1 A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth.
2 It is 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 lay it to his heart.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.
6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.
7 Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart.
8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.
10 Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this.
11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that see the sun.
12 For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.
13 Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?
14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.
15 All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness.
16 Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself ?
17 Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?
18 It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all.
19 Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men which are in the city.
20 For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
21 Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee:
22 For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.
23 All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.
24 That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out?
25 I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness:
26 And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.
27 Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account:
28 Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.
29 Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.
1 A good name H8034 is better H2896 than precious H2896 ointment; H8081 and the day H3117 of death H4194 than the day H3117 of one's birth. H3205
2 It is better H2896 to go H3212 to the house H1004 of mourning, H60 than to go H3212 to the house H1004 of feasting: H4960 for H834 that is the end H5490 of all men; H120 and the living H2416 will lay H5414 it to his heart. H3820
3 Sorrow H3708 is better H2896 than laughter: H7814 for by the sadness H7455 of the countenance H6440 the heart H3820 is made better. H3190
4 The heart H3820 of the wise H2450 is in the house H1004 of mourning; H60 but the heart H3820 of fools H3684 is in the house H1004 of mirth. H8057
5 It is better H2896 to hear H8085 the rebuke H1606 of the wise, H2450 than for a man H376 to hear H8085 the song H7892 of fools. H3684
6 For as the crackling H6963 of thorns H5518 under a pot, H5518 so is the laughter H7814 of the fool: H3684 this also is vanity. H1892
7 Surely oppression H6233 maketh a wise man H2450 mad; H1984 and a gift H4979 destroyeth H6 the heart. H3820
8 Better H2896 is the end H319 of a thing H1697 than the beginning H7225 thereof: and the patient H750 in spirit H7307 is better H2896 than the proud H1362 in spirit. H7307
9 Be not hasty H926 in thy spirit H7307 to be angry: H3707 for anger H3708 resteth H5117 in the bosom H2436 of fools. H3684
10 Say H559 not thou, What is the cause that the former H7223 days H3117 were better H2896 than these? for thou dost not enquire H7592 wisely H2451 concerning this.
11 Wisdom H2451 is good H2896 with an inheritance: H5159 and by it there is profit H3148 to them that see H7200 the sun. H8121
12 For wisdom H2451 is a defence, H6738 and money H3701 is a defence: H6738 but the excellency H3504 of knowledge H1847 is, that wisdom H2451 giveth life H2421 to them that have H1167 it.
13 Consider H7200 the work H4639 of God: H430 for who can H3201 make that straight, H8626 which he hath made crooked? H5791
14 In the day H3117 of prosperity H2896 be joyful, H2896 but in the day H3117 of adversity H7451 consider: H7200 God H430 also hath set H6213 the one over against H5980 the other, to the end H1700 that man H120 should find H4672 nothing H3972 after H310 him.
15 All things have I seen H7200 in the days H3117 of my vanity: H1892 there is H3426 a just H6662 man that perisheth H6 in his righteousness, H6664 and there is a wicked H7563 man that prolongeth H748 his life in his wickedness. H7451
16 Be not righteous H6662 over much; H7235 neither make thyself over H3148 wise: H2449 why shouldest thou destroy H8074 thyself?
17 Be not over much H7235 wicked, H7561 neither be thou foolish: H5530 why shouldest thou die H4191 before thy time? H6256
18 It is good H2896 that thou shouldest take hold H270 of this; yea, also from this H2088 withdraw H3240 not thine hand: H3027 for he that feareth H3373 God H430 shall come forth H3318 of them all.
