What is bent cannot be straighted

I intend to publish a set of detailed notes on the entire book of Ecclesiastes in sequence.  (Refer to the synthetic outline published previously to see how each section relates to those before or after it.)  But why Ecclesiastes?  I have published translations for about half of the כתובים books of the bible as well as most of the minor prophets.  My answer is this:  Ecclesiastes speaks to us and the problems that we experience in a way that no other book in the bible does.

·      Have you heard of or experienced professional burnout?

·   I can’t get no satisfaction….  How can one find a source of satisfaction and contentment that transcends circumstances?

·      How can one live in such a way that he does not become the source of calamities that enter his life?

These and many other practical questions that frequently arise today are addressed in this book.

DETAILED NOTES ON THE HEBREW TEXT OF ECCLESIASTES

Chapter 1

.μIl;v;WryBi Ël,m, dwiD;AˆB, tl,h,qo yreb]Di 1

The words of koheleth, son of David, king in Jerusalem.

tl,h,qo This word is derived from the root lhq, assemble or come together.  This particular form of the root occurs seven times in Ecclesiastes and nowhere else in the Hebrew Scriptures.  The root meaning is taken to be ‘collector of verses’ by BDB with a derived meaning of ‘preacher.’  This etymology corresponds well with the description in Ecc 12:9, which states that koheleth searched out and arranged many proverbs.  Thus, the term is taken to be the name for an office or an official function.  This first verse is not a complete sentence but rather takes the form of a superscription or title for the remainder of the book.

.lb,h; lKoh' μylib;h} lb,h} tl,h,q1o rm'a; μylib;h} lb,h} 2

Koheleth says: Most illusory, most illusory, everything is illusory.

lb,h, The basic meaning of this term according to BDB is ‘breath’ or ‘vapor.’  Most commonly it is translated by ‘vanity’ or ‘futility’ in this book due to the LXX translation of mataiovthı found in Eccesiastes.  There are at least two other Hebrew words that are frequenty translated by the English word ‘vain,’ but their actual semantic content is not remotely related to that of lb,h,.

aw“V;l' Úyh,loa} hwhyAμveAta, aC;ti lao Ex 20:7

You shall not lift up the name of the Lord your God for something insubstantial (unreal).

The term aw“v; is difficult to translate into English precisely.  It is used to refer to something that is insubstantial, void, without reality, or completely false.  The force of this commandment is to forbid the use of God’s covenant name hwhy in an oath whose purpose is to deceive or manipulate the hearers.  That is, the object of the oath is without reality or substance, having the intent to deceive, and the one making the oath knows it.

qyriAWGh]y, μyMiaul]W μyi/g Wvg]r; hM;l ;o Ps 2:1

Why do the nations rage, and why do the peoples devise a vain thing?

The term qyri signifies something that is empty.  In this case the plans of the ‘peoples’ are empty (without possible realization), because they are directed in specific opposition to the will of God and his Messiah.

In contrast, the term lb,h, signifies something having the appearance of substance but no concrete reality – like a fog bank or a mirage.  For this reason, I have rendered it by ‘illusory’ in most cases.  The major difference between this word and aw“v; is that something really can identified as representing the matter, but what is observed proves to be an illusion or at least lacking in concrete substance.

μylib;h} lbeh} This construct is formally one of the ways in which Hebrew expresses the superlative degree of an adjective, but lb,h, is a noun, not an adjective.  The construct chain approximates the semantic force of a Greek partitive genitive: “of all illusory things, this is the most illusory.”

.vm,V;h' tj'T' lmo[}Y'v, /lm;[}Alk;B] μd;a;l; ˆ/rt]YIAhm' 3

What is the benefit for a man in all of his toil that he does under the sun?

This question introduces the subject that will be the primary focus of the entire book.  What is the ultimate benefit that a man derives from all his labor during this life on earth under the sun, and how can he keep from having his life becoming completely meaningless?  The next seven verses present the problem that concerns koheleth by means of an overview of natural occurrences.

.td,m;[o μl;/[l] 6r,a;h;w“ aB; r/dw] Ëleho r/D 4

A generation comes and a generation goes, but the world remains forever.

Genesis 1 states that this creation had a beginning, and the curse presented in Genesis 3:14 – 19 implies that it will have both a climax and a conclusion.  However, by examining the genealogical records of the scriptures or by merely examining general records, one finds that one generation follows another and that the overall state of the world changes little, if any at all.  No meaningful progression or development is evident.

