4 One generation goes and another comes; but the earth is for ever.
He has made the earth strong on its bases, so that it may not be moved for ever and ever;
Heaven and earth will come to an end, but my words will not come to an end.
Who is able to say what is good for man in life all the days of his foolish life which he goes through like a shade? who will say what is to be after him under the sun?
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; and in that day the heavens will be rolled up with a great noise, and the substance of the earth will be changed by violent heat, and the world and everything in it will be burned up. Seeing then that all these things are coming to such an end, what sort of persons is it right for you to be, in all holy behaviour and righteousness, Looking for and truly desiring the coming of the day of God, when the heavens will come to an end through fire, and the substance of the earth will be changed by the great heat? But having faith in his word, we are looking for a new heaven and a new earth, which will be the resting-place of righteousness.
For all our days have gone by in your wrath; our years come to an end like a breath. The measure of our life is seventy years; and if through strength it may be eighty years, its pride is only trouble and sorrow, for it comes to an end and we are quickly gone.
I will say, O my God, take me not away before my time; your years go on through all generations: In the past you put the earth on its base, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will come to an end, but you will still go on; they all will become old like a coat, and like a robe they will be changed: But you are the unchanging One, and your years will have no end. The children of your servants will have a safe resting-place, and their seed will be ever before you.
Your faith is unchanging from generation to generation: you have put the earth in its place, and it is not moved. They are ruled this day by your decisions; for all things are your servants.
Adam had been living for a hundred and thirty years when he had a son like himself, after his image, and gave him the name of Seth: And after the birth of Seth, Adam went on living for eight hundred years, and had sons and daughters: And all the years of Adam's life were nine hundred and thirty: and he came to his end. And Seth was a hundred and five years old when he became the father of Enosh: And he went on living after the birth of Enosh for eight hundred and seven years, and had sons and daughters: And all the years of Seth's life were nine hundred and twelve: and he came to his end. And Enosh was ninety years old when he became the father of Kenan: And after the birth of Kenan, Enosh went on living for eight hundred and fifteen years, and had sons and daughters: And all the years of Enosh were nine hundred and five: and he came to his end. And Kenan was seventy years old when he became the father of Mahalalel: And after the birth of Mahalalel, Kenan went on living for eight hundred and forty years, and had sons and daughters: And all the years of Kenan's life were nine hundred and ten; and he came to his end. And Mahalalel was sixty-five years old when he became the father of Jared: And after the birth of Jared, Mahalalel went on living for eight hundred and thirty years, and had sons and daughters: And all the years of Mahalalel's life were eight hundred and ninety-five: and he came to his end. And Jared was a hundred and sixty-two years old when he became the father of Enoch: And Jared went on living after the birth of Enoch for eight hundred years, and had sons and daughters: And all the years of Jared's life were nine hundred and sixty-two: and he came to his end. And Enoch was sixty-five years old when he became the father of Methuselah: And after the birth of Methuselah, Enoch went on in God's ways for three hundred years, and had sons and daughters: And all the years of Enoch's life were three hundred and sixty-five: And Enoch went on in God's ways: and he was not seen again, for God took him. And Methuselah was a hundred and eighty-seven years old when he became the father of Lamech: And after the birth of Lamech, Methuselah went on living for seven hundred and eighty-two years, and had sons and daughters: And all the years of Methuselah's life were nine hundred and sixty-nine: and he came to his end. And Lamech was a hundred and eighty-two years old when he had a son: And he gave him the name of Noah, saying, Truly, he will give us rest from our trouble and the hard work of our hands, because of the earth which was cursed by God. And after the birth of Noah, Lamech went on living for five hundred and ninety-five years, and had sons and daughters: And all the years of Lamech's life were seven hundred and seventy-seven: and he came to his end.
And Reu was thirty-two years old when he became the father of Serug: And after the birth of Serug, Reu went on living for two hundred and seven years, and had sons and daughters: And Serug was thirty years old when he became the father of Nahor: And after the birth of Nahor, Serug went on living for two hundred years, and had sons and daughters: And Nahor was twenty-nine years old when he became the father of Terah: And after the birth of Terah, Nahor went on living for a hundred and nineteen years, and had sons and daughters: And Terah was seventy years old when he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. These are the generations of Terah: Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran was the father of Lot. And death came to Haran when he was with his father Terah in the land of his birth, Ur of the Chaldees. And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah. And Sarai had no child. And Terah took Abram, his son, and Lot, the son of Haran, and Sarai, his daughter-in-law, the wife of his son Abram and they went out from Ur of the Chaldees, to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran, and were there for some time. And all the years of Terah's life were two hundred and five: and Terah came to his end in Haran.
