensibility. Some receive all their mercies like the beasts that perish. The animal only is gratified in them.
(2) Guard against habitual discontent. To possess is not to enjoy. Many possess much and enjoy nothing.
(3) Shun avaricious and distrustful anxiety.
(4) Entertain no harsh and superstitious views of religion.
(5) Seek after a knowledge of your reconciliation with God.
II. To do good.
1. What good can these things enable us to do?–It is of three kinds.
(1) They enable us to do religious good. This is the chief.
(2) They enable us also to do intellectual good.
(3) They enable us to do corporeal good: by which we mean, that which immediately regards the body, though the mind will also derive comfort from it.
2. In what manner are we to do it?
(1) Immediately, and with diligence.
(2) Extensively, and with impartiality.
(3) Perseveringly, and without declension.
3. Why we should be concerned to accomplish it.
(1) Because the bounties of Providence were conferred upon us for this very purpose.
(2) Because God hath commanded it.
(3) Gratitude requires it.
(4) Profit requires it. What is it that attaches one man so powerfully to another, and gives him a resource in the tears, the prayers, the attentions of his fellow-creatures in the day of evil?
(5) Pleasure requires it. If you are strangers to the pleasures of benevolence, you are to be pitied; for you are strangers to the most pure, the most durable, the most delicious, the most satisfactory, the most God-like, pleasures to be enjoyed on this side heaven. (W. Jay.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 12. I know that there is no good in them, but, c.] Since God has so disposed the affairs of this world, that the great events of providence cannot be accelerated or retarded by human cares and anxieties, submit to God make a proper use of what he has given: do thyself no harm, and endeavour as much as possible to do others good.
Enjoy, and bless thyself; let others share
The transient blessing: ’tis the gift of God.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
I know, by clear reason, and my own long and certain experience,
that there is no good, no other satisfaction or felicity which a man can enjoy, in them, in creatures or worldly enjoyments. To do good; either,
1. To himself, as it is fully expressed, Psa 49:18. Or,
2. To others; to employ them in acts of charity and liberality towards others. Or,
3. Towards God; to use them, and to live in the fear of God, which is necessary to the happiness of this as well as of the other life.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
12. in themin God’s works (Ec3:11), as far as relates to man’s duty. Man cannot fullycomprehend them, but he ought joyfully to receive (“rejoice in”)God’s gifts, and “do good” with them to himself and toothers. This is never out of season (Gal 6:9;Gal 6:10). Not sensual joy andself-indulgence (Phi 4:4; Jas 4:16;Jas 4:17).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
I know that [there is] no good in them,…. In these things; as the Arabic version; in the creatures, as Jarchi; in all sublunary enjoyments; in everything the wise man had made a trial of before, as natural Wisdom and knowledge, worldly pleasure, riches, and wealth; the “summun bonum”, or happiness of men, did not lie in these things; this he knew by experience, and had the strongest assurance of it: or in them, that is, the children of men, as the Targum: there is no real good thing in them, nor comes out of them, nor is done by them; they cannot think a good thought, nor do a good action, of themselves. Or rather the sense is, I know there is nothing better for them than what follows:
but for [a man] to rejoice; not in sin and sinful pleasures, in a riotous, voluptuous, and epicurean manner; but to be cheerful, and enjoy the blessings of life in a comfortable way, and with a thankful heart; and especially to rejoice in spiritual things, and above all in Christ; and not in any self-boastings or carnal confidences, all such rejoicing is evil; see Ec 9:7. The Targum is,
“but that they rejoice in the joy of the law;”
but it is much better to rejoice in the things of the Gospel, which is indeed a joyful sound;
and to do good in his life: to himself and family, by making use of the good things of life, and not withholding and hoarding them up; and to others, to all men, as opportunity offers, and especially to the household of faith; and not only by liberality and alms deeds, but by doing all good works, from right principles and to right ends, and that always, as long as he lives, Ga 6:9.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
“Thus I then perceived that among them (men) there is nothing better than to enjoy themselves, and indulge themselves in their life.” The resignation would acquire a reality if meant “to do good,” i.e., right (lxx, Targ., Syr., Jer., Venet.); and this appears of necessity to be its meaning according to Ecc 7:20. But, with right, Ginsburg remarks that nowhere else – neither at Ecc 2:24, nor Ecc 3:22; Ecc 5:17; Ecc 8:15; Ecc 9:7 – is this moral rendering given to the ultimatum; also , 13 a, presupposes for a eudemonistic sense. On the other hand, Zckler is right in saying that for the meaning of , in the sense of “to be of good cheer” (Luth.), there is no example. Zirkel compares , and regards it as a Graecism. But it either stands ellipt. for (= ), or, with Grtz, we have to read ; in any case, an ethical signification is here excluded by the nearest connection, as well as by the parallels; it is not contrary to the view of Koheleth, but this is not the place to express it. Bam is to be understood after baadam , Ecc 2:24. The plur., comprehending men, here, as at Ecc 3:11, wholly passes over into the individualizing sing.
