The Limits of Wisdom: Authority, Injustice, and Life’s Uncertainties
Ecclesiastes 8:2-17
Ecc.8.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- פי: NOUN,m,sg,construct
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- שמור: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- דברת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- שבועת: NOUN,f,sg,construct
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 24:21 (verbal): Directly commands fear/respect of both the LORD and the king — parallels Eccles. 8:2’s counsel to guard speech and keep the king’s injunctions.
- Proverbs 20:2 (thematic): Warns that the terror of a king demands caution and deference, echoing Ecclesiastes’ emphasis on restraint before royal authority.
- Romans 13:1-2 (structural): New Testament articulation that governing authorities are instituted by God and thus merit obedience — parallels Ecclesiastes’ rationale for honoring the king and his oath.
- Psalm 2:10-11 (allusion): A royal address urging kings to be wise and subjects to serve with fear — resonates with Ecclesiastes’ focus on proper comportment toward royal authority.
- 1 Samuel 24:9-11 (thematic): David’s refusal to harm Saul because he is the LORD’s anointed (and out of respect for the oath/office) parallels the admonition to guard one’s words and respect the king’s position.
Alternative generated candidates
- I say: keep the king's command, and in regard to the oath of God.
- I am the king’s mouth; I am a watcher—by the word of the king’s oath and of God.
Ecc.8.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אל: NEG
- תבהל: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- מפניו: PREP+3ms
- תלך: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- אל: NEG
- תעמד: VERB,qal,juss,2,m,sg
- בדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רע: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- כל: DET
- אשר: PRON,rel
- יחפץ: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- יעשה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 115:3 (verbal): Expresses the same idea of divine freedom of action — 'Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever He pleases,' echoing 'for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him.'
- Job 23:13 (verbal): Job states similarly that God is single‑minded and cannot be turned: 'what his soul desireth, even that he doeth,' paralleling the statement that he does whatever he wills.
- Daniel 4:35 (thematic): Affirms God's absolute sovereignty over earth and heaven — 'He does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth' — matching Ecclesiastes' theme of divine willfulness.
- Proverbs 21:1 (thematic): Conveys the related theme of divine control over human affairs: 'The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse,' which parallels the warning not to contest or be hasty against God's sovereign acts.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do not be hasty to leave his presence; do not stand for an evil cause—for whatever he desires he will do.
- Do not be hasty to leave his presence; do not stand in a bad matter, for he will do whatever pleases him.
Ecc.8.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- באשר: CONJ
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- שלטון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ומי: PRON,interr
- יאמר: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- מה: PRON,int
- תעשה: VERB,qal,imf,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Eccl.8.2 (verbal): Directly related context: advises obedience to a king’s command and echoes the idea that a king’s word carries decisive authority.
- Proverbs 20:2 (thematic): States the terror and power of a king—those who provoke him risk their lives—paralleling the unchallengeable force of royal command.
- Daniel 6:6-9 (structural): Narrative example of an irrevocable royal decree and the practical inability to oppose a king’s signed command, illustrating the verse’s point about sovereign authority.
- Matthew 22:21 (thematic): Jesus’ instruction to ‘render to Caesar’ recognizes secular authority and the practical limits on questioning a ruler’s rights, thematically resonant with Ecclesiastes’ remark.
Alternative generated candidates
- For the word of the king has power; who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’
- For the king’s word has authority; who then can say to him, “What are you doing?”
Ecc.8.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שומר: PART,qal,ptcp,3,m,sg
- מצוה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- ידע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רע: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- ועת: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ומשפט: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ידע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חכם: ADJ,m,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 3:1-2 (thematic): Keeping the commandment brings long life and peace—parallel promise that obedience prevents harm and yields well-being.
- Psalm 119:165 (verbal): Those who love and keep God's law have great peace and ‘nothing shall offend them,’ echoing the idea of experiencing no evil by observance.
- Proverbs 2:11-12 (thematic): Discretion and understanding preserve and guide one in matters of conduct and judgment—similar to a wise heart discerning time and judgment.
- Ecclesiastes 3:1 (structural): ’To every thing there is a season’—connects to Eccles. 8:5’s emphasis on a wise heart discerning the proper time (et) and judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- He who keeps a command will not experience harm; a wise heart knows the proper time and the right judgment.
- He who keeps a command will not know evil; the heart of the wise knows time and judgment.
Ecc.8.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- לכל: PREP
- חפץ: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יש: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- ומשפט: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- רעת: NOUN,f,sg,construct
- האדם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- רבה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 3:1 (verbal): Both verses state that there is an appointed time/season for every purpose — similar language about 'time' and 'purpose' (עת/season; חפץ/purpose).
