Eclesiastes 1

Eclesiastes 1

MacArthur - With no necessarily moral implications being made, these words measure wisdom as the ability to resolve issues in life. In spite of man's grandest efforts, some crooked matters will remain unstraightened. (See MacArthur Study Bible) And what is lacking cannot be counted. NLT - What is missing cannot be recovered." NAB = "what is missing cannot be supplied." You can’t add up what’s missing — if the substance isn’t there, no calculation or philosophy can make it appear. We cannot straighten the world’s deepest problems with intellect alone for we need divine intervention. Michael Eaton - “The third conclusion explains why the ‘under the sun’ thinker is so frustrated. It is because there are twists (what is crooked) and gaps (what is lacking) in all thinking. No matter how the thinker ponders, he cannot straighten out life’s anomalies, nor reduce all he sees to a neat system. (Borrow Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries – Ecclesiastes page 62) Temper Longman III - There is something wrong with the world, and it cannot be fixed no matter how hard we try. (See Job, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs - Page 267) J Stafford Wright - (See The Expositor's Bible Commentary) Efforts to straighten things out and supply what seems to be lacking are continually disappointed (v. 15). Today we have straightened out many of the twists of the past and added many comforts to life; but as many of us have seen in our lifetime, in one moment a whole generation or some dominant group of rulers can revive the horrors of the past and destroy what is truly good and meaningful in life. NET NOTE on crooked - The term מְעֻוָּת, mé’uvvat (Pual participle masculine singular from עָוַת, ’avat, “to bend”) is used substantively (“what is bent; what is crooked”) in reference to irregularities in life and obstacles to human secular achievement accomplishing anything of ultimate value. NET NOTE on lacking - The Hebrew noun חֶסְרוֹן (khesron) is used in the OT only here and means “what is lacking” (as an antonym to יִתְרוֹן [yitron], “what is profitable”; HALOT 339 s.v. חֶסְרוֹן; BDB 341 s.v. חֶסְרוֹן). It is an Aramaic loanword meaning “deficit.” The related verb חָסַר (khasar) means “to lack, to be in need of, to decrease, to lessen [in number]”; the related noun חֹסֶר (khoser) refers to “one in want of”; and the noun חֶסֶר (kheser) means “poverty, want” (HALOT 338 s.v. חֶסֶר; BDB 341 s.v. חֶסֶר). It refers to what is absent (zero in terms of quantity) rather than what is deficient (poor in terms of quality). The LXX misunderstood the term and rendered it as ὑστέρημα (usterēma, “deficiency”): “deficiency cannot be numbered.” It is also misunderstood by a few English versions: “nor can you count up the defects in life” (Moffatt); “the number of fools is infinite” (Douay). However, most English versions correctly understand it as referring to what is lacking in terms of quantity: “what is lacking” (RSV, MLB, NASB, NIV, NRSV), “a lack” (NJPS), “that which is wanting” (KJV, ASV), “what is not there” (NEB), and “what is missing” (NAB). NET NOTE on counted - Heb “cannot be counted” or “cannot be numbered.” The term הִמָּנוֹת (himmanot, Niphal infinitive construct from מָנָה, manah, “to count”) is rendered literally by most translations: “[cannot] be counted” or “[cannot] be numbered” (KJV, ASV, RSV, MLB, NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, JPS, NJPS). However, the nuance “count” might function as a metonymy of effect for cause, that is, “to supply.” What is absent cannot be supplied (cause) therefore, it cannot be counted as present (effect). NAB adopts this approach: “what is missing cannot be supplied.” Ray Pritchard - Something New Under the Sun CUT IT DOWN AND FORGET ABOUT IT What is twisted cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted. Ecclesiastes 1:15NIV Here are two stories to ponder. One comes from the Civil War, the other from the Vietnam War. In Charles Bracelen Flood's book Lee: The Last Years, Flood tells of a time after the Civil War when Robert E. Lee visited a woman who took him to the remains of a grand old tree in front of her home. There she cried bitterly that its limbs and trunk had been destroyed by Union artillery fire. She waited for Lee to condemn the North or at least sympathize with her loss. Lee paused, and then said, "Cut it down, my dear madam, and then forget it. Good advice from a man who knew the horrors of war and suffered the pain of defeat The second story comes from a recent interview with the newly appointed U.S. ambassador to Vietnam, Pete Peterson. Mr. Peterson's appointment was ironic because he served six years as a prisoner of war in the dreaded "Hanoi Hilton" prison camp. Now he would return to the land where he was held captive—returning not