Ecclesiastes 7

Ec 7:1-29.

1. (See on

Ec 6:12).

name--character; a godly mind and life; not mere

reputation with man, but what a man is in the eyes of

God, with whom the name and reality are one thing

(Isa 9:6).

This alone is "good," while all else is "vanity" when made the chief

end.

ointment--used lavishly at costly banquets and peculiarly

refreshing in the sultry East. The Hebrew for "name" and for

"ointment," have a happy paronomasia, Sheem and Shemen.

"Ointment" is fragrant only in the place where the person is whose head

and garment are scented, and only for a time. The "name" given by God

to His child

(Re 3:12)

is for ever and in all lands. So in the case of the woman who received

an everlasting name from Jesus Christ, in reward for her precious

ointment

(Isa 56:5;

Mr 14:3-9).

Jesus Christ Himself hath such a name, as the Messiah, equivalent to

Anointed

(So 1:3).

and the day of [his] death, &c.--not a general censure upon God

for creating man; but, connected with the previous clause, death is to

him, who hath a godly name, "better" than the day of his birth; "far

better," as

Php 1:23

has it.

2. Proving that it is not a sensual enjoyment of earthly goods

which is meant in

Ec 3:13; 5:18.

A thankful use of these is right, but frequent feasting Solomon had

found dangerous to piety in his own case. So Job's fear

(Ec 1:4, 5).

The house of feasting often shuts out thoughts of God and eternity. The

sight of the dead in the "house of mourning" causes "the living" to

think of their own "end."

3. Sorrow--such as arises from serious thoughts of eternity.

laughter--reckless mirth

(Ec 2:2).

(Ps 126:5, 6;

2Co 4:17;

Heb 12:10, 11).

MAURER translates: "In sadness of countenance

there is (may be) a good (cheerful) heart." So Hebrew,

for "good," equivalent to "cheerful"

(Ec 11:9);

but the parallel clause supports English Version.

5.

(Ps 141:4, 5).

Godly reproof offends the flesh, but benefits the spirit. Fools' songs

in the house of mirth please the flesh, but injure the soul.

6. crackling--answers to the loud merriment of fools. It is the very

fire consuming them which produces the seeming merry noise

(Joe 2:5).

Their light soon goes out in the black darkness. There is a paronomasia

in the Hebrew, Sirim ("thorns"), Sir ("pot"). The wicked

are often compared to "thorns"

(2Sa 23:6;

Na 1:10).

Dried cow-dung was the common fuel in Palestine; its slowness in

burning makes the quickness of a fire of thorns the more graphic, as an

image of the sudden end of fools

(Ps 118:12).

7. oppression--recurring to the idea

(Ec 3:16; 5:8).

Its connection with

Ec 7:4-6

is, the sight of "oppression" perpetrated by "fools" might tempt the

"wise" to call in question God's dispensations, and imitate the folly

(equivalent to "madness") described

(Ec 7:5,6).

WEISS, for "oppression," translates,

"distraction," produced by merriment. But

Ec 5:8

favors English Version.

a gift--that is, the sight of bribery in "places of judgment"

(Ec 3:16)

might cause the wise to lose their wisdom (equivalent to "heart"),

(Job 12:6; 21:6, 7; 24:1,

&c.). This suits the parallelism better than "a heart of gifts"; a

benevolent heart, as WEISS.

8. connected with

Ec 7:7.

Let the "wise" wait for "the end," and the "oppressions" which now (in

"the beginning") perplex their faith, will be found by God's working to

be overruled to their good. "Tribulation worketh patience"

(Ro 5:3),

which is infinitely better than "the proud spirit" that prosperity

might have generated in them, as it has in fools

(Ps 73:2, 3, 12-14, 17-26;

Jas 5:11).

9. angry--impatient at adversity befalling thee, as Job was

(Ec 5:2;

Pr 12:16).

10. Do not call in question God's ways in making thy former days better

than thy present, as Job did

(Job 29:2-5).

The very putting of the question argues that heavenly "wisdom"

(Margin) is not as much as it ought made the chief good with

thee.

