Pengkhotbah 3:16

The Problem of Injustice and Oppression

3:16 I saw something else on earth: ¹ 

In the place of justice, there was wickedness,

and in the place of fairness, ²  there was wickedness.

Pengkhotbah 8:14

8:14 Here is ³  another ⁴  enigma ⁵  that occurs on earth:

Sometimes there are righteous people who get what the wicked deserve, ⁶ 

and sometimes there are wicked people who get what the righteous deserve. ⁷ 

I said, “This also is an enigma.”

Pengkhotbah 9:1-2

Everyone Will Die

9:1 So I reflected on all this, ⁸  attempting to clear ⁹  it all up.

I concluded that ¹⁰  the righteous and the wise, as well as their works, are in the hand of God;

whether a person will be loved or hated ¹¹  –

no one knows what lies ahead. ¹² 

9:2 Everyone shares the same fate ¹³  –

the righteous and the wicked,

the good and the bad, ¹⁴ 

the ceremonially clean and unclean,

those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.

What happens to the good person, also happens to the sinner; ¹⁵ 

what happens to those who make vows, also happens to those who are afraid to make vows.

Pengkhotbah 9:1

Everyone Will Die

9:1 So I reflected on all this, ¹⁶  attempting to clear ¹⁷  it all up.

I concluded that ¹⁸  the righteous and the wise, as well as their works, are in the hand of God;

whether a person will be loved or hated ¹⁹  –

no one knows what lies ahead. ²⁰ 

1 Samuel 22:18-19

22:18 Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and strike down the priests!” So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests. He killed on that day eighty-five ²¹  men who wore the linen ephod. 22:19 As for Nob, the city of the priests, he struck down with the sword men and women, children and infants, oxen, donkeys, and sheep – all with the sword.

1 Samuel 22:1

David Goes to Adullam and Mizpah

22:1 So David left there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and the rest of his father’s family ²²  learned about it, they went down there to him.

Kisah Para Rasul 21:13

21:13 Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking ²³  my heart? For I am ready not only to be tied up, ²⁴  but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

Kisah Para Rasul 21:2

21:2 We found ²⁵  a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, ²⁶  went aboard, ²⁷  and put out to sea. ²⁸ 

Kisah Para Rasul 24:21-22

24:21 other than ²⁹  this one thing ³⁰  I shouted out while I stood before ³¹  them: ‘I am on trial before you today concerning the resurrection of the dead.’” ³² 

24:22 Then Felix, ³³  who understood the facts ³⁴  concerning the Way ³⁵  more accurately, ³⁶  adjourned their hearing, ³⁷  saying, “When Lysias the commanding officer comes down, I will decide your case.” ³⁸ 

Ayub 9:22-23

Accusation of God’s Justice

9:22 “It is all one! ³⁹  That is why I say, ⁴⁰ 

‘He destroys the blameless and the guilty.’

9:23 If a scourge brings sudden death, ⁴¹ 

he mocks ⁴²  at the despair ⁴³  of the innocent. ⁴⁴ 

Matius 23:34-35

23:34 “For this reason I ⁴⁵  am sending you prophets and wise men and experts in the law, ⁴⁶  some of whom you will kill and crucify, ⁴⁷  and some you will flog ⁴⁸  in your synagogues ⁴⁹  and pursue from town to town, 23:35 so that on you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, ⁵⁰  whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

Yohanes 16:2

16:2 They will put you out of ⁵¹  the synagogue, ⁵²  yet a time ⁵³  is coming when the one who kills you will think he is offering service to God. ⁵⁴ 

Kisah Para Rasul 7:52

7:52 Which of the prophets did your ancestors ⁵⁵  not persecute? ⁵⁶  They ⁵⁷  killed those who foretold long ago the coming of the Righteous One, ⁵⁸  whose betrayers and murderers you have now become! ⁵⁹ 

[3:16]  ¹ tn Heb “under the sun.”

[3:16]  ² tn Or “righteousness.”

[8:14]  ³ tn Heb “there is.” The term יֶשׁ (yesh, “there is”) is often used in aphorisms to assert the existence of a particular situation that occurs sometimes. It may indicate that the situation is not the rule but that it does occur on occasion, and may be nuanced “sometimes” (Prov 11:24; 13:7, 23; 14:12; 16:25; 18:24; 20:15; Eccl 2:21; 4:8; 5:12; 6:1; 7:15 [2x]; 8:14 [3x]).

