| Back to Home Page | Back to Book Index
|
Ecclesiastes
Chapter Seven
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO ECCLESIASTES 7
The
wise man having exposed the many vanities to which men are subject in this
life, and showed that there is no real happiness in all outward enjoyments
under the sun; proceeds to observe what are remedies against them, of which he
had interspersed some few hints before, as the fear and worship of God, and the
free and, moderate use of the creatures; and here suggests more, and such as
will protect from them, or support under them, or teach and instruct how to
behave while attended with them, and to direct to what are proper and necessary
in the pursuit of true and real happiness; such as care of a good name and
reputation, Ecclesiastes 7:1;
frequent meditation on mortality, Ecclesiastes 7:2;
listening to the rebukes of the wise, which are preferable to the songs and
mirth of fools, Ecclesiastes 7:5;
avoiding oppression and bribery, which are very pernicious, Ecclesiastes 7:7;
patience under provocations, and present bad times, as thought to be, Ecclesiastes 7:8; a
pursuit of that wisdom and knowledge which has life annexed to it, Ecclesiastes 7:11;
submission to the will of God, and contentment in every state, Ecclesiastes 7:13;
shunning extremes in righteousness and sin, the best antidote against which is
the fear of God, Ecclesiastes 7:15;
such wisdom as not to be offended with everything that is done, or word that is
spoken, considering the imperfection of the best of men, the weakness of
others, and our own, Ecclesiastes 7:19;
and then the wise man acknowledges the imperfection of his own wisdom and
knowledge, notwithstanding the pains he had taken, Ecclesiastes 7:23;
and laments his sin and folly in being drawn aside by women, Ecclesiastes 7:26;
and opens the cause of the depravity of human nature, removes it from God, who
made man upright, and ascribes it to man, the inventor of evil things, Ecclesiastes 7:29.
Ecclesiastes 7:1 A good name is
better than precious ointment, And the day of death than the day of one’s
birth;
YLT 1Better [is] a name than
good perfume, And the day of death than the day of birth.
A good name is better than precious ointment,.... The word
"good" is not in the text, but is rightly supplied, as it is by
Jarchi; for of no other name can this be said; that which is not good cannot be
better. Some understand this of the name of God, which is God himself, who is
the "summum bonum", and chief happiness of men, and take it to be an
answer to the question Ecclesiastes 6:12;
this and this only is what is a man's good, and is preferable to all outward
enjoyments whatever; interest in him as a covenant God; knowledge of him in
Christ, which has eternal life annexed to it; communion with him; the
discoveries of his lovingkindness, which is better than little; and the
enjoyment of him to all eternity. This is true of the name of Christ, whose
name Messiah which signifies anointed, is as ointment poured forth, and is
preferable to it, Song of Solomon 1:3;
so his other names, Jesus a Saviour; Jehovah, our righteousness; Immanuel, God
with us; are exceeding precious to those who know the worth of him, and see
their need of righteousness and salvation by him; his person, and the knowledge
of him; his Gospel, and the fame and report it gives of him; infinitely exceed
the most precious and fragrant ointment; see 2 Corinthians 2:14.
So the name or names given to the people of God, the new names of Hephzibah and
Beulah, the name of sons of God, better than that of sons and daughters; and of
Christians, or anointed ones, having received that anointing from Christ which
teacheth all things, and so preferable to the choicest ointment, Isaiah 56:5.
Likewise to have a name written in heaven, in the Lamb's book of life, and to
have one's name confessed by Christ hereafter before his Father and his holy
angels; or even a good name among men, a name for a truly godly gracious
person; for love to Christ, zeal for his cause, and faithfulness to his truths
and ordinances; such as the woman got, better than the box of ointment poured
on Christ's head; and which the brother had, whose praise in the Gospel was
throughout the churches; and as Demetrius, who had good report of all then, and
of the truth itself, Matthew 26:13, 3 John 1:12. Such a
good name is better than precious ointment for the value of it, being better
than all riches, for which this may be put; see Isaiah 39:2; and
for the fragrancy of it, emitting a greater; and for the continuance of it,
being more lasting, Psalm 112:6. The
Targum is,
"better
is a good name the righteous get in this world, thin the anointing oil which
was poured upon the heads of kings and priests.'
So
Alshech,
"a
good name is better than the greatness of a king, though anointed with oil;'
and the day of death than the day of one's birth; some render
it, in connection with the preceding clause, "as a good name is better,
&c. so the day of death than the day of one's birth"F6So
Schmidt, and some in Vatablus. ; that is, the day of a man's death than the day
of his birth. This is to be understood not of death simply considered; for that
in itself, abstracted from its connections and consequences, is not better than
to be born into the world, or come into life, or than life itself; it is not
preferable to it, nor desirable; for it is contrary to nature, being a
dissolution of it; a real evil, as life, and long life, are blessings; an enemy
to mankind, and a terrible one: nor of ether persons, with whom men have a
connection, their friends and relations; for with them the day of birth is a
time of rejoicing, and the day of death is a time of mourning, as appears from
Scripture and all experience; see John 16:21. It is
indeed reportedF7Herodot. Terpsichore, sive l. 5. c. 4. Valer.
Maxim. l. 2. c. 6. s. 12. Alexander ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 2. c. 25. of some
Heathenish and barbarous people in Thrace, and who inhabited Mount Caucasus,
that they mourned at the birth of their children, reckoning up the calamities
they are entering into, and rejoiced at the death of their friends, being
delivered from their troubles: but this is to be understood of the persons
themselves that are born and die; not of all mankind, unless as abstracted from
the consideration of a future state, and so it is more happy to be freed from
trouble than to enter into it; nor of wicked men, it would have been better
indeed if they had never been born, or had died as soon as born, that their
damnation might not have been aggravated by the multitude of their sins; but
after all, to die cannot be best for them, since at death they are cast into
hell, into everlasting fire, and endless punishment: this is only true of good
men, that have a good name living and dying; have a good work of grace upon
them, and so are meet for heaven; the righteousness of Christ on them, and so
have a title to it; they are such who have hope in their death, and die in
faith and in the Lord: their death is better than their birth; at their birth
they come into the world under the imputation and guilt of sin, with a corrupt
nature; are defiled with sin, and under the power of it, liable in themselves
to condemnation and death for it: at the time of their death they go out
justified from sin through the righteousness of Christ, all being expiated by
his sacrifice, and pardoned for his sake; they are washed from the faith of sin
by the blood of Christ, and are delivered from the power and being of it by the
Spirit and grace of God; and are secured from condemnation and the second
death: at their coming into the world they are liable to sin yet more and more;
at their going out they are wholly freed from it; at the time of their birth
they are born to trouble, and are all their days exercised with it, incident to
various diseases of the body, have many troubles in the world, and from the men
of it; many conflicts with a body of sin and death, and harassed with the
temptations of Satan; but at death they are delivered from all these, enter
into perfect peace and unspeakable joy; rest from all their labours and toils,
and enjoy uninterrupted communion with God, Father, Son, and Spirit, angels,
and glorified saints. The Targum is,
"the
day in which a man dies and departs to the house of the grave, with a good name
and with righteousness, is better than the day in which a wicked man is born
into the world.'
So
the Midrash interprets it of one that goes out of the world with a good name,
considering this clause in connection with the preceding, as many do.
Ecclesiastes 7:2 2 Better
to go to the house of mourning Than to go to the house of feasting, For that is
the end of all men; And the living will take it to heart.
