BIBLE STUDY TEXTBOOK SERIES
ECCLESIASTES
by
R. J. Kidwell
SONG OF SOLOMON
by
Don DeWelt
PARAPHRASE AND ANALYTICAL OUTLINE
by Arthur G. Clarke
College Press, Joplin, Missouri
Copyright 1977
College Press
To
my wife Patsy
and our dear children
Vicky Lynn and Stephen Kehrer
Pamela Kay and Jay Link
and Jay
who together
have risen above the vanity
of this world
and have
tasted of the heavenly gift.
FOREWORD
Ecclesiastes is a negative, when once developed, produces an unbelievably sharp picture of modern man. Once the message of the book is sufficiently grasped and perceived, one is astounded at how crisp, up to date, and relevant the pictures are. Little would we suspect that such graphic word photographs were taken nearly three thousand years ago! It is possible, as Robert L. Short[1] has demonstrated, to capture today's various moods of work and play through the lens of his camera, and set the picture along side the corresponding truths of this marvelous book. There is nothing new under the sun!
[1] Robert L. Short, A Time to be Born and a Time to Die (New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1973). This concept of Ecclesiastes as the Bible's Negative Image of Christ the Truth is demonstrated in his book.
The untiring and resourceful experiments of the Preacher are proposed and carried out with a single objective: to discover if man is capable of finding joy, fulfillment, and lasting satisfaction in things which are purely of a sublunary nature. His conclusion is that not only is such a pursuit futile, it is like feasting on the wind.
His photographs reveal the true picture of life. He does not attempt to hide selfishness, hypocrisy, greed, oppression, tyranny, ambition, or social inequities. He tells it like it is. He has at least this much in common with the present generation.
He recognizes that God has control of His world. He senses a providential influence in all of life. It is just that his photography never brings God into sharp focus. He is always in the distance. He is there, but one can never quite make out His form. His influence and power are felt but no word is forthcoming to give one direction to life or an interpretation of the pictures of life. It isn-'t that the Preacher is disinterested in the answers, he simply cannot find them on his own. He writes, Even though man should seek laboriously, he will not discover (Ecclesiastes 8:17).
From the beginning, man has had to earn his living by the sweat of his brow. This labor takes on many forms. It is evident from the Preacher's observations that even when one does not have to resort to physical labor for his daily needs that he still must labor with his mind. The advantage appears to be with the man who labors with his hands. He discovers his sleep to be sweet and peaceful as compared to the man who increases his wisdom and knowledge and at the same time increases his sorrow.
The basic question of the book is: Is there any profit in all of man's work which he does upon this earth?
Hard work! That is the key. Every man who has ever lived can identify with that. Labor and reward, labor and reward. This is the age-old principle, but does it really work? The paradox of life is that the richest men are often the lonliest men and those with the greatest wealth are the ones who possess the greatest need. This is the puzzle that must be sorted out and put together.
When the book is completed, the reader has discovered that no new road can be traveled. Man has traveled the road before. Each new generation appears to discover something new, but they are merely inventing new names to define and describe ancient pursuits.
The Preacher has succeeded in putting his finger on the emptiness of man. He has actually photographed the vacuum. His greatest contribution, however, is to lead the reader to see that the want of man is in the form of Jesus. The vacuum is Christ-shaped.[2]
[2] Ibid., p. 100.
INTRODUCTION
It is important that we see in Ecclesiastes more than the woe of a disappointed preacher.
The book has been variously interpreted through the years offering vastly different keys to unlock its hidden meanings. Keys are important in interpreting much of the Bible, but they must always be in harmony with the immediate and greater context of the writer. They must never contradict the overriding purpose of God's revelation. Keys, therefore, must fit the lock before they are of value. Many approaches to the book have been discarded simply on the basis that the key did not work. It may be impossible to discover the exact key that satisfactorily reveals every nuance, or meaning, or hidden lesson contained in Ecclesiastes. It would be presumptuous to offer one's interpretation as the only workable key. However, there is a certain amount of confidence that must be demonstrated in writing a commentary on a book of the Bible. At the same time one comes to such a responsibility with humility and gravity of mind. It is this author's prayer that nothing offered will be contrary to the greater purposes of God or hinder His blessings on those who study.
The following limited examples of some of the themes pursued in the interpretation of the book run the gamut of human imagination and experience. These include such alleged keys as epicurean philosophy, fatalism, hedonism, pessimism, cynical materialism, sensuality and license, and existentialism. To some it has presented itself as merely the sad outpouring of the deep melancholy of a world-weary monarch, sated with all that life can offer.[3] Others see in it the expressions of a repentant Solomon reconciled at last to the God whom he had forgotten. So divergent have been the interpretations that even skeptics and infidels have rejoiced over the fact that such a book is in the Bible. They see only the superficial meaning of some phrases, when taken out of context, which appear to contradict the rest of the Bible. In addition they hope to see in the book a humanistic and secular approach to life that excludes the necessity of God, and places emphasis on pleasure as the object of man's greatest good.