19 Wisdom H2451 strengtheneth H5810 the wise H2450 more than ten H6235 mighty H7989 men which are in the city. H5892
20 For there is not a just H6662 man H120 upon earth, H776 that doeth H6213 good, H2896 and sinneth H2398 not.
21 Also take H5414 no heed H3820 unto all words H1697 that are spoken; H1696 lest thou hear H8085 thy servant H5650 curse H7043 thee:
22 For oftentimes H6471 H7227 also thine own heart H3820 knoweth H3045 that thou thyself likewise hast cursed H7043 others. H312
23 All this H2090 have I proved H5254 by wisdom: H2451 I said, H559 I will be wise; H2449 but it was far H7350 from me.
24 That which is far off, H7350 and exceeding deep, H6013 who can find it out? H4672
25 I applied H5437 mine heart H3820 to know, H3045 and to search, H8446 and to seek out H1245 wisdom, H2451 and the reason H2808 of things, and to know H3045 the wickedness H7562 of folly, H3689 even of foolishness H5531 and madness: H1947
26 And I find H4672 more bitter H4751 than death H4194 the woman, H802 whose heart H3820 is snares H4685 and nets, H2764 and her hands H3027 as bands: H612 whoso pleaseth H2896 H6440 God H430 shall escape H4422 from her; but the sinner H2398 shall be taken H3920 by her.
27 Behold, H7200 this have I found, H4672 saith H559 the preacher, H6953 counting one H259 by one, H259 to find out H4672 the account: H2808
28 Which yet my soul H5315 seeketh, H1245 but I find H4672 not: one H259 man H120 among a thousand H505 have I found; H4672 but a woman H802 among all those have I not found. H4672
29 Lo, H7200 this only H905 have I found, H4672 that God H430 hath made H6213 man H120 upright; H3477 but they have sought out H1245 many H7227 inventions. H2810
1 A `good' name is better than precious oil; and the day of death, than the day of one's birth.
2 It is 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 lay it to his heart.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made glad.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.
6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.
7 Surely extortion maketh the wise man foolish; and a bribe destroyeth the understanding.
8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof; `and' the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry; for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.
10 Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this.
11 Wisdom is as good as an inheritance; yea, more excellent is it for them that see the sun.
12 For wisdom is a defence, even as money is a defence; but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom preserveth the life of him that hath it.
13 Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?
14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; yea, God hath made the one side by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out anything `that shall be' after him.
15 All this have I seen in my days of vanity: there is a righteous man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth `his life' in his evil-doing.
16 Be not righteous overmuch; neither make thyself overwise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?
17 Be not overmuch wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?
18 It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from that withdraw not thy hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth from them all.
19 Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers that are in a city.
20 Surely there is not a righteous man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
21 Also take not heed unto all words that are spoken, lest thou hear thy servant curse thee;
22 for oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.
23 All this have I proved in wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.
24 That which is, is far off and exceeding deep; who can find it out?
25 I turned about, and my heart `was set' to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the reason `of things', and to know that wickedness is folly, and that foolishness is madness.
26 And I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, `and' whose hands are bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.
27 Behold, this have I found, saith the Preacher, `laying' one thing to another, to find out the account;
28 which my soul still seeketh, but I have not found: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.
29 Behold, this only have I found: that God made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.
1 Better `is' a name than good perfume, And the day of death than the day of birth.
2 Better 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.
3 Better `is' sorrow than laughter, For by the sadness of the face the heart becometh better.
4 The heart of the wise `is' in a house of mourning, And the heart of fools in a house of mirth.
5 Better to hear a rebuke of a wise man, Than `for' a man to hear a song of fools,
6 For as the noise of thorns under the pot, So `is' the laughter of a fool, even this `is' vanity.
7 Surely oppression maketh the wise mad, And a gift destroyeth the heart.
8 Better `is' the latter end of a thing than its beginning, Better `is' the patient of spirit, than the haughty of spirit.
9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry, For anger in the bosom of fools resteth.
10 Say not thou, `What was it, That the former days were better than these?' For thou hast not asked wisely of this.
11 Wisdom `is' good with an inheritance, And an advantage `it is' to those beholding the sun.
12 For wisdom `is' a defense, money `is' a defence, And the advantage of the knowledge of wisdom `is', She reviveth her possessors.