[8:14]  ⁴ tn The word “another” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness.

[8:14]  ⁵ tn Or “vanity” (again at the end of this verse). The Hebrew term הֶבֶל (hevel) here denotes “enigma,” that is, something that is difficult to understand. This sense is derived from the literal referent of breath, vapor or wind that cannot be seen; thus, “obscure; dark; difficult to understand; enigmatic” (see HALOT 236–37 s.v. I הֶבֶל; BDB 210–11 s.v. I הֶבֶל). It is used in this sense in reference to enigmas in life (6:2; 8:10, 14) and the future which is obscure (11:8, 10).

[8:14]  ⁶ tn Heb “to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked”; or “who are punished for the deeds of the wicked.”

[8:14]  ⁷ tn Heb “to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous”; or “who are rewarded for the deeds of the righteous.”

[9:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “I laid all this to my heart.”

[9:1]  ⁹ tn The term וְלָבוּר (velavur, conjunction + Qal infinitive construct from בּוּר, bur, “to make clear”) denotes “to examine; to make clear; to clear up; to explain” (HALOT 116 s.v. בור; BDB 101 s.v. בּוּר). The term is related to Arabic baraw “to examine” (G. R. Driver, “Supposed Arabisms in the Old Testament,” JBL 55 [1936]: 108). This verb is related to the Hebrew noun בֹּר (bor, “cleanness”) and adjective בַּר (bar, “clean”). The term is used in the OT only in Ecclesiastes (1:13; 2:3; 7:25; 9:1). This use of the infinitive has a connotative sense (“attempting to”), and functions in a complementary sense, relative to the main verb.

[9:1]  ¹⁰ tn The words “I concluded that” do not appear in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “whether love or hatred.”

[9:1]  ¹² tn Heb “man does not know anything before them.”

[9:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “all things just as to everyone, one fate.”

[9:2]  ¹⁴ tc The MT reads simply “the good,” but the Greek versions read “the good and the bad.” In contrast to the other four pairs in v. 2 (“the righteous and the wicked,” “those who sacrifice, and those who do not sacrifice,” “the good man…the sinner,” and “those who make vows…those who are afraid to make vows”), the MT has a triad in the second line: לַטּוֹב וְלַטָּהוֹר וְלַטָּמֵא (lattov vÿlattahor vÿlattame’, “the good, and the clean, and the unclean”). This reading in the Leningrad Codex (ca. a.d. 1008) – the basis of the BHS and BHK publications of the MT – is also supported by the Ben Asher text of the First Rabbinic Bible (“the Soncino Bible”) published in a.d. 1488-94. On the other hand, the Greek version in B (Aquila) has two pairs: τῷ ἀγαθῷ καὶ τῷ κακῷ, καὶ τῷ καθαρῷ καὶ τῷ ἀκαθάρτῳ (“the good and the bad, and the clean and the unclean”). Either Aquila inserted καὶ τῷ κακῷ (kai tw kakw, “and the bad”) to fill out a pair and to create six parallel pairs in v. 2, or Aquila reflects an early Hebrew textual tradition tradition of לַטּוֹב וְלַרָע (lattov vÿlara’, “the good and the bad”). Since Aquila is well known for his commitment to a literal – at times even a mechanically wooden – translation of the Hebrew, with no room for improvisation, it is more than likely that Aquila is reflecting an authentic Hebrew textual tradition. Aquila dates to a.d. 130, while the Leningrad Codex dates to a.d. 1008; therefore, the Vorlage of Aquila might have been the original Hebrew textual tradition, being much earlier than the MT of the Leningrad Codex. The alternate textual tradition of Aquila is also seen in the Syriac and Latin versions (but these are dependent upon the Greek = Aquila). On the other hand, the editors of BHK and BHS suggest that the presence of the anomalous לַטּוֹב was an addition to the Hebrew text, and should be deleted. They also suggest that the Greek pair τῷ ἀγαθῷ καὶ τῷ κακῷ (tw agaqw kai tw kakw, “the good and the bad”) does not reflect an alternate textual tradition, but that their Vorlage contained only לַטּוֹב: the Greek version intentionally added καὶ τῷ κακῷ (kai tw kakw, “and the bad”) to create a pair. The English versions are divided. Several follow the Greek: “the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean” (NEB, NAB, RSV, NRSV, NIV, Moffatt, NLT). Others follow the Hebrew: “the good and the clean and the unclean” (KJV, ASV, MLB, NJPS). None, however, delete “the good” (לַטּוֹב) as suggested by the BHK and BHS editors. If the shorter text were original, the addition of καὶ τῷ κακῷ would be intentional. If the longer text were original, the omission of וְלַרָע (“and the bad”) could have caused by unintentional homoioarcton (“similar beginning”) in the three-fold repetition of לט in וְלַרָע וְלַטָּהוֹר וְלַטָּמֵא לַטּוֹב (lattov vÿlara’ vÿlattahor vÿlattame’, “the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean”). The term וְלַרָע (“and the bad”) was accidentally omitted when a scribe skipped from the first occurrence of לט in לַטּוֹב to its second occurrence in the word וְלַטָּהוֹר (“the clean”).