11. Rather, "Wisdom, as compared with an inheritance, is good,"

that is, is as good as an inheritance; "yea, better

(literally, and a profit) to them that see the sun"

(that is, the living,

Ec 11:7;

Job 3:16;

Ps 49:19).

12. Literally, (To be) in (that is, under) the shadow

(Isa 30:2)

of wisdom (is the same as to be) in (under) the shadow of money;

wisdom no less shields one from the ills of life than money

does.

is, that--rather, "the excellency of the knowledge of

wisdom giveth life," that is, life in the highest sense, here and

hereafter

(Pr 3:18;

Joh 17:3;

2Pe 1:3).

Wisdom (religion) cannot be lost as money can. It shields one in

adversity, as well as prosperity; money, only in prosperity. The

question in

Ec 7:10

implies a want of it.

13. Consider as to God's work, that it is impossible to alter

His dispensations; for who can, &c.

straight . . . crooked--Man cannot amend what God wills to be "wanting"

and "adverse"

(Ec 1:15;

Job 12:14).

14. consider--resumed from

Ec 7:13.

"Consider," that is, regard it as "the work of God"; for "God has made

(Hebrew, for 'set') this (adversity) also as well as the other

(prosperity)." "Adversity" is one of the things which "God has made

crooked," and which man cannot "make straight." He ought therefore to

be "patient"

(Ec 7:8).

after him--equivalent to "that man may not find anything (to blame)

after God" (that is, after "considering God's work,"

Ec 7:13).

Vulgate and Syriac, "against Him" (compare

Ec 7:10;

Ro 3:4).

15. An objection entertained by Solomon

in the days of his vanity--his apostasy

(Ec 8:14;

Job 21:7).

just . . . perisheth--

(1Ki 21:13).

Temporal not eternal death

(Joh 10:28).

But see on

Ec 7:16;

"just" is probably a self-justiciary.

wicked . . . prolongeth--See the antidote to the abuse of this

statement in

Ec 8:12.

16. HOLDEN makes

Ec 7:16

the scoffing inference of the objector, and

Ec 7:17

the answer of Solomon, now repentant. So

(1Co 15:32)

the skeptic's objection;

(1Co 15:33)

the answer. However, "Be not righteous over much," may be taken as

Solomon's words, forbidding a self-made righteousness of outward

performances, which would wrest salvation from God, instead of

receiving it as the gift of His grace. It is a fanatical,

pharisaical righteousness, separated from God; for the "fear of God" is

in antithesis to it

(Ec 7:18; 5:3, 7;

Mt 6:1-7; 9:14; 23:23, 24;

Ro 10:3;

1Ti 4:3).

over wise--

(Job 11:12;

Ro 12:3, 16),

presumptuously self-sufficient, as if acquainted with the whole of

divine truth.

destroy thyself--expose thyself to needless persecution, austerities

and the wrath of God; hence to an untimely death. "Destroy thyself"

answers to "perisheth"

(Ec 7:15);

"righteous over much," to "a just man." Therefore in

Ec 7:15

it is self-justiciary, not a truly righteous man, that is

meant.

17. over much wicked--so worded, to answer to "righteous

over much." For if not taken thus, it would seem to imply that we

may be wicked a little. "Wicked" refers to "wicked man"

(Ec 7:15);

"die before thy time," to "prolongeth his life," antithetically. There

may be a wicked man spared to "live long," owing to his avoiding gross

excesses

(Ec 7:15).

Solomon says, therefore, Be not so foolish (answering antithetically to

"over wise,"

Ec 7:16),

as to run to such excess of riot, that God will be provoked to cut off

prematurely thy day of grace

(Ro 2:5).

The precept is addressed to a sinner. Beware of aggravating thy

sin, so as to make thy case desperate. It refers to the days of

Solomon's "vanity" (apostasy,

Ec 7:15),

when only such a precept would be applicable. By litotes it includes,

"Be not wicked at all."

