Ecclesiastes Chapter 1

1:1. Preacher means "one who addresses an assembly" as 12:9 reflects. He is identified as the son of David, king in
Jerusalem, hence Solomon.

1:2. Vanity is the key word of the book and the refrain all is vanity its theme. There have been many attempts to
translate this word: "futility," "meaninglessness," "emptiness," "breath," "nothingness," "absurity," and so on. The word
means "that which is futile or worthless, of no value or profit." As Solomon observed life, he saw little that exhibited
profit and accomplishment. The word all in the expression all is vanity must not be taken to mean everything in the
universe for the reasons: (1) The author's observations are clearly limited to what is "under the sun" or observable.
(2) The negative conclusions always grow out of observable phenomena as the expressions "I saw," "I have seen,"
"Again I saw," and so on, exhibit. (3) "Vanity" is never predicated of God, God's work, God's revelation, or man as
man. (4) Specific realities are commended by Solomon in such a way as not to be considered vanity (e.g., the fear of
God, enjoyment of life, and proper use of wisdom).

1:3. The implied answer to this rhetorical question is that there is no profit for man in his work. This supports the idea
that "vanity" refers to a lack of profit, value, or worth. Under the sun is used 29 times in the book and denotes the
sphere of Solomon's observations.

1:4-11. The ceaseless cycles of nature illustrate the futility of life. The amazing thing is that the earth goes on, but
man, the height of God's creation, passes into eternity with no rememberance (v. 11).

1:12-18. Solomon had, as no other figure in history, the time and means to undertake such a study. Vexation of spirit
(v. 14) occurs seven times in the book and contains the idea of fruitlessness or futility. Even Solomon's wisdom (v. 18)
did not suffice solve life's ultimate questions. This is the first of several passages in the book that emphasize wisdom's
limitations, whereas Proverbs emphasizes wisdom's benefits.

Ecclesiastes Chapter 2

2:1-11. Solomon pursued fulfillment through pleasure (vv. 1, 2), wine (v. 3) great works (vv. 4-6), wealth (vv.7, 8),
aesthetic and artisitc pleasures (v. 8), and fame (v. 9). All of these failed to bring lasting satisfaction to the wisest man
of all time, yet people three thousand years later are still trying them in search of enduring fulfillment. Musical
instruments (v. 8) translates an uncertain Hebrew word and possibly refers to a harem or group of concubines.

2:12-16. Wisdom is better than folly (vv. 12-14), but both are useless when one comes to death.

2:17-20. Part of the futility of trying to find fulfillment in material accomplishment is the fact that one must leave the
fruit of his work to another who may well waste the accrued benefits. I hated life (v. 17) is translated correctly and
should not be understood as " I hate life." It is clearly the temporary conclusion about Solomon's historical experiment.

2:24-26. This passage is the first of seven that give one of the solutions to life's problems: enjoy life and work as
God's gifts (cf. 3:12, 22; 5:18-20; 8:15; 9:7-10; 11:7-10). When a man toils in his own strengt, he is bound to suffer
pain and grief. The answer then is for him  to enjoy his work by recieveing it as a gift of God. Elsewhere, work is said
to be part of God's curse on man (Gen. 3:17-19), but it can become the sphere of God's blessing. To eat and drink,
used five times in the book, must be understood in a good sense. Solomon always counsels the fear of God, and the
concept is used in the Old Testament in a good sense (Deut. 14:26; 1 Kin. 4:20).

Ecclesiastes Chapter 3

3:1-8. As Solomon reflects on all of life, he expresses in a beautiful poem of 14 pairs of opposite events that God has
a sovereign design behind all events (cf. Rom. 8:28). To gather stones (v. 5) refers to the process of clearing land for
planting or building. To hate (v. 8) means to withdraw from intimacy and should not always be taken in an absolute
sense (cf. Mal. 1:2, 3).

3:11. The world is better translated "eternity." God has given man a desire for eternity and perpetuity; therefore man
cannot be satisfied with what is merely temporal. Man's quest for the eternal, however, is frustrated by his finite
limitations.