YLT 2Better to go unto a house
of mourning, Than to go unto a house of banqueting, For that is the end of all
men, And the living layeth [it] unto his heart.
It is better to go
to the house of mourning,.... For deceased relations or friends, who either lie unburied,
or have been lately inferred; for the Jews kept their mourning for their dead
several days afterwards, when their friends visited them in order to comfort
them, as the Jews did Martha and Mary, John 11:31. So the
Targum here,
"it
is better to go to a mourning man to comfort him;'
for
at such times and places the conversation was serious and interesting, and
turned upon the subjects of mortality and a future state, and preparation for
it; from whence useful and instructive lessons are learned; and so it was much
better to be there
than to go to the house of feasting: the Targum is,
"than
to the house of a feast of wine of scorners;'
where
there is nothing but noise and clamour, luxury and intemperance, carnal mirth
and gaiety, vain and frothy conversation, idle talk and impure songs, and a
jest made of true religion and godliness, death and another world;
for that is the end of all men; not the house
of feasting, but the house of mourning; or mourning itself, as Jarchi; every
man must expect to lose his relation and friend, and so come to the house of
mourning; and must die himself, and be the occasion of mourning: death itself
seems rather intended, which is the end of all men, the way of all flesh; for
it is appointed for men to die; and so the Targum,
"seeing
upon them all is decreed the decree of death;'
and the living will lay it to his heart; by going to
the house of mourning, he will be put in mind of death, and will think of it
seriously, and consider his latter end, how near it is; and that this must be
his case shortly, as is the deceased's he comes to mourn for. So the Targum
interprets it of words concerning death, or discourses of mortality he there
hears, which he takes notice of and lays to his heart, and lays up in it.
Jarchi's note is,
"their
thought is of the way of death.'
Ecclesiastes 7:3 3 Sorrow
is better than laughter, For by a sad countenance the heart is made better.
YLT 3Better [is] sorrow than
laughter, For by the sadness of the face the heart becometh better.
Sorrow is better than laughter,.... Sorrow,
expressed in the house of mourning, is better, more useful and commendable,
than that foolish laughter, and those airs of levity, expressed in the house of
feasting; or sorrow on account of affliction and troubles, even adversity
itself, is oftentimes much more profitable, and conduces more to the good of
men, than prosperity; or sorrow for sin, a godly sorrow, a sorrow after a godly
sort, which works repentance unto salvation, that needeth not to be repented
of, is to be preferred to all carnal mirth and jollity. It may be rendered,
"anger is better than laughter"F8טוב כעס משחוק
"melior est ira risu", Pagninus, Mercerus; "melior est indigatio
risu", Tigurine version, Junius & Tremellius. ; which the Jews
understand of the anger of God in correcting men for sin; which is much better
than when he takes no notice of them, but suffers them to go on in sin, as if he
was pleased with them; the Midrash gives instances of it in the generation of
the flood and the Sodomites: and the Targum inclines to this sense,
"better
is the anger, with which the Lord of that world is angry against the righteous
in this world, than the laughter with which he derides the ungodly.'
Though
it may be better, with others, to understand it of anger in them expressed
against sin, in faithful though sharp rebukes for it; which, in the issue, is
more beneficial than the flattery of such who encourage in it; see Proverbs 27:5;
for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better: when the
sadness is not hypocritical, as in the Scribes and Pharisees, but serious and
real, arising from proper reflections on things in the mind; whereby the heart
is drawn off from vain, carnal, and sensual things; and is engaged in the
contemplation of spiritual and heavenly ones, which is of great advantage to
it: or by the severity of the countenance of a faithful friend, in correcting
for faults, the heart is made better, which receives those corrections in love,
and confesses its fault, and amends.
Ecclesiastes 7:4 4 The
heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, But the heart of fools is
in the house of mirth.
YLT 4The heart of the wise [is]
in a house of mourning, And the heart of fools in a house of mirth.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,.... When his
body is not; when it does not suit him to go thither in person, his mind is
there, and his thoughts are employed on the useful subjects of the frailty and
mortality of human nature, of death, a future judgment, and a world to come;
which shows him to be a wise man, and concerned for the best things, even for
his eternal happiness in another state;
but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth; where jovial
company is, merry songs are sung, and the cup or glass passes briskly round,
and all is gay and brilliant: here the fool desires to be oftener than he is,
and when he cannot; which shows the folly of his mind, what a vain taste he
has, and how thoughtless he is of a future state, and of his eternal welfare.
Ecclesiastes 7:5 5 It is better to hear the rebuke
of the wise Than for a man to hear the song of fools.
YLT 5Better to hear a rebuke of
a wise man, Than [for] a man to hear a song of fools,
It is better to hear
the rebuke of the wise,.... To listen to it diligently, receive it cordially, and act
according to it; though it may be disagreeable to the flesh, and give present
pain, yet the effect and issue will be good, and show that man to be wise that
hears it, as well as he that gives it; see Psalm 141:1;
than for a man to hear the song of fools; the vain and
impure songs that foolish men sing in the house of mirth; or the flatteries of
foolish men, which tickle and please the mind, as music and songs do: or,
"than a man that hears the song of fools"F9מאיש שמע שיר
כסילים "quam vir audiens canticum
stultorum", Montanus, Mercerus; "prae viro audiente canticum
stultorum", Rambachius. , and is pleased with it.
Ecclesiastes 7:6 6 For
like the crackling of thorns under a pot, So is the laughter of the fool.
This also is vanity.
YLT 6For as the noise of thorns
under the pot, So [is] the laughter of a fool, even this [is] vanity.
For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the
laughter of the fool,.... As thorns are weak, useless, and unprofitable; yea, hurtful
and pernicious, and only fit for burning; so are foolish and wicked men, 2 Samuel 23:6; and
as the noise and sound of the one under a pot is very short, they make a blaze
for a while, and is soon over; so though the laughter of a fool is loud and
noisy, it makes no melody, no more than the noise of thorns; and is but for a
moment, and will be soon changed for weeping and howling, which will last for ever;
see Job 20:5;
this also is vanity; the carnal mirth of
wicked men.
Ecclesiastes 7:7 7 Surely
oppression destroys a wise man’s reason, And a bribe debases the heart.
YLT 7Surely oppression maketh
the wise mad, And a gift destroyeth the heart.
Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad,.... Which is
to be understood either passively, when he is oppressed by others, or sees
others oppressed; it raises indignation in him, disturbs his mind, and he is
ready to pass a wrong judgment on the dispensations of Providence, and to say
rash and unadvised things concerning them, Psalm 73:2; or
actively, of oppression with which he oppresses others; when he gives into such
measures, his wisdom departs from him, his mind is besotted, he acts the part
of a madman, and pierces himself through with many sorrows. Some understand
this of wealth got in an ill way; or of gifts given to bribe men to do injury
to others; and which the following clause is thought to explain;
and a gift destroyeth the heart; blinds the eyes of
judges other ways wise; perverts their judgment, and causes them to pass a
wrong sentence, as well as perverts justice: or, "and destroys the heart
of gifts"F11ויאבד את
לב מתנה "et frangit
cor dotibus praeclaris ornatum", Tigurine version; so some Jewish writers
in Mercerus. ; a heart that is possessed of the gifts of wisdom and knowledge;
or a munificent heart, a heart disposed to give bountifully and liberally, that
oppression destroys and renders useless.
