Not Everyone Enjoys Life

¹Here is another misfortune that I have seen on earth,[#tn The term יֵשׁ (yesh, “there is”) is often used in aphorisms to assert the existence of a particular situation that occurs sometimes. It may indicate that the situation is not the rule but that it does occur on occasion, and may be nuanced “sometimes” (Prov 11:24; 13:7, 23; 14:12; 16:25; 18:24; 20:15; Eccl 2:21; 4:8; 5:12; 6:1; 7:15 [2x]; 8:14 [3x]).; #tn The noun רָעָה (ra’ah, “evil”) probably means “misfortune” (HALOT 1263 s.v. רָעָה 4) or “injustice, wrong” (HALOT 1262 s.v. רָעָה 2.b); see, e.g., Eccl 2:17; 5:12, 15; 6:1; 10:5.; #tn Heb “under the sun.”]

and it weighs heavily on people:

²God gives a man riches, property, and wealth

so that he lacks nothing that his heart desires,

yet God does not enable him to enjoy the fruit of his labor –

instead, someone else enjoys it!

This is fruitless and a grave misfortune.

³Even if a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years –

even if he lives a long, long time, but cannot enjoy his prosperity –

even if he were to live forever –

I would say, “A stillborn child is better off than he is!”

⁴Though the stillborn child came into the world for no reason and departed into darkness,[#tn Heb “he”; the referent (“the stillborn child”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.; #tn The phrase “into the world” does not appear in Hebrew, but is added in the translation for clarity.; #sn The birth of the stillborn was in vain – it did it no good to be born.]

though its name is shrouded in darkness,

⁵though it never saw the light of day nor knew anything,[#tn Heb “it never saw the sun.”; #tn The word “anything” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.]

yet it has more rest than that man –

⁶if he should live a thousand years twice, yet does not enjoy his prosperity.

For both of them die!

⁷All of man’s labor is for nothing more than to fill his stomach –[#tn The phrase “for nothing more than” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.; #tn Heb “All man’s work is for his mouth.” The term “mouth” functions as a synecdoche of part (i.e., mouth) for the whole (i.e., person), substituting the organ of consumption for the person’s action of consumption (see E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 641-43), as suggested by the parallelism with נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “his appetite”).]

yet his appetite is never satisfied!

⁸So what advantage does a wise man have over a fool?[#sn So what advantage does the wise man have over a fool? The rhetorical question in Hebrew implies a negative answer: the wise man has no absolute advantage over a fool in the sense that both will share the same fate: death. Qoheleth should not be misunderstood here as denying that wisdom has no relative advantage over folly; elsewhere he affirms that wisdom does yield some relative benefits in life (7:1-22). However, wisdom cannot deliver one from death.]

And what advantage does a pauper gain by knowing how to survive?

⁹It is better to be content with what the eyes can see[#tn The phrase “to be content with” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.; #tn The expression מַרְאֵה עֵינַיִם (mar’eh ’enayim, “the seeing of the eyes”) is a metonymy of cause (i.e., seeing an object) for effect (i.e., being content with what the eyes can see); see E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 552-54.]

than for one’s heart always to crave more.

This continual longing is futile – like chasing the wind.

The Futile Way Life Works

¹⁰Whatever has happened was foreordained,[#tn Heb “already its name was called.”]

and what happens to a person was also foreknown.

It is useless for him to argue with God about his fate

because God is more powerful than he is.

¹¹The more one argues with words, the less he accomplishes.[#tn Heb “The more the words, the more the futility.”]

How does that benefit him?

¹²For no one knows what is best for a person during his life –[#tn Heb “For who knows what is good for a man in life?” The rhetorical question (“For who knows…?”) is a negative affirmation, expecting a negative answer: “For no one knows…!” (see E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 949-51). The translation renders this rhetorical device as a positive affirmation.]

during the few days of his fleeting life –

for they pass away like a shadow.

Nor can anyone tell him what the future will hold for him on earth.