13 See the work of God, For who is able to make straight that which He made crooked?
14 In 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.
15 The 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.
16 Be not over-righteous, nor show thyself too wise, why art thou desolate?
17 Do not much wrong, neither be thou a fool, why dost thou die within thy time?
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.
19 The wisdom giveth strength to a wise man, more than wealth the rulers who have been in a city.
20 Because there is not a righteous man on earth that doth good and sinneth not.
21 Also to all the words that they speak give not thy heart, that thou hear not thy servant reviling thee.
22 For many times also hath thy heart known that thou thyself also hast reviled others.
23 All this I have tried by wisdom; I have said, `I am wise,' and it `is' far from me.
24 Far off `is' that which hath been, and deep, deep, who doth find it?
25 I 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.
26 And 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.
27 See, this I have found, said the Preacher, one to one, to find out the reason
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.
29 See, this alone I have found, that God made man upright, and they -- they have sought out many devices.
1 A [good] name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of one's birth.
2 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting: in that that is the end of all men, and the living taketh it to heart.
3 Vexation is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools in the house of mirth.
5 It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise, than to hear the song of fools.
6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.
7 Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad, and a gift destroyeth the heart.
8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning; better is a patient spirit than a proud spirit.
9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be vexed; for vexation resteth in the bosom of fools.
10 Say not, How is it that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this.
11 Wisdom is as good as an inheritance, and profitable to them that see the sun.
12 For wisdom is a defence [as] money is a defence; but the excellency of knowledge is, [that] wisdom maketh them that possess it to live.
13 Consider the work of God; for who can make straight what he hath made crooked?
14 In the day of prosperity enjoy good, and in the day of adversity consider: God hath also set the one beside the other, to the end that man should find out nothing [of what shall be] after him.
15 All [this] have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a righteous [man] that perisheth by his righteousness, and there is a wicked [man] that prolongeth [his days] by his wickedness.
16 Be not righteous overmuch; neither make thyself overwise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?
17 Be not overmuch wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?
18 It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from that withdraw not thy hand: for he that feareth God cometh forth from them all.
19 Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty [men] that are in a city.
20 Surely there is not a righteous man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not.
21 Also give not heed unto all words that are spoken, lest thou hear thy servant curse thee.
22 For also thine own heart knoweth that oftentimes thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.
23 All this have I tried by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.
24 Whatever hath been, is far off, and exceeding deep: who will find it out?
25 I turned, I and my heart, to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom and reason, and to know wickedness to be folly, and foolishness to be madness;
26 and I found more bitter than death the woman whose heart is nets and snares, [and] whose hands are bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be caught by her.
27 See this which I have found, saith the Preacher, [searching] one by one to find out the reason;
28 which my soul yet seeketh, and I have not found: one man among a thousand have I found, but a woman among all those have I not found.
29 Only see this which I have found: that God made man upright, but they have sought out many devices.
1 A good name is better than fine perfume; and the day of death better than the day of one's birth.
2 It is 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 should take this to heart.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the face the heart is made good.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.
6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.
7 Surely extortion makes the wise man foolish; and a bribe destroys the understanding.
8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning. The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
9 Don't be hasty in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.
10 Don't say, "Why were the former days better than these?" For you do not ask wisely about this.
11 Wisdom is as good as an inheritance. Yes, it is more excellent for those who see the sun.
12 For wisdom is a defense, even as money is a defense; but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.
13 Consider the work of God, for who can make that straight, which he has made crooked?
14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; yes, God has made the one side by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out anything after him.
15 All this have I seen in my days of vanity: there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who lives long in his evil-doing.
16 Don't be overly righteous, neither make yourself overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself?
17 Don't be too wicked, neither be foolish. Why should you die before your time?
18 It is good that you should take hold of this. Yes, also from that don't withdraw your hand; for he who fears God will come forth from them all.
19 Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.
20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth, who does good and doesn't sin.