Ecclesiastes 7:8 8 The
end of a thing is better than its beginning; The patient in spirit is
better than the proud in spirit.
YLT 8Better [is] the latter end
of a thing than its beginning, Better [is] the patient of spirit, than the
haughty of spirit.
Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof,.... If the
thing is good, other ways the end of it is worse; as the end of wickedness and
wicked men, whose beginning is sweet, but the end bitter; yea, are the ways of
death, Proverbs 5:4; and
so the end of carnal professors and apostates, who begin in the Spirit, and end
in the flesh, Galatians 3:3; but
the end of good things, and of good men, is better than the beginning; as the
end of Job was, both with respect to things temporal and spiritual, Job 8:7; see Psalm 37:37;
and the patient in spirit is
better than the proud in spirit; patience is a fruit of the Spirit of God;
and is of great use in the Christian's life, and especially in bearing
afflictions, and tends to make men more humble, meek, and quiet; and such are
highly esteemed of God; on them he looks, with them he dwells, and to them he
gives more grace; when such who are proud, and elated with themselves, their
riches or righteousness, are abominable to him; see Luke 16:15.
Ecclesiastes 7:9 9 Do
not hasten in your spirit to be angry, For anger rests in the bosom of fools.
YLT 9Be not hasty in thy spirit
to be angry, For anger in the bosom of fools resteth.
Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry,.... With men,
for every word that is said, or action done, that is not agreeable; encourage
not, but repress, sudden angry emotions of the mind; be not quick of
resentment, and at once express anger and displeasure; but be slow to wrath,
for such a man is better than the mighty, James 1:19, Proverbs 16:32; or
with God, for his corrections and chastisements; so the Targum,
"in
the time that correction from heaven comes upon thee, do not hasten in thy soul
to be hot (or angry) to say words of rebellion (or stubbornness) against
heaven;'
that
advice is good,
"do
nothing in angerF12Isocrates ad Nicoclem, p. 36. ;'
for anger resteth in the bosom of fools; where it
riseth quick, and continues long; here it soon betrays itself, and finds easy
admittance, and a resting dwelling place; it easily gets in, but it is
difficult to get it out of the heart of a fool; both which are proofs of his
folly, Proverbs 12:16; see
Ephesians 4:26; the
bosom, or breast, is commonly represented as the seat of anger by other writersF13"In
pectoribus ira considit", Petronius; "iram sanguinei regio sub pectore
cordis", Claudian. de 4. Consul. Honor. Panegyr. v. 241. .
Ecclesiastes 7:10 10 Do
not say, “Why were the former days better than these?”
For you do not inquire wisely concerning this.
YLT 10Say not thou, `What was it,
That the former days were better than these?' For thou hast not asked wisely of
this.
Say not thou, what is the cause that the former days were
better than these?.... This is a common opinion, that in all ages prevails among
men, that former times were better than present ones; that trade flourished
more, and men got more wealth and riches, and lived in greater ease and plenty;
and complain that their lot is cast in such hard times, and are ready to lay
the blame upon the providence of God, and murmur at it, which they should not
do;
for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this: this is owing
to ignorance of former times; which, if rightly inquired into, or the true
knowledge of them could be come at, it would appear that they were no better
than the present; and that there were always bad men, and bad things done;
frauds, oppressions, and violence, and everything that can be complained of
now: or if things are worse than they were, this should be imputed to the
badness of men; and the inquirer should look to himself, and his own ways, and
see if there is not a cause there, and study to redeem the time, because the
days are evil; and not arraign the providence of God, and murmur at that, and
quarrel with it; as if the distributions of it were unequal, and justice not
done in one age as in another
Ecclesiastes 7:11 11 Wisdom
is good with an inheritance, And profitable to those who see the sun.
YLT 11Wisdom [is] good with an
inheritance, And an advantage [it is] to those beholding the sun.
Wisdom is good with an inheritance,.... It is
good of itself. Or, "is as good as an inheritance"F14עם נחלה "aeque ac
haereditas", Gejerus, Schmidt. , as it may be rendered; it is a portion of
itself, especially spiritual and divine wisdom. The Targum interprets it, the
wisdom of the law, or the knowledge of that; but much more excellent is the
wisdom of the Gospel, the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom; the
knowledge of which, in an experimental way, is preferable to all earthly
inheritances: but this with an inheritance is good, yea, better than without
one; for wisdom, without riches, is generally overlooked and despised in men;
see Ecclesiastes 9:16;
when wealth, with wisdom, makes a man regarded; this commands respect and
attention; as well as he is in a better condition to do good, if willing to
share, and ready to distribute;
and by it there is profit to them that see the sun; mortals in
this present state, who are described as such that see the sun rise and set,
and enjoy the heat and light of it, receive much advantage from men who are
both wise and rich: or, "and it is an excellency to them that see
the sun"; it is an excellency to mortals and what gives them superiority
to others, that they have both wisdom and riches.
Ecclesiastes 7:12 12 For
wisdom is a defense as money is a defense, But the
excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it.
YLT 12For wisdom [is] a defense,
money [is] a defence, And the advantage of the knowledge of wisdom [is], She
reviveth her possessors.
For wisdom is a defence, and money is a
defence,.... Or, a "shadow" of refreshment and protection,
under which men sit with pleasure and safety; a man by his wisdom, and so by
his money, is able to defend himself against the injuries and oppressions of
others, and especially when both meet in one and the same man. Jarchi renders
and interprets it,
"he
that is in the shadow of wisdom is in the shadow of money, for wisdom is the
cause why riches come;'
and
so the Targum,
"as
a man is hid in the shadow of wisdom, so he is hid in the shadow of money, when
he does alms with it;'
compare
with this Luke 16:9; see Ecclesiastes 7:19.
TheognisF15Sententiae, v. 1153. has a saying much like this,
"riches
and wisdom are always inexpugnable to mortals;'
but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life
to them that have it; or, "the excellency of the knowledge of wisdom giveth
life"F16ויתרון דעת
החכמה תחיה "et
praestantia scientiae sapientiae vivificabit", Montanus. , &c. not of
natural wisdom, or the knowledge of natural and civil things, the vanity of
this is exposed, before by the wise man; but the knowledge of God in Christ;
the knowledge of Christ, who is the Wisdom of God; and of the Gospel, and of
all divine and spiritual things: this is a superior excellency to riches, which
often expose a man's life to danger, cannot preserve him from a corporeal
death, much less from an eternal one. When this is the excellency of spiritual
knowledge, that spiritual life goes along with it; such as are spiritually
enlightened are spiritually quickened; live by faith on Christ, whom they know;
and, through the knowledge of him, have all things pertaining to life and
godliness, and have both a right and meetness for eternal life; yea, this
knowledge is life eternal, John 17:3; see 2 Peter 1:3; and
this is the pure gift of Wisdom, or of Christ, and not owing to the merit of
men, or works done in obedience to the law, which cannot give this life; see John 17:2, Romans 6:23.
Ecclesiastes 7:13 13 Consider
the work of God; For who can make straight what He has made crooked?
YLT 13See the work of God, For
who is able to make straight that which He made crooked?