But this enjoyment of life also, Koheleth continues, this advisedly the best portion in the limited and restrained condition of man, is placed beyond his control: –
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
MAN’S BEST UNDER THE SUN
Verses 12-13 -(See comment (1) under Ecc 2:24-26).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
CRITICAL NOTES.
Ecc. 3:12. For who knoweth the Spirit of man that goeth upward.] Man has no distinct and certain knowledge of his own future destiny, or of that of other forms of life. The subject is altogether beyond the range of human experience. Like God Himself, the future state is unseen and unknown by us. We can indeed apprehend both these truths by faith; yet, from the mere human standpoint, we may reason with equal plausibility, so far as outward appearances are concerned, for or against immortality.
Ecc. 3:14. It shall be forever.] Gods order is fixedHis law is eternal.
Ecc. 3:15. God requireth that which is past.] Literally, God seeketh that which was crowded out. Thus God seeks out again what the revolutions of history have pushed back into the past, as if it were entirely done with. The meaning isthat the past ages of wrong and unjust suffering shall be called up again. God will investigate the case of those who have been persecuted.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Ecc. 3:12-15
THE WAY TO FRONT OUR DESTINY
I.By a cheerful acceptance of our Providential lot. We should wisely use the gifts of God, and rejoice in them. (Ecc. 3:12-13.) This will give to life the smoothness of contentment, and the comfort of resignation. Such is the greatest good that we can extract from life. Whatever our lot may be, let us accept it with cheerfulness, and receive whatever good it offers. This is the wisest course for man.
1. To fret and worry ourselves is useless. We cannot contend with the inevitable, nor rectify the apparent perversity of things. It will be best to allow God to arrange all for us.
2. A rebellious temper hinders the course of true happiness. If we murmur against the appointments of God, we are only adding an unnecessary burden to life, and sending the iron of affliction deeper into the soul. Unless we have sympathy with the Supreme Ruler, all must be unpleasant to us. A sour, complaining disposition would make true happiness impossible.
3. The power to enjoy the good of this life is the gift of God. There may be even a refined enjoyment of life, which is not godly. But the sober and joyful use of the provisions of Providence, while keeping in mind the higher aims of existence, is a special gift of heaven.
II.By a practical recognition of the high claims of duty. To do good in his life. (Ecc. 3:12.) This will make the appointments of Providence grateful and delightful to us. We can make even our trials and vexations the occasions of cheerful and devoted servicethe school wherein our graces are refined and perfected. Thus we can maintain an heroic bearing against the hardest fate.
1. Doing good brings a man into sympathy with the Supreme Disposer of all things. We are thus imitating God Himself, and, in any case, this must put us into the best position. To do good is to enjoy some of the pleasures of the Highest.
