Bible Commentary

Better [is] the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: [and] the patient in spirit [is] better than the proud in spirit. 8. Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof ] As in ch. Ecc 6:11, the noun translated “thing” may mean “word” and this gives a preferable meaning. It … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 7:8”

Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart. 7. Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad ] Literally, For oppression The sequence of thought is obscure and the English rendering is an attempt to evade the difficulty by making what follows the beginning of a new section. One commentator (Delitzsch) … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 7:7”

For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so [is] the laughter of the fool: this also [is] vanity. 6. As the crackling of thorns under a pot ] As in Ecc 7:1 the epigrammatic proverb is pointed by a play of alliterative assonance ( sirim = thorns, sir = pot). “As crackling nettles … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 7:6”

[It is] better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools. 5. It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise ] The word for “rebuke” is characteristic of the sapiential books of the Old Testament (Pro 13:1; Pro 17:10). Here also the teacher finds … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 7:5”

The heart of the wise [is] in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools [is] in the house of mirth. 4. The heart of the wise ] This follows as the natural sequel. Like goes to like. The impulse of the fool takes him to that which promises enjoyment; that of the wise … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 7:4”

Sorrow [is] better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. 3. Sorrow is better than laughter ] The thought is essentially the same as that of the preceding verse, but is somewhat more generalized. We are reminded of the Greek axiom, , (“Pain is gain”), of the teaching … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 7:3”

[It is] better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that [is] the end of all men; and the living will lay [it] to his heart. 2. It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting ] … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 7:2”

A good name [is] better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth. 1. A good name is better than precious ointment ] The sequence of thought is interrupted, and the writer, instead of carrying on the induction which is to prove that all is vanity, moralizes on the … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 7:1”

For who knoweth what [is] good for man in [this] life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun? 12. who knoweth what is good for man ] We have once more the distinctive formula of … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 6:12”

Seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what [is] man the better? 11. there be many things that increase vanity ] The Hebrew noun, as so often throughout the book, may stand either for things or words. In the former case, the maxim points to the pressure of affairs, what we call “business,” the … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 6:11”