Consider the work of God,.... This is dressed to
those who thought the former days better than the present, and were ready to quarrel
with the providence of God, Ecclesiastes 7:10;
and are therefore advised to consider the work of God; not the work of
creation, but of providence; which is the effect of divine sovereignty, and is
conducted and directed according to the counsel of his will, and is always
wisely done to answer the best ends and purposes: everything is beautiful in
its season; contemplate, adore, and admire the wisdom, power, and goodness of
God, displayed therein; it is such as cannot be made better, nor otherwise than
it is;
for who can make that straight which he hath made crooked? or which
seems to be so, irregular and disagreeable? No man can mend or make that better
he finds fault with and complains of; nor can he alter the course of things,
nor stay the hand, nor stop the providence of God: if it is his pleasure that
public calamities should be in the world, or in such a part of it, as famine,
pestilence, or the sword; or any affliction on families, and particular
persons, or poverty and meanness in such and such individuals, there is no
hindering it; whatever he has purposed and resolved, his providence effects,
and there is no frustrating his designs; it signifies nothing for a creature to
murmur and complain; it is best to submit to his will, for no alteration can be
made but what he pleases. Some understand this of natural defects in human
bodies, with which they are born, or which attend them, as blindness, lameness,
&c. so the Targum,
"consider
the work of God, and his strength, who made the blind, the crooked, and the
lame, to be wonders in the world; for who can make straight one of them but the
Lord of the world, who made him crooked?'
Others,
of spiritual defects in such who walk in crooked ways, and are hardened in
them; who can correct them, and make them other ways, if God does not give them
his grace to convert them, and soften their hard hearts? he hardens whom he
will, and who hath resisted his will? Jarchi's paraphrase is,
"who
can make straight after death what he has made crooked in life?'
See
Gill on Ecclesiastes 1:15.
Alshech interprets it of the first man Adam.
Ecclesiastes 7:14 14 In
the day of prosperity be joyful, But in the day of adversity consider: Surely
God has appointed the one as well as the other, So that man can find out
nothing that will come after him.
YLT 14In a day of prosperity be
in gladness, And in a day of evil consider. Also this over-against that hath
God made, To the intent that man doth not find anything after him.
In the day of prosperity be joyful,.... Or, "in a good
day"F17ביום טובה
"in die bono", Pagninus, Montanus, Mercerus, Gejerus. . When things
go well in the commonwealth, in a man's family, and with himself, health,
peace, and plenty, are enjoyed, a man's circumstances are thriving and
flourishing; it becomes him to be thankful to God, freely and cheerfully to enjoy
what is bestowed on him, and do good with it: or, "be in good"F18היה בטוב "esto in
bono", Pagninus, Montanus, Mercerus, Cocceius, Gejerus, Rambachius. ; in
good heart, in good spirits, cheerful and lively; or, "enjoy good",
as the Vulgate Latin version; for what God gives to men is given them richly to
enjoy, to make use of themselves, and be beneficial unto others; so the Targum,
"in
the day the Lord does well to thee be thou also in goodness, and do good to all
the world;'
see
Galatians 6:10;
Jarchi's paraphrase is,
"when
it is in thine hand to do good, be among those that do good;'
but in the day of adversity consider; or, "in
the day of evil"F19ביום רעה "in die mala", Pagninus, Montanus, Mercerus.
; consider from whence affliction comes; not out of the dust, nor by chance,
but from God, and by his wise appointment; and for what it comes, that sin is
the cause of it, and what that is; and also for what ends it is sent, to bring
to a sense of sin, and confession of it, and humiliation for it; to take it
away, and make good men more partakers of holiness: or, "look for the day
of adversity"F20ראה
"praecave", V. L. "praevide, aut provide ac prospice",
Drusius; so Gussetius, p. 766. ; even in the day of prosperity it should be
expected; for there is no firmness and stability in any state; there are
continual vicissitudes and changes. The Targum is,
"that
the evil day may not come upon thee, see and behold;'
be
careful and circumspect, and behave in a wise manner, that so it may be
prevented. Jarchi's note is,
"when
evil comes upon the wicked, be among those that see, and not among those that
are seen;'
and
compares it with Isaiah 66:24; It
may be observed, that there is a set time for each of these, prosperity and
adversity; and that the time is short, and therefore called a day; and the one
is good, and the other is evil; which characters they have according to the
outward appearance, and according to the judgment and esteem of men; otherwise,
prosperity is oftentimes hurtful, and destroys fools, and adversity is useful
to the souls of good men;
God also hath set the one over against the other; they are both
by his appointment, and are set in their proper place, and come in their proper
time; succeed each other, and answer to one another, as day and night, summer
and winter, and work, together for the good of men;
to the end that man should find nothing after him; should not be
able to know what will be hereafter; what his case and circumstances will be,
whether prosperous or adverse; since things are so uncertain, and so subject to
change, and nothing permanent; and therefore can find nothing to trust in and
depend upon, nothing that he can be sure of: and things are so wisely managed
and disposed, that a man can find no fault with them, nor just reason to
complain of them; so the Vulgate Latin version, "not find just complaints
against him"; and to the same purpose the Syriac version, "that he
may complain of him"; the Targum is, "not find any evil in this
world.'
Ecclesiastes 7:15 15 I
have seen everything in my days of vanity: There is a just man who perishes
in his righteousness, And there is a wicked man who prolongs life
in his wickedness.
YLT 15The whole I have considered
in the days of my vanity. There is a righteous one perishing in his
righteousness, and there is a wrong-doer prolonging [himself] in his wrong.
All things have I seen in the days of my vanity,.... Or,
"all these things"F21את כל "illa omnia", Junius & Tremellius,
Piscator, Tigurine version, Gejerus; "omnia haec", Mercerus;
"universa haec", Rambachius. . What goes before and follows after,
the various changes men are subject unto, both good and bad; these he had made
his observations upon, throughout the course of his life, which had been a vain
one, as every man's is, full of evil and trouble; see Ecclesiastes 6:12;
perhaps the wise man may have some respect to the times of his apostasy; and
which might, among other things, be brought on by this; observing good men
afflicted, and the wicked prosper, which has often been a stumbling to good
men;
there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness; not
eternally; no truly just man ever perished, who is made so by the righteousness
of Christ imputed to him; for though the righteous man is said to be scarcely
saved, yet he is certainly saved: it can be true only in this sense of one that
is only outwardly righteous, that trusts to his own righteousness, in which he
may perish; but this is to be understood temporally and corporeally; one that
is really just may perish in his name, in his substance, as well as at death,
and that on account of his righteousness; he may lose his good name and
character, and his substance, for righteousness's sake; yea, his life also, as
Abel, Naboth, and others; this is the case "sometimes", as Aben Ezra
observes, not always: or a just man, notwithstanding his righteousness, dies,
and sometimes lives but a short time; which sense the antithesis seems to
require;
and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life
in his wickedness; is very wicked, and yet, notwithstanding his great wickedness,
lives a long time in the world; see Job 21:7.
Ecclesiastes 7:16 16 Do
not be overly righteous, Nor be overly wise: Why should you destroy yourself?
YLT 16Be not over-righteous, nor
show thyself too wise, why art thou desolate?
