The Pulpit Commentary — Ecclesiastes — Section 157

lf119ponrot, " It is known what me.n is ; " decree, they hold that man bas the power Vulge.te, Et Bcitur quod homo sit. But it is of assent, supposing tba.t God tempers e.ll not the nature of man that is in question, in such sort, that by his ordinance and but bis conclitioned state. Neither may he man's will all things a.re performed, good or contend with him that is mightier than he. evil. The Sadducees eliminated fate alto- The mightier One is God, in accordance gether from human actions, and asserted with the passages quoted above from Isaiah, that men are in all things governed, not by Acts, and Roma.us. Some consicler that any external force, but by their own will death is intended, and that the author alone; that their success and happiness de- is referring to the shortness of man's life. pended upon themselves, and that ill for- They say that the word taqqipli, " mighty" tune was the consequence of their own folly (which occurs only in Ezra and Daniel), is or stupidity. A third school, the Essenes, never used of God. But is it used of death? held that fate was supreme, and that nothing And is it not used of God in De.n. iv. 3 could happen to mankind beyond or in con- (iii. 33, Hebrew), where Nebuchadnezzar travention of its decree ('Joseph. Ant.,' xiii. says, " How mighty a.re his wonders! "? 5. 9; xviii. I. 3, 4; 'Bell. J ud.,' ii. 8. 14). To bring death into consideration is to in- Such speculative discussions may have been troduce e. new thought having no connection in Koheleth's mind when he wrote this sen- with the context, which is not speaking of tence. Whatever may be the difficulties the termination of man's life, but of its of the position, we Christians know and course, the circumstances of which a.re ar- feel that in matters of religion and morality ranged by a higher Power. Septuagint, we are e.bsolntely free, he.ve an unfettered Kal ov liuv,i<Te-ra, 1Cp18i;11a, µ,era. -roii i<Txupo-rlpou choice, and that from this fact a.rises our mr~p ab-r&v. With this we may compare responsibility. What is man the better 1 1 Cor. x. 22, "Do we provoke the Lord to What profit has man from such speculations jealousy? are we stronger than he? (µ,'I, or words of scepticism ? tcrxup&-r1:poi a.llTofi iuµ.lv; ). 11 Ver. 12.-This verse in the Greek and Ver.11.-Seeing there be many things that Latin versions, as in some copied of the increase vanity. The noun rendered "things" Hebrew, is divorced from its natural place, (dabar) may equally mean" words;" ancl it e.s the conclusion of the para.graph, .ers. 10, is a question which signification is most 11, and is arranged a.a the commencement approprinte here. The Septuagint has 11.o")lo< of eh. vii. Plainly, the Divine prescience 'll'oJ\.11.ol, "many words." So the Vulgate, of vers. 10, 11 is closely connected with the verba sunt plurima. If we take the render- question of man's ultimate good e.nd his ing of the Authorized Version, we must ignorCLnce of the future, enunciCLted in this understand the passage to mean that the verse. For who lmoweth what is good for distractions of business, the cares of life, the man in this life ! Such discussions are const1mt disappointments, make men feel profitless, for me.n knows not wh!Lt is his real the hollowness and unsatisfactory nature good-whether plea.sure, apathy, or virtue, of lCLbour e.nd wealth e.nd earthly goods, 11s philosophers would put it. To decide e.nd their absolute dependence upon Provi- snob questions he must be CLble to foresee dence. But in view of the previous con- results, which is denied him. The inter- text, e.nd especially of var. 10, which rogative" Who knows?" is equivalent to an speaks of contending (din) with God, emphatic negative, as eh. iii. 21, and is CL it is most suitable to translate debarim common rhetorical form which surely need "words," CLnd to understand them of the not be attributed to Pyrrhonism (Plumptre). expressions of impatience, cloubt, and un- All the days of his vain life which he belief to which men give utternnce when spendeth as a shadow. These words amplify arraigning the acts or tmde11vouring to ex- e.nd explain the term "in life" of the pre- plCLin tile decrees of God. Buch profitless ceding clause. They may be rendered lite- words only increase the.perplexity in which rally, During the number of the days of tl,e men e.re involved. It is very possible that life ( eh. v. HI) of his vanity, ancl lie pasaeth reference is here made to the discussions on them as a shadow. A life of vnnity ill one the chief good, free-will, predestination, and that yields no good result, full of empty the like Hubjects, which, e.s we know from nims, unsatisfied wishes, unfulfilled pnrposes. Josephus, had bogun to be mooted in Jewish It is the man who is here comp11red to the schools, e.s they had long been rife in those shadow, not his life. So Job xiv. 2, "He of Greece. In these disputes Pharisees and fleeth as e. shadow, and continueth not." Sadducees took opposite sides. The former He soon passes 11w11y, and lenves no traoe maintained that some things, but not all, behind him. 'fhe thought is common. '' Ye were the subject of fe.te (-rris ,/µ,apµ,,v71s ), [Revised Version] e.re e. vu.pour," says St. e.ncl that certain things were in our own Ja.mes (iv. H:), "that appeareth for e. little power to do or not to do; the.t is, while they time, e.nd then vunisheth e.w11y." Plumptre ~ttribute l!Jl that happens to fote, or God's well quotes Soph., 'Ajax,' 12a- 142 ECCLESIASTES; OR, THE PREAOHER. [OH, VI, 1-12.