For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them. Ecclesiastes 9:1.-Temptation to unbelief, as the like lot happens to good and bad.-Godly wisd... [ Continue Reading ]
All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath. ALL THINGS COME AL... [ Continue Reading ]
This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead. THIS IS AN EVIL AMONG ALL THINGS ... Not only "there is one e... [ Continue Reading ]
For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. FOR TO HIM THAT IS JOINED TO ALL THE LIVING. So the Keri, some manuscripts of Kennicott and Rossius; and Septuagint, Chaldaic, Syriac, and Vulgate read [ yªchubar (H2266)]. But the Kethibh rea... [ Continue Reading ]
For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. FOR THE LIVING KNOW - and may thereby be led "so to number their days that they may apply their hearts to wisdom" (Ecclesiastes 7:1; ). BUT THE DE... [ Continue Reading ]
Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun. THEIR LOVE ... HATRED ... ENVY, IS NOW PERISHED - referring to , where see the note. Not that these cease in a future world absolutely (; ); b... [ Continue Reading ]
Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. EAT THY BREAD WITH JOY. Here the voice of the Spirit rebuts the voice of the flesh. Addressed to the "righteous wise" spoken of in Ecclesiastes 9:1. NOW ACCEPTETH THY WORKS Being "in the... [ Continue Reading ]
Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment. LET THY GARMENTS BE ALWAYS WHITE - in token of joy (). Solomon was clad in achite (Josephus' 'Antiquities' 8: 7, 3); hence, his attire is compared to the "lilies" (), typical of the spotless righteousness of Jesus Christ, which... [ Continue Reading ]
Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun. LIVE JOYFULLY (LITERALLY, SEE OR ENJOY LIFE) WITH THE W... [ Continue Reading ]
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. WHATSOEVER (namely, in the service of God) THY HAND FINDETH TO DO. This qualities Ecclesiastes 9:7. Earthly enjoyments are to be secondary and s... [ Continue Reading ]
I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. THE RACE (IS) NOT TO THE SWIFT (for they may be hi... [ Continue Reading ]
For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them. KNOWETH NOT HIS TIMES - namely, of death (). Hence, the danger of delay in 'doing the... [ Continue Reading ]
This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me: THIS WISDOM HAVE I SEEN - I have seen wisdom exhibited in the way described in what follows. IT (SEEMED) GREAT UNTO ME - inasmuch as it sufficed to deliver a little city with few men in it from the "great king" who "built gr... [ Continue Reading ]
There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it: A LITTLE CITY ... So Abel, which the wisdom of one woman saved from destruction by Joab, who cast up a bank against it, when the rebel Sheba was in it ().... [ Continue Reading ]
Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. WISDOM IS BETTER THAN STRENGTH - resuming the sentiment in . THE POOR MAN'S WISDOM IS DESPISED, AND HIS WORDS ARE NOT HEARD - permanently: though forced by necessity to hea... [ Continue Reading ]
The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools. THE WORDS OF WISE (MEN ARE) HEARD IN QUIET. So the Lord Jesus did "not cry, nor lift, up, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street" (). Unlike the world's monarchs, who bluster when ought opposes their... [ Continue Reading ]
Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good. ONE SINNER ... - as Achan (; ). Though wisdom excels folly, and strengthens more than weapons of war (; ), yet a 'little folly (equivalent to sin) can destroy much good,' both of the soul and of the outward condition; both... [ Continue Reading ]