18. this . . . this--the two opposite excesses

(Ec 7:16, 17),

fanatical, self-wise righteousness, and presumptuous, foolhardy

wickedness.

he that feareth God shall come forth of them all--shall escape all

such extremes

(Pr 3:7).

19. Hebrew, "The wisdom," that is, the true wisdom, religion

(2Ti 3:15).

than ten mighty--that is, able and valiant generals

(Ec 7:12; 9:13-18;

Pr 21:22; 24:5).

These "watchmen wake in vain, except the Lord keep the city"

(Ps 127:1).

20. Referring to

Ec 7:16.

Be not "self-righteous," seek not to make thyself "just" before

God by a superabundance of self-imposed performances; "for true

'wisdom,' or 'righteousness,' shows that there is not a just

man," &c.

21. As therefore thou being far from perfectly "just" thyself, hast

much to be forgiven by God, do not take too strict account, as the

self-righteous do

(Ec 7:16;

Lu 18:9, 11),

and thereby shorten their lives

(Ec 7:15, 16),

of words spoken against thee by others, for example, thy servant: Thou

art their "fellow servant" before God

(Mt 18:32-35).

22.

(1Ki 2:44).

23. All this--resuming the "all" in

Ec 7:15;

Ec 7:15-22

is therefore the fruit of his dearly bought experience in the days of

his "vanity."

I will be wise--I tried to "be wise," independently of God. But true

wisdom was then "far from him," in spite of his human wisdom, which he

retained by God's gift. So "over wise"

(Ec 7:16).

24. That . . . far off . . . deep--True wisdom is so when sought

independently of "fear of God"

(Ec 7:18;

De 30:12, 13;

Job 11:7, 8; 28:12-20, 28;

Ps 64:6;

Ro 10:6, 7).

25. Literally, "I turned myself and mine heart to." A phrase peculiar

to Ecclesiastes, and appropriate to the penitent turning back to

commune with his heart on his past life.

wickedness of folly--He is now a step further on the path of penitence

than in

Ec 1:17; 2:12,

where "folly" is put without "wickedness" prefixed.

reason--rather, "the right estimation" of things.

HOLDEN translates also "foolishness

(that is, sinful folly, answering to 'wickedness' in the parallel)

of madness" (that is, of man's mad pursuits).

26. "I find" that, of all my sinful follies, none has been so

ruinous a snare in seducing me from God as idolatrous women

(1Ki 11:3, 4;

Pr 5:3, 4; 22:14).

As "God's favor is better than life," she who seduces from God is "more

bitter than death."

whoso pleaseth God--as Joseph

(Ge 39:2, 3, 9).

It is God's grace alone that keeps any from falling.

27. this--namely, what follows in

Ec 7:28.

counting one by one--by comparing one thing with another

[HOLDEN and

MAURER].

account--a right estimate. But

Ec 7:28

more favors GESENIUS. "Considering women one

28. Rather, referring to his past experience, "Which my

soul sought further, but I found not."

one man--that is, worthy of the name, "man," "upright"; not more than

one in a thousand of my courtiers

(Job 33:23;

Ps 12:1).

Jesus Christ alone of men fully realizes the perfect ideal of "man."

"Chiefest among ten thousand"

(So 5:10).

No perfect "woman" has ever existed, not even the Virgin Mary.

Solomon, in the word "thousand," alludes to his three hundred wives and

seven hundred concubines. Among these it was not likely that he should

find the fidelity which one true wife pays to one

husband. Connected with

Ec 7:26,

not an unqualified condemnation of the sex, as

Pr 12:4; 31:10,

&c., prove.

29. The "only" way of accounting for the scarcity of even

comparatively upright men and women is that, whereas God made man

upright, they (men) have, &c. The only account to be "found" of the

origin of evil, the great mystery of theology, is that given in Holy

Writ

(Ge 2:1-3:24).

Among man's "inventions" was the one especially referred to in

Ec 7:26,

the bitter fruits of which Solomon experienced, the breaking of God's

primeval marriage law, joining one man to "one" woman

(Mt 19:4, 5, 6).

"Man" is singular, namely, Adam; "they," plural, Adam,

Eve, and their posterity.