for revenge, but to represent the United States. When asked how he could do such a thing after years of starvation, torture, and inhuman brutality, he replied, "I'm not angry. I left that at the gates of the prison when I walked out in 1972. That may sound simplistic to some people, but it's the truth. I just left it behind me and decided to move forward with my life." This week a simple thought has come to my mind more than once. It goes like this: I can't go back. I can't stay here. I must go forward. You can't go back to the past—not to relive the good times or to seek revenge for the bad times. But you can't stay where you are either. Life is like a river that flows endlessly onward. It matters not whether you are happy in your present situation or seek deliverance from it. You can't stay where you are forever. The only way to go is forward. A man whose wife suffered greatly at the hands of her enemies told me that she had taken a "vow of silence" regarding her critics. She decided that rather than lower herself to the level of her critics, she would simply not reply at all. This is difficult, but at least it frees a person to move forward with God. When you're tempted to get even with those who hurt you, remember that you can't go back, you can't stay where you are, but by God's grace, you can move forward one step at a time. My Father, when I am tempted to live in the past, help me to remember that You are the God of new beginnings. Amen. SHINING THE LIGHT Is there something troubling you that you need to cut down and forget about? What hinders you from doing that right now? Do you need to take a "vow of silence" regarding anyone in your life? MORE LIGHT FROM GOD'S WORD Read 2 Chronicles 20:17; Philippians 3:12-14; and 2 Peter 3:18. Ecclesiastes 1:16 I said to myself, “Behold, I have magnified and increased wisdom more than all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.” KJV Ecclesiastes 1:16 I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. BGT Ecclesiastes 1:16 ἐλάλησα ἐγὼ ἐν καρδίᾳ μου τῷ λέγειν ἐγὼ ἰδοὺ ἐμεγαλύνθην καὶ προσέθηκα σοφίαν ἐπὶ πᾶσιν οἳ ἐγένοντο ἔμπροσθέν μου ἐν Ιερουσαλημ καὶ καρδία μου εἶδεν πολλά σοφίαν καὶ γνῶσιν LXE Ecclesiastes 1:16 I spoke in my heart, saying, Behold, I am increased, and have acquired wisdom beyond all who were before me in Jerusalem: also I applied my heart to know wisdom and knowledge. NET Ecclesiastes 1:16 I thought to myself, "I have become much wiser than any of my predecessors who ruled over Jerusalem; I have acquired much wisdom and knowledge." CSB Ecclesiastes 1:16 I said to myself, "Look, I have amassed wisdom far beyond all those who were over Jerusalem before me, and my mind has thoroughly grasped wisdom and knowledge." ESV Ecclesiastes 1:16 I said in my heart, "I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge." NIV Ecclesiastes 1:16 I thought to myself, "Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge." NLT Ecclesiastes 1:16 I said to myself, "Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of them." YLT Ecclesiastes 1:16 I -- I spake with my heart, saying, 'I, lo, I have magnified and added wisdom above every one who hath been before me at Jerusalem, and my heart hath seen abundantly wisdom and knowledge. NJB Ecclesiastes 1:16 I thought to myself: I have acquired a greater stock of wisdom than anyone before me in Jerusalem. I myself have mastered every kind of wisdom and science. NRS Ecclesiastes 1:16 I said to myself, "I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge." NAB Ecclesiastes 1:16 Though I said to myself, "Behold, I have become great and stored up wisdom beyond all who were before me in Jerusalem, and my mind has broad experience of wisdom and knowledge"; GWN Ecclesiastes 1:16 I thought to myself, "I have grown wiser than anyone who has ruled Jerusalem before me. I've had a lot of experience with wisdom and knowledge." BBE Ecclesiastes 1:16 I said to my heart, See, I have become great and am increased in wisdom more than any who were before me in Jerusalem -- yes, my heart has seen much wisdom and knowledge. communed: 2Ki 5:20 Ps 4:4 77:6 Isa 10:7-14 Jer 22:14 Eze 38:10,11 Da 4:30 Lo: Ec 2:9 1Ki 3:12,13 4:30 10:7,23,24 2Ch 1:10-12 2:12 9:22,23 great experience of: Heb. seen much, Heb 5:14 Related Passages: 1 Kings 4:29-34+ Now God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of mind, like the sand that is on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the sons of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he was wiser than all men, than Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was known in all the surrounding nations. 32 He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. 