The Pulpit Commentary — Ecclesiastes — Section 78

t.he guests at the marriage-fens!;, are set woulu opine. There is a proper o.nd lawful ngainst one nuothcr. The first clause inti- pursuit of wealth, nnd there is a wiee nud mates the spont:rneous manifestation of the prudent submission to its inevitable loss. feeling·s of the henrt; the second, their forml\l The loss here is occasioned by events over exprc;sion in the performances at funerals which the owner has uo control, differing 11 nd \'l'eddings and on other solomn occasions. from that in the next clcrnse, which is volun- 'l'he contrast is found in the Lord's allusion tA.l'y. The wise roan knows whon to exert to the sulky children in the market-place, his energy in improving his fortune, and who would not join their oompanions' play: when to hold his hand and take failure "\\'e h11"1"e piped unto you, and ye have not without useless strugglo. Loss, too, is somo- danced; we have monmed unto you, and ye times gain, as when Christ's departure in lut'l'e not lamented" (l\Ia.tt. xi. 17). Dancing the flesh was the prnlude and the occasion sornr,times accompanied religious cere- of the sending of the Comforter (John xvi. monies, as when David brought up the ark 7); and there aro many things of which we (2 Sam. vi. 14, 16). know not the real value till they are beyond \"er. 5.-A time to cast away stones, and our grasp. A time to keep, and a time to a time to gather stones together. There is oast away. Prudence will make fast what no q uestiou about building or demolishing it has won, o.nd will ende,ivour to preserve ho1;ses, as that has been already mentioned it unimpaired. But there are occasions in "rcr. 3. Most commentators see an allusion when it is wiser to deprive one's self of some to the practice of marring an enemy's fields things in order to secure more important by casting stones upon tbem,as the Israelites ends, as when sa.ilors throw a cargo, etc., did when they invaded l\loab (2 Kings iii. overboard in order to so.ve their ship (comp. 19, 25). But this must ho.ve been a very Jonah i. 5; Acts xxvii. 18, 19, 38). And o.bnormal proceeding, and could scarcely be in higher matters, such as almsgiving, this cited as a usual occurrence. Nor is the maxim holds good : "There is that scatter- notion more happy that there is an allusion eth, and yet increaseth .... The liberal soul to the custom of flinging stones or earth into shall be made fat, and he that watereth the gra~e at a burial-a Christian, but not shaU be watered also himself" (Prov. xi. 24, an ancient Jewish practice; this, too, le.aves 25). Plumptre refers to Christ's so-called the contrasted "gathering" unexplained. paradox,'' Whosoever would (tis a,, Bb,:n) save Equally inappropriate is the opinion that his life shall lose it, and whosoever shall the punishment of stoning is meant, or some lose his life for my sake shall find it" (Matt. game played with pebbles. It seems most xvi. 25). simple to see Lerein intimated the operation Ver. 7.-A time to rend, and a time to of clearing a vineyard of stones, as men- sew (Kcuplis 'Tov f,11!<1.1, ,ea.I 1Ca.1pbs .-ov t,d,i,a.,), tioned in Isa. v. 2; and of collecting This is usuo.lly understood of the rending of materials for making fences, wine-press, ga.rments in token of grief (Gen. xxxvii. 29, tower, etc., and repairing roads. A time to 3-1, etc.), and the repai1ing of the rent then embrace. Those who explain the preceding mado when the season of mourning was clause of the marring and clearing of fields ended. The Talmudists laid down careful connect the following one with the other by rules concerning the extent of the rituo.l conceiving that "the loving action of em- teitr, autl how long it was to remain un- bracing stands beside the hostile, purposely mended, both being regulated by the nenr- injurious, throwing of stones into a field " ness of the relntionship of the deceasccl (Delitzsch). It is plain that there are times pe!'son. In this interpretation there are when one may give himself up to the these two difficulties: first, it makes tho delights of lo"e and friendship, and times clause a virtual repetition of ,ver. 4; nnd when such distractions would be incongruous secondly, it is not known for certain tho.t and unseasonable, as on solcnm, penitential the closing of the rent was o. ceremonial occasions (Joel ii. 16; Exod. xix. 15; I Cor. custom in the times of Koheleth. Hence vii. 5); but the congruity of the two clauses of PI umptro inclines to take the expression the couplet is not obvious, unless the objec- metaphorically of the division of e. kingdom tionable position of stoues and their ad van- by schism, and the restoration of unity, tageous employment are compared with t.he comparing the Prophet Ahijah's communica- character of illicit (Prov. v. 20) and legiti- tion to J,·roboam (l Kings xi. 30, 31). But mate love. surely this would be a most unlikely allusion Ver. G.-A time to get (seeh), and a time to put inlo Solomon's mouth; nor can we to lose. The verb abad, in pie!, is used in properly look for such o. symbolical repre- the sense of" to destroy" (eh. vii. 7), and it sentation amid the other ree.listio examples is only in late Hebrew that it signifies, as given iu the series. What Koheleth SCl)'S is here, "to low." The refcreucc is tloubtless this-There o.re times when it is no.turn! to lo properly, and bas no connection with the tear clothes to pieces, whether from grief, or lust clause of the preceding verse, as Delitzsch anger, or any other cause, e.g. as being old en. m. 1-22.] ECCLESIASTES; OR, THE PREACHER. Gl