[9:2]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “As is the good (man), so is the sinner.”

[9:1]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “I laid all this to my heart.”

[9:1]  ¹⁷ tn The term וְלָבוּר (velavur, conjunction + Qal infinitive construct from בּוּר, bur, “to make clear”) denotes “to examine; to make clear; to clear up; to explain” (HALOT 116 s.v. בור; BDB 101 s.v. בּוּר). The term is related to Arabic baraw “to examine” (G. R. Driver, “Supposed Arabisms in the Old Testament,” JBL 55 [1936]: 108). This verb is related to the Hebrew noun בֹּר (bor, “cleanness”) and adjective בַּר (bar, “clean”). The term is used in the OT only in Ecclesiastes (1:13; 2:3; 7:25; 9:1). This use of the infinitive has a connotative sense (“attempting to”), and functions in a complementary sense, relative to the main verb.

[9:1]  ¹⁸ tn The words “I concluded that” do not appear in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:1]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “whether love or hatred.”

[9:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “man does not know anything before them.”

[22:18]  ²¹ tc The number is confused in the Greek ms tradition. The LXX, with the exception of the Lucianic recension, has the number 305. The Lucianic recension, along with a couple of Old Latin mss, has the number 350.

[22:1]  ²² tn Heb “house.”

[21:13]  ²³ tn The term translated “breaking” as used by Josephus (Ant. 10.10.4 [10.207]) means to break something into pieces, but in its only NT use (it is a hapax legomenon) it is used figuratively (BDAG 972 s.v. συνθρύπτω).

[21:13]  ²⁴ tn L&N 18.13 has “to tie objects together – ‘to tie, to tie together, to tie up.’” The verb δέω (dew) is sometimes figurative for imprisonment (L&N 37.114), but it is preferable to translate it literally here in light of v. 11 where Agabus tied himself up with Paul’s belt.

[21:2]  ²⁵ tn Grk “and finding.” The participle εὑρόντες (Jeuronte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun in the translation.

[21:2]  ²⁶ sn Phoenicia was the name of an area along the Mediterranean coast north of Palestine.

[21:2]  ²⁷ tn Grk “going aboard, we put out to sea.” The participle ἐπιβάντες (epibante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:2]  ²⁸ tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”

[24:21]  ²⁹ tn BDAG 433 s.v. ἤ 2.c has “οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἤ nothing else than…Ac 17:21. τί…ἤ what other…than…24:21.”

[24:21]  ³⁰ tn Grk “one utterance.”

[24:21]  ³¹ tn Cf. BDAG 327 s.v. ἐν 1.e, which has “before, in the presence of, etc.”

[24:21]  ³² sn The resurrection of the dead. Paul’s point was, what crime was there in holding this religious belief?

[24:22]  ³³ sn See the note on Antonius Felix in 23:24.

[24:22]  ³⁴ tn Grk “the things.”

[24:22]  ³⁵ tn That is, concerning Christianity.

