Verse by Verse

¹⁰ Then I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of holiness, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done. This also is vanity.

¹¹ Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.

¹² Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him.

¹³ But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God.

¹⁴ There is a vanity which occurs on earth, that there are just men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked; again, there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.

wicked (v.10) — the wicked rulers from the first 9 verses.

so done (v.10) — ruled wickedly

Verse 10 … may be paraphrased: “And, accordingly, I saw the wicked (i.e., evil men dying in the false hope of verse 8) buried, and they came to the grave with pomp; and I saw those that had done right (that is, the righteous) and they passed away from the holy place, and were forgotten in the city. … If God, and eternity, and what is above the sun, have no existence, and if death is annihilation, then is the philosophy of verse 15 sound philosophy. But the argument and teaching of the book of Ecclesiastes is that it is folly; for God exists, and will bring every action into judgment. — Williams, page 446.

set (v.11) = emboldened

When punishment for crime does not happen quickly (v.11), people are emboldened to commit more crime because they see no punishment forthcoming for wrongdoing. …Government is supposed to punish the evil doer and reward the one who does good (Romans 13:3-4; 1 Peter 2:14). When government does not do this, it has failed to fulfill its divine mandate. — Grace, page 1177.

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“Though” and “yet” (v.12) are counterpoints to each other. Though a sinner may have his life “under the sun” prolonged, yet in the end, it will be those who fear God who fair well. — Grace, page 1177.

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Death is oppressive and must be faced by all men; for there is no discharge from the demands of death’s war on humanity. Inventive man has never yet found a way to get around death’s demands. The authors of oppression think that they shall get away with their evil since God does not judge them immediately (v.11). The man of wisdom waits, knowingly affirming that the way to ultimate profit in this life and the next is the fear of God. Ultimately those who practice evil will receive a full recompense for their deeds. They may enjoy long life but their end will be tragic and without profit since they have not practiced the fear of God. … Although the man of wisdom can affirm by faith the ultimate profitableness of fearing God, the earth still remains a place of vanity. Life under the sun is in many ways an enigma. The wicked often prosper, and the righteous often suffer. This is certainly problematical and may cause man to initially posit the profitableness of pursuing pleasure. However, as the wisdom Preacher has already shown, this is a hasty and superficial decision and cannot lead to the path of true profit. — KJV Commentary, page 748.

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Sometimes in life “under the sun,” the wicked get what the righteous deserve and vice versa (v.14) — Grace, page 1177.

² I say, “Keep the king’s commandment for the sake of your oath to God.

³ Do not be hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand for an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him.”

⁴ Where the word of a king is, there is power; and who may say to him, “What are you doing?”

⁵ He who keeps his command will experience nothing harmful; and a wise man’s heart discerns both time and judgment,

⁶ Because for every matter there is a time and judgment, though the misery of man increases greatly.

⁷ For he does not know what will happen; so who can tell him when it will occur?

⁸ No one has power over the spirit to retain the spirit, and no one has power in the day of death. There is no release from that war, and wickedness will not deliver those who are given to it.

⁹ All this I have seen, and applied my heart to every work that is done under the sun: There is a time in which one man rules over another to his own hurt.

The insight that wisdom brings to a man allows him to know the true interpretation to be placed upon events and brings a joy that is indicated in the shining of the face (Psalm 19:8).

sternness (v.1) = hardness

Some translations and commentaries say that “oath to God” in v.2 should be “oath of God,” referring to the promise God made to David. Williams has that take.

This oath is that of Psalm 89:35; and although it may have an application to Solomon personally, yet verses 3-5 prove that the Messiah is intended. Verses 3 and 4 may be thus rendered: “Be not hasty to go out of His presence, persist not in an evil purpose, because He doeth whatever pleaseth Him, and because His Word, as King, hath power, and because who may say unto Him, what doest Thou?” To dwell in His presence is life and power; to hasten away is darkness and death.. Verses 5-7 may read thus; “Whoso keepeth the commandment (i.e., the King’s) shall experience no calamity (Romans 10:11); and a wise man’s heart discerneth a time-limit and a judgment; for every action there shall be a time-limit and a judgment (Hebrews 9:27); therefore the misery of (the unconverted) man is heavy upon him, because he knoweth not that which shall be (i.e., his fate in that judgment) for who can tell him how it shall be? The [believer], though he knows there will be a day of judgment, feels no terror; but to the worlding the thought of that judgment embitters his life and spoils his pleasure. This bitterness is made the more bitter by the knowledge (v.8) that he cannot avoid death, and by the fear, here declared to be well grounded, that his plans of escape from its power are useless. — Williams, page 445.