[3] George Granville Bradley, Lectures on Ecclesiastes (Oxford, England: Clarendon Press, 1898), p. 6.
The purpose of the book is clearly stated in Ecclesiastes 12:13: Fear God and keep His commandments.
Secondary purposes or themes are numerous. One prominent idea is that everything of this world is cursed to a transitory nature and thus one cannot find true enjoyments in either the collection of the earth's goods or the pleasure derived from them. To divorce one from a love of earthly things is a worthy endeavor. Another minor theme calls attention to the inequities of life and teaches that the godly ones should not be discouraged when they are caught by them. Numerous lessons may be derived from a study of the book but each should be kept subservient to the major purpose.
There is little dispute over the destiny of the book. It was primarily written to the godly in Israel, Like all other books of the Bible with the qualities of practical application, it must be accepted in the Christian age for its contribution to our understanding of and participation in the redemption process. It has been stated that Ecclesiastes asks the questions that the rest of the Bible answers.
If the book did nothing more than demonstrate the futility of living apart from God's grace and revelation, it would have a pertinent place in every age. If the average non-Christian individual would but read it today, it could bring him much more quickly to Christ. It would save him the difficult, arduous journey of a wasted life. He could see immediately that God is the only alternative to this world and its offerings, and that Jesus is God's first and last argument to man's claim to genuine fulfillment and peace.
The immediate recipients of the book were those godly people of Israel whose needs were to be met by the ministry of the Preacher's words. More than this, there is a message for the Christian and the non-Christian today.
Although there is general acceptance that the book was written to the godly in Israel, there are more important questions on this subject: to the godly of what age and by whom?
Opinions on these two questions generally center in two camps. The one holds the more traditional view that Solomon is the author and that he wrote to those of his own day. The other view, more widely accepted since the middle of the seventeenth century, subscribes to the theory that the book was written by one who impersonates Solomon, choosing to refer to himself as the Preacher, or by the Hebrew term Koheleth. They would say that the godly of Israel were those who lived under Persian or Greek rule from 400-200 B.C. For an example, let us give the words of Robert L. Short who maintains this view. He writes, So, then, who was Ecclesiastes really? Ecclesiastes was an upper-class teacher of wisdom who lived in Jerusalem about three centuries before Christ. Beyond this there is little more about the man that we need to knowor indeed can knowin order to appreciate his book.[4] Although during the last three centuries the consensus of writers has been against the Solomonic authorship of Ecclesiastes, a new trend is developing in favor of ascribing the book to him. It is a well accepted fact that the universal consent of antiquity attributed the authorship of Ecclesiastes to Solomon. The traditional Jewish view subscribed to Solomonic authorship.
[4] Short, op. cit., p. 92.
Our discussion shall assume Solomonic authorship. The date, therefore, would be approximately 985 B.C., or toward the end of his life. The original readers of his words would be those of his own day. Throughout the book Solomon may be variously referred to as the Preacher, Koheleth, Ecclesiastes or Solomon. Ecclesiastes is a transliteration in the English of the Greek equivalent for the Hebrew title. The Hebrew name for the book is Koheleth. It means to assemble as a congregation, and many believe for the purpose of receiving a message. Martin Luther rendered the title, Der Prediger, which simply means The Preacher. This title is consistent with the fact that in Ecclesiastes 1:1 the Preacher has certain words to communicate to his audience and in Ecclesiastes 12:10 the Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly.
Ecclesiastes falls into two equal parts. The first six Chapter s establish the premise that all earthly things are futile and that the only way man can have personal satisfaction is to live within God's providential blessings. The last six Chapter s, or second half of the book, assume this premise and therefore proceeds to demonstrate that man can still reap earthly benefits regardless of environmental circumstances. Once man is led to see that earthly values cannot satisfy, he is ready for the conclusion of the book. The conclusion is really a three-fold admonition: (1) to work in harmony with God through the words of one Shepherd; (2) to fear God and keep His commandments; and (3) to realize that God will bring every work into judgment.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
I.
General Introductions
Bewer, Julius A. The Literature of the Old Testament. New York: Columbia University Press, 1922, pp. 309-339.
Driver, S. R. An Introduction to the Literature of the Old Testament. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1912, pp. 465-478.
Keil, Karl F. HistoricoCritical Introduction of the Old Testament. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1892, pp. 512-529.
Young Edward J. An Introduction to the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1953, pp. 339-344.
II.
Special Studies
Dahood, M. J. Qoheleth and Recent Discoveries, Biblica, XXXIX (1958), pp. 302-318.
