The Pulpit Commentary — Ecclesiastes — Section 80

ne~s mentioned in rnr. 10. All pm·ts of 17, l\nd ix. 1, whern a similnr thought is this have, in God's design, e. beauty e.nd a expressed). harmony. their own season for e.ppeare.nce Ver. 12.-I know that th01·e is no good !'nd dcrnlopme~t, ~heir work to do in ca.rry- in them, but for a man to rejoice; l"llthor, rng on the maJestic march of Providence. I kne10, perceived, that there was no good fur Also he hath set the world in their heart. them; i.~. for men. From the facts add,uced, "The world;" eth-haolam, placed (as hacol Kohcleth learned this practioa.l 1·0,ult-thnt a.boYe) before the verb, with eth, to emphasize man had nothing in his own power (see on the relation. There is some uncerfaintv in eh. ii. 24) which would conduce to his hap- the translation of this word. The LXX. piness, but to make the best of life suoh as hns, ::Eoµ..-av'Ta. ,,.b., a)..,,,a.; Vulgate, Mumium he finds it. Vulgate, Oognovi quod non esset tradidit disputatwni eorum. The original nielius 11~i l2tari. To do good in hie life; meaning is "the hidden," and it is used Tov ,ro"'" a:yae&, (Septangint); Facer,e bene generally in the Old Testament of the remote (Vulgate). '.rhis has been taken by many past, and sometimes of the future, as Dnn. in the sense of "doing one's self good, iii. 33, so that the idea conveyed is of un- prospering, enjoying one's self," like the known duration, whether the gla.uee looks Greek ei'i .,.p,;,,,..,...,, and therefore nearly backward or forward, which is equivalent equivalent to "rejoice" in the former part to our word "eternity." It is only in later of the verse. But the expression is best Hebrew that the word obtained the significa- taken here, as when it occurs elsewhere tion of" nge" (alc:,v), or" world" in its rela- (e.g. eh. vii. 20), iu a moral sense, and it tion to time. Commentators who have thus teaches the great truth, that virtue ndopted the latter sense here explain the is essential to happiness, that to "trust expression ns if it meant that man in him- in the Lord ... to depart ·from evil, and self is a microcosm, a little world, or that to do good" (Ps. xxxvi. 3, 27), will bring the love of the world, the love of life, is peace and content (see in, the epilogue, na.tnrally implanted in him. But ta.king eh. xii. 13, 14). There ,is no Epicureanism the term in the signification found through- in this verse; the enjoyment spoken of is out the Bible, we are justified -in translat- .not liceutiousuess, but a. happy appreciation ing it "eternity.'' The pronoun in " their of the innocent pleasures which the love of heart" refers to " the sons of men.'.' .in the God offers to those who live in aceordo.nce pre¥ious verse. God has put into me.n's with the la,ws of their higher nature. minds a notion of infinity of dnration; the Ver. 13.-And,a.lso that every man should beginning and the end of things a.re alike eat and drink . . . it is the gift of God. beyond his grasp ; the time to be born and This enforces and intensifies .the statement the time to die are eqnally unknown and in the preceding verse; not only the power uncontrollable. Koheleth is not thinking to "do good," bat even to enjoy what comes of tha.t hope of immortality which his words in 'his way'(see on eh. ii. 24), rnan must nnfold to us with our better knowledge; he receive from God. When we pray for our is speculating on the innate faculty of look- daily bread, we also ask for ability to take, ing backward and forward which man pos- assimilate; ancl profit by the supports and sesses, but which is insufficient to solve ilie comforts afforded to us.• " It " is better problems which present themselves every omitted, as "is the gift of God" forms the day. This conception of eternity may be predioa.te of the sentence. Ecclus. xi. 17, the foundation of great hopes and expecta- "The gift of the Lord. remaineth with the tions, but as an explanation of the ways of godly, and his favour bringeth, prosperity Providence it fails. So that no man oan : for ever." • find out the work tha.t "God ma.keth from the Ver.: 14.-I know that, whatsoever God beginning to the end; or, without man being doeth, it shall be for ever. A second thing a!,le to penetrate; yet so that he cannot, etc. (see ver. 12) that Koheleth lme,w, learned Man sees only minute parts of the great from the truthHdducod in vers. 1-9, is that whole; he cannot comprehend all at one behind man's free action and volition sto.nds view, cannot understand the law that regu- the will of God, which orders events with lates the time and season of every circum- a. view to eternity, and that man can alter stance in the hi~tory of man and the world. nothing of this providential a.rrnngement He feels that, as there has been an infinite (comp. Isa. xlvi. 10; Ps. xxxiii. 11). past, there will be an infinite future, which Nothing can be put to it, nor aitything taken may solve anomalies and demonstrate the from it. ·we cannot hasten or retard God's harmonious uuity of God's design, and he designs; we eaanot add to or• curtail his must be content to wait and hope. Com- plans. Septuo.gint, " It is impossible to add parison of the past with the present rnay (0{11, t<1T1 .,.po,rOe,vat) to it, and it is impos- help to adumbrate the futtil'e, but·is in- sible to take awe.y from H." Thus Ecolus, adequate to uuravel the complicated thread xviiL 6, "As for' the 'wondrous works of of the world's history ( comp. eh. viii. 16, the Lorll, it is impossible to lessen or to  VII, Ill, 1--22.) ECCLESIASTES l OR, 'l'HE PREACHER. 63