Ecclesiastes 9
9
1I had my mind consider all this. Wise and good people and everything they do are in God's hands. Love or hate—who knows what will happen to them?#9:1. The meaning of this last sentence is debated as evidenced by the variety of translations. It seems to be emphasizing the uncertainty of life in terms of what may be experienced. 2Yet we all share the same destiny—those who do right, those who do evil, the good, the religiously-observant and those that are not,#9:2. “The religiously-observant and those that are not:” literally, “the clean and the unclean.” those who sacrifice and those who don't. Those who do good are as those who sin, those who make vows to God are as those who don't.
3This is just so wrong—that everyone here on earth should suffer the same fate! On top of that, people's minds are filled with evil. They spend their lives thinking about stupid things, and then they die. 4But the living still have hope—a live dog is better than a dead lion!
5The living are conscious of the fact that they're going to die, but the dead have no consciousness of anything. They don't receive any further benefit; they're forgotten. 6Their love, hate, and envy—it's all gone. They have no further part in anything that happens here on earth.
7So go ahead and eat your food, and enjoy it. Drink your wine with a happy heart. That's what God intends that you should do. 8Always wear smart clothes and look good.#9:8. Literally, “white clothes and be sure to put olive oil on your head.” The sense here is to always be in a celebratory mood—white clothes were used for festivals, along with the practice of anointing the head with olive oil. 9Enjoy life with the wife that you love—the one God gave you—during all the days of this brief life, all these passing days whose meaning is so hard to understand as you work here on earth. 10Whatever you do, do it with all your strength, for when you go to the grave there's no more working or thinking, no more knowing or being wise.
11I thought about other things that happen here on earth. Races are not always won by the fastest runner. Battles are not always decided by the strongest warrior. Also, the wise do not always have food, intelligent people do not always make money, and those who are clever do not always win favor. Time and chance affect all of them.
12You can't predict when your end#9:12. Literally, “time.” will come. Just like fish caught in a net, or birds caught in a trap, so people are suddenly caught by death when they least expect it.
13Here's another aspect of wisdom that impressed me about what happens here on earth. 14Once there was a small town with only a few inhabitants. A powerful king came and besieged the town, building great earth ramps against its walls. 15In that town lived a man who was wise, but poor. He saved the town by his wisdom. But no one remembered to thank#9:15. “To thank”: implied. that poor man. 16As I've always said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” Yet the wisdom of that poor man was dismissed—people didn't pay attention to what he said.
17It's better to listen to the calm words of a wise person than the shouts of a ruler of fools. 18It's better to have wisdom than weapons of war; but a sinner can destroy a lot of good.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
Ecclesiastes 9
9
Enjoy Life Despite Death
1Indeed, I took all this to heart and explained it all: the righteous, the wise, and their works are in God’s hands. # Dt 33:3People don’t know whether to expect love or hate. Everything lies ahead of them. 2Everything is the same for everyone: # Jb 9:22 there is one fate for the righteous and the wicked, # Ec 2:14 for the good and the bad, # LXX, Aq, Syr, Vg; MT omits and the bad for the clean and the unclean, for the one who sacrifices and the one who does not sacrifice. As it is for the good, so it is for the sinner; as for the one who takes an oath, so for the one who fears an oath. 3This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: there is one fate for everyone. In addition, the hearts of people are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live # Ec 1:17 — after that they go to the dead. 4But there is hope for whoever is joined # Alt Hb tradition reads chosen with all the living, since a live dog is better than a dead lion. 5For the living know that they will die, but the dead don’t know anything. There is no longer a reward for them because the memory of them is forgotten. # Ec 2:16 6Their love, their hate, and their envy have already disappeared, and there is no longer a portion for them in all that is done under the sun.
7Go, eat your bread with pleasure, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already accepted your works. # Ec 2:24; 3:13; 5:18; 8:15 8Let your clothes be white all the time, and never let oil be lacking on your head. # Ps 23:5 9Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your fleeting # Or futile life, # Ec 6:12; 7:15 which has been given to you under the sun, all your fleeting days. For that is your portion in life and in your struggle # Ec 2:10 under the sun. 10Whatever your hands find to do, do with all your strength, # Rm 12:11; Col 3:23 because there is no work, planning, knowledge, or wisdom # Ec 9:5 in Sheol where you are going.
The Limitations of Wisdom
11Again I saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, # Am 2:14-15 or the battle to the strong, # 2Ch 20:15 or bread to the wise, or riches to the discerning, or favor to the skillful; rather, time and chance happen to all of them. 12For man certainly does not know his time: # Ec 8:7 like fish caught in a cruel net or like birds caught in a trap, # Pr 7:23 so people are trapped in an evil time # Pr 29:6 as it suddenly falls on them. # Lk 21:34-35
13I have observed that this also is wisdom under the sun, and it is significant to me: 14There was a small city with few men in it. A great king came against it, surrounded it, and built large siege works against it. 15Now a poor wise man was found in the city, # Ec 4:13 and he delivered the city by his wisdom. # 2Sm 20:22 Yet no one remembered that poor man. 16And I said, “Wisdom is better than strength, # Ec 7:19 but the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not heeded.”
17The calm words of the wise are heeded
more than the shouts of a ruler over fools.
18Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner can destroy much good. # Jos 7:1
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