Be not righteous over much,.... This is not meant of
true and real righteousness, even moral righteousness, a man cannot be too holy
or too righteous; but of a show and ostentation of righteousness, and of such
who would be thought to be more righteous and holy than others, and therefore
despise those who, as they imagine, do not come up to them; and are very rigid
and censorious in their judgment of others, and very severe in their reproofs
of them; and, that they may appear very righteous persons, will do more than
what the law requires of them to do, even works of supererogation, as the
Pharisees formerly, and Papists now, pretend, and abstain from the lawful use
of things which God has given to be enjoyed; and macerate their bodies by
abstinence, fastings, pilgrimages, penance, scourges, and the like, as the
Eremites among the Christians, and the Turks, as Aben Ezra on the place
observes; and many there be, who, by an imprudent zeal for what they judge
right, and which sometimes are mere trifles, and by unseasonable reproofs for
what is wrong, expose themselves to resentment and danger. Some understand this
of political and punitive justice, exercising it in too strict and rigorous a
manner, according to the maxim, "summum jus saepe summa injuria est"F23Terent.
Heautont. Acts 4. Sc. 4. ; and SchultensF24De
Defect. Hod. Ling. Heb. s. 230. , from the use of the word in the Arabic
language, renders it, "be not too rigid"; and others, in a contrary
sense, of too much mercy and pity to offenders. So the Midrash; and Jarchi
illustrates it by the case of Saul, who had mercy on the wicked, and spared
Agag. The Targum is,
"be
not over righteous at a time that a sinner is found guilty of slaughter in thy
court of judicature, that thou shouldest spare and not kill him;'
neither make thyself over wise; above what is written,
or pretend to be wiser than others. So the Arabic version, "show not too
much wisdom"; do not affect, as not to be more righteous than others, so
not more wise, by finding fault with present times, or with the dispensations
of Providence, or with the manners and conduct of men; setting up for a critic
and a censurer of men and things; or do not pry into things, and seek after a
knowledge of them, which are out of your reach, and beyond your capacity;
why shouldest thou destroy thyself? either by living too
strictly and abstemiously, or by studying too closely, or by behaving in such a
manner to men, as that they will seek thy destruction, and bring it on thee: or
"why shouldest thou", or "whereby", or "lest, thou
shouldest be stupid"F25למה תשומם "ut quid obstupesces?" Vatablus, Amama;
"cur obstupesces?" Mercerus; "cur in stuporem te dares?"
Cocceius; "qua teipsum stupidum facies?" Tigurine version; "ne
obstupescas", V. L. so Sept. and Syriac versions. ; lose thy sense and
reason, as persons who study the knowledge of things they have not a capacity
for: or why shouldest thou become foolish in the eyes of all men by thy conduct
and behaviour? or, "why shouldest thou be desolate"F26"Ne
quid desolaberis?" Pagninus, Montanus; "quare desolationem tibi
accerseres?" Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Gejerus. ; alone, and
nobody care to have any conversation and acquaintance with thee?
Ecclesiastes 7:17 17 Do
not be overly wicked, Nor be foolish: Why should you die before your time?
YLT 17Do not much wrong, neither
be thou a fool, why dost thou die within thy time?
Be not over much wicked,.... Not that a man
should be wicked at all; but some, observing that wicked men prolong their days
in wickedness, are encouraged to go into greater lengths in sin than they have
yet done, and give up themselves to all iniquity; and run into excess of not,
into the grossest and most scandalous enormities. Some render it, "do not
disturb" or "frighten thyself"F1אל
תרשע "ne paveas", Pagninus; "ne te
occupes multum, aut distrahas te, sive inquietes", some in Vatablus; so
Aben Ezra and Ben Melech. , distress and distract thyself with the business of
life, bustling and stirring, restless and uneasy, to get wealth and riches; but
be easy and satisfied with what is enjoyed, or comes without so much stir and
trouble; this is the original sense of the word. The meaning seems to be,
either do not multiply sin, add unto it, and continue in it; or do not
aggravate it, making sins to be greater and more heinous than they are, and a
man's case worse than it is, and so sink into despair; and thus it stands
opposed to an ostentatious show of righteousness;
neither be thou foolish; or give up thyself to a
profligate life, to go on in a course of sin, which will issue in the ruin of
body and soul; or in aggravating it in an excessive manner;
why shouldest thou die before thy time? bring
diseases on thy body by a wicked course of living, which will issue in death;
or fall into the hands of the civil magistrate, for capital offences, for which
sentence of death must pass and be executed, before a man comes to the common
term of human life; see Psalm 55:23; or, as
Mr. Broughton renders it, "before thy ordinary time"; not before the
appointed timeF2"Ante diem", Virgil. Aeneid. 4. prope
finem. Vid. Servium in ib. Ovid. Metamorph. l. 1. Fab. 4. . The Targum is,
"be
the cause of death to thy soul;'
or
through despair commit suicide.
Ecclesiastes 7:18 18 It is good that you grasp this,
And also not remove your hand from the other; For he who fears God will escape
them all.
YLT 18[It is] good that thou dost
lay hold on this, and also, from that withdrawest not thy hand, for whoso is
fearing God goeth out with them all.
It is good that thou
shouldest take hold of this,.... This advice, as the Arabic version, in
the several branches of it; neither to be over much righteous or wicked, and
over much wise or foolish; to avoid the one and the other, to keep clear of
extremes, and pursue the path that is safest; such advice as this it is right
to lay hold on, embrace, and hold fast;
yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand; from what
follows concerning the fear of God; or "this and this" may be
rendered "this and that"F3So Broughton, Rambachius,
and others. , and the sense be, lay hold on this, that is, the last part of the
advice, not to be over much wicked or foolish, which is often the cause of an
immature death; and do not slacken or be remiss in regarding that other and
first part of it, not to be over much righteous or wise;
for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all; or escape
them all; the phrase is become Rabbinical, that, is, he shall be free or exempt
from them all; from over much righteousness and over much wisdom, and over much
wickedness or over much folly; the fear of God, which is the beginning of
wisdom, is the best preservative from, and antidote against, these things; for
a man that fears God is humble, and renounces his own righteousness, and
distrusts his own wisdom; he fears to commit sin, and shuns folly.
Ecclesiastes 7:19 19 Wisdom
strengthens the wise More than ten rulers of the city.
YLT 19The wisdom giveth strength
to a wise man, more than wealth the rulers who have been in a city.
Wisdom strengtheneth the wise,.... Against such
extremes as before mentioned; it is a guard about him, as well as a guide unto
him; it is a defence unto him, as before observed, Ecclesiastes 7:12;
and is better than strength of body, or weapons of war, Ecclesiastes 9:16;
and a wise man does greater things by it than a strong man with them, and is
safer with it than he can be by them. Some understand this of Christ, the
Wisdom of God, without whom a good man can do nothing, but all things through
him strengthening him; and who being a strong tower and place of refuge to him,
he is safer in him than if he was in the strongest garrison, and under the
protection of ever so large a number of valiant men: Christ, and grace from
him, strengthen
more than ten mighty men which are in the city; that is, than
many mighty men, or men of war, which guard a city; the city of Jerusalem, or
any other. The Targum applies this to Joseph, and paraphrases it,
"the
wisdom of Joseph the son of Jacob helped him to make him wiser than all his ten
righteous brethren.'
Ecclesiastes 7:20 20 For
there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin.
YLT 20Because there is not a
righteous man on earth that doth good and sinneth not.
