Ecclesiastes 1

Ec 1:1-18.

INTRODUCTION.

1. the Preacher--and Convener of assemblies for the

purpose. See my

Preface.

Koheleth in Hebrew, a symbolical name for Solomon,

and of Heavenly Wisdom speaking through and identified with him.

Ec 1:12

shows that "king of Jerusalem" is in apposition, not with "David," but

"Preacher."

of Jerusalem--rather, "in Jerusalem," for it was merely his

metropolis, not his whole kingdom.

2. The theme proposed of the first part of his discourse.

Vanity of vanities--Hebraism for the most utter vanity. So "holy of

holies"

(Ex 26:33);

"servant of servants"

(Ge 9:25).

The repetition increases the force.

all--Hebrew, "the all"; all without exception, namely, earthly

things.

vanity--not in themselves, for God maketh nothing in vain

(1Ti 4:4, 5),

but vain when put in the place of God and made the end, instead

of the means

(Ps 39:5, 6; 62:9;

Mt 6:33);

vain, also, because of the "vanity" to which they are "subjected" by

the fall

(Ro 8:20).

3. What profit . . . labour--that is, "What profit" as to the chief

good

(Mt 16:26).

Labor is profitable in its proper place

(Ge 2:15; 3:19;

Pr 14:23).

under the sun--that is, in this life, as opposed to the future

world. The phrase often recurs, but only in Ecclesiastes.

4. earth . . . for ever--

(Ps 104:5).

While the earth remains the same, the generations of men

are ever changing; what lasting profit, then, can there be from the

toils of one whose sojourn on earth, as an individual, is so brief? The

"for ever" is comparative, not absolute

(Ps 102:26).

5.

(Ps 19:5, 6).

"Panting" as the Hebrew for "hasteth"; metaphor, from a runner

(Ps 19:5,

"a strong man") in a "race." It applies rather to the rising

sun, which seems laboriously to mount up to the meridian, than

to the setting sun; the accents too favor MAURER,

"And (that too, returning) to his place, where panting he riseth."

6. according to his circuits--that is, it returns afresh to its former

circuits, however many be its previous veerings about. The north and

south winds are the two prevailing winds in Palestine and Egypt.

7. By subterraneous cavities, and by evaporation forming rain clouds,

the fountains and rivers are supplied from the sea, into which they then

flow back. The connection is: Individual men are continually

changing, while the succession of the race continues; just as the

sun, wind, and rivers are ever shifting about, while the cycle in which

they move is invariable; they return to the point whence they set out.

Hence is man, as in these objects of nature which are his analogue, with

all the seeming changes "there is no new thing"

(Ec 1:9).

8. MAURER translates, "All words are wearied out," that is, are

inadequate, as also, "man cannot express" all the things in the world

which undergo this ceaseless, changeless cycle of vicissitudes: "The eye

is not satisfied with seeing them," &c. But it is plainly a return to

the idea

(Ec 1:3)

as to man's "labor," which is only wearisome and profitless; "no

new" good can accrue from it

(Ec 1:9);

for as the sun, &c., so man's laborious works move in a changeless

cycle. The eye and ear are two of the taskmasters for

which man toils. But these are never "satisfied"

(Ec 6:7;

Pr 27:20).

Nor can they be so hereafter, for there will be nothing "new." Not so

the chief good, Jesus Christ

(Joh 4:13, 14;

Re 21:5).

9. Rather, "no new thing at all"; as in

Nu 11:6.

This is not meant in a general sense; but there is no new source of

happiness (the subject in question) which can be devised; the same

round of petty pleasures, cares, business, study, wars, &c., being

repeated over and over again [HOLDEN].

10. old time--Hebrew, "ages."

which was--The Hebrew plural cannot be joined to the verb

singular. Therefore translate: "It hath been in the ages before;

certainly it hath been before us" [HOLDEN].

Or, as MAURER: "That which

has been (done) before us (in our presence,

1Ch 16:33),

has been (done) already in the old times."

11. The reason why some things are thought "new," which are not

really so, is the imperfect record that exists of preceding ages among

their successors.

those that . . . come after--that is, those that live still later than the "things, rather the persons or generations,

Ec 1:4,

with which this verse is connected, the six intermediate verses being

merely illustrations of

Ec 1:4

[WEISS], that are to come"

(Ec 2:16; 9:5).

12. Resumption of

Ec 1:1,

the intermediate verses being the introductory statement of his thesis.

Therefore, "the Preacher" (Koheleth) is repeated.

was king--instead of "am," because he is about to give the results

of his past experience during his long reign.

in Jerusalem--specified, as opposed to David, who reigned both in

Hebron and Jerusalem; whereas Solomon reigned only in Jerusalem. "King

of Israel in Jerusalem," implies that he reigned over

Israel and Judah combined; whereas David, at Hebron, reigned only

over Judah, and not, until he was settled in Jerusalem, over both

Israel and Judah.

