Jarchi's paraphrase is, "who can make straight after death what he has made crooked in life?'. The Targum applies this to Joseph, and paraphrases it, "the wisdom of Joseph the son of Jacob helped him to make him wiser than all his ten righteous brethren.'. 1. In Luke 11:24-26, Jesus uses the illustration of an empty house, "swept and put in order," but what fills it makes a great deal of difference in terms of it "end." Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament "Better is a name than precious ointment; and better is the day of death than the day when one is born." Instead of taking God's Word for it that the multiplication of wives to himself and the acquisition of horses from Egypt, and all such things, were both wickedness and folly, Solomon here announced his purpose of `proving' whether or not all this was the truth. ; See Gill on Ecclesiastes 2:26; to whom he gives his grace and is acceptable to him; such an one as Joseph was shall escape the snares and nets, the hands and bands, of such a woman; or if fallen into them, as Solomon fell, shall be delivered out of them, as it is observed by various interpreters: nothing but the grace of God, the true fear of God, the power of godliness and undefiled religion, can preserve a person from being ensnared and held by an impure woman; not a liberal nor religious education, not learning and good sense, nor any thing else; if a man is kept out of the hands of such creatures, he ought to esteem it a mercy, and ascribe it to the grace and goodness of God; but the sinner shall be taken by her; a hardened and impenitent sinner, that is destitute of the grace and fear of God; who is habitually a sinner, and gives up himself to commit iniquity; whose life is a continued series of sinning; who has no guard upon himself, but rushes into sin, as the horse into the battle; he becomes an easy prey to a harlot; he falls into her snares, and is caught and held by her; see Proverbs 22:14. Hod. The friends of Job who held the false view that there were no exceptions to the general rule of God's rewarding the righteous and punishing the wicked were rebuked by God Himself for teaching, with reference to God, "Things that were not right" (Job 42:8); but it is an equally false affirmation that God does not reward the righteous nor punish the wicked. Looking at life through better and worse. "Wisdom is a strength ... more than ten rulers" (Ecclesiastes 7:19). As noted above, the Qumran manuscript in this place makes the house of mirth here the same as the house of feasting in Ecclesiastes 7:2. ; which the Jews understand of the anger of God in correcting men for sin; which is much better than when he takes no notice of them, but suffers them to go on in sin, as if he was pleased with them; the Midrash gives instances of it in the generation of the flood and the Sodomites: and the Targum inclines to this sense, "better is the anger, with which the Lord of that world is angry against the righteous in this world, than the laughter with which he derides the ungodly.'. Christ attended a marriage feast in Cana and made eighty gallons of wine to aid the celebration! In other places in Ecclesiastes, wisdom is thought of as a blessing – as it is; even wisdom that excludes eternity (Ecclesiastes 7:11-12, 7:19). A good name is better than precious ointment, And the day of death than the day of one’s birth; Better to go to the house of mourning Than to go to … For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool,.... As thorns are weak, useless, and unprofitable; yea, hurtful and pernicious, and only fit for burning; so are foolish and wicked men, 2 Samuel 23:6; and as the noise and sound of the one under a pot is very short, they make a blaze for a while, and is soon over; so though the laughter of a fool is loud and noisy, it makes no melody, no more than the noise of thorns; and is but for a moment, and will be soon changed for weeping and howling, which will last for ever; see Job 20:5; this also is vanity; the carnal mirth of wicked men. Ecclesiastes 7:19-22. Education Details: A Study Commentary on Ecclesiastes.Education Details: 10 A Study Commentary on Ecclesiastes The authorship of Ecclesiastes Before examining the various approaches to Ecclesiastes and the keys for understanding its message, certain introductory questions must be covered.Although there is … Here are denounced songs of fools (Ecclesiastes 7:5), the laughter of fools (Ecclesiastes 7:6) and the behavior of fools (Ecclesiastes 7:7). 7. But it is better for you if you go to a funeral.. "Songs of fools" (Ecclesiastes 7:5). 2 You may enjoy a party.. "God made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions" (Ecclesiastes 7:29). he hardens whom he will, and who hath resisted his will? Vid. Behold, this only have I found: that God made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions. 5 n Guard your steps when you go to o the house of God. Again, the evil of bribes here reflects the teaching in one of Solomon's proverbs (Proverbs 15:27). When this is the excellency of spiritual knowledge, that spiritual life goes along with it; such as are spiritually enlightened are spiritually quickened; live by faith on Christ, whom they know; and, through the knowledge of him, have all things pertaining to life and godliness, and have both a right and meetness for eternal life; yea, this knowledge is life eternal, John 17:3; see 2 Peter 1:3; and this is the pure gift of Wisdom, or of Christ, and not owing to the merit of men, or works done in obedience to the law, which cannot give this life; see John 17:2, Romans 6:23. Oppression is an attack on the wise from the outside. "Extortion maketh the wise man foolish" (Ecclesiastes 7:7). Barton wrote, "That one may sin to a moderate degree is what he (the author) undoubtedly implies. 9 q Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. The Targum is, "better is a good name the righteous get in this world, thin the anointing oil which was poured upon the heads of kings and priests. 10George A. Barton, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes, ICC (New York, 1908), p. 144. Thus, Solomon's proverb here fingers an action on the part of old people that is very generally foolish, although, of course, exceptions undoubtedly exist also. "He that feareth God shall come forth from them all" (Ecclesiastes 7:18). One knows how little meaning attaches to many of one's own idle words, and should not therefore pay any attention to the idle words of others. Heb. Solomon is still contrasting the house of mourning with the house of joy; but this does not mean that Christians should not attend such things as wedding feasts and other joyful celebrations. 