- Job 7:1 (thematic): Job speaks of an 'appointed time' and compares human days to a laborer's — parallels Ecclesiastes' concern with allotted times and the burdens of human life.
- Job 14:1 (thematic): 'Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble' echoes the thought that human misery/evil is great upon him (רעת האדם רבה עליו).
- Ecclesiastes 3:16–17 (structural): Nearby Ecclesiastes passage links 'time' and divine judgment under the sun — 8:6 continues this structural theme of appointed times and judgment for human affairs.
Alternative generated candidates
- For to every purpose there is a time and a judgment; for the misery of man is great upon him.
- For every purpose there is a time and a right judgment; for the trouble of humankind is heavy upon them.
Ecc.8.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- איננו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl,neg
- ידע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מה: PRON,int
- שיהיה: CONJ+VERB,qal,yiqtol,3,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- כאשר: CONJ
- יהיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- יגיד: VERB,hif,impf,3,m,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 9:12 (verbal): Same book: explicitly states that 'man does not know his time,' closely echoing the claim that one cannot know what will be.
- Proverbs 27:1 (verbal): Warns against boasting about tomorrow—'you do not know what a day may bring forth'—a near-verbal parallel about human ignorance of the future.
- James 4:13-15 (allusion): New Testament admonition that humans 'do not know what will happen tomorrow' and should submit plans to God's will, reflecting the biblical wisdom theme of uncertainty about the future.
- Matthew 6:34 (thematic): Jesus' teaching not to worry about tomorrow because its troubles are unknown parallels Ecclesiastes' emphasis on human inability to predict future events.
- Job 14:5 (thematic): States that a man's days are fixed and implicitly that he cannot foresee them—echoing the theme that humans lack knowledge of what will come.
Alternative generated candidates
- For he does not know what will be; who can tell him when it will be?
- For a person does not know what will be; who can tell him how it will be?
Ecc.8.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אין: PART,neg
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שליט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ברוח: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לכלוא: VERB,qal,inf
- את: PRT,acc
- הרוח: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ואין: CONJ+PART,exist
- שלטון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ביום: PREP
- המות: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ואין: CONJ+PART,exist
- משלחת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- במלחמה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- ימלט: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- רשע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- בעליו: NOUN,m,sg,abs,3ms
Parallels
- Job 34:14-15 (verbal): Speaks of the spirit/breath being gathered and the inability of any creature to retain life—parallels Ecclesiastes' claim that no one has power over the spirit.
- Job 14:5 (thematic): Declares that a person's days are determined and bounded by God so they cannot be changed—echoes the idea that humans have no control over the day of death.
- Ecclesiastes 9:12 (structural): Within the same book, stresses human lack of control and the suddenness of death (people are snared in an evil time), reinforcing Ecclesiastes 8:8's theme of inevitability.
- Hebrews 9:27 (allusion): The New Testament states that men are appointed to die once—an explicit theological restatement of the inevitability of death reflected in Ecclesiastes 8:8.
- Proverbs 11:6 (thematic): Says the wicked are taken by their own wickedness / that evil will not ultimately deliver its servants—parallels the closing clause that wickedness will not save those given to it.
Alternative generated candidates
- No man has power over the spirit to restrain the spirit; neither has he power in the day of death. There is no discharge in war, and wickedness will not deliver those who practice it.
- No one has power over the spirit to retain it, nor power in the day of death; there is no discharge in war, and wickedness will not deliver the one who practices it.
Ecc.8.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- ראיתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- ונתון: NOUN,m,sg,proper
- את: PRT,acc
- לבי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
- לכל: PREP
- מעשה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- נעשה: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- תחת: PREP
- השמש: NOUN,f,sg,def
- עת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- אשר: PRON,rel
- שלט: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- האדם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- באדם: PREP
- לרע: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 3:16 (verbal): Uses Qoheleth's recurring formula “I saw… under the sun” and likewise observes injustice in places of judgment—a verbal and thematic echo about human wrongdoing and harm.
- Ecclesiastes 4:1 (thematic): Directly addresses the suffering of the oppressed and the tears of those wronged when others have power over them—same theme of one person ruling to another's hurt.
- Proverbs 29:2 (thematic): States the principle that when the wicked rule, people suffer—parallels Eccles. 8:9's observation that human rule often results in harm to others.
- Micah 2:1-2 (thematic): Condemns those who devise evil schemes to seize and oppress others; reflects the prophetic critique of abuse of power and ruling to others' injury.
Alternative generated candidates
- All this I have seen, and I set my heart to every work that is done under the sun: a time when man rules over man to his hurt.