[24:22]  ³⁶ tn BDAG 39 s.v. ἀκριβῶς has “Comp. ἀκριβέστερον more exactly…ἀ. ἐκτίθεσθαι explain more exactly Ac 18:26, cp. 23:15, 20; also more accurately…24:22.” Felix knew more about the Christian movement than what the Jewish leaders had told him.

[24:22]  ³⁷ tn L&N 56.18 s.v. ἀναβάλλω has “to adjourn a court proceeding until a later time – ‘to adjourn a hearing, to stop a hearing and put it off until later.’…‘then Felix, who was well informed about the Way, adjourned their hearing’ Ac 24:22.”

[24:22]  ³⁸ tn BDAG 227 s.v. διαγινώσκω 2 states, “to make a judicial decision, decide/hear (a case)…τὰ καθ᾿ ὑμᾶς decide your case Ac 24:22.”

[9:22]  ³⁹ tc The LXX omits the phrase “It is all one.” Modern scholars either omit it or transpose it for clarity.

[9:22]  sn The expression “it is one” means that God’s dealings with people is undiscriminating. The number “one” could also be taken to mean “the same” – “it is all the same.” The implication is that it does not matter if Job is good or evil, if he lives or dies. This is the conclusion of the preceding section.

[9:22]  ⁴⁰ tn The relationships of these clauses is in some question. Some think that the poet has inverted the first two, and so they should read, “That is why I have said: ‘It is all one.’” Others would take the third clause to be what was said.

[9:23]  ⁴¹ tc The LXX contains a paraphrase: “for the worthless die, but the righteous are laughed to scorn.”

[9:23]  sn The point of these verses is to show – rather boldly – that God does not distinguish between the innocent and the guilty.

[9:23]  ⁴² sn This bold anthropomorphism means that by his treatment of the despair of the innocent, God is in essence mocking them.

[9:23]  ⁴³ tn The term מַסַּת (massat), a hapax legomenon, was translated “trial” in the older versions; but it is not from נָסָה (nasah, “to tempt; to test; to try”), but from מָסַס (masas, “to flow”). It is used in the Niphal to speak of the heart “melting” in suffering. So the idea behind this image is that of despair. This is the view that most interpreters adopt; it requires no change of the text whatsoever.

[9:23]  ⁴⁴ sn Job uses this word to refute Eliphaz; cf. 4:7.

[23:34]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “behold I am sending.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[23:34]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[23:34]  ⁴⁷ sn See the note on crucified in 20:19.

[23:34]  ⁴⁸ tn BDAG 620 s.v. μαστιγόω 1.a states, “of flogging as a punishment decreed by the synagogue (Dt 25:2f; s. the Mishna Tractate Sanhedrin-Makkoth, edited w. notes by SKrauss ’33) w. acc. of pers. Mt 10:17; 23:34.”

[23:34]  ⁴⁹ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.

[23:35]  ⁵⁰ sn Spelling of this name (Βαραχίου, Baraciou) varies among the English versions: “Barachiah” (RSV, NRSV); “Berechiah” (NASB); “Berachiah” (NIV).

[16:2]  ⁵¹ tn Or “expel you from.”

[16:2]  ⁵² sn See the note on synagogue in 6:59.

[16:2]  ⁵³ tn Grk “an hour.”

[16:2]  ⁵⁴ sn Jesus now refers not to the time of his return to the Father, as he has frequently done up to this point, but to the disciples’ time of persecution. They will be excommunicated from Jewish synagogues. There will even be a time when those who kill Jesus’ disciples will think that they are offering service to God by putting the disciples to death. Because of the reference to service offered to God, it is almost certain that Jewish opposition is intended here in both cases rather than Jewish opposition in the first instance (putting the disciples out of synagogues) and Roman opposition in the second (putting the disciples to death). Such opposition materializes later and is recorded in Acts: The stoning of Stephen in 7:58-60 and the slaying of James the brother of John by Herod Agrippa I in Acts 12:2-3 are notable examples.

[7:52]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:52]  ⁵⁶ sn Which…persecute. The rhetorical question suggests they persecuted them all.

[7:52]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “And they.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[7:52]  ⁵⁸ sn The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ.

[7:52]  ⁵⁹ sn Whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. The harsh critique has OT precedent (1 Kgs 19:10-14; Neh 9:26; 2 Chr 36:16).