The Pulpit Commentary — Ecclesiastes — Section 104

EXPOSITION. f!iolentm, cunctorum auzi1io destitutos. It OHAPTER IV. is difficult to suppose that the state of Vers. 1-16.-Section 5. Koheletb pro- things revealed by this ver.e existed in the oeeda to give further illuatrationa of man's days of King Solomon, or that so powerful inability to be the architect of his own a monarch, and one a<lmire<l for "judgment and justice" (1 Kings x. 9), would be con- happiness. There are many thinga which tent with complaining of such disorders interrupt or destroy it. instead of checking them. There is no - Vera. 1-3.-Firet of all, he adduces the token of remorse for past unprofitableness oppression of man by his fellow-man. or anguish of heart at the thought of failure in duty. If we take the wercls as the utter- Ver. 1.-So I returned, and conaidered all ance of the real Solomon, we do ,·iolence to the oppreaeions that are done under the sun. history, and must correct the existing chro- This is equivalent to, "again I saw," as nicles of hie reign. The picture here pre- ver. 7, with o. reference to the wiokednees sented is one of later times, and it mey be in the place of judgment which he had of other countries. Persian rule, or the noticed in eh. iii. I 6. .Asliukim, " oppres- tyranny of the Ptolemies, might affor<l an sions," is found in Job xxxv. 9 u.nd Amos original from which it might be to.ken. iii. 9, and, being properly a participle Ver. 2.-In view of these po.tent wrongs passive, denotes oppressed persons or things, Koheletli loses all enjoyment of life. Where- an<l so abstrBCtedly •• oppressions." T,h uv1Ca- fore (and) I praised the dead which are al- </)av.,-(as (Septuo.gint); calumnias (Vulgate). ready dead; or, 1rho died long ago, nud thus The verb is used of high-handed injustice, have escaped the miseries which they would of offensive selfishness, of the hindrances to have had to endure. It must, indeed, have his neighbour's well-being caused by a man's been u. bitter tXperience which elicited sud.1 careless disregard of aught but bis own an avowal. To die and be forgotten nu interests (comp. l Sam. xii. 4: Hos. xii. 8, Oriental would look upon as the most c:1!11- etc.). Behold the teaz:s of such as were op- mitous of destinies. More than the living pressed; .,.a,,, trv1Ca</)a,,.,-av,.lv.,11 (Septuagint); whioh are yet alive. For these h11ve bei'ore innocentium (Vulgate). He· notes now not them the prospect of a long endurance of merely the fact of wrong being done, but oppreBBion an<l suffering (comp. eh. vii. 1; its effect on the viotim, and intimates hie Job iii. 13, etc.). The Greek gnome says- own pity for the sorrow. And they had no . KpEiUUOI/ '1"0 !'¾ (p11 ,.,.,.1,,, ~ (511 46,\{ws. oomforter. A sad refrain, eohoed again at the end of the verse with touching pathos. "Better to die tho.u lend o. wretched life." Ou" to-.,-w au.,-ais 7rapaKa.Awv (Septuagint); The Septuagint version is ecnrcely a. rernler- they had no earthly friends to visit them in ing of our present text: "Above the !iring, their affliotion, and they as yet knew not ee many o.s are living until now." the soothing of the Holy Ghost, the Oom- Ver. 3.-Yea, better is ho thnn both thoy, forter (aapttK,\71.,-or). There wns uo one to whioh bath not yet been. 'l'hn1:1 we hn\'e wipe nway their teo.rs (Isa. xxv. 8) or to Job's pe.seiono.te e.ppeo.l (iii. 11 ), "Why redrrse their wrongs. The point is the <lied I not from tho womb? why did I not powerlessness of man in the face of these give up the ghost when I came forth," etc.? disorders, his ino.bility to right himself, the And in tbo Greek poets the sentiment of iacompeteuoe of others to Ri<l him, On the text is re-echoetl. Thus Theognis, the side of their oppressors thero was 'Parron,,' 425- power (koach), in a bad sense, like the Greek fJ{a, eq ui vnlont to "violence." Thus ac{,,.,..,., ,..~,, f.'¾ </)iiva, /.,,,xBavfa,11111 lip1t11"011, the ungodly suy, in the Book of Wisdom M71B' lu,oii11 au-ycu •!•os '7El\fou· ii. 11, "Let our strength be the law of 4>Vll'l"IZ o', g.,,..,s t:J1<11T'l"O. 7rvl\as 'AtSao 7rEp7Jt1ai, juetioe." Vulgate, Neo posse resittere eorum Kai 1CEi116,u ..-0M¾11 -y;j11 /.,,a,.11ud,..•11ov,  ECCLESIASTES; OH, THE PREACHER. [cu. IV. 1-16,