For there is not a just man upon earth,.... Or
"although", or "notwithstanding" F4כי "quamvis", Junius & Tremelllus, Amama, so
Broughton; "attamen", Grotius. , wisdom is so beneficial, and guards
and strengthens a good man, yet no man has such a share of it as to live
without sin; there was not then one on earth, there never had been, one, nor
never would be, nor has been, excepting the man Christ Jesus; who indeed, as
man, was perfectly just, while here on earth, and went about doing good, and
never sinned in all his life; but this cannot be said of any other, no, not of
one that is truly and really just; not externally and in his own opinion only,
but who is made so by the obedience of Christ, or by his righteousness imputed
to him, while he is here on earth; otherwise in heaven, where the spirits of
just men are made perfect, there it may be said of them what follows, but
nowhere else;
that doeth good, and sinneth not; it is the character of a
just man to do good, to do that which is according to the will of God, from a
principle of love to him, through faith in him, in the name and strength of
Christ, and with a view to the glory of God; to do good in such a sense wicked
men cannot; only such who are made good by the grace of God, are regenerated
and made new creatures in Christ, are quickened by his Spirit, and are true
believers in him; who appear to be what they are, by the fruits of good works
they bring forth; and this not in a mercenary way, or in order to obtain life
and righteousness, but as constrained by the grace of God, by which they are
freely justified; and yet these are not free from sin, as appears by their
confessions and complaints, by their backslidings, slips, and falls, and their
petitions for fresh discoveries of pardoning grace; and even are not without sin,
and the commission of it, in religious duties, or while they are doing good;
hence their righteousness is said to be as filthy rags, and mention is made of
the iniquity of holy things, Isaiah 64:6. The
Targum is, "that does good all his days, and sins not before the Lord.'
Aben Ezra justly gives the sense thus, "who does good always, and never
sins;' and observes that there are none but sin in thought, word, or deed. The
poetF5Sophoclis Antigone, v. 1140. says, "to sin is common to
all men;' no man, though ever so good, is perfect on earth, or free from sin;
see 1 Kings 8:46.
Alshech's paraphrase is, "there is not a righteous man on earth, that does
good, and sins not; בטוב ההוא,
"in that good";' which is the true sense of the words.
Ecclesiastes 7:21 21 Also
do not take to heart everything people say, Lest you hear your servant cursing
you.
YLT 21Also to all the words that
they speak give not thy heart, that thou hear not thy servant reviling thee.
Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken,.... Seeing so
it is, that imperfection attends the best of men, no man is wise at all times,
foolish words and unguarded expressions will sometimes drop from him, which it
is better to take no notice of; they should not be strictly attended to, and
closely examined, since they will not bear it. A man should not listen to
everything that is said of himself or others; he should not curiously inquire
what men say of him; and what he himself hears he should take no notice of; it
is often best to let it pass, and not call it over again; to feign the hearing
of a thing, or make as if you did not hear it; for oftentimes, by rehearsing a
matter, or taking up words spoken, a deal of trouble and mischief follows; a
man should not "give his heart"F6אל תתן לבך
"ne des tuum cor", Montanus. to it, as it is in the Hebrew text; he
should not give his mind to what is said of him, but be careless and
indifferent about it; much less should he lay it up in his mind, and meditate
revenge for it. The Targum, Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions, restrain
it to words spoken by wicked men, whose tongues are their own, and will say
what they please; among these may be ranked, more especially, detractors,
whisperers, backbiters, and talebearers, who should not be listened unto and
encouraged; though there is no necessity of thus limiting the sense, which is
more general, and may include what is said by any man, even good men, since
they have their infirmities; it seems chiefly to have respect to defamatory
words, by what follows;
lest thou hear thy servant curse thee; speak
slightly, scoffingly, and reproachfully of thee, as Shimei of David; which must
be very disagreeable and vexatious to hear from one so mean and abject, and who
is dependent on him, earns his bread of him, and gets his livelihood in his
service; and to whom, perhaps, he has been kind, and so is guilty of base
ingratitude, which aggravates the more; or, if not, if what he says is just, to
hear it must give great uneasiness.
Ecclesiastes 7:22 22 For
many times, also, your own heart has known That even you have cursed others.
YLT 22For many times also hath
thy heart known that thou thyself also hast reviled others.
For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth,.... Or
"thy conscience", as the Vulgate Latin version, which is as a
thousand witnesses; which, if a man attends to, he will be convinced of his own
faults, failings, and infirmities, he is frequently in the commission of.
Particularly,
that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others; either in
heart, or with the tongue; thought ill of them, wished ill to them; spoke
contemptibly of them, reviled and reproached them; called them by bad names,
and abused them; and said some very hard and severe words concerning them, in a
passionate fit, being provoked; and afterwards repented of it, being better
informed of the state of the case, or being convinced of the evil of passion
and rash speaking; and therefore such should consider the like passions and
infirmities of others, and pass over them, and forgive them: so Alshech,
"if
thou hast cursed others, and dost desire men should forgive thee, so do thou
also forgive;'
see
Matthew 6:14. The
word "oftentimes", in the first clause, is to be connected, not with
the word "knoweth", as if a man often knew this, but with the word
"cursed"; suggesting, that a man may be often guilty of this himself,
and therefore should be more sparing of his censures of others; see Matthew 7:1.
Ecclesiastes 7:23 23 All
this I have proved by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise”; But it was far
from me.
YLT 23All this I have tried by
wisdom; I have said, `I am wise,' and it [is] far from me.
All this have I proved by wisdom,.... Referring either to
all that he had been discoursing of hitherto in this book, concerning the
vanity of natural wisdom and knowledge, of pleasure, power, and riches; or to
the several useful instructions given in this chapter, particularly concerning
patiently bearing everything from the hands of God or men, Ecclesiastes 7:8.
This, by the help and use of that wisdom which God had given him, he had made
trial of, and found it to be right, and therefore recommended it to others;
though he acknowledges that, with all his wisdom, he was from perfection;
I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me; he
determined, if possible, to attain to the perfection of wisdom, and made use of
all means to come at it; that he might know all the works of God in creation,
the nature, use, and excellency of them; in providence, his different
dispensations towards the sons of men, and the causes of them; and in grace,
the redemption and salvation of men, and the mysteries thereof; but the more he
knew, the more he was convinced of his own ignorance, and seemed further off
from the summit of knowledge than he was before; and plainly saw, that
perfection in wisdom is not attainable in this life. The Targum restrains this
to the wisdom of the law; but it is better to understand it in a more general
sense.
Ecclesiastes 7:24 24 As
for that which is far off and exceedingly deep, Who can find it out?
YLT 24Far off [is] that which
hath been, and deep, deep, who doth find it?
That which is far off,.... Or, "far off is
that which has been"F7רחוק מה שהיה "remotum (est) illud
quod fuit", Montanus, Mercerus, Vatablus, Drusius, Gejerus. . That which
has been done by God already, in creation and providence, is out of the reach
of men, is far from their understandings wholly to comprehend or account for;
and likewise that which is past with men, what has been done in former ages,
the history of past times, is very difficult to come at: or rather, according
to Schmidt, and Rambachius after him, what was of old is now afar off or
absent; the image of God in man which consisted of perfect wisdom, and was
created at the same time with him, is now lost, and that is the reason why
wisdom is far from him;
and exceeding deep, who can find it out? the primitive
perfect wisdom is sunk so deep and gone, that no man can find it to the
perfection it was once enjoyed; see Job 28:12. This may
respect the knowledge of God, and the perfections of his nature; which are as
high as heaven, and deeper than hell, Job 11:7; and of
his thoughts, counsels, purposes, and decrees, which are the deep things of
God; as well as the doctrines of the Gospel, and the mysteries of grace, 1 Corinthians 2:10;
and even his providential dispensations towards the sons of men, Romans 11:33. The
Targum of the whole is,
"Lo,
now it is far off from the children of men to know all that has been from the
days of old; and the secret of the day of death, and the secret of the day in
which the King Messiah shall come, who is he that shall find it out by his
wisdom?'