3:14. Several observations about God's work may be drawn from this passage: (1) God has an
active part in earthly activity (v. 11). (2) God's work is a unity; the word work, when applied to God, is always singular.
(3) God's work is said to include all events (v. 11). (4) God's work is eternal (v. 14). (5) God's work is immutable (v.
14). (6) God's work cannot be comprehended by man (v. 11). That men should fear is the first of six passages that
commend the fear of God as man's chief response to God (cf. 5:7; 7:15-18; 8:12, 13; 12:13, 14). "To fear God"
means to submit to God and to His revelation. In emphasizing this theme, Solomon stays clearly within the boundaries
of the Old Testament faith (cf. Job 28:28; Prov. 1:7).

3:16. In the courts, where justice should have prevailed, there was injustice.

3:17. Solomon is sure of God's justice in spite of the lack of it to the observer.

3:18-22. To the casual observer, man and animals share a common destiny. Both return to dust and no one can tell
by observation where the spirit of either goes. However, Solomon does affirm in 12:7 that the spirit of man returns to
God for judgment. God does not clearly reveal to man all the events that will occur after him; therefore, man should
be happy with the lot assigned to him by God (v. 22).

Ecclesiastes Chapter 4

4:1-3. The author considers the thought that oppression is so great in the world that the oppressed would actually be
better off dead.

4:4-6. Neither the enviable workaholic (v. 4) nor lazy fool (v. 5) recieves fulfillment in life; working to have enough to
get by with is better than either extreme (v. 6).

4:7-12. The toil of the miser is futile, especially when he toils only for himself. On the other hand, two are better than
one because they have a good return (v. 9); they can help each other (v. 10); they can provide mutual warmth (v.
11); and they double their strength (or triple it, as in the case of three friends, v. 12).

Ecclesiastes Chapter 5

5:1-7. The emphasis of the passage is on the folly of an empty religious profession before a soveriegn God: God is in
heaven, and thou upon earth. God  expects sincerity and meaningfullness in worship; He is not impressed with foolish
vows. The angel is better translated as "the messanger of God," referring to the priest who served as mediator
between God and man in the Old Testament.

5:8, 9. One need not to be suprised at oppression on every rung of the governmental ladder. However, man may take
comfort in the knowledge that kings, too, are subject to a higher power.

5:10-12. It is not wealth, but the drive for wealth, that does not satisfy. The rich also have their own set of woes:
wealth attracts dependents (v.11) and causes restlessness (v. 12).

5:13-17.Wealth is easily lost and is therefore an unsure foundation for life.

5:18-20. Enjoyment is a gift of God, and man should be motivated by the brevity of his own life to experience it.

Ecclesiastes Chapter 6

6:1, 2. Prosperity is not necessarily good. Accumulation of wealth does not always result in the use of it.

6:3-6. An untimely birth is better than an unsatisfied life.

6:7-9. Efforts for satisfaction are often frustrated (v. 7). The wise man has no advantage over the fool in this area, nor
has the poor man an advantage in his inherently humble estate (v. 8). Therefore, it is better to enjoy present
possessions (the sight of the eyes) than the uncertainty of potential possessions (the wandering of the desire).

6:10-12. These verses emphasize one of the keynotes of the book: man is too limited in knowledge to explain the
problems of life. Questions like who knoweth occur four times in the book; and the plain statement " Man does not
know" is used seven times. These emphasize a distinct deficiency of knowledge.

Ecclesiastes Chapter 7

7:1-14. These sayings are much like those in the Book of Proverbs and demonstrate that Ecclesiastes also supports
that wise approach to life. Mourning and sorrow are better than feasting and laughter (vv. 1-3) because they cause a
man to reflect wisely on the brevity of life. The laughter of the fool is compared to the crackling of thorns (v. 6) since
both were characterized by noise, volatility, and transience. To talk about the former days (v. 10), or the "good old
days," is not wise. Both good and bad days are the work of God and are used, apart from our ability to understand
them, in God's sovereign plan (vv. 13, 14).

