The Pulpit Commentary — Ecclesiastes — Section 50

EXPOSITION. doeth it 1 What docs it effect towards real CHAPTER IL happiness and contentment? How does it Vers.1-11.-Section 2. Vanity of driving help to fill the void, to give lasting satis- ajter pleasui·e and wealth. faction? So we have in Prov. xiv. 13, "Even in laughter the heart is rnrrowful ; ·, Ver. 1.-Dissatisfied with the res~lt of the and the end of mirth is heaviness;" though pursuit of wisdom, Koheleth embarks.on a the context is different. Tbe Vulgate course of sensual pl,easnre, if so be this mo.y renders loosely, Quid frustra deciperis 1 yield some elfeot more substantial and per- Ver. 3.-I sought in mine heart; literally, manent. I said in mine heart, G_o to now, I spied out (as eh. i 13) in my heart. I will prove thee with mirth. The heart is Ho.ving proved the fruitlessness of some sort addressed as the seat of the emotions and of sensual pleasure, he made another experi- affections. The Vulgate misses the direct ment in a p]lilosophical spirit. To give add;ess to the heart, which the words, rightly myself unto wine; literally, w draw(mashak) int(lrpreted, imply, translating, Vadam et my fte;;k with wine; i.e. to use tbe o.ttraction •.flluam deliciis. The Septuagint correctly, cif the pleasures of the table. Yet acquaint- gives, llevpo ~~ •mp&a-p, IT< '" •b<f>porr_{wr,. It ing my heart with wisdom. This ia a is li!i:e the rich fool's. lo.nguage in Christ's parenthetical clause, which Wright trnns- po.rable, "I will say_ .to. my sonl, Soul, thou lo.tes, "While my hcnrt was nctiug [guiding] hast muoh goods laid up for many yenrs; with wisdom." That ia, while, as it were, take thine ease, eat, drink, be merry·" (Luke experimenting with pleasure, he still re- xil.'_10). Therefore enjoy pleasure; literally, tained sufficient control over his passions us see good (eh. vi. 6). " To see ", is often used not to be wholly given ove1· to vice; ha was figuratively in the sense of "to experience, in the position of one who is being carried or enjoy." Wright compares the expres- down an impetuous etreo.m, yet has the s~ons, "see death" .(Luke ii,. ~6), "see life" power of stopping hie headlong course before (John Fi. 86). We may find the like in Pe. it becomes fatal to him. Such control was xxxi:v. 13; Jef. xxix. 32; Obo.d. 13 (comp. given by wisdom. Deliberutely to enter eh. ix. 9). , The king now tries to find the upon o. course or eeH-indulgence, even with rnmmum bonum in pleasure, in selfish en- a possibly good intention, must bo a most jnyment "'ithout thought of others. Com- perilous trial, and one which would leave mentators, as they saw Stoicism in the first indelible marks upon the soul; and not one chapter, so read Epioureanism into this. We person in o. hundred would be able to stop shall have occasion to refer to this idea short of ruin. The historical Solomon, by further on (see on eh. iii. 22). Of this new his experimeut, suffered infinite loss, which experiment the result wa_s .,the same as be- nothing could compensate. The Septuo.gint fore. :Behold, this also is vanity. Thie 1·0nders not,;very successfully, "I eumined experience is confirmed in the next verse. whether my heart would draw {ill.1<ocr ..) my \' er. 2.-I said of laughter, It is mad. flesh as wine; and my heart guided me in Laughter and mirth are personified, hence wisdom." The Vulgate gives a sense en- t'reated as masculine. _ He uses the term tirely contrnry to the writer's intention ; "I 11 mo.d " in reference to the statement in oh. thought in my I.tee.rt to withdraw my flesh i. 17, "I gave my heart to know madness from wine, that I might tmnsfor my ruiud to o.nd folly." Septuo.gint, "I said to laughter, wisdom." And to lay hold on folly. These Error (1r•p1<f>opd11);" Vulgate, Rirum reputam words are dependent upon '' I sought in my ,. rrorem. N ei thcr of these is o.s accurate ns hcnrt," aud refer to tho sensual pleasures i11 the Authorized Version, Of mirth, What which ho in,lulged for a oertaiu objed.  82 ECCLESIASTES; OR, THE PREACHER. [en. u. 1-26.