.μv; aWh j're/z 5ae/v /m/qm]Ala,w“ vm,V,h' ab;W vm,V,h' jr"z:w“ 5

The sun rises, and the sun sets and rushes to its place for rising there (again).

bv; wyt;boybis]Al['w“ j'Wrh; Ële/h bbe/s bbe/s ˆ/px;Ala, bbe/sw“ μ/rD;Ala, Ële/h 6

.j'Wrh;  

Turning to the south and turning to the north, turning, turning goes the wind, and upon its circuit the wind returns.

(As an aside note: Solomon did not have access to photographs from space, but due to the coriolis effect, all major weather systems in the northern hemisphere rotate counter clockwise, consistent with the above description.)

alem; WNn,yae μY:h'w“ μY:h'Ala, μykil]ho μylij;N“h'AlK; 7

.tk,l;l; μybiv; μhe μv; μykil]ho μylij;N“h'v, μ/qm]Ala,

All of the rivers go to the sea, but the sea is not filled.  To the place where the rivers run, there they return to run (again).

The natural world presents exactly this same picture. The sun rises and sets, the winds blow round about, and the rivers flow continuously from the mountains to the seas.  There is no sign of progression or development and no obvious advancement toward any conclusion. 

rBed'l] vyai lk'WyAalo μy[ig´y“ μyrIb;D]h'AlK; 8

.['moV]m iˆz,ao aleM;tiAalow“ t/ar“li ˆyi[' [B'c]tiAalo

Everything is so wearisome that a person cannot speak (of it).  The eye is not satisfied with seeing, and the ear is not filled with hearing.

The patterns that have existed in the past remain here and now.  If a person is inclined to go sight seeing, there will never be enough: there will always be something else to see.  If a person is inclined to listen to stories, music, or the like, there will never be the last song to sing or story to hear (or book to read, movie to see, or CD to play, etc.).

.vm,V;h' tj'T' vd:j;AlK; ˆyaew“ hc,[;Yev, aWh hc;[}N"v,Ahm'W hy,h]Yiv, aWh hy;h;V,Ahm' 9

What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done.  And there is nothing new under the sun.

As far back as we can assess from human records, the above patterns have bound human life.  As far forward as we can imagine (apart from divine intervention), they will continue to do so. From this perspective, no aspect of our lives and no experience that might enter our lives have changed from the beginning of time under the sun. (This observation is confirmed within the Bible.  God’s oath to Noah in Gen 8:22 following the flood stated that these patterns would not cease so long as the earth remains.  Yet, these very words imply a conclusion will come at some time.)

 .WnnEp;L]mi hy;h; rv,a} μymil;[ol] hy;h; rb;K] aWh vd;j; hz<Ahaer“ rm'aYov, rb;D; vye 10

Is there a message saying, ‘Look! This is new!’  It has already existed in the times that were before us.

In the late 1800’s some bureaucrat in Washington asserted that the patent office was of no further value, because there was nothing left to be invented.  Today virtually none of the gadgets that we deem to be essential existed even 10 years ago, and the pace at which ‘new stuff’ appears on the scene only increases year by year.  However at the most fundamental level, all of these ‘new gadgets’ consist merely of the rearrangement or repackaging of material or concepts that have been present from the time of Adam and Eve.  Consider music, for example.  Every generation or culture has had its own favored style of music.  But whether that music is based on the octave scale, 12-tone scale, or chromatic scale, it is all based on sound waves ranging from 40 Hz to 1200 Hz.  Both popular and classical music employ the same tones with varying rhythm and beat patterns.  The same can be said of art, literature, science, and mathematics.  More than once the newest great discovery was merely a rediscovery of something that was once known and later forgotten.  (For example, the ancient Greeks knew that the earth was a globe and calculated its circumference to a high degree of accuracy.)  Much of the renaissance was merely the rediscovery of what the Greeks had known 1500 years earlier.  From this perspective, nothing is really new but merely a rearrangement of what has previously existed.

Wyh]Yiv, μyniroj}a'l; μg"w“ μynivoaril; ˆ/rk]zi ˆyae 11

.hn:roj}a'l; Wyh]Yiv, μ[i ˆ/rK;zi μh,l; hy<h]yIAalo

There is no remembrance of the former things, and also the latter things that will be will have no remembrance with those who will live in later times.