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The oath of God is an oath of allegiance to a government made in the name of God. — KJV Commentary, page 748.

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The first half of verse 5 is a quotation of Proverbs 19:16 … The Preacher believes that the wise man alone knows of time and judgment. That is, he knows that God keeps His own counsels (Ecclesiastes 3:1-12) and that He does not share the knowledge of His purpose with mortals. — KJV Commentary, page 748.

time and judgment (v.5) — what to do (judgment) and when to do it (time)

The first half of verse 6 is best understood as referring back to verse 5: A wise man’s heart discerns both time and judgment, because there is a time and judgment for every purpose of the king. — Grace, page 1177.

the misery of man increases greatly (v.6) — This thought leads into the statement of v.7. “Misery … is great upon him for he does not know what will happen …”

Man cannot stop his own death (v.8). He has no power to keep his spirit or stop the day of his death; there is no release from the battle with death; and he cannot scheme his way out of it. — Grace, page 1177.

rules (v.9) = domineers, lords it over another

It is unclear from the Hebrew whether the tyrannical rule (v.9) is a harm to the king himself or to his subjects. But based on the preceding verses, it seems best to understand that the tyrant’s rule harms his subjects. — Grace, page 1177.

²³ All this I have proved by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise”; but it was far from me.

²⁴ As for that which is far off and exceedingly deep, who can find it out?

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.

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.

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.

¹⁶ Do not be overly righteous, nor be overly wise: why should you destroy yourself?

¹⁷ Do not be overly wicked, nor be foolish: why should you die before your time?

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.

¹⁹ Wisdom strengthens the wise more than ten rulers of the city.

The prosperity of the wicked is a problem that continues to perplex us, but the answer lies in knowing the final outcome (Psalm 73:2-17). — Grace, page 1176.

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Another perplexing problem for the man who would earnestly serve God is that of the overly righteous. These are the persons Malachi complains about in Malachi 2:17 and 3:12-13, a people beyond repentance because they were so impressed with their works-righteousness. The wisdom Preacher counsels the avoidance of such a superficial view of righteousness, for it will most certainly lead its adherents to destruction. Some simpleton may gather from the Preachers’ admonition against over-righteousness that the best course to pursue is one of open wickedness. He who makes such an assumption deserves the title Kasak (stupid fool). Like the over-righteous man, he too is the cause of his own destruction. In his case he is apt to end his life prematurely because of his wicked practices. The path to profit may only be kept by those men of wisdom who eschew overly righteous and overly wicked behavior and practice consistently the fear of God. — KJV Commentary, page 747.

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This verse (v.16) is probably the language of an ungodly man; to which Solomon answers, as in the following verse, “Do not multiply wickedness; do not add direct opposition to godliness, to the rest of your crimes. Why should you provoke God to destroy you before your time? — Treasury, page 426.

this (v.18) — the instructions of verses 16-17.

11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance, and profitable to those who see the sun.

12 For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense, but the [g]excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it.

¹³ Consider the work of God; for who can make straight what He has made crooked?

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.

Verse 8 — We cannot know if an undertaking will be profitable until it has been completed (Proverbs 16:25).

proud in spirit (v.8) — those who brag about accomplishments before they are completed

Wisdom shields from the ills of life; and money also shields. from such ills (v.12). But money can be lost, wisdom never. Money shields in prosperity, and for a time; wisdom, in adversity and forever. — Williams, page 444.

work (v.13) — God’s provision for us, not His creation

consider (v.14) — Consider this—God brings both adversity and prosperity (Job 2:10; Isaiah 45:7). We cannot change what has been decreed by God and are to accept both from His hand (Philippians 4:11). — Grace, page 1176.

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Verse 14 may be thus rendered: “In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity be thankful. Consider that God hath even made, or set, the one side by side with the other, so that man shall not find any cause of complaint against Him.” — Williams, page 444.

⁵ It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools.

⁶ For like the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool.
This also is vanity.

⁷ Surely oppression destroys a wise man’s reason, and a bribe debases the heart.

