The Pulpit Commentary — Ecclesiastes — Section 170

of the luxuries lavished at feaets and costly seriousness, aud the need of prcpamtion for entertainments, or sooia.l visits (see eh. ix. 8; death. The opposite side, the house of Ruth iii. 3; Ps. xiv. 8; Amos vi. 6; Wisd. carousal, where all thRt is serious is put ii. 7; Luke vii. 37, 46). It was a man's away, leading to such scenes ns Isuiah most cherished ambition to leave a good denounces (v. 11), offers no wise te11ching, reputation, and to hand down an honourable aud produces only selfishness, heartlessness, remembrance to distant posterity, 1111d this thoughtlessness. What is said here is no all the more as the hope of the life beyond contradiction to what was said in eh. ii. 24, the grave was dim and vagne (see on eh. that there was nothing better for a man than ii.16, and comp. eh. ix. 5). The complaint of that he should eat and drink nnd enjoy him- the sensualists in Wisd. ii. 4 is embittered by self. For Koheleth was not speaking of un- the thought," Our name shall be forgotten in restrained sensualism-the surrender of the time, and no man shall have our works in mind to the pleasures of the body-but of remembrance." We employ a metaphor like the moderate enjoyment of the good things that in the clause when we speak of a man's of life conditioned by the fear of God and reputation having a good or ill odour; and love of one's neighbour. This statement is the Hebrews said of ill fame that it stank quite compatible with the view that sees a in the nostrils (Gen. xxxiv. 30; Exod. v. 21; higher purpose and training in the sympathy see, on the opposite side, Ecclus. xxiv. 15; with sorrow than in participation in reckless 2 Cor. ii. 15). And the day of death than frivolity. For that is the end of e.11 men the day of one's birth. The thought in this viz. that they will some day be mourned, clanse is closely connected with the pre- that their house will be turned into n house ceding. If a man's life is such that he leaves of mourning. Vulgate, In illa (domo) enim a good name behind him, then the day of finis cunctO'l'um admo11etur hominum, which his departure is better than that of his birth, is not the sense of the Hebrew. The living "l,ecause in the latter he had nothing before will lay it to his heart. He who bas wit- him but labour, and trouble, and fear, and nessed this scene will consider it seriously uncertainty; and in the former all these (eh. ix. 1), and draw from it profitable con- anxieties are past, the storms are success- clusions concerning the brevity of life and fully battled with, the haven is won (see on the proper use to make thereof. We recall eh. iv. 3). According to Solon's well-known the words of Christ, "Blessed are they that maxim, no one can be called happy till he mourn : for they shall be comforted ; " and ha.a crowned a prosperous life by a peaceful "Woe unto you that laugh now I for ye shall death (Herod., i. 32 ; Soph., 'Trachin.,' mourn and weep" (Matt. v. 4; Luke vi. 25). 1-3; ' CEd. Tyr.,' 1528, sqq.); as the Greek Schultens gives an Arab prove1·b which says, gnome rnns- " Hearest thou lamentation for the dead, hasten to the spot ; art thou ea.lied to e. Mf/71'"' µ.e-ya.v .r"!lf 7rplv 'TEAEVTf/U"U.JJT' t611s. banquet, cross not the threshold." The "Call no man great till thou hast seen him Septuagint thus translates the last clause, dead." Ka.l ,} (wv otl,,;et d-ya8bv e1s 1<a.p1ila11 a.urou, So Ben-Sira, "Judge none blessed(µ.¾} µ.a.- "The living will put good into his heart;" 1<a.p1(, µ.716,va.) before his death; for a man the Vulgate paraphrases foirly, Et vivens shall be known in his children" (Ecelus. cogitat quid futurum sit," The Ii viag thinks xi. 28). what fa to come." "So tench us to number Ver. 2.-It is better to go to the house of our days," prays the psalmist," that we may mourning, than to go to the houe of feasting. apply our hearts unto wisdom" (Ps. xc. 12). The thought in the la.at verse leads to the Ver. 3.-Sorrow is better the.n laughter. recollection of the circumstances w bich ac- This is e. further expansion of the previous company the two events therein mentioned maxim. P:£:.> (ltaas), as contrasted with pinif>, -birth and death, feasting and joy, in the is rightly rendered" sorrow," "melancholy," first ease; sorrow e.nd mourning in the or, as Ginsburg contends, "thoughtful sad- second. In recommending the sober, earnest ness." The Septuagint has Ovµ.&s, the Vu!• life, Koheleth teaches t1..1a.t wiser, more en- gate ira; but anger is not the feeling during lessons a.re to be learned where grief produced by a. visit to the house of mourning. rcignM than in the empty and momentary Such a. scene produces saddening retleotion, excitement of mirth and joyousness. The which is in itself a mora,l training, and ill house in question is mourning for a death; more wholesome and elevating th1rn thought- and what a long and harrowing business this less mirth. For by the sadness of the coun- was is well known (see Deut. xxiv. 8; Ecclus. tenanoe the heart is made better. The xxii. 10; J er. xxii. 18; Mntt. ix. 23, etc.). feeling which shows itself by the look of Visits of condolence and periodical pilgrim- sadness (comp. Gen. xl. 7: Neh. ii. 2) has a~cs to gra,·f•B of departed relatives were e. purifying effect on the heart, gives 11 moral cc:usid~red duties (John xi. 19, 31),a.nd con- tone to the character. Professor Tnyler duced to the growth in the mind of symrathy, Lewis renders the clause, "For in tl.ic sad• OU, VII, 1-29.] ECCLESIASTES; OR, THE PREACHER. 157