More than one writer has noted that any generation who fails to learn from the errors of prior history will be doomed to repeat those errors.  Here the author asserts that this fault is characteristic both of people as individuals and of entire societies.  Read today’s newspaper (or new internet bulletin) and then read one from 50 years, 100 years ago, or 2500 years ago.  Details will be different, but many of the problems being addressed will be essentially the same.  The human creature has not changed from the day that God cursed Adam, Eve, and all the earth; the problems that the earliest human cultures have experienced remain with us still in essentially the same form.  We tend to be so wrapped up in our own circumstances that we forget that no problem we face today really is new: it has all happened before.

.μIl;v;WryBi laer:c]yiAl[' Ël,m, ytiyyih; tl,h,qo ynia} 12

I koheleth was (have been) king over Israel in Jerusalem.

There were just two kings who reigned over all Israel from Jerusalem: David and Solomon.  Verse 1 states that koheleth was the son of David, much of the book stresses the great wisdom possessed by koheleth, and chapter 2 describes some of the great building projects and wealth attributed to Solomon.  Without a doubt, the author is claiming to be Solomon.  Modern scholars generally assert that this book is late, dating from about 200 to 350 BC.  The bases for this assertion are as follows:

·      The theology and the perspective that bad things may happen to good (relatively speaking) people is considered to be a late development in the prophetic development of Israel.

·      The language and perspective of the book are quite similar to those of Job, which is also often considered to be late for the same reason  as that listed above.

All such arguments are deficient from several different perspectives.

·      Language and literary styles certainly do change over time.  One merely needs to read English literature written 150 years ago to observe such differences.  However, all of the Hebrew biblical texts were preserved as manually copied manuscripts for at least 2000 years before the first printed book existed.  There is strong evidence that scribes routinely replaced obsolete orthography, spelling, and in some cases vocabulary during that time.  Consequently, vocabulary in a book of the Massoretic Text does not provide adequate information to establish a date of authorship.

·      The concept that ‘bad things happen to good people’ is certainly not a late teaching in the Hebrew scriptures.  Such things are presented in the stories of Abel, Joseph, and Jeremiah as well as many of David’s psalms.

·      Although vocabulary, syntax, and literary styles for any particular language certainly do change over time (linguistic drift), far too little of ancient Hebrew vocabulary has been preserved with a reliable time stamp to use that as a basis for dating any text.  (The only existing texts that have reliable time stamps are monumental inscriptions and ostraca found in situ during archaeological digs.)  The date of authorship for prophetic writings can generally be dated with reasonable certainty based on internal evidence, but nobody can assess with certainty what affect 1000 years or more of scribal activity has had on the spelling and vocabulary in those texts.

The internal evidence of the text presents this as the work of Solomon.  The state of the Massoretic Text shows numerous textual corruptions, indicating that this particular book was among the less carefully preserved of the Hebrew texts, and these same corruptions are often contained word-by-word in the LXX.  This suggests that the book hardly could have been a work of late composition.

 μyim;V;h' tj'T' hc,[}n' rv,a}AlK; l[' hm;k]j;B' rWtl;w“ v/rd]li yBiliAta, yTit'n:w“ 13

./B t/n[}l' μd:a;h; yneb]li μyhi/la‘ ˆt'n; [r: ˆyn}[i aWh

And I applied my heart to examine intently with wisdom all that is done under the sun:  God has given a profoundly unpleasant task to mankind to be occupied with.

yBiliAta, yTit'n:w“ This is the primary clause of the verse. yTit'n:w“ is a 1cs qal perfect of ˆt'n: and has the basic meaning of ‘give.’  In the present context, it describes concentrated application to a particular task.  yBiliAta, is the direct object of the transitive verb.  In classical Hebrew, the term ‘heart’ refers to the seat of reason and conscious determination, not the seat of emotion or passion.

hm;k]j;B' rWtl;w“ v/rd]li This phrase consists of two qal infinitive constructs followed by an adverbial prepositional phrase.  The two infinitives are predicate compliments to the finite verb and describe the task that koheleth intends to undertake.  The basic root meaning of vrd is ‘seek,’ and its range of usage includes ‘investigate, study, practice.’  The root meaning of rWt is ‘seek out, explore.’  The combination is a hendiadys (two words used to express a single idea) to describe a determined, concerted examination of a particular subject.  The adverbial prepositional phrase hm;k]j;B' identifies the tool for this examination: ‘wisdom.’  In classical Hebrew, hm;k]j; refers primarily to the practice of practical skills in life, not the accumulation of information or the speculative knowledge that characterized Greek thought.  English does not have any single word that has an equivalent semantic content.

