Pengkhotbah 2:7

2:7 I purchased male and female slaves,

and I owned slaves who were born in my house; ¹ 

I also possessed more livestock – both herds and flocks –

than any of my predecessors in Jerusalem. ² 

Pengkhotbah 9:1

Everyone Will Die

9:1 So I reflected on all this, ³  attempting to clear ⁴  it all up.

I concluded that ⁵  the righteous and the wise, as well as their works, are in the hand of God;

whether a person will be loved or hated ⁶  –

no one knows what lies ahead. ⁷ 

Pengkhotbah 9:5

9:5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead do not know anything;

they have no further reward – and even the memory of them disappears. ⁸ 

Pengkhotbah 11:6

11:6 Sow your seed in the morning,

and do not stop working ⁹  until the evening; ¹⁰ 

for you do not know which activity ¹¹  will succeed ¹²  –

whether this one or that one, or whether both will prosper equally. ¹³ 

Pengkhotbah 11:9

Enjoy Life to the Fullest under the Fear of God

11:9 Rejoice, young man, while you are young, ¹⁴ 

and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth.

Follow the impulses ¹⁵  of your heart and the desires ¹⁶  of your eyes,

but know that God will judge your motives and actions. ¹⁷ 

[2:7]  ¹ tn The phrase “sons of a house” (בְנֵי בַיִת, vÿne vayit) appears to be parallel to “a son of my house” (בֶן־בֵּיתִי, ven-beti) which refers to a person born into slavery from male and female servants in the master’s possession, e.g., Eleazar of Damascus (Gen 15:3). The phrase appears to denote children born from male and female slaves already in his possession, that is, “homeborn slaves” (NASB) or “other slaves who were born in my house” (NIV). Apparently confusing the sense of the phrase with the referent of the phrase in Gen 15:3, NJPS erroneously suggests “stewards” in Eccl 2:7.

[2:7]  ² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[9:1]  ³ tn Heb “I laid all this to my heart.”

[9:1]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn The words “I concluded that” do not appear in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “whether love or hatred.”

[9:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “man does not know anything before them.”

[9:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “for their memory is forgotten.” The pronominal suffix is an objective genitive, “memory of them.”

[11:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “do not let your hand rest.” The Hebrew phrase “do not let your hand rest” is an idiom that means “do not stop working” or “do not be idle” (e.g., Eccl 7:18); cf. BDB 628 s.v. נוּחַ B.1. Several English versions capture the sense of the idiom well: “do not stop working” (NEB); “do not be idle” (MLB); “let not your hand be idle” (NAB); “let not your hands be idle” (NIV); “stay not your hand” (Moffatt). The term “hand” is a synecdoche of part (i.e., do not let your hand rest) for the whole person (i.e., do not allow yourself to stop working).

[11:6]  ¹⁰ tn The terms “morning” (בֹּקֶר, boqer) and “evening” (עֶרֶב, ’erev) form a merism (a figure of speech using two polar extremes to include everything in between) that connotes “from morning until evening.” The point is not that the farmer should plant at two times in the day (morning and evening), but that he should plant all day long (from morning until evening). This merism is reflected in several translations: “in the morning…until evening” (NEB, Moffatt).

[11:6]  ¹¹ tn The term “activity” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness.

[11:6]  ¹² tn The verb כָּשֵׁר (kasher, “to prosper”) is used metonymically to denote “will succeed.” In 11:10, it means “skill in work.”

[11:6]  ¹³ tn Or “together.”

[11:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “in your youth”; or “in your childhood.”

[11:9]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “walk in the ways of your heart.”

[11:9]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the sight.”

[11:9]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and know that concerning all these God will bring you into judgment.” The point is not that following one’s impulses and desires is inherently bad and will bring condemnation from God. Rather the point seems to be: As you follow your impulses and desires, realize that all you think and do will eventually be evaluated by God. So one must seek joy within the boundaries of God’s moral standards.