- All this I have seen, and I have given my heart to every work that is done under the sun, at the time when one man rules over another to his harm.
Ecc.8.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ובכן: CONJ
- ראיתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- רשעים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- קברים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ובאו: VERB,qal,imp,2,mp
- וממקום: PREP
- קדוש: ADJ,m,sg
- יהלכו: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,pl
- וישתכחו: VERB,niphal,impf,3,m,pl
- בעיר: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- כן: ADV
- עשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- גם: ADV
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- הבל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 37:35-36 (thematic): The psalmist reports seeing the wicked in prosperity and then passing away so that their place knows them no more—echoing Qohelet’s observation that powerful/wicked people are buried and forgotten.
- Job 21:23-26 (thematic): Job describes the vigorous life and sudden death of the wicked—though they live in ease and are honored, they are taken away and forgotten, a theme parallel to Ecclesiastes’ judgement on the fate of the wicked.
- Psalm 49:17-20 (verbal): Warnings not to fear the rich or trust in the prosperity of the wicked because they cannot redeem their lives or avoid the grave; like Eccl.8:10 this passage stresses death’s power to annul earthly standing and memory.
- Psalm 73:18-20 (thematic): Asaph confesses God brings the wicked to ruin and remembers them no more—he compares their end to a dream or passing shadow, paralleling Qohelet’s note that the wicked are buried and forgotten.
Alternative generated candidates
- Furthermore I saw the wicked buried—those who had come from the holy place—and they were forgotten in the city. This also is vanity.
- And moreover I saw the wicked buried, and they went out from the holy place and were praised in the city—yet this also is vanity.
Ecc.8.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אין: PART,neg
- נעשה: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- פתגם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מעשה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הרעה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- מהרה: ADV
- על: PREP
- כן: ADV
- מלא: ADJ,m,sg
- לב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- האדם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- בהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- לעשות: VERB,qal,inf
- רע: ADJ,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Habakkuk 1:3-4 (thematic): Complains that violence goes unpunished and the law is powerless, so wrongdoing flourishes—echoes the idea that delayed judgment emboldens evil.
- Psalm 73:3-12 (thematic): The psalmist envies the prosperity of the wicked because their punishment seems delayed; later contrasts their apparent success with their ultimate end, paralleling the effect of postponed justice.
- Jeremiah 12:1 (thematic): A direct lament asking why the way of the wicked prospers and why they escape quick judgment, reflecting the same problem of delayed retribution.
- Romans 13:3-4 (thematic): Speaks of governing authorities as God’s agents to punish wrongdoers—implying that when punishment is not executed, evil gains strength, similar to Ecclesiastes’ observation.
- 2 Peter 3:3-4,9 (thematic): Notes that scoffers misuse the delay of the Lord’s judgment as license for lawlessness; connects the idea that apparent slowness of punishment can encourage continued wrongdoing.
Alternative generated candidates
- Because the sentence against evil is not executed quickly, the hearts of men are filled with schemes to do evil.
- Because the sentence against the evil deed is not executed quickly, the hearts of the children of man are fully set to do evil.
Ecc.8.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אשר: PRON,rel
- חטא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- רע: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- מאת: PREP
- ומאריך: VERB,hiph,impf,3,m,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- גם: ADV
- יודע: VERB,qal,ptc,ms,sg
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- יהיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- טוב: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- ליראי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- האלהים: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- ייראו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- מלפניו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Job 21:7-13 (thematic): Job surveys the prosperity and long life of the wicked despite their sins—echoing Ecclesiastes' observation that sinners do evil and may be prolonged in life.
- Psalm 73:3-12, 16-20 (thematic): Asaph recounts envy of the wicked who prosper and then comes to the insight that their end is ruin; parallels the tension in Ecclesiastes between present prosperity of sinners and ultimate vindication of the God‑fearing.
- Psalm 37:1-2, 35-36 (structural): This psalm contrasts the fleeting success of the wicked with the enduring blessing of the righteous, mirroring Ecclesiastes' contrast between sinners' apparent prosperity and the welfare of those who fear God.
- Romans 2:6-8 (allusion): Paul’s teaching that God will ‘repay each person according to their deeds’ resonates with Ecclesiastes’ claim that, despite delayed justice, it will ultimately be well with those who fear God and ill with the wicked.
Alternative generated candidates
- Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and lengthens his days, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, who stand in awe before him.
- Though a sinner does evil a hundredfold and prolongs his days, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, who stand in awe before him.