21 Also don't take heed to all words that are spoken, lest you hear your servant curse you;
22 for often your own heart knows that you yourself have likewise cursed others.
23 All this have I proved in wisdom. I said, "I will be wise;" but it was far from me.
24 That which is, is far off and exceedingly deep. Who can find it out?
25 I turned around, and my heart sought to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity, and that foolishness is madness.
26 I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and traps, whose hands are chains. Whoever pleases God shall escape from her; but the sinner will be ensnared by her.
27 Behold, this have I found, says the Preacher, one to another, to find out the scheme;
28 which my soul still seeks; but I have not found: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.
29 Behold, this only have I found: that God made man upright; but they search for many schemes.
1 A good name is better than oil of great price, and the day of death than the day of birth.
2 It is better to go to the house of weeping, than to go to the house of feasting; because that is the end of every man, and the living will take it to their hearts.
3 Sorrow is better than joy; when the face is sad the mind gets better.
4 The hearts of the wise are in the house of weeping; but the hearts of the foolish are in the house of joy.
5 It is better to take note of the protest of the wise, than for a man to give ear to the song of the foolish.
6 Like the cracking of thorns under a pot, so is the laugh of a foolish man; and this again is to no purpose.
7 The wise are troubled by the ways of the cruel, and the giving of money is the destruction of the heart.
8 The end of a thing is better than its start, and a gentle spirit is better than pride.
9 Be not quick to let your spirit be angry; because wrath is in the heart of the foolish.
10 Say not, Why were the days which have gone by better than these? Such a question comes not from wisdom.
11 Wisdom together with a heritage is good, and a profit to those who see the sun.
12 Wisdom keeps a man from danger even as money does; but the value of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to its owner.
13 Give thought to the work of God. Who will make straight what he has made bent?
14 In the day of wealth have joy, but in the day of evil take thought: God has put the one against the other, so that man may not be certain what will be after him.
15 These two have I seen in my life which is to no purpose: a good man coming to his end in his righteousness, and an evil man whose days are long in his evil-doing.
16 Be not given overmuch to righteousness and be not over-wise. Why let destruction come on you?
17 Be not evil overmuch, and be not foolish. Why come to your end before your time?
18 It is good to take this in your hand and not to keep your hand from that; he who has the fear of God will be free of the two.
19 Wisdom makes a wise man stronger than ten rulers in a town.
20 There is no man on earth of such righteousness that he does good and is free from sin all his days.
21 Do not give ear to all the words which men say, for fear of hearing the curses of your servant.
22 Your heart has knowledge how frequently others have been cursed by you.
23 All this I have put to the test by wisdom; I said, I will be wise, but it was far from me.
24 Far off is true existence, and very deep; who may have knowledge of it?
25 I gave my mind to knowledge and to searching for wisdom and the reason of things, and to the discovery that sin is foolish, and that to be foolish is to be without one's senses.
26 And I saw a thing more bitter than death, even the woman whose heart is full of tricks and nets, and whose hands are as bands. He with whom God is pleased will get free from her, but the sinner will be taken by her.
27 Look! this I have seen, said the Preacher, taking one thing after another to get the true account,
28 For which my soul is still searching, but I have it not; one man among a thousand have I seen; but a woman among all these I have not seen.