Ecclesiastes 7:25 25 I
applied my heart to know, To search and seek out wisdom and the reason of
things, To know the wickedness of folly, Even of foolishness and
madness.
YLT 25I have turned round, also
my heart, to know and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and reason, and to
know the wrong of folly, and of foolishness the madness.
I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out
wisdom,.... Or, "I and my heart turned about"F8סבותי אני ולבי
"circuivi ego et cor meum", Pagninus, Montanus, Mercerus, Gejerus. ;
took a circuit, a tour throughout the whole compass of things; looked into
every corner, and went through the circle of knowledge, in order to search and
find out what true wisdom is; which is no other than Christ, and a spiritual
knowledge of him; a variety of words is used to express his eager desire after
wisdom, and the diligent search he made, from which he was not discouraged by
the difficulties he met with; see Ecclesiastes 1:13;
and the reason of things; either in nature or
providence: or the estimationF9חשבון
"estimationem rerum", Mercerus. of them; the excellency of them, how
much they are to be accounted of, esteemed, and valued; as Christ, the Wisdom
of God, and all things relating to him, should;
and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and
madness; the exceeding sinfulness of sin, the folly and madness that are
in it; sin is the effect of folly, and the excess of it, and a spiritual
madness; it is true of all sin in general, but especially of the sin of
uncleanness, which Solomon seems to have in view by what follows; see Ecclesiastes 1:17;
and may chiefly intend the wickedness of his own folly, and the foolishness of
his own madness.
Ecclesiastes 7:26 26 And
I find more bitter than death The woman whose heart is snares and nets, Whose
hands are fetters. He who pleases God shall escape from her, But the
sinner shall be trapped by her.
YLT 26And I am finding more
bitter than death, the woman whose heart [is] nets and snares, her hands [are]
bands; the good before God escapeth from her, but the sinner is captured by
her.
And I find more bitter than death the woman,.... This was
the issue of his diligent studies and researches, and the observations he had
made; this was what he found by sad and woeful experience, and which he chose
to take particular notice of; that he might not only expose this vanity among
others, and caution men against it, even the love of women, which at best is a bitter
sweet, as the poetF11Musaeus, v. 166. Vid. Barthii ad Claudian. de
Nupt. Honor. v. 70. calls it, though here adulterous love is meant; but having
this opportunity, might express his sincere repentance for this folly of his
life, than which nothing had been more bitter to him, in the reflection of his
mind upon it: death is a bitter thing, and terrible to nature, 1 Samuel 15:32; but
to be ensnared by an adulterous woman is worse than that; it brings not only
such diseases of body as are both painful and scandalous, but such horrors into
the conscience, when awakened, as are intolerable, and exposes to eternal
death; see Proverbs 5:3. By
"the woman" is not meant the sex in general, which was far from
Solomon's intention to reflect upon and reproach; nor any woman in particular,
not Eve, the first woman, through whom came sin and death into the world; but
an adulterous woman: see Proverbs 5:4. Some
interpret this of original sin, or the corruption of nature, evil concupiscence,
which draws men into sin, and holds them in it, the consequence of which is
death eternal; but such who find favour in the eyes of God are delivered from
the power and dominion of it; but obstinate and impenitent sinners are held
under it, and perish eternally. Jarchi, by the woman, understands heresy; and
so Jerom and others interpret it of heretics and idolaters: it may very well be
applied to that Jezebel, the whore of Rome, the mother of harlots, that
deceives men, and leads them into perdition with herself, Revelation 17:4;
and who is intended by the harlot, and foolish and strange woman, in the book
of Proverbs, as has been observed;
whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as
bands; all the schemes and contrivances of a harlot are to ensnare men
by her wanton looks and lascivious gestures; which are like snares laid for the
beasts, and likeness spread for fishes, to take them in; and when she has got
them, she holds them fast; it is a very difficult thing and a very rare one,
ever to get out of her hands; so PlautusF12Epidicus, Act. 2. Sc. 2.
v. 32. "Illecebrosius nihil fieri potest", ib. Bacchides, Sc. 1. v.
55. Truculentus, Act. 1. Sc. 1. v. 14-21. makes mention of the nets of harlots:
the same holds true of error and heresy, and of idolatry, which is spiritual
adultery; the words used being in the plural number, shows the many ways the
adulterous woman has to ensnare men, and the multitudes that are taken by her;
see Revelation 13:3;
whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her: or, "who
is good before God", or "in his sight"F13טוב לפני האלהים
"bonus coram Deo", Pagninus, Mercerus, Drusius, Amama, Rambachius;
"qui bonus videtur coram Deo ipso", Junius & Tremellius. ; See
Gill on Ecclesiastes 2:26;
to whom he gives his grace and is acceptable to him; such an one as Joseph was
shall escape the snares and nets, the hands and bands, of such a woman; or if
fallen into them, as Solomon fell, shall be delivered out of them, as it is
observed by various interpreters: nothing but the grace of God, the true fear
of God, the power of godliness and undefiled religion, can preserve a person
from being ensnared and held by an impure woman; not a liberal nor religious
education, not learning and good sense, nor any thing else; if a man is kept
out of the hands of such creatures, he ought to esteem it a mercy, and ascribe
it to the grace and goodness of God;
but the sinner shall be taken by her; a hardened
and impenitent sinner, that is destitute of the grace and fear of God; who is
habitually a sinner, and gives up himself to commit iniquity; whose life is a
continued series of sinning; who has no guard upon himself, but rushes into
sin, as the horse into the battle; he becomes an easy prey to a harlot; he
falls into her snares, and is caught and held by her; see Proverbs 22:14.
Ecclesiastes 7:27 27 Here
is what I have found,” says the Preacher, “Adding one thing to the other
to find out the reason,
YLT 27See, this I have found,
said the Preacher, one to one, to find out the reason
Behold, this have I found,.... That a harlot is
more bitter than death; and which he found by his own experience, and therefore
would have it observed by others for their caution: or one man among a
thousand, Ecclesiastes 7:28;
(saith the preacher); of which title and
character see Ecclesiastes 1:1;
it is here mentioned to confirm the truth of what he said; he said it as a
preacher, and, upon the word of a preacher, it was true; as also to signify his
repentance for his sin, who was now the "gathered soul", as some
render it; gathered into the church of God by repentance;
counting one by one, to
find out the account; not his own sins, which he endeavoured to reckon up, and find
out the general account of them, which yet he could not do; nor the good works
of the righteous, and the sins of the wicked, which are numbered before the
Lord one by one, till they are added to the great account; as Jarchi, from the
Rabbins, interprets it, and so the Midrash: but rather the sense is, examining
women, one by one, all within the verge of his acquaintance; particularly the
thousand women that were either his wives or concubines; in order to take and
give a just estimate of their character and actions. What follows is the
result.
Ecclesiastes 7:28 28 Which
my soul still seeks but I cannot find: One man among a thousand I have found, But
a woman among all these I have not found.
YLT 28(that still my soul had
sought, and I had not found), One man, a teacher, I have found, and a woman
among all these I have not found.
Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not,.... He was
very earnest and diligent in his inquiry; he took a great deal of pains, and
was exceedingly solicitous; he sought with great intenseness of mind, and with
an eager desire, to find out a chaste and virtuous woman among them all, but
could not;
one man among a thousand have I found; it is a great
rarity to find a good manF14"Vir bonus et sapiens, qualem vix
reperit unum, millibus e multio hominum, consultus Apollo." Auson. Idyll.
16. v. 1, 2. , truly wise and gracious; there are many that walk in the broad
way, and but few that find the strait gate and narrow way, and are saved; they
are but as one to a thousand; see Jeremiah 5:1. Or
rather, by this one of a thousand, is meant the, Messiah, the Wisdom of God, he
sought for, Ecclesiastes 7:25;
and now says he found; to whom he looked for peace, pardon, and atonement,
under a sense of his sins; who is the messenger, an interpreter, one among a
thousand; yea, who is the chiefest among ten thousands, Job 33:23; who is
superior to angels and men, in the dignity of his person; in the perfection,
purity, and holiness of his nature; in the excellency of his names; in his
offices and relations; and in his concern in the affairs of grace and
salvation; and who is to be found by every truly wise and gracious soul that
seeks him early and earnestly, in the word and ordinances, under the
illumination and direction of the blessed Spirit. If it is to be understood of
a mere man, I should think the sense was this; of all the men that have been
ensnared and taken by an adulterous woman, but one of a thousand have I
observed, and perhaps Solomon has respect to himself, that was ever recovered out
of her hands;
but a woman among all those have I not found; that is,
among all the harlots and adulterous women I ever knew or heard of, I never
knew nor heard of one that was ever reclaimed from her evil ways, and reformed
or became a chaste and virtuous woman: he may have respect to the thousand
women that were either his wives and concubines, and, among all these, he found
not one that deserved the above character; for this is not to be understood of
women in general, for Solomon must have known that there have been good women
in all ages, and perhaps more than men; and that there were many in his days,
though those with whom his more intimate acquaintance was were not such, which
was his unhappiness; and his criminal conversation with them is what he lamented
and repented of. It may be interpreted thus, One man, the Messiah, among all
the sons of men, have I found, free from original sin; but one woman, among all
the daughters of Eve, I have not found clear of it. The Targum is,
"there
is another thing which yet my soul seeketh, and I have not found; a man perfect
and innocent, without corruption, from the days of Adam, till Abraham the
righteous was born; who was found faithful and just among the thousand kings
who were gathered together to build the tower of Babel; and a woman among all
the wives of those kings, as Sarah, I found not.'
Ecclesiastes 7:29 29 Truly,
this only I have found: That God made man upright, But they have sought out
many schemes.”
YLT 29See, this alone I have
found, that God made man upright, and they -- they have sought out many
devices.
Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright,.... The first
man Adam, as the Targum and Jarchi interpret it; and not Adam only, but Eve
also with him; for these were both made by the Lord, and on the same day, and
in the same image, and had the same common name of Adam given them, Genesis 1:27; And
they were both made "upright"; which is to be understood, not of the
erectness of their bodies, but of the disposition of their minds; they were
"right
and innocent before him,'
or
in the sight of God, as the Targum; which is best explained by their being made
in the image and likeness of God, Genesis 1:26; and
which, according to the apostle, lay in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness,
Ephesians 4:24;
agreeably to which PlatoF15Theaeteto, p. 129. make likeness to God
to be righteous and holy, with prudence: for this likeness of Adam and Eve to
God; lay not in the shape of their bodies, for God is a spirit, and not a
corporeal being, as the Anthropomorphites imagined, and so fancied men to be
made like unto him in this respect; but in their souls, and it consisted of
knowledge; of the knowledge of the creatures, their nature, use, and ends for
which they were made, and put under their government; and of God, and his
perfections, as made known in the creatures; and of his mind and will, and
manner of worshipping him, he revealed unto them; and they might know the
trinity of Persons in the Godhead, who were concerned in the making of them,
though they seem not to have known Christ, as Mediator and Saviour, which was
not necessary previous to their fall; nor evangelical truths suited to a fallen
state: also this image lay in righteousness and true holiness, which was
original, natural, and created with them; it was with them as soon as they
were; not acquired, but infused; not a habit obtained, but a quality given; and
this not supernatural, but natural; it was perfect in its kind, and entirely
agreeable to the holy, just, and good law of God; it had no defects in it, yet
was but the righteousness of a creature, and loseable, as the event showed; and
so very different from the righteousness of Christ, man is justified by.
Likewise, this uprightness is no other than the rectitude of human nature, of
all the powers and faculties of the soul of man, as they were when he was
created; his understanding clear of all errors and mistakes, either about
divine or human things; his affections regular and ordinate, no unruly passion
in him, no sinful affection, lust, and desire; he loved God with all his heart
and soul, and delighted in him, and communion with him; the bias of his will
was to that which is good; the law of God was written on his heart, and he had
both power and will to keep it; and, during his state of integrity, was pure
and sinless; yet he was not impeccable, as the confirmed angels and glorified
saints are; nor immutable, as God only is; but being a creature, and
changeable, he was liable to temptation, and subject to fall, as he did. Now
Solomon, with all his diligent search and scrutiny, could not find out the
infinity of sin, the boundless extent of it among mankind, the exceeding
sinfulness of it, which he sought after, Ecclesiastes 7:25;
yet this he "found" out, and this "only", the fountain of
all sin, the origin of moral evil; namely, the corruption of human nature
through the fall of Adam: this he found by reading the Scriptures, the three
first chapters of Genesis; and by consulting human nature he found some remains
of the image of God, and of the law that was in man's heart; whereby he
perceived that man was once another man than he is now; and that this
corruption is not owing to God, who is not the author of any thing sinful, he
made man upright; but to himself, his own sin and folly: and this he found
confirmed by sad experience; in himself and others, and by observing the
history of all ages, from the times of the first man; and as this was
notorious, it was worth knowing and observing, and therefore he calls upon
others to take notice of it; lo, behold, consider it, as well as what follows;
but they have sought out many inventions; that is, Adam
and Eve, not content with their present knowledge and happiness, they sought
out new ways and means of being wiser and happier than God made them, or it was
his will they should be. "They sought out the inventions of the
many", or "great things", or "of the mighty and great
ones"F16חשבנות רבים
"cogitationes magnatum", De Dieu; "ratiocina multarum,
magnarumque rerum", so some in Rambachius; see Luke x. 41, 42. , as it may
be rendered, the eternal Three in One; they sought to be as wise as God
himself; or, however, as the great and mighty ones, the angels, who excelled
them, as in strength, so in knowledge; see Genesis 3:5; or
they sought out thoughts of sin, as Jarchi says it is interpreted in the
Midrash. Sins are the inventions of men, and these are many and numerous; they
sought to gratify their senses, on which followed innumerable evils; and then
they sought for shifts and evasions to excuse themselves; the man shifting it
from himself, and throwing the blame upon the woman, and the woman upon the
serpent: and so sinning, they lost the knowledge they had; their righteousness
and holiness, the rectitude of their nature; the moral freedom of their will to
that which is good, and their power to perform it; and they lost the presence
of God, and communion with him: and so their posterity are not only inventors
of evil things, of sins, but of new ways of happiness; some placing it in
riches; others in honours; others in pleasures; and some in natural wisdom and
knowledge; and some in their own works of righteousness; the vanity of all
which Solomon has before exposed.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》