Ecc.8.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וטוב: CONJ+ADJ,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- יהיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לרשע: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- יאריך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ימים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- כצל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- איננו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl,neg
- ירא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מלפני: PREP
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Prov.10.27 (verbal): Direct verbal/thematic parallel: both state that fear/reverence of the LORD lengthens life, whereas the years of the wicked are curtailed (the wicked do not prolong their days).
- Ps.37.9-10 (thematic): The psalm teaches that evildoers will be cut off and soon be no more; like Eccl.8:13 it contrasts the fate of the wicked with the righteous and affirms the transience of the wicked.
- Ps.73.18-20 (thematic): As in Ecclesiastes, these verses depict the ultimate end of the wicked—sudden ruin and vanishing like a dream—emphasizing lack of lasting well‑being for those who do not fear God.
- Job 21.7-26 (thematic): Job records the observation that many wicked seem to prosper and live long (a foil to Eccl.8:13); used here as a thematic contrast within wisdom literature on whether the wicked enjoy long life.
Alternative generated candidates
- But it will not be well with the wicked, nor will he lengthen his days like a shadow, because he does not fear God.
- But it will not be well with the wicked, nor will he lengthen his days—like a shadow, because he does not fear before God.
Ecc.8.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יש: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- הבל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- נעשה: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- על: PREP
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- יש: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- צדיקים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- מגיע: VERB,qal,ptcp,-,m,sg
- אלהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- כמעשה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הרשעים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ויש: CONJ+VERB,qal,pres,3,_,sg
- רשעים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- שמגיע: SUB+VERB,qal,part,ms
- אלהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- כמעשה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הצדיקים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אמרתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,com,sg
- שגם: CONJ
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- הבל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 7:15 (verbal): A near-verbatim parallel: the same observation that a righteous person may perish in his righteousness while a wicked person may prosper in his wickedness (same contrast and wording).
- Ecclesiastes 9:2-3 (thematic): Develops the same theme that both the righteous and the wicked share a common fate—events come alike to all—underscoring life's unpredictability and 'vanity.'
- Job 21:7-15 (thematic): Job’s complaint that the wicked often live in prosperity and die in peace parallels the lament that the outcomes for righteous and wicked do not align with their moral behavior.
- Psalm 73:3-12 (thematic): Asaph’s struggle with the prosperity of the wicked and the suffering of the righteous mirrors Ecclesiastes’ observation about the apparent injustice of life’s outcomes (the initial complaint portion of the psalm).
Alternative generated candidates
- There is vanity that occurs on the earth: that there are righteous to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.
- There is a vanity that happens on the earth: there are righteous people to whom what happens is like the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom what happens is like the deeds of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.
Ecc.8.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ושבחתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- השמחה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אין: PART,neg
- טוב: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- לאדם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תחת: PREP
- השמש: NOUN,f,sg,def
- כי: CONJ
- אם: CONJ
- לאכול: VERB,qal,inf
- ולשתות: VERB,qal,inf
- ולשמוח: CONJ+VERB,qal,inf
- והוא: CONJ+PRON,3,m,sg
- ילונו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בעמלו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- ימי: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- חייו: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- נתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- האלהים: NOUN,m,sg,def
- תחת: PREP
- השמש: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 (verbal): Uses nearly identical language and thought — that the best thing under the sun is to eat, drink, and find enjoyment, presented as God's gift to the worker.
- Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 (thematic): Affirms the theme that finding enjoyment in one's labor and the good of life is a gift from God and the appropriate response to life under the sun.
- Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 (thematic): Develops the same idea that one should enjoy the fruits of one’s toil as a gift from God, linking enjoyment with the reward of labor and divine gift.
- Luke 12:19-20 (verbal): The rich fool’s phrase 'eat, drink, and be merry' echoes Ecclesiastes’ wording but reframes it ironically to critique misplaced trust in earthly enjoyment apart from God.
- Psalm 104:14-15 (thematic): Describes God providing food and wine that gladden the heart, connecting enjoyment of eating and drinking with divine provision and blessing.
Alternative generated candidates
- So I praised enjoyment: for there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and find delight in his toil—this is his portion in the labor of his life which God gives him under the sun.
- So I praised joy, for there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and to drink and to find enjoyment in his toil; this also is a gift of God.
Ecc.8.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כאשר: CONJ
- נתתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- לבי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
- לדעת: VERB,qal,inf,-,-,-
- חכמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ולראות: CONJ+VERB,qal,inf
- את: PRT,acc
- הענין: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- נעשה: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- על: PREP
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- כי: CONJ
- גם: ADV
- ביום: PREP
- ובלילה: CONJ+PREP
- שנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בעיניו: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+3ms
- איננו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl,neg
- ראה: VERB,qal,imperat,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 1:13 (verbal): Uses the same motif/phrase of applying the heart to know and to investigate what is done on the earth—both verses frame an introspective search for wisdom about earthly affairs.