7:15-22. Be not righteous over much...be not over much wicked (vv. 16, 17) does not apply the "golden mean" to
mortality, nor does it constitute a warning against excessive observance of religious ritual. Rather, it warns against
self-righteousness or the idea that one has actually achieved righteousness. Verse 17 does not mean that
moderation in wickedness is acceptable! It is an accommodation to human frailty. Solomon is saying, Avoid the
extreme of self-righteousness, and, at the same time, hold in check your wicked nature (cf. v. 20) so it does not run its
natural course to spiritual and moral ruin.

7:23-8:1. Solomon is known as the wisest man who ever lived, but even his wisdom was insufficient to understand life
fully (7:23). In his search for wisdom Solomon found many sinful people (7:26) but few righteous (7:28; cf. Prov.
31:10). In spite of the failures of wisdom, it is still the most attractive virtue since it helps brings inner happiness (8:1).

Ecclesiastes Chapter 8

8:2-4. Wise behavior before kings is counseled because each subject took the oath of God or oath of loyalty to the
king before God (v. 2), and because the king had the power to do his own will (vv. 3, 4).

8:5-8. A large part of being wise is to know both time and judgment (v. 5), the latter word being a reference to the
procedure for a matter. Only the wise can discern this time since man does not naturally know what will transpire next
(v. 7). Furthermore, humankind is severely limited (v. 8): (1) No one can restrain the spirit (or possibly "wind"). (2) No
one can predict or control the day of his death. (3) No one can obtain release in time of war. (4) No one can be
released from extensive wickedness, since it becomes like a master ruling over him. These four statements of
impossibility powerfully demonstrate Solomon's argument that man is sorely limited in his dominion over life. How much
more significant this makes the virtue of wisdom!

8:9-15. The word forgotten is read "praised" in some manuscripts (v. 10). The statement then means that Solomon
has observed that the wicked recieve an honorable burial and praise after their death. This observation is reinforced
by the fact that the fortunes of the righteous and the wicked are often reversed: the righteous sometimes get what the
wicked deserve, and the wicked often get what the righteous deserve (v. 14). However, Solomon never counsels his
readers to forget God and cast their lot with the wicked, because he knows by faith that it will go well with the
righteous who fear God (v. 12), and ultimately it will not go well for the wicked (v. 13). This is clearly a faith position on
Solomon's part, since what he observes in life often contradicts it. This puzzling reversal should not deter man from
enjoying life under the hand of God (v. 15).

8:16-9:6. The inability of man to understand God's work is emphasized by the threefold negation of the verb find out
(8:17) with the work of God as its object each time. Furthermore, man cannot know God's disposition by observation
since the same calamities strike both the wicked and the righteous (9:1, 2). The hope for all men is to stay alive. The
lion was highly regarded but the dog was despised; nevertheless, a living dog is better than a dead lion (v. 4)
because with life comes knowledge, reward (v. 5), and continued activity on earth (v. 6). Verse 5 is not a pessimistic
statement about life after death (cf. 12:7); rather, it affirms that life on earth is the only arena of oppurtunity for
accomplishment and reward.

Ecclesiastes Chapter 9

9:7-10. For the first time in the passages on enjoyment, the key words of the exhortation are put into the imperative
mood; eat, drink, live, and so on. Also, a new motivation is expressed: God now accepteth thy works (v. 7), meaning
clearly that God approves of the enjoyment of life. His will is that men enjoy life. The idea of enjoyment is further
reiterated in verse 8 with two directives. White garments on the body and ointment on the head made life more
comfortable in the torrid Near Eastern climates; they serve here to symbolize purity (cf. Rev. 3:4) and the enjoyment
of life. Another command concerns the enjoyment with one's wife (v. 9). The reasons for these commands are: It is
man's portion in this life (v. 9), and there is no working in the grave (v. 10).

9:11, 12. Five statements of unexpected results are followed by an explanation. Man's ability cannot guarantee the
results (v.11) because of the equalizing effects of time and chance.

9:13-16. The story teaches that, in spite of the value of wisdom, it often goes unheeded.
Ecclesiastes Page 2