33 He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even to the hyssop that grows on the wall; he spoke also of animals and birds and creeping things and fish. 34 Men came from all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom. WHEN KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM IS NOT ENOUGH I said to myself (lit "spoke with my heart"), “Behold (hinneh) I have magnified and increased wisdom more than all who were over Jerusalem before me - See above for Solomon's magnified and increased wisdom. Solomon reflects on his unparalleled pursuit of wisdom — not just in scale, but in intensity. He accumulated more understanding than any king before him — politically, philosophically, scientifically, and theologically. And my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge - Solomon applied his observational powers — thinking deeply, analyzing life from every angle. The Hebrew emphasizes careful, intentional contemplation so that this was no casual learning. His wisdom, like a telescope pointed at the stars, saw the vastness of life but couldn’t bring him closer to peace. The wisest man in history discovered that information without transformation is just weight on the soul. Ray Pritchard - Something New Under the Sun WHAT KNOWLEDGE CAN’T DO I thought to myself, "Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.” Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind. For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief Ecclesiastes 1:16-18NIV Verses 16-18 are not an argument against knowledge but a warning that knowledge isn't the answer to everything. In Jeremiah 9:23-24 the Lord Himself reminds us not to boast in our riches, strength, or wisdom, "but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me." We were made to know God! That is our privilege, our calling, and our very purpose for existing. It is a privilege afforded to every believer and a duty every Christian must pursue. We can always know God better than we do. No one ever arrives at a perfect knowledge of God. Those who do not know God have missed the central truth of the universe. Second Thessalonians 1 warns us that God will judge those who do not know Him. In that great day, no excuses will be accepted and no substitute knowledge will suffice. Since it is possible and necessary to know God, those who do not know Him face a terrible future. Well-known scientist Carl Sagan died at the age of sixty-two. He gained his public fame primarily as host of the series "Cosmos" on public television. He is remembered for his oft-repeated statement that "the cosmos is all that ever was, or is, or ever will be." He was a thoroughgoing secularist, humanist, agnostic, and ardent evolutionist. To the very end he remained skeptical of any claims to God's existence. He died as he lived—an unbeliever. After his death his wife said the following: "There was no deathbed conversion, no appeals to God, no hope for an afterlife, no pretending that he and I, who had been inseparable for twenty years, were not saying goodbye forever." That statement reminds me of a brief anecdote J.I. Packer told regarding an acquaintance whose career derailed because of his evangelical convictions. When asked if he harbored any ill feelings, he replied quite simply: "I've known God and they haven't." Packer goes on to note most of us would not feel comfortable speaking in such straightforward terms. But the terms are entirely biblical. Knowing God does make a difference and is the defining characteristic of those who follow Jesus Christ. To know God deeply and intimately more than makes up for the things we lose because of our faith. Lord of all the universe, save me from the folly of thinking that I know more than I really do. If I boast, let it be because I know You. Amen. SHINING THE LIGHT Can you think of a time when knowledge brought you sorrow? Would you feel comfortable saying, "I've known God and they haven't"? What difference does knowing God make in your life? MORE LIGHT FROM GOD'S WORD Read John 17:1-3; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; and Philip-pians3:10. Ecclesiastes 1:17 And I set my mind to know wisdom and to know madness and folly; I realized that this also is striving after wind. KJV Ecclesiastes 1:17 And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. BGT Ecclesiastes 1:17 καὶ ἔδωκα καρδίαν μου τοῦ γνῶναι σοφίαν καὶ γνῶσιν παραβολὰς καὶ ἐπιστήμην ἔγνων ὅτι καί γε τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν προαίρεσις πνεύματος LXE Ecclesiastes 1:17 And my heart knew much-- wisdom, and knowledge, parables and understanding: I perceived that this also is waywardness of spirit. NET Ecclesiastes 1:17 So I decided to discern the benefit of wisdom and knowledge over foolish behavior and ideas; however, I concluded that even this endeavor is like trying to chase the wind! CSB Ecclesiastes 1:17 I applied my mind to know wisdom and knowledge, madness and folly; I learned that