2. Whatever else may be mysterious, our present duty is always clear. The reasons of Gods dealings are obscure, and the ways of Providence seem altogether a tangled maze: but our duty is written in clear outline, quite obvious and familiar. To follow therefore what is clearly known is the surest means to lead us to further knowledge, and solution of mystery. If we are faithful to the light we have, a superior light will be granted us, in which all things will be transfigured.
3. The faithful discharge of duty is the only lasting foundation for solid joy. There is a joy of the world which glitters, but it is not lasting. It is like the sparkle of shallow streams as the water flows over the pebbles, or like the dispersion of it in foam. But the joy that God gives is powerful and deep. The reason is, that the only lasting joy is that which arises from a good conscience. Righteousness gives peace, and peace is the true home of joy.
III.By an acknowledgment of the inflexible rule of the Divine Government. (Ecc. 3:14.) Gods ways in the government of the world are not by the method of trial and failure, by added light from experience. They are all fixed from the beginning.
1. Gods counsels are for ever. They are sure from eternity, and cannot be set aside. This seems an iron rule only to the rebellious. The good have nothing to fear from the wise ordering of Him who is perfect in knowledge, and infinite in mercy. Such are ready with joy to front their destiny.
2. Gods counsels are so certain that they are not complicated with our human distinctions of time. (Ecc. 3:15.) We speak of timepast, present, and future. Our weak faculties need such a device as this. But to the Infinite Intelligence an eternal now does ever last. All things are eternally present to Him, and with one quick glance He sees from the beginning to the end. The past lives nowthe future is already here.
IV.By recognising the righteous ends contemplated by the Divine Government. (Ecc. 3:14-15, latter part.) There are certain ends which the Supreme Ruler proposes to Himself in His administration. These are of a practical nature; they relate to human conduct, and as such are revealed. The methods of the Divine Government are designed
1. To tame and subdue the heart of man. Men are to fear before Him. This want of mastery over the future tends to bring man to submission. He is convicted of ignorance, and the pride of knowledge is abated. He can never presume to be the God of God when his rebellion is proved to be a vain and hopeless attempt, and the future is kept in terrible reserve. The only sane result of the contemplation of the ways of Providence is resignation, humility, and the fear of God. It is madness for a man to dash his head against the iron walls of destiny. The course of Providence in the world is the great tamer of the human breast.
2. To vindicate the wrongs of His people. That which has fled away, and seemed to have escaped altogether, God will summon to His presence again. He will cause the great gulf of time to deliver up all that is in it. The past ages of wrong shall be called up againreviewed and judged. Men think when they have persecuted the righteous that all is done with. They have silenced the testimony of truth. They have triumphed over the meek. But the end will come, and a day of reckoning, when the wrongs and oppressions of the past shall utter their voice, emphatic, decisive, and terrible. The Christian knows that his Vindicator liveththat the time must come when all wrongs shall be adjusted, and all precedency set right.
SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES
Ecc. 3:12. There is no lasting good in the things of this life; yet a joyful heart lends a beauty and grace to those fading and vanishing delights.
Doing good should always go hand in hand with joy; because good deeds spring from love, and joy is but the recreation of love.
Duty is the watchword of humanity, the herald of progress, the pledge of final emancipation. In the confusion and general uproar of things that amaze our ears, the voice of duty is clearly heard, and calls us to the skies.
When good actions become pleasant to us, then joy is the very sinews of duty.
Active goodness and joy are Godlike properties, for He is the unwearied worker of good, and the Blessed One.
They whose hearts are cheered by the proofs of the Lords bounty in His dealing with them, and do express that cheerfulness by their activity in duties that may honour Him; they have found that true good which is attainable in this life [Nisbet].
Ecc. 3:13. The purest earthly joys are those which are won by toil. What we passively receive stirs up only a languid feeling. The idle and luxurious blunt the edge of joy.
It requires peculiar skill to use creature comforts wisely and well. This power is the gift of God.
The means of our common sustenance are turned into manna by a joyful spirit, and the remembrance of the giver.