Ginsberg, H. L. The Structure and Contents of the Book of Koheleth, Vetus Testamentum, Supplement III (1955), pp. 138-149.
Gordis, R. koheleththe Man and His World. New York: Bloch, 1955.
____________. Qoheleth and QumranA Study of Style, Biblica XLI (1960), pp. 395-410.
MacNeile, A. H. An Introduction to Ecclesiastes, 1904.
Mercer, S., ed. The Ethiopic Text of the Book of Ecclesiastes. London: Luzae, 1931.
Rowley, H. H. The Problems of Ecclesiastes, Jewish Quarterly Review, XLII (1951, 52), pp. 87-90.
Staples, W. E. The -Vanity-' of Ecclesiastes, Journal of Near Eastern Studies, II (1943), pp. 95-104.
III.
Books
Aaronson, Lionell. Qoheleth: The Record of the Lecture given by the Son of David, who was King in Jerusalem. Berlin: Trowitzch and Son, 1924.
Barton, G. A. The Book of Ecclesiastes (International Critical Commentary). Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1908.
Bradley, George Granville. Lectures on Ecclesiastes. Oxford, England: The Clarendon Press, 1898.
Butterick, G. A. Ecclesiastes Through Jeremiah (Interpreter's Bible, Vol. III). Nashville: Abingdon, 1954.
Carter, C. W. (ed.). Job through Song of Solomon (Wesleyan Bible Commentary, Vol. II). Cincinnati, Ohio: Applegate and Co., 1968.
Cheyne, T. K. Job and Solomon. London: Kegan, 1887.
Clarke, Adam. Job to Solomon's Song (Clarke's Commentary, Vol. III). Nashville: Abingdon, 1851.
Cohen, A. The Five Megilloth. London: Soncino Press, 1946.
Cox, Samuel. The Book of Ecclesiastes with a New Translation (The Expositor's Bible, W. R. Nicoll, ed.). New York: Funk and Wagnals, 1900.
Gordis, Robert. Koheleth, the Man and His World: A Study of Ecclesiastes. New York: Schocken, 1967.
Hamilton, James. The Royal Preacher. New York: Robert Carter and Brothers, 1856.
Hengstenberg, Ernest W. A Commentary on Ecclesiastes. Edinburg: T. & T. Clark, 1869.
Henry, Matthew. Job to Song of Solomon (Commentary on the Whole Bible, Vol. III). New York: Revell, n.d.
Jamieson, Robert, A. R. Fausset, David Brown. A Commentary on the Old and New Testaments, Vol. II, Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Erdmans Publishing Co., 1973.
Jastrow, M. A Gentle Cynic. Philadelphia: Lippincott Co., 1919.
Jensen, Irving L. Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon (Bible Self Study Guide Service). Chicago: Moody, 1974.
Jones, Edgar. Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. New York: MacMillan Co., 1961.
Keil, C. F., F. Delitzsch. Commentary on the Old Testament, Vol. VI. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1975.
Lange, John Peter. Commentary on the Holy Scriptures. New York: Scribners, 1884.
Leupold, H. C. Exposition of Ecclesiastes. Columbus, Ohio: Wartburg Press, 1952.
Martin, G. Currie. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs. London: T. C. & E. C. Jack, 1908.
Moulton, Richard G. Ecclesiastes and the Wisdom of Solomon (The Modern Reader's Bible). New York: MacMillan Company, 1898.
Parker, Joseph. The People's Bible, Vol. XIV. New York: Funk and Wagnals, n.d.
Plumptre, E. H. Ecclesiastes. Cambridge: University Press, 1845.
Power, A. D. Ecclesiastes or the Preacher. New York: Longmans, Green and Co., 1724.
Ranston, Harry. Ecclesiastes and the Early Greek Wisdom
Literature. London: The Epworth Press, 1925.
Reynolds, Edward. A Commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes. London: ____________________, 1811.
Ryder, E. T. Ecclesiastes (Peakes Commentary on the Bible, H. H. Rowley, ed.). New York: Thomas Nelson and Sons, Ltd., 1963.
Rylaarsdam, J. Coest. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon (The Layman's Bible Commentary, Vol. X).
Richmond, Virginia: John Knox, 1964.
Scott, R. B. Y. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes (The Anchor Bible). New York: Doubleday and Co., Inc., 1965.
Short, Robert L. A. Time to be Born and a Time to Die. New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1973.
Spence, H. D. M., J. S. Excell. Ecclesiastes (The Pulpit Commentary). London: Kegan, Paul, Trench, Trubner and Company, Ltd., 1893.
Williams, A. Lukyn. Ecclesiastes (Cambridge Bible for School and Colleges). Cambridge: University Press, 1890.
Wright, C. H. H. The Book of Koheleth. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1883.
Zerr, E. M. Bible Commentary, Vol. III. Marion, Indiana: Cogdill Foundation Publications, 1954.