this too is a pursuit of the wind. ESV Ecclesiastes 1:17 And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind. NIV Ecclesiastes 1:17 Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind. NLT Ecclesiastes 1:17 So I set out to learn everything from wisdom to madness and folly. But I learned firsthand that pursuing all this is like chasing the wind. YLT Ecclesiastes 1:17 And I give my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I have known that even this is vexation of spirit; NJB Ecclesiastes 1:17 I have applied myself to understanding philosophy and science, stupidity and folly, and I now realise that all this too is chasing after the wind. NRS Ecclesiastes 1:17 And I applied my mind to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a chasing after wind. NAB Ecclesiastes 1:17 yet when I applied my mind to know wisdom and knowledge, madness and folly, I learned that this also is a chase after wind. GWN Ecclesiastes 1:17 I've used my mind to understand wisdom and knowledge as well as madness and stupidity. Now I know that this is like trying to catch the wind. BBE Ecclesiastes 1:17 And I gave my heart to getting knowledge of wisdom, and of the ways of the foolish. And I saw that this again was desire for wind. I set my mind: Ec 1:13 2:3,12 7:23-25 1Th 5:21 I realized : Ec 2:10,11 FULL SPECTRUM OF FUTILITY WISDOM AND MADNESS And I set my mind (lit I give my heart) to know wisdom and to know madness and folly - NET - "So I decided to discern the benefit of wisdom and knowledge over foolish behavior and ideas." Set my mind speaks of an intentional, deliberate pursuit, not a passing curiosity. Solomon didn’t just study the heights of wisdom, but he also plunged into the chaos of foolishness. Why? To find out if anything under the sun could bring lasting fulfillment. Michael Eaton - This raises the question of the apparently arbitrary introduction of madness and folly. The point is probably that, as the Preacher thought about wisdom and knowledge, he kept one eye on the alternatives. Thus the next section on pleasure-seeking is anticipated. (Borrow Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries – Ecclesiastes page 68) ESV Study note - It is not that he seriously considers these to be viable alternatives to the path of wisdom (cf. Ecc 2:13-14; 9:3; 10:1, 13). Rather, his intent is to come to a better understanding of wisdom by simultaneously examining wisdom’s opposite (foolishness); cf. the Lord’s knowledge of “good and evil” (Gen. 3:22; see also Gen. 2:9, 17). I realized that this also is striving after wind - He concludes he was chasing something he could not catch. After exploring both intellect and indulgence, he reaches the same conclusion: It’s all futile apart from God. Ecclesiastes 1:18 Because in much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain. KJV Ecclesiastes 1:18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. BGT Ecclesiastes 1:18 ὅτι ἐν πλήθει σοφίας πλῆθος γνώσεως καὶ ὁ προστιθεὶς γνῶσιν προσθήσει ἄλγημα LXE Ecclesiastes 1:18 For in the abundance of wisdom is abundance of knowledge; and he that increases knowledge will increase sorrow. NET Ecclesiastes 1:18 For with great wisdom comes great frustration; whoever increases his knowledge merely increases his heartache. CSB Ecclesiastes 1:18 For with much wisdom is much sorrow; as knowledge increases, grief increases. ESV Ecclesiastes 1:18 For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow. NIV Ecclesiastes 1:18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief. NLT Ecclesiastes 1:18 The greater my wisdom, the greater my grief. To increase knowledge only increases sorrow. YLT Ecclesiastes 1:18 for, in abundance of wisdom is abundance of sadness, and he who addeth knowledge addeth pain.' NJB Ecclesiastes 1:18 Much wisdom, much grief; the more knowledge, the more sorrow. NRS Ecclesiastes 1:18 For in much wisdom is much vexation, and those who increase knowledge increase sorrow. NAB Ecclesiastes 1:18 For in much wisdom there is much sorrow, and he who stores up knowledge stores up grief. GWN Ecclesiastes 1:18 With a lot of wisdom comes a lot of heartache. The greater your knowledge, the greater your pain. BBE Ecclesiastes 1:18 Because in much wisdom is much grief, and increase of knowledge is increase of sorrow. Because: Ec 2:15 7:16 12:12,13 Job 28:28 1Co 3:18-20 Jas 3:13-17 KNOWING MORE IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER Because - Term of explanation. What is Solomon explaining? He has just realized that in all of his seeking for wisdom the result was chasing after the wind and now he explains the futility (much grief...increasing pain). in much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain - Wisdom and knowledge brought grief and pain as he gained a clearer view of the problems in a world cursed by sin. David