Fools listen only to what they want to hear, and thus remain foolish (Proverbs 13:1; 17:10; 27:6) — Grace, page 1175.

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The way to profit is to be kept by patiently hearing the rebuke of the wise. The pleasing words of the fool are like thorns placed under a kettle. Anticipation may run high as the immediate crackling sound occurs, but little lasting good can come of it. This flash of fire fails to produce any substantial heat. In like manner, the shallow speech and laughter of the fool is never productive of lasting good. — KJV Commentary, page 746.

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More alliteration in the Hebrew (v.6): “thorns” is sirim and “pot” is sir.” It has been rendered in English as “crackling nettles under kettles” or “crackling stubble makes the pot bubble.” — Grace, page 1175.

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The warning of verse 7 may be that the wise man is in danger of desiring, and being corrupted by, the pleasure which may be obtained by extortion and bribes, but verse 8 directs the attention to the “end” of such pleasures. — Williams, page 444.

1 A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of one’s birth;

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.

³ Sorrow is better than laughter, for by a sad 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.

name (v.1) = In the Hebrew culture, a name was not just a label, but was thought of as an expression of one’s underlying nature. — Grace, page 1175.

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ointment (v.1) — A very fragrant oil such as nard which was used as a perfume. In Hebrew there is a play on words here — “name” is sem and “oil” is semen. … The idea is that the aroma of good perfume leaves a lasting good impression on the senses, and so does meeting someone of good reputation. They are also similar in that both are costly to attain. — Grace, page 1175.

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The question with which the preceding chapter has closed, “Who knowing what is good for man in this life …?” is now answered. The Preacher commences an expansive list of those tings that are good for man and, if pursued, will ultimately lead into the way of true profit. A good reputation is of great value than precious ointment … (an expensive, perfumed oil that was used on joyful occasions). The contemplation of the day of death is more fruitful than contemplating the day of one’s birth. Whereas the latter is of limited profit, the former brings sober and salutary thoughts to the heart of a man. … Sorrow is better than laughter, for it fosters the growth of a sober frame of mind, which tends to keep on in the way of profit. The heart of the fool rejoices only in mirth and eschews the valuable lessons that can only be learned in the place of mourning. — KJV Commentary, page 746.

I don’t think Solomon was recommending depression here. But he was pointing out that we often learn important lessons in life when we are sad or sorrowing and rarely when we are happy and content. Those who only pursue fun and games and avoid anything that makes them unhappy will remain fools.

1 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:

² A man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor, so that he lacks nothing for himself of all he desires; yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but a foreigner consumes it. This is vanity, and it is an evil affliction.

³ If a man begets a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with goodness, or indeed he has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better than he—

⁴ for it comes in vanity and departs in darkness, and its name is covered with darkness.

⁵ Though it has not seen the sun or known anything, this has more rest than that man,

⁶ even if he lives a thousand years twice—but has not seen goodness. Do not all go to one place?

⁷ All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the soul is not satisfied.

⁸ For what more has the wise man than the fool? What does the poor man have, who knows how to walk before the living

⁹ Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of desire. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

¹⁰ Whatever one is, he has been named already, for it is known that he is man; and he cannot contend with Him who is mightier than he.

¹¹ Since there are many things that increase vanity, how is man the better?

¹² For who knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his ^[f]vain life which he passes like a shadow? Who can tell a man what will happen after him under the sun?

evil (v.1) = misfortune, injustice — not evil in a moral sense

riches, wealth, and honor (v.2) — said of Solomon in 2 Chronicles 1:11.

A man (v.2) may possess much earthly goods, and yet have neither the heart nor power to enjoy them. Possession and fruition are not necessarily joined together; and this is also among the vanities of life, and was and still is a very common evil among men. It belongs to God as much to give the power to enjoy, as it does to give earthly blessings. — Treasury, page 425

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Men … labor in the pursuit of wealth with such abandonment that they risk total failure in this life. The masses never rise above avarice; theirs is a grievous misery. For even though God allows them the acquisition of wealth and honor, He withholds from them the ability to enjoy their acquisitions. Surrounded by abundance, they are unable to enjoy even the smallest elements of the beauty that surrounds them. Their unrest is heightened as they view the evident satisfaction that others are able to derive from the fruits of their labor. Long life has always been viewed as a token of good fortune. However, for these men whose souls are destitute of enjoyment, long life is a curse. — KJV Commentary, pages 744-755.