When the gifts of God are not cheerfully acknowledged and enjoyed, our table becomes a snare.
Ecc. 3:14. As the omnipotency of God is without defect, so the counsel of God is without change. For how can there be any change in Him to whom nothing is past, or to come, but all things are present? [Jermin.]
Men form opinions which change in the different situations of the mind through the course of time. It has been said that opinion is but knowledge in the making. It is but provisional where absolute certainty cannot be attained. But the thoughts of God stand to all generations.
The whole scheme of an Oriental court, and eminently that of the Great King, was laid out on the idea that it was the visible representation of the court of heaven, and the king himself a visible incarnation of the highest God. The sense of this speaks out in every arrangement, in the least, as in the greatest, and is the key to them all. Thus, the laws of that kingdom, when once uttered, could not be reversed or changed (Dan. 6:8), because the king who gave them was the incarnation of God, and God cannot repent, or alter the thing which has gone out from His lips [Trench].
The thought of the perfection of Gods plan raises our admiration, but, at the same time, inspires a wholesome fear. There is behind all a mysterious and terrible power which we may well fear to offend.
Fear should be the instrument of caution, and the sentinel of loving obedience.
The works of God are so perfect that no improvement can be made, and, left to themselves, they will be perpetual. How true is this regarding Gods greatest workredemption! What more could He have done to make it a great salvation than what He has already done? Or what feature of the glorious plan could we afford to want? And now that He has Himself pronounced it a finished work, what is there that man can put to it? What is there that he dare take from it? And in doing it He has done it for ever [Dr. J. Hamilton].
Ecc. 3:15. In all the seeming irregularities of Divine Providence, there are fixed principles which are never departed from. And thus it is that a science of history is possible. So certain is Gods method of procedure, that though we know not the special events of the future, we can predict the results of great principles.
The future will be but a repetition of the past. Thus the course of humanity through time may be likened to the movements of the solar system. The planets run their fixed cycles, and go over the same paths again. Yet there is with all these movements another by which the whole system is itself travelling in space. So human history, though revealing a perfect sameness from age to age, may yet be travelling towards some certain goal.
The deeds of oppression, cruelty, and wrong have not passed away for ever. God will seek them out again, and measure their deserts. The persecutors of the righteous cannot hide themselves even in the abyss of time.
THE IMPOTENCE OF TIME
Time has not done much, notwithstanding all; for that which hath been is now. This language will apply
I. To all the elements of material existence. The forms of the material world are constantly changing, but the elements, of which the first types of all were formed, are the same. The raw materials, out of which the principle of life constructs its organs, and weaves its garments from age to age, are always here. Time, through all its mighty revolutions, cannot destroy an atom.
II. To all the spirits of mankind. All human souls that ever have been are now. Not one of the mighty millions who spent his short and misty day of life under these heavens is lost. All are thinking, feeling, acting, still. Their bodies are dust, but their bodies were theirs, not they; their instruments, not themselves.
Distinct as is the swimmer from the flood,
The lyrist from his lyre.
III. To all the general types of human character. All the varieties of human character may be traced to five or six different regal sympathies. There is the inordinate love of pleasure, the undue love of gain, the vain love of show, the mere love of inquiry, the inordinate love of power, the false love of religion, the holy love of God. All these great types of character have been here almost from the earliest dawn of history. Herods and Hamans, Athenians and Pharisees, seem to be living again in every age.
IV. To all the principles of the Divine Government. All the principles by which both the physical and moral provinces have been controlled from the beginning are the same now as ever. Harmony with Gods laws is the creatures highest de stiny. Rebellion against them is his inevitable ruin. They neither pause nor change, either for angels or men.
V. To the grand design of all things. This must ever be the holy development of creature-minds in gratitude, reverence, love, and assimilation to Himself.
VI. To the recollections of the human memory. Memory gathers up every fragment of all that hath been, so that none may be lost. The history of man is recorded, not in books, but in souls.
