The Pulpit Commentary — Ecclesiastes — Section 212

menUonecl at the end of the lost chapter. is like the wise man?" I, who am now 'l'hc thought is not, as in Hos. xiv. 9 and teaching yon. But it is beHer to regard Jer. ix. 12, '' Who is wise?" but-No one con the pronoun ns emphasizing the following be compured with 11. wise man ; he has no rule, supplying some verb (which may pos- compeer. And who [like him] knoweth the sibly have dropped out of the text), as," Say, interpretation of a thing 1 Who, so well as aclvise-1, for my part, whatever others the wise man, understands the proper rela- may do or advise, I counsel thee; " the tion of circumstances, sees into human injunction being given in the imperative affairs and God's dispensations in the cuse mood. The Septuagint and Syriac omit the of nations and individuals? Such a one pronoun altogether. The warning implies tukes the right view of life. The word that the writer was living under kingly, and pcelter, "interpretation," occurs (peshar) indeed despotic, government, and it was the continually in Daniel, and nowhere else, part of o. wise man to exhibit cheerful and is Chalde.ic. The Vulgate; which con- obedience. Ben-Sira observes that wise men nects these two clituses with eh. vii., renders, teach us how to serve great men (Ecclus. Qwia cognol!it solutionem verbi f So the viii 8). Such conduct is not only prudent, Septuagint. The " :word " or "saying" may but re11lly a religious duty, even as the be the question proposed above concerning prophets counsel submission to Assyrian and the happy life, or the proverb that imme- Chaldean rulers (see Jer. xxvii.12; xxix. 7; diately follows. But dabar is better ren- Ezek. xvii. 15). 'fhe liege lord, being God's dered '' thing," as eh. i.·8; vii. I:!: A man's vicegerent, must be reverenced and obeyed. wisdom maketh his face to shine; Septua- St. Paul, though he does not quote Eccle- gint, q,r.o•mi,. '.' will enlighten, illuminate." siastes, may have had this passage in mind The serene light within makes itself visible when he wrote (Rom. xiii. 1), "Let every in the outward exprnssion; the man is con- soul be subject unto the higher powers. For tented and cheerful, and shows this in his there is no power but of God : the powers look and bearing. This is an iidditional that be are ordained of God," etc. ; and praise of wisdom. Thus Ecclus. xiii. 25, (ver. 5), "Ye must needs be subject, not 26, "The heart of man changeth his coun- only for wrath, but also for conscience' tenance, whether it be for good or evil. A sake." The "king" in the text is under- cheerful countenance is a token of ii heart stood by some to mean God, but the follow- that is in prosperity." Cicero, ' De Orat.,' ing clause renders this improbable, untl it is iii. 57, "Omncs enim molus animi suum wisdom in its political aspect that is hew qnemdam a no.turn he.bet vultum et sonum regarded. And that in regard of the oath et gestum; eorpusque tot um hominis et ejus of God. The vav is explicative; "in rego.rd omnis vultus omnesque voces, ut nervi in of," or "because of," as eh. iii. 18. "The fidibus, itC1 sono.nt, ut motu animi quoque oath of God" is the oath of allegiance to the suut pulsre." And the boldness of his face king, taken in the name of God, under bis shall be changed. . ·The word translated invocation (comp. Exod. xxii. 11; 1 Kiug-s "boldness" is 1jl, wlilch means properly ii. 43). So we reo.d (2 Kings xi. 17) of Cl "strongth," and is best taken of the coarse- covenant between king and people, o.nd ness and impudence engendered by ignor- people and king, in the time of JehoiaclCI; ance and want of culture. Wisdom, when it Nebuchaduezzar made Zedekiah sweC1r by fills the heC1rt, chanJes the countenance to IJlod to be his vassal (2 Chron. xxxvi. 13); nn open genial look, which wins confidence and Josephus (' Ant.,' xii. 1; xi. 8. 3) re- o.ud love. Delitzsch refers to the well- lates that Ptolemy Soter, son of Lugus worn lines of Ovid, 'Epist.;' ii. 9. 47- (following hdtiu the mrnmple of Darius), " Adde, quod ingenuaa didicisse fideliter exacted an oati.. tl'('lll the Jews in Egypt to artes be true to hiru hOd his successors. We Emollit mores, nee sinit esse feros." know tho.t both BaliyloniBu nnd Persio.n monarchs oxuctcd an mth of fealty fron1 The Septuagint, "And o. man shameless in conquered nations, making them swenr by counteno.nce will bo ho.ted," shows an altera- the gods whom they worshippe,1, the selec- tion in the text, and does not o.grcc with the tion of deities being left to thorn. context. Vulgo.te, Et potentissimus facfom Ver. 3.-Further ndvice conccrniug poli- illfos commutabit, "And the Almighty will tical beho.viour. Be not hasty to go out of change hi~ fuce," where again tho text is his (the king's) sight. Do not, from some not accurately foHowed. hasty impulse, or iuducCtl by harsh treat- Ver. 2.-1 counsel thee to keep the king's ment, cnst off your allegiance to your liege commandment. 'fhe pronoun I stands in lord. We have the phrase," go C1w,1y," in the Hebrew without II verb (the Vulgate, the sense ~f quitti~g of service ~r dcs~rtion Eao o.~ regis obeervo, is not wnrro.utod by the of u duty, rn Gen. 1v. 16; Hos. x1. 2. So St. grammar of the clause), nnd some take it as Peter urges servo.nts to be subject unto their _tho nnswer to the question in Vei'. 1, "Who masters, " not on Iy to t ho good C1ml gc n lie,  ECCLEStASTES; on, TUE PREACHER. [en. vm. 1-17.