29 This only have I seen, that God made men upright, but they have been searching out all sorts of inventions.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Ecclesiastes 7
Commentary on Ecclesiastes 7 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
“Better is a name than precious ointment; and better is the day of death than the day when one is born.” Like ראה and ירא , so שׁם and שׁמן stand to each other in the relation of a paronomasia ( vid ., Song under Song of Solomon 1:3). Luther translates: “ Ein gut Gerücht ist besser denn gute Salbe ” “a good odour (= reputation) is better than good ointment. If we substitute the expression denn Wolgeruch than sweet scent, that would be the best possible rendering of the paronomasia. In the arrangement טוב ... טוב שׁם , tov would be adj. to shem (a good reputation goes beyond sweet scent); but tov standing first in the sentence is pred., and shem thus in itself alone, as in the cogn. prov., Proverbs 22:1, signifies a good, well-sounding, honourable, if not venerable name; cf. anshē hashshem , Genesis 6:4; veli - shem , nameless, Job 30:8. The author gives the dark reverse to this bright side of the distich: the day of death better than the day in which one (a man), or he (the man), is born; cf. for this reference of the pronoun, Ecclesiastes 4:12; Ecclesiastes 5:17. It is the same lamentation as at Ecclesiastes 4:2., which sounds less strange from the mouth of a Greek than from that of an Israelite; a Thracian tribe, the Trausi, actually celebrated their birthdays as days of sadness, and the day of death as a day of rejoicing ( vid ., Bähr's Germ. translat. of Herodotus , Ecclesiastes 4:4). - Among the people of the Old Covenant this was not possible; also a saying such as Ecclesiastes 7:1 is not in the spirit of the O.T. revelation of religion; yet it is significant that it was possible
(Note: “The reflections of the Preacher,” says Hitzig ( Süd. deut. ev. protest. Woch. Blatt , 1864, No. 2) “present the picture of a time in which men, participating in the recollection of a mighty religious past, and become sceptical by reason of the sadness of the present time, grasping here and there in uncertainty, were in danger of abandoning that stedfastness of faith which was the first mark of the religion of the prophets.”)
within it, without apostasy from it; within the N.T. revelation of religion, except in such references as Matthew 26:24, it is absolutely impossible without apostasy from it, or without rejection of its fundamental meaning.
Still more in the spirit of the N.T. (cf. e.g. , Luke 6:25) are these words of this singular book which stands on the border of both Testaments: “It is better to go into a house of mourning than to go into a house of carousal (drinking): for that is the end of every man; and the living layeth it to heart.” A house is meant in which there is sorrow on account of a death; the lamentation continued for seven days (Sirach 22:10), and extended sometimes, as in the case of the death of Aaron and Moses, to thirty days; the later practice distinguished the lamentations ( אנינוּת ) for the dead till the time of burial, and the mournings for the dead ( אבלוּת ), which were divided into seven and twenty-three days of greater and lesser mourning; on the return from carrying away the corpse, there was a Trostmahl (a comforting repast), to which, according as it appears to an ancient custom, those who were to be partakers of it contributed (Jeremiah 16:7; Hosea 9:4; Job 4:17, funde vinum tuum et panem tuum super sepulchra justorum ).
(Note: Cf. Hamb. Real Encyc. für Bibel u. Talmud (1870), article “Trauer.”)
This feast of sorrow the above proverb leaves out of view, although also in reference to it the contrast between the “house of carousal” and “house of mourning” remains, that in the latter the drinking must be in moderation, and not to drunkenness.
(Note: Maimuni's Hilchoth Ebel , iv. 7, xiii. 8.)
The going into the house of mourning is certainly thought of as a visit for the purpose of showing sympathy and of imparting consolation during the first seven days of mourning (John 11:31).
(Note: Ibid . xiii. 2.)
Thus to go into the house of sorrow, and to show one's sympathy with the mourners there, is better than to go into a house of drinking, where all is festivity and merriment; viz., because the former (that he is mourned over as dead) is the end of every man, and the survivor takes it to heart, viz., this, that he too must die. הוּא follows attractionally the gender of סוף (cf. Job 31:11, Kerı̂ ). What is said at Ecclesiastes 3:13 regarding כּל־ה is appropriate to the passage before us. החי is rightly vocalised; regarding the form החי , vid ., Baer in the critical remarks of our ed. of Isaiah under Isaiah 3:22. The phrase נתן אל־לב here and at Ecclesiastes 9:1 is synon. with שׂים אל־לב , שׂים על־לב ( e.g. , Isaiah 57:1) and שׂים בּלב . How this saying agrees with Koheleth's ultimatum : There is nothing better than to eat and drink, etc. (Ecclesiastes 2:24, etc.), the Talmudists have been utterly perplexed to discover; Manasse ben-Israel in his Conciliador (1632) loses himself in much useless discussion.
