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 4:2

4:2 So I considered ³  those who are dead and gone ⁴ 

more fortunate than those who are still alive. ⁵ 

Pengkhotbah 4:12

4:12 Although an assailant may overpower ⁶  one person,

two can withstand him.

Moreover, a three-stranded cord is not quickly broken.

Pengkhotbah 6:5

6:5 though it never saw the light of day ⁷  nor knew anything, ⁸ 

yet it has more rest ⁹  than that man –

Pengkhotbah 7:28

7:28 What I have continually sought, I have not found;

I have found only ¹⁰  one upright ¹¹  man among a thousand,

but I have not found one upright woman among all of them.

Pengkhotbah 8:13

8:13 But it will not go well with the wicked,

nor will they ¹²  prolong their ¹³  days like a shadow, ¹⁴ 

because they ¹⁵  do not stand in fear ¹⁶  before God.

Pengkhotbah 10:10

10:10 If an iron axhead ¹⁷  is blunt and a workman ¹⁸  does not sharpen ¹⁹  its edge, ²⁰ 

he must exert a great deal of effort; ²¹ 

so wisdom has the advantage of giving success.

[3:16]  ¹ tn Heb “under the sun.”

[3:16]  ² tn Or “righteousness.”

[4:2]  ³ tn The verb שָׁבַח (shavakh) has a two-fold range of meaning: (1) “to praise; to laud”; and (2) “to congratulate” (HALOT 1387 s.v. I שׁבח; BDB 986 s.v. II שָׁבַח). The LXX translated it as ἐπῄνεσα (ephnesa, “I praised”). The English versions reflect the range of possible meanings: “praised” (KJV, ASV, Douay); “congratulated” (MLB, NASB); “declared/judged/accounted/thought…fortunate/happy” (NJPS, NEB, NIV, RSV, NRSV, NAB).

[4:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “the dead who had already died.”

[4:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “the living who are alive.”

[4:12]  ⁶ tn The verbal root תקף means “to overpower; to prevail over” e.g., Job 14:20; 15:24; Eccl 4:12; 6:10 (HALOT 1786 s.v. תקף).

[6:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “it never saw the sun.”

[6:5]  ⁸ tn The word “anything” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[6:5]  ⁹ sn The Hebrew term translated rest here refers to freedom from toil, anxiety, and misery – part of the miserable misfortune that the miserly man of wealth must endure.

[7:28]  ¹⁰ tn The word “only” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness.

[7:28]  ¹¹ tn The word “upright” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation twice, here and in the following line, for clarity.

[8:13]  ¹² tn Heb “he.”

[8:13]  ¹³ tn The word “their” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness.

[8:13]  ¹⁴ tn The phrase “like a shadow” (כַּצֵּל, katsel) modifies the verb (“prolong”) rather than the noun (“days”). Several English versions misconstrue the line: “he will not prolong his days, [which are] like a shadow” (KJV, ASV); “the man who does not fear God is like a shadow” (NEB); and “he will not prolong his shadowy days” (NAB). It should be rendered “he will not prolong his days like a shadow” (RSV, NRSV, NASB, MLB, NIV). Unlike a shadow that lengthens at sunset, the wicked do not normally live long.

[8:13]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “he.”

[8:13]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “they do not fear.”

[10:10]  ¹⁷ tn The term “ax head” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity. The preceding noun “iron” functions as a metonymy of material (i.e., iron) for the object with which it is associated (i.e., ax head).

[10:10]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the workman) is implied, and has been specified in the translation for clarity

[10:10]  ¹⁹ tn The verb קלל in the Pilpel means “to sharpen; to make a blade sharp” (HALOT 1104 s.v. קלל 1).This denominative verb is derived from the rare noun II קָלַל “smooth; shiny” (referring to bronze; Ezek 1:7; Dan 10:6; HALOT 1105 s.v.). Sharpening the blade or head of a bronze ax will make it smooth and shiny. It is not derived from I קָלַל (qalal) “to treat light” or the noun I קְלָלָה (qÿlalah) “curse.” Nor is it related to I קָלַל “to shake” (Ezek 21:26); cf. HALOT 1104. BDB 886 s.v. קָלַל 2 erroneously relates it to I קָלַל, suggesting “to whet” or “to move quickly to and fro.”

[10:10]  ²⁰ tn Heb “face.”

[10:10]  ²¹ tn Heb “strength.” The term וַחֲיָלִים (vakhayalim, conjunction + plural noun from חַיִל, khayil, “strength; efficiency”) is an example of a plural of intensification (GKC 397-98 §124.e). The point is that it is a waste of a great deal of strength and energy. If a person is not smart, he will have to use a lot of energy and waste his efficiency.