μyim;V;h' tj'T' hc,[}n" rv,a}AlK; l[' This phrase presents the object of this examination: concerning everything that is done under the sun.  The verb form hc,[}n' is a 3ms niphal perfect.  The interpretive question is whether to translate it into English with a simple past form, a progressive past form, or one of the various perfect forms.  In the translation above I opted for simple past, but past progressive and present perfect are also possible. 

/B t/n[}l' μd:a;h; yneb]li μyhi/la‘ ˆt'n; [r: ˆyn}[i aWh This clause presents the conclusion of his study concerning all that is done under the sun before he begins describing the details of that study.  The grammatical core of the clause μd:a;h; yneb]li [r: ˆyn}[i  ˆt'n; μyhi/la‘ : God has given an unpleasant task to the sons of Adam.’  The remainder is merely amplification.  [r: ˆyn}[i is an appositive explicating the content of the direct object; /B t/n[}l' is an infinitive phrase describing the nature of the problem: habitual occupation with an unpleasant task.  This unpleasant task that God has inflicted on the sons of Adam is the core of the curse in Gen 3:19: ‘With the sweat of your face (lit. nose) you shall eat your bread until you return to the ground.’

[r: This adjective is almost always translated as ‘evil,’ and English speakers often assume that the term ‘evil’ always describes moral evil or something sinful.  In reality, the classical Hebrew usage of [r: is similar to that of the English term ‘evil,’ i.e. something that is bad, unpleasant, or undesirable.  All moral evil and sin certainly are bad and always have ultimately undesirable consequences, but not all bad (unpleasant or undesirable) things or deeds are sinful.  In this book the term [r: usually does not refer to moral evil but to something that is unpleasant or undesirable.  

μd:a;h; yneb]li Grammatically, this phrase constitutes the indirect object of the transitive verb. μd:a;h; yneb] is a construct chain that is ordinarily translated ‘the sons of Adam.’  The peculiar thing is that μd:a;h; has the definite article attached even though it is often taken as a personal name.  Since personal names in Hebrew are always definite, use of the article is not appropriate.  Consequently, the author appears to be using this term as a generic expression for ‘human,’ or ‘mankind’ and not as the personal name ‘Adam.’  This usage is confirmed by the expressions in 2:18, 21,22, 24, 26, 3:11, 12, 20, etc.

.j"Wr tW[r]W lb,h, lKoh' hNEhiw“ vm,V;h' tj'T' Wc[}N"v, μyci[}M'h'AlK;Ata, ytiyair: 14

I have seen all of the deeds that are done under the sun, and everything is an illusion and striving after wind.

Wc[}N"v, μyci[}M'h' These are two different forms of the same root.  Formally, the first word is an mp hiphil participle of hc[, but the hiphil stem for this root is not otherwise attested in biblical Hebrew.  The term is used and interpreted as a noun, ‘deeds’  (i.e., human activities).  The second form is 3mp niphal perfect with a prefixed relative pronoun Av,, ‘that are done.’

j"Wr tW[r]W lb,h, lKoh' hNEhiw“ This clause and its variants are structurally significant literary markers.  They are repeated throughout the book at the end of each major segment of text like the refrain in a song or poem.  Semantically, this refrain means: what has just been presented is as futile as trying to find substance in a mirage or trying to catch the wind.  The term tW[r] is a fs noun derived from the root h[r signifying ‘associate, companion, close friend;’ ˆ/y[]r" is a ms noun from the same root having much the same meaning.  Just try to be a close companion with the wind!

.t/nM;hil] lk'WyAal ˆ/rs]j,w“ ˆqot]li lk'WyAal tW:[um] 15

What is bent cannot be straightened, and what is missing cannot be counted.

This is the first of many proverbs presented throughout the text of this book.  It is intended to summarize what has just been stated.  Understanding the content of these proverbs is essential for gaining an accurate understanding the message that the author is trying to convey.  Formally, tW:[um] is a pual participle of tw[ (be bent, twisted, crooked); ˆqot] is a qal infinitive construct (become straight); ˆ/rs]j, is an ms noun from rsj (deficiency, thing lacking); t/nM;hi is a niphal infinitive construct of hnm (count, number, reckon).

What is bent?  The creation is bent by the curse of God, and that curse cannot be undone by anything we can do:  ‘Cursed is the land because of you’ (Gen 3:17).  Yeshua bore the judicial curse of the law for those who believe in him, but he has not yet eliminated the curse on this creation.  That will not happen until the creation is made new after the end of his 1000-year reign following his bodily return to the earth.

