10 6:10Whatever has come to be has already been named, and it is known what man is, and that he is not able to dispute with one stronger than he. 11 6:11The more words, the more vanity, and what is the advantage to man? 12 6:12For who knows what is good for man while he lives the few days of his vain1 life, which he passes like a shadow? For who can tell man what will be after him under the sun?
7 7:1 A good name is better than precious ointment,
and the day of death than the day of birth.
2 7:2 It is better to go to the house of mourning
than to go to the house of feasting,
for this is the end of all mankind,
and the living will lay it to heart.
3 7:3 Sorrow is better than laughter,
for by sadness of face the heart is made glad.
4 7:4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
5 7:5 It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise
than to hear the song of fools.
6 7:6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot,
so is the laughter of the fools;
this also is vanity.2
7 7:7 Surely oppression drives the wise into madness,
and a bribe corrupts the heart.
8 7:8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning,
and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
9 7:9 Be not quick in your spirit to become angry,
for anger lodges in the heart3 of fools.
10 7:10 Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?”
For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.
11 7:11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance,
an advantage to those who see the sun.
12 7:12 For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money,
and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.
13 7:13 Consider the work of God:
who can make straight what he has made crooked?
14 7:14In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.
Response
Latin was the language of scholarship for centuries and has provided many of the philosophical and theological terms that are still useful to know today.
One important Latin phrase raises the issue of the “highest good” of human existence, summum bonum. What constitutes a “good life” or even the “best life” for human beings? Philosophers and theologians have often discussed the question, but it would be hard to find an answer that exceeds the opening of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, which asserts: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.”
There are other helpful, if less complete, answers to the question, and the Preacher explores these in this section filled with proverbial observations. Many of his thoughts are centered around the basic question of 6:12, “Who knows what is good for [a] man while he lives the few days of his vain life, which he passes like a shadow?” The Westminster Shorter Catechism answers this question of the summum bonum in terms of eternity (glorifying and enjoying God forever), while the Preacher chiefly addresses the question of a good life in this fleeting world—but that does not invalidate his answers. He observes, for example, that a godly reputation based on a godly life (a “good name,” according to 7:1) is to be preferred to valuable items such as precious ointment, both as an engaging testimony to the grace of God (Matt. 5:16) and as a means of growing in assurance of one’s own salvation (1 John 2:3). The need for evangelism or for strengthening a faltering faith will be unnecessary in eternity, but they are essential for life in the present age.
At the same time, the Preacher’s perspective is not entirely on this present world; he observes, “Better is the end of a thing than its beginning” (Eccles. 7:8), a principle that applies to all sorts of issues, including one’s very own life. The Preacher’s appreciation of mankind’s “end” leads him to consider a matter expressed by another established Latin phrase: ars moriendi (“the art of dying a good death”). Originally this was the title of works of pastoral theology from the Middle Ages, when mortality rates were extremely high (due to wars, starvation, and the plague, to name just a few factors) and death was a much more prominent reality for most people than it is today. In a dangerous world in which life expectancy was low, how could one best prepare for the certain reality of one’s demise? Many of the Preacher’s reflections in this section touch on the subject of death (e.g., 7:1–3), but he is not being morbid. Just as the Preacher seeks to help us live a good life pleasing to God, he also seeks to help us prepare to die a death that glorifies God as well. His reflections here and elsewhere in the book force us to grapple with the question of whether we are ready to meet the Lord at a moment’s notice or whether we are instead like the rich man of Jesus’ parable, focused on amassing wealth and unprepared to leave this life (Luke 12:16–21).
True wisdom understands that pursuing the summum bonum requires us daily to practice ars moriendi.Ecclesiastes 6:10–7:14
Ecclesiastes 7:15–29
The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath” (see note on 1:2)
The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath” (see note on 1:2)
Hebrew in the bosom
6:10–12 Ecclesiastes frequently draws upon the early chapters of Genesis; this section begins with an evocation of the naming of Adam (Gen. 5:2). After the assertion “Whatever has come to be has already been named,” the following clause could be rendered, “And it is known that he is Adam [ʾadam].” The Preacher frequently looks back to the creation of the world to gain a perspective on human life today.