13. this sore travail--namely, that of "searching out all things

done under heaven." Not human wisdom in general, which comes afterwards

(Ec 2:12,

&c.), but laborious enquiries into, and speculations about, the works

of men; for example, political science. As man is doomed to get his

bread, so his knowledge, by the sweat of his brow

(Ge 3:19)

[GILL].

exercised--that is, disciplined; literally, "that they may thereby

chastise, or humble themselves."

14. The reason is here given why investigation into man's "works" is

only "sore travail"

(Ec 1:13);

namely, because all man's ways are vain

(Ec 1:18)

and cannot be mended

(Ec 1:15).

vexation of--"a preying upon"

the Spirit--MAURER translates;

"the pursuit of wind," as in

Ec 5:16;

Ho 12:1,

"Ephraim feedeth on wind." But old versions support the English

Version.

15. Investigation

(Ec 1:13)

into human ways is vain labor, for they are hopelessly "crooked" and

"cannot be made straight" by it

(Ec 7:13).

God, the chief good, alone can do this

(Isa 40:4; 45:2).

wanting--

(Da 5:27).

numbered--so as to make a complete number; so equivalent to "supplied"

[MAURER].

Or, rather, man's state is utterly wanting; and that which

is wholly defective cannot be numbered or calculated. The investigator

thinks he can draw up, in accurate numbers, statistics of man's wants;

but these, including the defects in the investigator's labor, are not

partial, but total.

16. communed with . . . heart--

(Ge 24:45).

come to great estate--Rather, "I have magnified and gotten"

(literally, "added," increased), &c.

all . . . before me in Jerusalem--namely, the priests, judges, and

two kings that preceded Solomon. His wisdom exceeded that of all before

Jesus Christ, the antitypical Koheleth, or "Gatherer of men,"

(Lu 13:34),

and "Wisdom" incarnate

(Mt 11:19; 12:42).

had . . . experience--literally, "had seen"

(Jer 2:31).

Contrast with this glorying in worldly wisdom

(Jer 9:23, 24).

17. wisdom . . . madness--that is, their effects, the works of human

wisdom and folly respectively. "Madness," literally, "vaunting

extravagance";

Ec 2:12; 7:25,

&c., support English Version rather than DATHE, "splendid matters." "Folly" is read by English

Version with some manuscripts, instead of the present Hebrew

text, "prudence." If Hebrew be retained, understand "prudence,"

falsely so called

(1Ti 6:20),

"craft"

(Da 8:25).

18. wisdom . . . knowledge--not in general, for wisdom, &c., are

most excellent in their place; but speculative knowledge of man's ways

(Ec 1:13, 17),

which, the farther it goes, gives one the more pain to find how

"crooked" and "wanting" they are

(Ec 1:15; 12:12).

(1Ki 4:34).

that which is written, &c.--rather, (he sought) "to write down uprightly (or, 'aright') words of truth"

[HOLDEN and

WEISS].

"Acceptable" means an agreeable style; "uprightly . . . truth," correct

sentiment.

11. goads--piercing deeply into the mind

(Ac 2:37; 9:5;

Heb 4:12);

evidently inspired words, as the end of the verse proves.

fastened--rather, on account of the Hebrew genders, (The words)

"are fastened (in the memory) like nails" [HOLDEN].

masters of assemblies--rather, "the masters of collections (that is,

collectors of inspired sayings,

Pr 25:1),

are given ('have published them as proceeding' [HOLDEN]) from one Shepherd," namely, the Spirit of Jesus

Christ [WEISS],

(Eze 37:24).

However, the mention of "goads" favors the English Version,

"masters of assemblies," namely, under-shepherds, inspired by

the Chief Shepherd

(1Pe 5:2-4).

SCHMIDT translates, "The masters of assemblies are

fastened (made sure) as nails," so

Isa 22:23.

12. (See on

Ec 1:18).

many books--of mere human composition, opposed to "by these";

these inspired writings are the only sure source of "admonition."

(over much) study--in mere human books, wearies the body, without

solidly profiting the soul.

13. The grand inference of the whole book.

Fear God--The antidote to following creature idols, and "vanities,"

whether self-righteousness

(Ec 7:16, 18),

or wicked oppression and other evils

(Ec 8:12, 13),

or mad mirth

(Ec 2:2; 7:2-5),

or self-mortifying avarice

(Ec 8:13, 17),

or youth spent without God

(Ec 11:9; 12:1).

this is the whole duty of man--literally, "this is the whole man,"

the full ideal of man, as originally contemplated, realized wholly by

Jesus Christ alone; and, through Him, by saints now in part, hereafter

perfectly

(1Jo 3:22-24;

Re 22:14).

14. For God shall bring every work into judgment--The future judgment

is the test of what is "vanity," what solid, as regards the chief good,

the grand subject of the book.

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