What is missing?  Innocence, and that original innocence cannot be restored even by the second birth: ‘I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked’ (Gen 3:10).  Restoration of innocence will not occur for those under the sun until they who have been redeemed possess glorified material bodies.  The redeemed will be confirmed in sinlessness following their physical death, but they will not again live under the sun until after their resurrection.

hm;k]j; yTip]s'/hw“ yTil]D"g“hi hN´hi ynia} rmoale yBiliAμ[i ynia} yTir“B'DI 16

.t['d:w: hm;k]j; hBer“h' ha;r; yBiliw“ μIl;v;Wry“Al[' yn"p;l] hy:h;Arv,a}AlK; l['

tWlk]ciw“ t/lle/h t['d'w“ hm;k]j; t['d'l; yBili hn:T]a,w: 17

I spoke with my heart, saying, “Behold, I have become great, and I have gained more wisdom than all of those who preceded me over Jerusalem.  And my heart has seen much wisdom and knowledge, and I have given my heart to know wisdom, knowledge, madness, and folly.

yBiliAμ[i ynia} yTir“B'DI This is one of several ways in which classical Hebrew expresses concerted, rational thought.  To understand the significance of the expression, one must realize that that the heart, not the mind was the seat of reason in classical Hebrew thought.  Inclusion of the pronoun ynia} following the verb is unnecessary and therefore emphatic.

μIl;v;Wry“Al[' yn"p;l] hy:h;Arv,a}AlK; l[' This construction represents is one of several mechanisms used in biblical Hebrew to express a comparison.  But how extensive is his comparison?  David was the only Israelite ruler that preceded Solomon over Jerusalem.  Prior to David’s conquest, the city was occupied by Jebusites; and in Abraham’s day it was ruled by Melchizedek.  Y110:4 shows that David took the king-priest status of Melchizedek seriously; 2 Sam 6:14 and 1 Ch 15:27 state that David wore an ephod, a garment permitted only for priests.  Potentially, Solomon is claiming that the scope of his wisdom exceeds that of Melchizedek, who was the only king other than David to reign over Jerusalem before him whose name is preserved in scripture. 

...yBili hn:T]a,w: ... ha;r; yBiliw“ These two clauses define the scope of his experience.  Specifically, he has gained both an accumulation of information and the practical skill in applying that information to the practical circumstances of life.  He has examined both the positive side – wisdom and knowledge – as well as the negative side – madness and folly.  The term t/lle/h is fp noun based on the poel stem of llh (be boastful); in modern Hebrew, this noun is used to mean ‘madness, hilarity.’  The term tWlk]ci is an orthographic variant of tWlk]si, which is a fs noun from the root lks, and it represents the actions or deeds of a fool, one devoid of hm;k]j;.  One endowed with wisdom (hm;k]j;) can examine and assess the motives and activities of a fool; but a fool has no understanding of his own motives and actions, much less those of one endowed with wisdom.

.j'Wr ˆ/y[]r' aWh hz,AμGæv, yTi[]d'y:

.b/ak]m' 5ysi/y t['D' 5ysi/yw“ s['K;Abr: hm;k]j; broB] yKi 18

I know that this is also striving after wind; because much vexation comes with much wisdom, and he who increases knowledge increases pain.

The second half of vs 17 is the first of many repetitions of the j'Wr ˆ/y[]r' aWh hz,AμGæv, refrain.

Structurally, verse 18 consists of two verbless clauses that exactly parallel one another.  The verse is introduced by the relative conjunction yKi, which indicates that this verse contains the explanation why the proposed investigation is ultimately illusory (futile in the sense that it will not resolve or change anything).

s['K;Abr: hm;k]j; broB] The subject of this clause is the second element; the first element is a prepositional phrase and can only be a predicate adjective.  The term s['K; is an ms noun meaning ‘anger, vexation, irritation.’  The inverted order of subject and predicate lays emphasis on the predicate adjective.

b/ak]m' 5ysi/y t['D' 5ysi/y The two elements of this clause are exactly parallel in structure, so the first element should be taken as subject and the second as predicate noun.  The reversal in the order of subject and predicate in the two clauses is a stylistic feature called chiasmus and occurs frequently in Hebrew poetry. 

The author concludes his introduction with an ironic summary: the investigation that he has undertaken is in of itself a futile exercise for two reasons.  First, the very process of increasing wisdom (practical skill in living) will magnify the frustrations that he has already experienced and expressed.  Second, increasing knowledge (accumulation of facts) about what transpires here on earth under the sun will increase the pain (mental anguish) that one may experience over the inequities of life.