Pengkhotbah 10:6

10:6 Fools ¹  are placed in many positions of authority, ² 

while wealthy men sit in lowly positions.

Pengkhotbah 9:14

9:14 There was once ³  a small city with a few men in it,

and a mighty king attacked it, besieging ⁴  it and building strong ⁵  siege works against it.

Pengkhotbah 7:9

7:9 Do not let yourself be quickly provoked, ⁶ 

for anger resides in the lap ⁷  of fools.

Pengkhotbah 4:5

4:5 The fool folds his hands and does no work, ⁸ 

so he has nothing to eat but his own flesh. ⁹ 

Pengkhotbah 5:18

Enjoy the Fruit of Your Labor

5:18 I have seen personally what is the only beneficial and appropriate course of action for people: ¹⁰ 

to eat and drink, ¹¹  and find enjoyment in all their ¹²  hard work ¹³  on earth ¹⁴ 

during the few days of their life which God has given them,

for this is their reward. ¹⁵ 

[10:6]  ¹ tn Heb “folly.”

[10:6]  ² tn Heb “high places.”

[9:14]  ³ tn The verbs in this section function either as past definite actions (describing a past situation) or as hypothetical past actions (describing an imaginary hypothetical situation for the sake of illustration). The LXX uses subjunctives throughout vv. 14-15 to depict the scenario as a hypothetical situation: “Suppose there was a little city, and a few men [lived] in it; and there should come against it a great king, and surround it, and build great siege-works against it; and should find in it a poor wise man, and he should save the city through his wisdom; yet no man would remember that poor man.”

[9:14]  ⁴ tn The two perfect tense verbs וְסָבַב (vÿsavav, “he besieged”) and וּבָנָה (uvanah, “he built”) may be taken in a complementary sense, qualifying the action of the main perfect tense verb וּבָא (uva’, “he attacked it”).

[9:14]  ⁵ tn The root גדל (“mighty; strong; large”) is repeated in 9:13b for emphasis: “a mighty (גָדוֹל, gadol) king…building strong (גְדֹלִים, gÿdolim) siege works.” This repetition highlights the contrast between the vast power and resources of the attacking king, and the meager resources of the “little” (קְטַנָּה, qÿtannah) city with “few” (מְעָט, mÿ’at) men in it to defend it.

[7:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “Do not be hasty in your spirit to become angry.”

[7:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “bosom.”

[4:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “the fool folds his hands.” The Hebrew idiom means that he does not work (e.g., Prov 6:10; 24:33). In the translation the words “and does no work” (which do not appear in the Hebrew text) have been supplied following the idiom to clarify what is meant.

[4:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “and eats his own flesh.” Most English versions render the idiom literally: “and eats/consumes his flesh” (KJV, AS, NASB, NAB, RSV, NRSV, NJPS). However, a few versions attempt to explain the idiom: “and lets life go to ruin” (Moffatt), “and wastes away” (NEB), “and ruins himself” (NIV).

[5:18]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Behold, that which I have seen, I, good which is beautiful.” The phrase “for people” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[5:18]  ¹¹ sn The phrase “to eat and to drink” is a common idiom in Ecclesiastes for a person enjoying the fruit of his labor (e.g., 2:24; 3:13).

[5:18]  ¹² tn Heb “his,” and three times later in the verse.

[5:18]  ¹³ tn Heb “the toil which one toils.”

[5:18]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “under the sun.”

[5:18]  ¹⁵ tn The term חֵלֶק (kheleq, “lot”) has a wide range of meanings: (1) “share of spoils” (Gen 14:24; Num 31:36; 1 Sam 30:24), (2) “portion of food” (Lev 6:10; Deut 18:8; Hab 1:16), (3) “portion [or tract] of land” (Deut 10:9; 12:12; Josh 19:9), (4) “portion” or “possession” (Num 18:20; Deut 32:9), (5) “inheritance” (2 Kgs 9:10; Amos 7:4), (6) “portion” or “award” (Job 20:29; 27:13; 31:2; Isa 17:14) or “profit; reward” (Eccl 2:10, 21; 3:22; 5:17-18; 9:6, 9); see HALOT 323 s.v. II חֵלֶק; BDB 324 s.v. חֵלֶק. Throughout Ecclesiastes, the term is used in reference to man’s temporal profit from his labor and his reward from God (e.g., Eccl 3:22; 9:9).