And these are the generations of Esau, the father of the Edomites in the hill-country of Seir: These are the names of Esau's sons: Eliphaz, the son of Esau's wife Adah, and Reuel, the son of Esau's wife Basemath. The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. And Eliphaz, the son of Esau, had connection with a woman named Timna, who gave birth to Amalek: all these were the children of Esau's wife Adah. And these are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah: they were the children of Esau's wife Basemath. And these are the sons of Esau's wife Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon: she was the mother of Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These were the chiefs among the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz, Esau's first son: Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, Korah, Gatam, Amalek: all these were chiefs in the land of Edom, the offspring of Eliphaz, the seed of Adah. And these are the sons of Esau's son Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, Mizzah: these were the chiefs of Reuel in the land of Edom, the children of Esau's wife Basemath. And these are the sons of Esau's wife Oholibamah: Jeush, Jalam, and Korah: these were the chiefs who came from Esau's wife Oholibamah, daughter of Anah. These were the sons of Esau (that is, Edom), and these were their chiefs.
Then Joseph came to his end, and all his brothers, and all that generation. And the children of Israel were fertile, increasing very greatly in numbers and in power; and the land was full of them.
And these are the names of the sons of Levi in the order of their generations: Gershon and Kohath and Merari: and the years of Levi's life were a hundred and thirty-seven. The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, in the order of their families. And the sons of Kohath: Amram and Izhar and Hebron and Uzziel: and the years of Kohath's life were a hundred and thirty-three. And the sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi: these are the families of the Levites, in the order of their generations. And Amram took Jochebed, his father's sister, as wife; and she gave birth to Aaron and Moses: and the years of Amram's life were a hundred and thirty-seven. And the sons of Izhar: Korah and Nepheg and Zichri. And the sons of Uzziel: Mishael and Elzaphan and Sithri. And Aaron took as his wife Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab, the sister of Nahshon; and she gave birth to Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. And the sons of Korah: Assir and Elkanah and Abiasaph: these are the families of the Korahites. And Eleazar, Aaron's son, took as his wife one of the daughters of Putiel; and she gave birth to Phinehas. These are the heads of the families of the Levites, in the order of their families. These are the same Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, Take the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt in their armies. These are the men who gave orders to Pharaoh to let the children of Israel go out of Egypt: these are the same Moses and Aaron.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Ecclesiastes 1
Commentary on Ecclesiastes 1 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 1
Ec 1:1-18. Introduction.
1. the Preacher—and Convener of assemblies for the purpose. See my Preface. Koheleth in Hebrew, a symbolical name for Solomon, and of Heavenly Wisdom speaking through and identified with him. Ec 1:12 shows that "king of Jerusalem" is in apposition, not with "David," but "Preacher."
of Jerusalem—rather, "in Jerusalem," for it was merely his metropolis, not his whole kingdom.
2. The theme proposed of the first part of his discourse.
Vanity of vanities—Hebraism for the most utter vanity. So "holy of holies" (Ex 26:33); "servant of servants" (Ge 9:25). The repetition increases the force.
all—Hebrew, "the all"; all without exception, namely, earthly things.
vanity—not in themselves, for God maketh nothing in vain (1Ti 4:4, 5), but vain when put in the place of God and made the end, instead of the means (Ps 39:5, 6; 62:9; Mt 6:33); vain, also, because of the "vanity" to which they are "subjected" by the fall (Ro 8:20).
3. What profit … labour—that is, "What profit" as to the chief good (Mt 16:26). Labor is profitable in its proper place (Ge 2:15; 3:19; Pr 14:23).
under the sun—that is, in this life, as opposed to the future world. The phrase often recurs, but only in Ecclesiastes.
4. earth … for ever—(Ps 104:5). While the earth remains the same, the generations of men are ever changing; what lasting profit, then, can there be from the toils of one whose sojourn on earth, as an individual, is so brief? The "for ever" is comparative, not absolute (Ps 102:26).
5. (Ps 19:5, 6). "Panting" as the Hebrew for "hasteth"; metaphor, from a runner (Ps 19:5, "a strong man") in a "race." It applies rather to the rising sun, which seems laboriously to mount up to the meridian, than to the setting sun; the accents too favor Maurer, "And (that too, returning) to his place, where panting he riseth."
6. according to his circuits—that is, it returns afresh to its former circuits, however many be its previous veerings about. The north and south winds are the two prevailing winds in Palestine and Egypt.
7. By subterraneous cavities, and by evaporation forming rain clouds, the fountains and rivers are supplied from the sea, into which they then flow back. The connection is: Individual men are continually changing, while the succession of the race continues; just as the sun, wind, and rivers are ever shifting about, while the cycle in which they move is invariable; they return to the point whence they set out. Hence is man, as in these objects of nature which are his analogue, with all the seeming changes "there is no new thing" (Ec 1:9).