Furthermore, the following assertion that man cannot “dispute” (Hb. dyn) with a stronger person seems to draw upon the Lord’s declaration in Genesis 6:3 that his Spirit would no longer “contend” (ESV mg.) with mankind. One result of this pronouncement was the significantly limited life spans of human beings (“His days shall be 120 years”), in comparison to the extremely long lives of the initial line of the Adamic patriarchs (Gen. 5:1–32); in Ecclesiastes 6:12 the Preacher likewise speaks of the “few days” of man’s life, “which he passes like a shadow.”
The influence of the early part of Genesis continues to be felt in the reference in verse 11 to “more words” (devarim harbeh), which is best understood as a reference to the foolish attempt to build the Tower of Babel. Prior to that tragedy mankind had one language and the “same words” (devarim ʾakhadim; Gen. 11:1), but in the aftermath man’s languages were “confused,” leading to the failure of the building project. In the end there was no “advantage” or “gain” (Hb. yoter) for man (ʾadam). Despite mankind’s continued attempts to contend with God, he will either encounter his own finite, creaturely limitations or face God’s chastening punishment when he rebelliously seeks to transgress the boundaries of the Creator-creature relationship.
The Preacher’s query in Ecclesiastes 6:11 as to what “advantage” there is to being human is asked again in a slightly different way in verse 12a, “What is good for man?” In light of the reality that many specifics concerning the future are unknown (v. 12b), it may seem that not much can be said. But in the following section the Preacher does his best to answer what is “good” (or “better”) for mankind. While there are many “secret things” (Deut. 29:29) that human beings are not allowed to know or are incapable of understanding, the Lord’s Word nevertheless reveals enough to equip the saints completely for “every good work” (2 Tim. 3:17).
7:1–4 This collection of proverbial statements begins in Ecclesiastes 7:1a with an assertion similar to Proverbs 22:1: “A good name is better than precious ointment.” In this instance “name” refers to one’s reputation, established by a consistent track record of godly behavior. The parallel line in Ecclesiastes 7:1b, however, is related to this only in terms of its shared literary structure as a “better than” proverb, and it introduces the Preacher’s real topic of interest: “And the day of death [is better] than the day of birth.” This section makes several surprising assertions regarding death and mortality, though from the overall context of the book there is no reason to think that the Preacher is saying that an individual should long for death over life. In the immediate context it is clear that the Preacher is speaking of the spiritually healthy effects of going to the “house of mourning,” that is, attending burial or funeral rites for the dead (vv. 2, 4). The solemnity of such occasions causes deeper reflection on one’s ultimate destiny than going to the “house of mirth.” These provide a preview of what will happen to everyone, since “this is the end [or “destination”] of all mankind” (v. 2).
In this context the “sorrow” and “sadness of face” of verse 3 refer to the emotions of the bereaved; it is not a blanket summons to adopt a morbid seriousness and to eschew all pleasures. As noted before, the Preacher at times speaks highly of joy and taking pleasure in God’s good gifts (cf. comment on 2:24–26). Indeed, he earlier acknowledged that there is a “time to laugh” (3:4) while also pointing out the deficiency of “laughter” on more than one occasion (2:2; 7:3, 6; 10:19). Among the wise, laughter is a gift of God, but in the company of fools it represents a superficial emotional experience that does little to benefit the soul (7:3; cf. vv. 5–6).