(Note: Vid ., the English translation by Lindo (London 1842), vol. ii. pp. 306-309.)
The solution of the difficulty is easy. The ultimatum does not relate to an unconditional enjoyment of life, but to an enjoyment conditioned by the fear of God. When man looks death in the face, the two things occur to him, that he should make use of his brief life, but make use of it in view of the end, thus in a manner for which he is responsible before God.
The joy of life must thus be not riot and tumult, but a joy tempered with seriousness: “Better is sorrow than laughter: for with a sad countenance it is well with the heart. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, and the heart of fools in the house of mirth.” Grief and sorrow, כּעס , whether for ourselves or occasioned by others, is better, viz., morally better, than extravagant merriment; the heart is with רע פּ ( inf . as רע , Jeremiah 7:6; cf. פן ר , Genesis 40:7; Nehemiah 2:2), a sorrowful countenance, better than with laughter, which only masks the feeling of disquiet peculiar to man, Proverbs 14:13. Elsewhere לב ייטב = “the heart is (may be) of good cheer,” e.g. , Ruth 3:7; Judges 19:6; here also joyful experience is meant, but well becoming man as a religious moral being. With a sad countenance it may be far better as regards the heart than with a merry countenance in boisterous company. Luther, in the main correct, after Jerome, who on his part follows Symmachus: “The heart is made better by sorrow.” The well-being is here meant as the reflex of a moral: bene se habere .
Sorrow penetrates the heart, draws the thought upwards, purifies, transforms. Therefore is the heart of the wise in the house of sorrow; and, on the other hand, the heart of fools is in the house of joy, i.e. , the impulse of their heart goes thither, there they feel themselves at home; a house of joy is one where there are continual feasts, or where there is at the time a revelling in joy. That Ecclesiastes 7:4 is divided not by Athnach , but by Zakef , has its reason in this, that of the words following אבל , none consists of three syllables; cf. on the contrary, Ecclesiastes 7:7, חכם . From this point forward the internal relation of the contents is broken up, according to which this series of sayings as a concluding section hangs together with that containing the observations going before in Ecclesiastes 6:1-12.
A fourth proverb of that which is better ( מן טוב ) presents, like the third, the fools and the wise over against each other: “Better to hear the reproof of a wise man, than that one should hear the song of fools. For like the crackling of Nesseln (nettles) under the Kessel (kettle), so the laughter of the fool: also this is vain.” As at Proverbs 13:1; Proverbs 17:10, גּערה is the earnest and severe words of the wise, which impressively reprove, emphatically warn, and salutarily alarm. שׁיר in itself means only song, to the exclusion, however, of the plaintive song; the song of fools is, if not immoral, yet morally and spiritually hollow, senseless, and unbridled madness. Instead of משּׁמע , the words מא שׁ are used, for the twofold act of hearing is divided between different subjects. A fire of thorn-twigs flickers up quickly and crackles merrily, but also exhausts itself quickly (Psalms 118:12), without sufficiently boiling the flesh in the pot; whilst a log of wood, without making any noise, accomplishes this quietly and surely.
We agree with Knobel and Vaihinger in copying the paronomasia [ Nessel-Kessel ]. When, on the other hand, Zöckler remarks that a fire of nettles could scarcely crackle, we advise our friend to try it for once in the end of summer with a bundle of stalks of tall dry nettles. They yield a clear blaze, a quickly expiring fire, to which here, as he well remarks, the empty laughter of foolish men is compared, who are devoid of all earnestness, and of all deep moral principles of life. This laughter is vain, like that crackling.