8. Maurer translates, "All words are wearied out," that is, are inadequate, as also, "man cannot express" all the things in the world which undergo this ceaseless, changeless cycle of vicissitudes: "The eye is not satisfied with seeing them," &c. But it is plainly a return to the idea (Ec 1:3) as to man's "labor," which is only wearisome and profitless; "no new" good can accrue from it (Ec 1:9); for as the sun, &c., so man's laborious works move in a changeless cycle. The eye and ear are two of the taskmasters for which man toils. But these are never "satisfied" (Ec 6:7; Pr 27:20). Nor can they be so hereafter, for there will be nothing "new." Not so the chief good, Jesus Christ (Joh 4:13, 14; Re 21:5).
9. Rather, "no new thing at all"; as in Nu 11:6. This is not meant in a general sense; but there is no new source of happiness (the subject in question) which can be devised; the same round of petty pleasures, cares, business, study, wars, &c., being repeated over and over again [Holden].
10. old time—Hebrew, "ages."
which was—The Hebrew plural cannot be joined to the verb singular. Therefore translate: "It hath been in the ages before; certainly it hath been before us" [Holden]. Or, as Maurer: "That which has been (done) before us (in our presence, 1Ch 16:33), has been (done) already in the old times."
11. The reason why some things are thought "new," which are not really so, is the imperfect record that exists of preceding ages among their successors.
those that … come after—that is, those that live still later than the "things, rather the persons or generations, Ec 1:4, with which this verse is connected, the six intermediate verses being merely illustrations of Ec 1:4 [Weiss], that are to come" (Ec 2:16; 9:5).
12. Resumption of Ec 1:1, the intermediate verses being the introductory statement of his thesis. Therefore, "the Preacher" (Koheleth) is repeated.
was king—instead of "am," because he is about to give the results of his past experience during his long reign.
in Jerusalem—specified, as opposed to David, who reigned both in Hebron and Jerusalem; whereas Solomon reigned only in Jerusalem. "King of Israel in Jerusalem," implies that he reigned over Israel and Judah combined; whereas David, at Hebron, reigned only over Judah, and not, until he was settled in Jerusalem, over both Israel and Judah.
13. this sore travail—namely, that of "searching out all things done under heaven." Not human wisdom in general, which comes afterwards (Ec 2:12, &c.), but laborious enquiries into, and speculations about, the works of men; for example, political science. As man is doomed to get his bread, so his knowledge, by the sweat of his brow (Ge 3:19) [Gill].
exercised—that is, disciplined; literally, "that they may thereby chastise, or humble themselves."
14. The reason is here given why investigation into man's "works" is only "sore travail" (Ec 1:13); namely, because all man's ways are vain (Ec 1:18) and cannot be mended (Ec 1:15).
vexation of—"a preying upon"
the Spirit—Maurer translates; "the pursuit of wind," as in Ec 5:16; Ho 12:1, "Ephraim feedeth on wind." But old versions support the English Version.
15. Investigation (Ec 1:13) into human ways is vain labor, for they are hopelessly "crooked" and "cannot be made straight" by it (Ec 7:13). God, the chief good, alone can do this (Isa 40:4; 45:2).
wanting—(Da 5:27).
numbered—so as to make a complete number; so equivalent to "supplied" [Maurer]. Or, rather, man's state is utterly wanting; and that which is wholly defective cannot be numbered or calculated. The investigator thinks he can draw up, in accurate numbers, statistics of man's wants; but these, including the defects in the investigator's labor, are not partial, but total.
16. communed with … heart—(Ge 24:45).
come to great estate—Rather, "I have magnified and gotten" (literally, "added," increased), &c.
all … before me in Jerusalem—namely, the priests, judges, and two kings that preceded Solomon. His wisdom exceeded that of all before Jesus Christ, the antitypical Koheleth, or "Gatherer of men," (Lu 13:34), and "Wisdom" incarnate (Mt 11:19; 12:42).
had … experience—literally, "had seen" (Jer 2:31). Contrast with this glorying in worldly wisdom (Jer 9:23, 24).
17. wisdom … madness—that is, their effects, the works of human wisdom and folly respectively. "Madness," literally, "vaunting extravagance"; Ec 2:12; 7:25, &c., support English Version rather than Dathe, "splendid matters." "Folly" is read by English Version with some manuscripts, instead of the present Hebrew text, "prudence." If Hebrew be retained, understand "prudence," falsely so called (1Ti 6:20), "craft" (Da 8:25).
18. wisdom … knowledge—not in general, for wisdom, &c., are most excellent in their place; but speculative knowledge of man's ways (Ec 1:13, 17), which, the farther it goes, gives one the more pain to find how "crooked" and "wanting" they are (Ec 1:15; 12:12).