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evil affliction (v.2) — This is a double tragedy. Not only is the man unable to enjoy his wealth and possessions which he has amassed, but a stranger, who did not work for it, is the one to enjoy all of it. — Grace, page 1174.

power to eat (v.2) — ability to enjoy

has no burial (v.3) — In the culture, not having a proper burial was considered a curse.

A large family (Psalm 127:3-5) and a long life (v.3) were considered blessings from God (1 Kings 3:11). But even if a man had all that, if he did not enjoy life, he would be better off to have never been born. — Grace, page 1174.

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stillborn (v.3) — An “untimely birth” (born before the time) does not mean one born prematurely since the notion of time is not in the word. Rather the word refers to a … still-born child (miscarriage). — Grace, page 1174.

it (v.5) — the stillborn child

man (v.7) — all men, but specifically misers like the man in verses 3-6.

The “mouth” (v.7) speaks of man’s desire and the “appetite” is literally the soul. This verse is saying that the person who seeks to find satisfaction in things and wealth will never be satisfied or “filled.” The flesh is never satisfied—it will always be “chasing after the wind.” Our soul will never be satisfied, and our spirit will never be at peace, until we rest in God. — Grace, page 1174.

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The question in [verse 8] is “What advantage has a sensible man over a fool, and what advantage has a rightly living poor man over a miser? This is answered in verse 9 by the statement that what is before the eyes is better than what is vainly imagined by the mind. — Williams, page 443.

In other words (v.9), it is better to enjoy what you have than wish for what you don’t have.

In verse 10 the Preacher summarizes the rationale for the life he advocates by once again calling man’s attention to the sovereignty of God. The type of being man is, proclaims the Preacher, is fully revealed by the name that God has given him long ago. His name is “Adam,” and earthen men tend to be earthy. The Preacher has pointed out the folly in pursuing the earthy and has taught the way to lasting profit.. Men may wish to rebel against this instruction; but the opulent are, after all, only frail creatures, unable to contend with the Almighty. — KJV Commentary, page 745.

who can tell (v.12) — As it says in 3:21, who can know what is really best for man during this life?

To name something (v.10) is to study or identify it. Man has already been studied and identified for who he is. — Grace, page 1175.

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Man’s ignorance and limitation may be recognized by his impotence to procure for himself a life of satisfying contentment, and by his inability to tell what will take place in the world after he has left it. — Williams, page 444.

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No man is able to discern what is to follow the situation in which he presently finds himself. The present, then, is filled with things that increase vanity, and the future is shrouded in deep shadows. In the presence of such uncertainty, who know what is good for man? — KJV Commentary, page 746.

¹⁸ Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage.

¹⁹ As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God.

²⁰ For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart.

eat and drink (v.18) — probably also including the companionship that comes with eating and drinking

The laborer (v.18) who accepts from God his lot in life [“his heritage”] “enjoys good,” and the man to whom God gives wealth also rejoices in his labor and is contended with his [heritage]. He does not, like worldly men, recall with vain longings the happier days of the past, because God answers him, i.e., responds to his acceptance of his lot in life by daily putting joy in his heart. This gift of contentment is equally enjoyed by the laborer as by the man of wealth, if they alike live in the will of God. — Williams, page 443.

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In contrast to the greedy person and the disappointing life which is his portion, the Preacher recommends the adoption of a perspective that will allow one to enjoy the simple things of this life. The key words in this section of the message are God and gift. Man must view all of the good that passes to him as the gift of God. Wealth and possessions are of no ultimate significance; they neither disclose nor help man to attain a divinely appointed destiny. God does not give them for that (v.19), but for the sweetening of life day by day. These are man’s portion in life and should be celebrated as gifts, rather than allowed to promote a spirit of avarice. … This joyous achievement of emancipation from avarice and greed is described more fully in verse 20. — KJV Commentary, page 744.

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The person who has learned to accept and enjoy what God has given him does not spend time thinking about the sorrows or brevity of life. The understanding that life is from the hand of God brings joy to the heart. Instead of being anxious, he can peacefully live out each day knowing that it is God’s gift to him. Realizing and acknowledging that all we are and have comes from the loving and merciful hand of God should cause us to continually give thanks to Him. — Grace, page 1174.