There is a hiatus between Ecclesiastes 7:6 and Ecclesiastes 7:7. For how Ecclesiastes 7:7 can be related to Ecclesiastes 7:6 as furnishing evidence, no interpreter has as yet been able to say. Hitzig regards Ecclesiastes 7:6 as assigning a reason for Ecclesiastes 7:5, but 6 b as a reply (as Ecclesiastes 7:7 containing its motive shows) to the assertion of Ecclesiastes 7:5, - a piece of ingenious thinking which no one imitates. Elster translates: “Yet injustice befools a wise man,” being prudently silent about this “yet.” Zöckler finds, as Knobel and Ewald do, the mediating thought in this, that the vanity of fools infects and also easily befools the wise. But the subject spoken of is not the folly of fools in general, but of their singing and laughter, to which Ecclesiastes 7:7 has not the most remote reference. Otherwise Hengst.: “In Ecclesiastes 7:7, the reason is given why the happiness of fools is so brief; first, the mens sana is lost, and then destruction follows.” But in that case the words ought to have been כסיל יהולל ; the remark, that חכם here denotes one who ought to be and might be such, is a pure volte. Ginsburg thinks that the two verses are co-ordinated by כי ; that Ecclesiastes 7:6 gives the reason for Ecclesiastes 7:5 , and Ecclesiastes 7:7 that for Ecclesiastes 7:5 , since here, by way of example, one accessible to bribery is introduced, who would act prudently in letting himself therefore be directed by a wise man. But if he had wished to be thus understood, the author would have used another word instead of חכם , 7a, and not designated both him who reproves and him who merits reproof by the one word - the former directly, the latter at least indirectly. We do not further continue the account of the many vain attempts that have been made to bring Ecclesiastes 7:7 into connection with Ecclesiastes 7:6 and Ecclesiastes 7:5. Our opinion is, that Ecclesiastes 7:7 is the second half of a tetrastich, the first half of which is lost, which began, as is to be supposed, with tov . The first half was almost the same as Psalms 37:16, or better still, as Proverbs 16:8, and the whole proverb stood thus:
טוב מעט בּחדקה
מרב תּבוּאות בּלא משׁפּט׃
[and then follows Ecclesiastes 7:7 as it lies before us in the text, formed into a distich, the first line of which terminates with חכם ]. We go still further, and suppose that after the first half of the tetrastich was lost, that expression, “also this is vain,” added to Ecclesiastes 7:6 by the punctuation, was inserted for the purpose of forming a connection for כי עשק : Also this is vain, that, etc. ( כי , like asher , Ecclesiastes 8:14).
Without further trying to explain the mystery of the כי , we translate this verse: “... For oppression maketh wise men mad, and corruption destroyeth the understanding.” From the lost first half of the verse, it appears that the subject here treated of is the duties of a judge, including those of a ruler into whose hands his subjects, with their property and life, are given. The second half is like an echo of Exodus 23:8; Deuteronomy 16:19. That which שׁחד there means is here, as at Proverbs 15:27, denoted by מתּנה ; and עשׁק is accordingly oppression as it is exercised by one who constrains others who need legal aid and help generally to purchase it by means of presents. Such oppression for the sake of gain, even if it does not proceed to the perversion of justice, but only aims at courting and paying for favour, makes a wise man mad ( הולל , as at Job 12:17; Isaiah 44:25), i.e. , it hurries him forth, since the greed of gold increases more and more, to the most blinding immorality and regardlessness; and such presents for the purpose of swaying the judgment, and of bribery, destroys the heart, i.e. , the understanding (cf. Hosea 4:11, Bereschith rabba , chap. lvi.), for they obscure the judgment, blunt the conscience, and make a man the slave of his passion. The conjecture העשׁר (riches) instead of the word העשׁק (Burger, as earlier Ewald) is accordingly unnecessary; it has the parallelism against it, and thus generally used gives an untrue thought. The word הולל does not mean “gives lustre” (Desvoeux), or “makes shine forth = makes manifest” (Tyler); thus also nothing is gained for a better connection of Ecclesiastes 7:7 and Ecclesiastes 7:6. The Venet. excellently: ἐκστήσει . Aben Ezra supposes that מתנה is here = דּבר מת ; Mendelssohn repeats it, although otherwise the consciousness of the syntactical rule, Gesen. §147 a , does not fail him.