VII. To all the conditions of mans well-being. Physical, intellectual, spiritual [Homilist].
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
(12) I know.Literally, I knew: i.e., I came to know. The writer is relating the conclusions at which he successively arrived.
To do good.This phrase is always used elsewhere in a moral sense: to act rightly. When enjoyment is meant, the phrase used is, as in the next verse, to see good; but the context seems to require that this sense should be given to the phrase in this verse also.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
12. I know Hebrew, I came to know. Koheleth continues to state the result of his inspection. In them should be for “them,” as occurs in other places in this book; that is, for the children of men. To do good, here, is not to do right, or to be beneficent, but to do well to one’s self.
The Nature of Human Happiness
v. 12. I know that there is no good in them, v. 13. And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labor, it is the gift of God, v. 14. I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever, v. 15. That which hath been is now, v. 16. And, moreover, I saw under the sun the place of judgment, v. 17. I said in mine heart, v. 18. I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, v. 19. For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one, v. 20. All go unto one place, to the realm of death; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again, v. 21. Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? v. 22. Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, Ecc 3:12 I know that [there is] no good in them, but for [a man] to rejoice, and to do good in his life.
Ver. 12. I know that there is no good in them, ] i.e., No other good, but for a man to rejoice and do good in his life – i.e., Frui praesentibus et facere quod infuturo prosit, a to enjoy things present, and to do that which may do him good a thousand years hence; to expend what he hath upon himself, and to extend it unto others that are in necessity, this is to “lay up in store for himself a good foundation against the time to come”; this is to “lay hold upon eternal life.” 1Ti 6:18-19
a Glossa Minor.
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Ecc 3:12-15
12I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime; 13moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his laborit is the gift of God. 14I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him. 15That which is has been already and that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by.
Ecc 3:12-13 This seems to be a summary statement, like Ecc 2:24-26. It suggests that although we cannot understand all of the mysteries of God, we can know God’s love by faith and obedience and enjoy the simple pleasures of life provided by God (cf. Ecc 2:24; Ecc 3:22; Ecc 5:18; Ecc 8:15; Ecc 9:7-9). Since we cannot understand or change the events in our individual lives (i.e. Ecc 3:1-8) or in our world we must focus on thanksgiving for those common, simple, daily, but really wonderful, things common to all human societies (but really a gift from God, cf. Ecc 2:24; Ecc 5:19). These are spelled out in Ecc 3:13 : food, drink, and a sense of purpose in one’s labor (I would add, from other verses in Ecclesiastes, one’s family, cf. Ecc 9:7-9). All of these are gifts from God. It is possible that the gift is one’s faith perspective which trusts in God although one cannot understand one’s own existential circumstances. The Fall (cf. Genesis 3) has affected our ability to comprehend ultimate truth (cf. Ecc 1:18; Ecc 8:16 to Ecc 9:12). It must be revealed, not discovered.
Ecc 3:14 I know that everything God does will remain forever Here again is the emphasis on the eternality and sovereignty of God and the transitoriness of human life (e.g., Psa 103:14-15; Isa 40:6-8; 1Pe 1:24-25).
Ecclesiastes is as much a book about God as it is about humanity. The theology of a fallen world is only hinted at in the phrase under the sun, but the reality of a mysterious painful, yet pleasurable, world is characterized in vanity of vanities, all is vanity. Our mystery is God’s clear, purposeful, knowledgeable and comprehensive plan. Knowledge is not as crucial as trust, faith, and obedience.