7:5–7 In verses 1–4 the Preacher made an unexpected commendation of sorrow and bereavement as more beneficial to the soul than a life of prosperity and happiness. It is a general biblical pattern that painful and difficult experiences are the most effective in causing the believer to mature spiritually in his or her faith. In an analogous way the Preacher commends the unpleasant experience of being rebuked by the wise rather than enjoying the “song of fools” (v. 5) or their “laughter” (v. 6). As such, he affirms the observation of Hebrews 12:11 that initially “all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
Wisdom and maturity are precious gifts, but they can nevertheless be lost. The Preacher has drawn attention to “oppression” before (Eccles. 4:1; 5:8), and in 7:7 he points out how it can twist even a wise and godly person and corrupt his heart. Some people are dishonest due to their own natural proclivities and merely need the opportunity to express it, but others are drawn into dishonesty by outside pressures or sinful temptations. One of those pressures is that of a bribe, which is condemned in the strongest terms in Scripture (Ex. 23:8; Deut. 16:19; Prov. 17:23; Isa. 5:23; etc.). This is not the only instance in Ecclesiastes of someone’s turning from wisdom to folly (cf. comment on 4:13–16).
7:8–9 It requires patience to reach “the end of a thing” (Eccles. 7:8a), since most worthwhile undertakings need time to bring to completion. Just as God makes everything beautiful “in its time” (3:11), so also our human endeavors require sufficient time and cultivation to come to fruition. Impatience is a characteristic of fools and can be an expression of either pride (7:8b) or anger (v. 9). On a deeper theological level verse 7 provides an indication of the Preacher’s eschatological perspective: while the fall introduced corruption and “vanity” into God’s perfect creation, ultimately God is bringing things to a better “end” (cf. Introduction: Theology of Ecclesiastes).
7:10–12 It is a common feature of human nature to long for an earlier “golden age,” when life was supposedly better (v. 10). Regardless of whether that is actually the case in various instances, the Preacher finds such wishful thinking to be lacking in wisdom. It is the believer’s calling to live faithfully in the present rather than to seek to recreate the past or, as the Preacher has repeatedly noted, to seek to foretell the future (cf. comments on 6:10–12 [at v. 12]; 7:13–14; 11:3–4). In 7:11 the Preacher returns to his consideration of what is “good” for man, noting that wisdom is particularly useful when combined with financial means gained from an inheritance. Poverty in itself is no virtue (cf. Prov. 30:8), but neither is wealth without wisdom. Judged on their own merits, however, wisdom is superior to wealth because it can preserve one’s life in many situations (Eccles. 7:12), even if it does not ultimately deliver from death (cf. comment on 2:14b–17).
7:13–14 The repeated observations of man’s mortality and wisdom (or lack thereof) ultimately drive the Preacher to look away from mankind and to focus on God in verses 13–14. In seeking to “consider the work of God” (v. 13) one is confronted repeatedly with situations impossible to understand. In verse 13 the Preacher picks up on his earlier assertion that “what is crooked cannot be made straight” (1:15). Using the same Hebrew verbs, 7:13 asserts that no one can “make straight” (Hb. tqn) what God has “made crooked” (ʿwt). “Crooked” does not have a negative ethical nuance here but refers instead to the inscrutable nature of God’s working: he has determined that some matters will remain mysterious and puzzling to mankind. This principle applies to one’s own life experience, which involves times of prosperity as well as adversity (v. 14). One reason for the apparently random nature of one’s daily experiences is to prevent man from presuming that he can “find out anything that will be after him.” The temptation to base one’s actions on one’s predictions of the future is simply pragmatism and must be steadfastly refused. On the use of the verb “to find” (matsaʾ) in the sense of “to comprehend, grasp” cf. comment on 3:9–11 (at v. 11).
These verses thus reiterate the point of 6:12 from the perspective of God’s intentional design: he has purposefully limited mankind’s knowledge, particularly with respect to the future. Just as the unit began with evocations of Adam and his descendants in the early chapters of Genesis (Eccles. 6:10–11), it thus concludes by reminding us that from the very beginning God had placed certain limitations on the scope of Adam’s knowledge (Gen. 2:17; 3:1–7, 22–24). The question that remains is whether Adam’s descendants will graciously accept these limits or kick against them as their forefather did. For his part the Preacher seeks to instill a focus on acting wisely in the present rather than longing for the past (Eccles. 7:10) or basing one’s decisions on hazardous attempts to foretell the future (6:12; 7:14). He simply urges his readers to consider instead the question of “what is good for man” (6:12): one’s behavior must be based upon the objective reality of what is right or wrong, better or worse, or wise or foolish.