There now follows a fourth, or, taking into account the mutilated one, a fifth proverb of that which is better: “Better the end of a thing than its beginning; better one who forbears than one who is haughty. Hasten thyself not in thy spirit to become angry: for anger lieth down in the bosom of fools.” The clause 8 a is first thus to be objectively understood as it stands. It is not without limitation true; for of a matter in itself evil, the very contrary is true, Proverbs 5:4; Proverbs 23:32. But if a thing is not in itself evil, the end of its progress, the reaching to its goal, the completion of its destination, is always better than its beginning, which leaves it uncertain whether it will lead to a prosperous issue. An example of this is Solon's saying to Croesus, that only he is to be pronounced happy whose good fortune it is to end his life well in the possession of his wealth ( Herod . i. 32).
The proverb Ecclesiastes 7:8 will stand in some kind of connection with 8 a , since what it says is further continued in Ecclesiastes 7:9. In itself, the frequently long and tedious development between the beginning and the end of a thing requires expectant patience. But if it is in the interest of a man to see the matter brought to an issue, an ארך אףּ will, notwithstanding, wait with self-control in all quietness for the end; while it lies in the nature of the רוּח גּבהּ , the haughty, to fret at the delay, and to seek to reach the end by violent means; for the haughty man thinks that everything must at once be subservient to his wish, and he measures what others should do by his own measureless self-complacency. We may with Hitzig translate: “Better is patience ( ארך = ארך ) than haughtiness” ( גּבהּ , inf ., as שׁפל , Ecclesiastes 12:4; Proverbs 16:19). But there exists no reason for this; גּבהּ is not to be held, as at Proverbs 16:5, and elsewhere generally, as the connecting form of גּבהּ , and so ארך for that of ארך ; it amounts to the same thing whether the two properties (characters) or the persons possessing them are compared.
In this verse the author warns against this pride which, when everything does not go according to its mind, falls into passionate excitement, and thoughtlessly judges, or with a violent rude hand anticipates the end. אל־תּב : do not overturn, hasten not, rush not, as at Ecclesiastes 5:1. Why the word בּרוּחך , and not בנפשך or בלבך , is used, vid ., Psychol . pp. 197-199: passionate excitements overcome a man according to the biblical representation of his spirit, Proverbs 25:28, and in the proving of the spirit that which is in the heart comes forth in the mood and disposition, Proverbs 15:13. כּעוס is an infin., like ישׁון , Ecclesiastes 5:11. The warning has its reason in this, that anger or ( כעס , taken more potentially than actually) fretfulness rests in the bosom of fools, i.e. , is cherished and nourished, and thus is at home, and, as it were (thought of personally, as if it were a wicked demon), feels itself at home ( ינוּח , as at Proverbs 14:33). The haughty impetuous person, and one speaking out rashly, thus acts like a fool. In fact, it is folly to let oneself be impelled by contradictions to anger, which disturbs the brightness of the soul, takes away the considerateness of judgment, and undermines the health, instead of maintaining oneself with equanimity, i.e. , without stormy excitement, and losing the equilibrium of the soul under every opposition to our wish.
From this point the proverb loses the form “better than,” but tov still remains the catchword of the following proverbs. The proverb here first following is so far cogn., as it is directed against a particular kind of ka'as (anger), viz., discontentment with the present.
“Say not: How comes it that the former times were better than these now? for thou dost not, from wisdom, ask after this.” Cf. these lines from Horace ( Poet . 173, 4):
“Difficilis, querulus, laudator temporis acti
Se puero, censor castigatorque minorum.”