- Ecclesiastes 7:25 (verbal): Repeats the wording of turning or applying the heart to know wisdom; both verses describe a personal, reflective quest to understand perplexing matters.
- Proverbs 2:1-5 (thematic): Calls for diligent seeking of wisdom and understanding (inclining the ear, seeking day and night), paralleling Ecclesiastes’ theme of attentive, persistent pursuit of knowledge about life on earth.
- Psalm 73:16-17 (thematic): The psalmist’s struggle to comprehend the prosperity of the wicked and the insight gained only in God’s sanctuary echoes Ecclesiastes’ difficulty making sense of earthly happenings despite close observation.
- Psalm 121:4 (thematic): Speaks of unceasing watchfulness—'he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep'—providing a contrastive echo to Ecclesiastes’ image of sleepless observation 'by day and by night' and the theme of continuous watching.
Alternative generated candidates
- When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that is done on the earth, for neither day nor night does a man see sleep with his eyes,
- When I set my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that is done on the earth, I saw that neither by day nor by night does one see sleep come to his eyes.
Ecc.8.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וראיתי: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,1,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- מעשה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- האלהים: NOUN,m,sg,def
- כי: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- יוכל: VERB,qal,impf,3,ms
- האדם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- למצוא: VERB,qal,inf
- את: PRT,acc
- המעשה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- נעשה: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- תחת: PREP
- השמש: NOUN,f,sg,def
- בשל: PREP
- אשר: PRON,rel
- יעמל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- האדם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לבקש: PREP+VERB,qal,infc
- ולא: CONJ
- ימצא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- וגם: CONJ
- אם: CONJ
- יאמר: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- החכם: ADJ,m,sg,def
- לדעת: VERB,qal,inf,-,-,-
- לא: PART_NEG
- יוכל: VERB,qal,impf,3,ms
- למצא: PREP,VERB,qal,inf
Parallels
- Job 11:7-9 (verbal): Rhetorical questioning about whether humans can 'find out' or 'search' the Almighty—directly parallels Ecclesiastes' claim that man cannot discover God's work.
- Job 26:14 (thematic): Asserts that what we know of God are only 'outskirts' of his ways, stressing human inability to grasp the full scope of God's works.
- Psalm 139:6 (verbal): Confesses that God's knowledge is 'too wonderful' and beyond human reach, echoing Ecclesiastes' statement that even the wise cannot find out God's work.
- Isaiah 55:8-9 (thematic): Affirms that God's thoughts and ways are higher than human thought—a theological parallel to the impossibility of fully understanding God's actions 'under the sun.'
- Romans 11:33-34 (allusion): New Testament reflection on the inscrutability of God's judgments and wisdom ('Who has known the mind of the Lord?'), echoing the Old Testament motif that humans cannot comprehend God's works.
Alternative generated candidates
- then I saw all the work of God: a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. Though he toil to seek it out, he will not find it; even if the wise one claims to know, he cannot find it.
- And I saw all the work of God: a person cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. Though a man labors to seek it out, he will not find it; and even if the wise say they know, they cannot find it.
I say: keep the king's command; that is because of the oath before God.
Do not be hasty to leave his presence, and do not stand up for an evil cause; for whatever he desires, he does.
For the word of the king has authority—who can say to him, 'What are you doing?'
He who keeps a command will not come to harm; a wise heart knows time and judgment.
For to every undertaking there is a time and a way; for the distress of man is great upon him.
For he does not know what will be; who can tell him when it will be?
No one rules the spirit so as to hold it in; there is no authority on the day of death; there is no release in time of war, and wickedness will not deliver the one who practices it.
All this I saw, and I set my heart to every work that is done under the sun—at the time when a man has power over a man to his harm.
Then I saw the wicked buried who had come and gone from the holy place; they were forgotten in the city—this also is vanity.
Because the sentence against evil is not executed quickly, the heart of the children of men is fully set on doing evil.
Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his days, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, who stand in awe before him. But it will not be well with the wicked; he shall not lengthen his days—like a shadow, for he does not fear God.
There is a vanity that is done on the earth: there are righteous to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. So I praised joy, for there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and to find enjoyment in his labor; this accompanies him in his toil the days of his life that God has given him under the sun.
When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that is done on the earth—because neither by day nor by night does one see rest for his eyes—
I saw all the work of God: no one can find out the work that is done under the sun. Though a man labors to seek it out, he will not find it; and though the wise claim to know it, they cannot find it.