Some of the texts which characterize the unknowable but present God are
1. there is a divine plan at work, Ecc 1:13; Ecc 3:10; Ecc 3:18; Ecc 7:29; Ecc 8:16-17
2. there is a sovereign Lord, Ecc 1:15; Ecc 7:13; Ecc 3:11; Ecc 3:14; Ecc 9:1; Ecc 12:1
3. there is a daily faith which enables and ennobles, Ecc 2:24-26; Ecc 3:12-13; Ecc 3:22; Ecc 5:18-20 (negatively in Ecc 6:1-6); Ecc 9:7-9
4. there is an appropriate awe and respect due to God, Ecc 3:14; Ecc 5:7; Ecc 7:18; Ecc 8:12-13; Ecc 12:13
5. there is/will be a time of evaluation by God of every human being, Ecc 3:17; (Ecc 5:1; Ecc 5:4, implied); Ecc 11:9; Ecc 12:14
for God has so worked that men should fear Him This reflects the truth of Ecc 3:10 that God has given us a task that we cannot perform so that we will continue to depend on Him (i.e., fear Him, cf. Ecc 5:7; Ecc 7:18; Ecc 8:12-13, which implies a faith worldview) and not on ourselves.
Ecc 3:15 That which is has been already, and that which will be has already been There are several possibilities of this verse: (1) a reflection on Ecc 1:9; (2) it is used in a tongue-in-cheek (i.e., under the sun, cf. Ecc 3:16) sense; or (3) it could be related to God’s revelation to Moses (cf. Deu 4:2; Deu 12:32; Jer 26:2).
NASBfor God seeks what is passed by
NKJVGod requires an account of what is past
NRSVGod seeks out what has gone by
TEVGod makes the same thing happen again and again
NJBGod seeks out anyone who is persecuted
LXXGod will seek out that which is past
REBwith God summoning each event back in its turn
JPSOAGod seeks the pursued
This is a very difficult Hebrew phrase. Some assume it means the one who is persecuted (cf. NJB, JPSOA), while others go with the traditional translation of what has been driven away (the VERB, BDB 134, KB 152, Piel IMPERFECT, has both meanings). It seems to refer to the general concept of the book of Ecclesiastes that although the experiences of all humans are in a repetitive cycle, there is a divine purpose in this cycle. One day God will judge individual human choices!
The UBS Handbook (p. 108) asserts that this VERB in later Hebrew meant request or ask. If so, then God wants His special creation to pursue:
1. action at the appropriate time (cf. Ecc 3:1-8)
2. daily pleasures (cf. Ecc 2:24-26; Ecc 3:22)
3. eternity (cf. Ecc 3:11)
4. His activities (cf. Ecc 3:14)
5. His Law (cf.Ecc. 3:15, Deu 4:2; Deu 12:32)
in them: i.e. in God’s works.
in = during.
but: Ecc 3:22, Ecc 9:7-9, Deu 28:63, Psa 37:3, Isa 64:5, Luk 11:41, Act 20:35, Phi 4:4-9, 1Th 5:15, 1Th 5:16, 1Ti 6:18
Reciprocal: Rth 3:7 – his heart 1Ch 29:22 – eat and drink Pro 21:15 – joy Ecc 2:24 – nothing Ecc 5:18 – it is good and comely Ecc 6:9 – Better Ecc 8:15 – Then I Ecc 11:8 – rejoice 1Co 7:31 – use Gal 6:10 – do good 1Ti 2:2 – that 1Ti 6:8 – General
Ecc 3:12-13. I know By clear reason, and my own long and certain experience; that there is no good in them No other satisfaction or felicity that a man can enjoy in creatures or worldly things; but for a man to rejoice and to do good To employ them freely and cheerfully in acts of charity and liberality toward others, or to use them to the glory of God, living in his fear, which is necessary to the happiness of this as well as of the other life. And also that every one should eat, &c. Use what God hath given him. See the note on Ecc 2:24.
Solomon repeated his former counsel in view of this limited perspective (cf. Ecc 2:24). "Do good" (Ecc 3:12) should read "enjoy themselves." We could translate Ecc 3:13, "If any man eats and drinks and finds satisfaction in all his toil, it is a gift of God." [Note: Christian D. Ginsburg, Song of Songs and Coheleth, pp. 311-12.]
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)