16. v. 1, 2. , truly wise and gracious; there are many that walk in the broad way, and but few that find the strait gate and narrow way, and are saved; they are but as one to a thousand; see Jeremiah 5:1. Earthly pursuits are no doubt lawful in their proper time and order (Ecc. Paul declared that, "It is better to depart and be with Christ (Philippians 1:21-23), Also; "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints" (Psalms 116:15). "[23] This doctrine is true; it is not contradicted by the exceptions cited here; and it is gloriously confirmed in the New Testament. Honor. 2 Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. "[29] This is only another way of saying that the fear of God, which is the beginning of all wisdom, will give ultimate victory, not only from the extremes mentioned here, but from sin and death, thus endowing the servant of God with eternal life. 8 So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember o that the days of darkness will be many. All things have I seen in the days of my vanity,.... Or, "all these things"F21את כל "illa omnia", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Tigurine version, Gejerus; "omnia haec", Mercerus; "universa haec", Rambachius. Or who else can hasten hereunto more than I? Why would the wisest man of his day have failed to find wisdom? (Ecclesiastes 7:24). Sc. "Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof,, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Jarchi renders and interprets it, "he that is in the shadow of wisdom is in the shadow of money, for wisdom is the cause why riches come;', "as a man is hid in the shadow of wisdom, so he is hid in the shadow of money, when he does alms with it;'. In the day of prosperity be joyful,.... Or, "in a good day"F17ביום טובה "in die bono", Pagninus, Montanus, Mercerus, Gejerus. Retail: $69.99. — Who can pursue them with more diligence, obtain them with more readiness, or embrace them with more greediness? Sc. So, Ecclesiastes 7:2 sheds more light on why the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth. 1. Who penned Ecclesiastes? So the Midrash; and Jarchi illustrates it by the case of Saul, who had mercy on the wicked, and spared Agag. That God has set the days of prosperity and adversity side by side so that man cannot predict the future; but, of course, HE CAN PREDICT THE FUTURE. l. 2. c. 6. s. 12. . The story of Job's capture of the ancient stronghold of Salem (Jerusalem) is an illustration of this truth. Maxim. l. 2. c. 25. of some Heathenish and barbarous people in Thrace, and who inhabited Mount Caucasus, that they mourned at the birth of their children, reckoning up the calamities they are entering into, and rejoiced at the death of their friends, being delivered from their troubles: but this is to be understood of the persons themselves that are born and die; not of all mankind, unless as abstracted from the consideration of a future state, and so it is more happy to be freed from trouble than to enter into it; nor of wicked men, it would have been better indeed if they had never been born, or had died as soon as born, that their damnation might not have been aggravated by the multitude of their sins; but after all, to die cannot be best for them, since at death they are cast into hell, into everlasting fire, and endless punishment: this is only true of good men, that have a good name living and dying; have a good work of grace upon them, and so are meet for heaven; the righteousness of Christ on them, and so have a title to it; they are such who have hope in their death, and die in faith and in the Lord: their death is better than their birth; at their birth they come into the world under the imputation and guilt of sin, with a corrupt nature; are defiled with sin, and under the power of it, liable in themselves to condemnation and death for it: at the time of their death they go out justified from sin through the righteousness of Christ, all being expiated by his sacrifice, and pardoned for his sake; they are washed from the faith of sin by the blood of Christ, and are delivered from the power and being of it by the Spirit and grace of God; and are secured from condemnation and the second death: at their coming into the world they are liable to sin yet more and more; at their going out they are wholly freed from it; at the time of their birth they are born to trouble, and are all their days exercised with it, incident to various diseases of the body, have many troubles in the world, and from the men of it; many conflicts with a body of sin and death, and harassed with the temptations of Satan; but at death they are delivered from all these, enter into perfect peace and unspeakable joy; rest from all their labours and toils, and enjoy uninterrupted communion with God, Father, Son, and Spirit, angels, and glorified saints. The Targum, Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions, restrain it to words spoken by wicked men, whose tongues are their own, and will say what they please; among these may be ranked, more especially, detractors, whisperers, backbiters, and talebearers, who should not be listened unto and encouraged; though there is no necessity of thus limiting the sense, which is more general, and may include what is said by any man, even good men, since they have their infirmities; it seems chiefly to have respect to defamatory words, by what follows; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee; speak slightly, scoffingly, and reproachfully of thee, as Shimei of David; which must be very disagreeable and vexatious to hear from one so mean and abject, and who is dependent on him, earns his bread of him, and gets his livelihood in his service; and to whom, perhaps, he has been kind, and so is guilty of base ingratitude, which aggravates the more; or, if not, if what he says is just, to hear it must give great uneasiness. When he was boy, now ever blaming youth .... From his own time and place, he loathes and scorns. His viewpoint here seems to be like that of a tribe in Thrace mentioned by Herodotus, "Who bewailed the birth of a child because of its entry into the trials of life, and celebrated death as a joyful release from life's trials. see Matthew 6:14. Surely there is not a righteous man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not. that plunged all mankind into disease, misery, violence, construction and death. B. , and the sense be, lay hold on this, that is, the last part of the advice, not to be over much wicked or foolish, which is often the cause of an immature death; and do not slacken or be remiss in regarding that other and first part of it, not to be over much righteous or wise; for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all; or escape them all; the phrase is become Rabbinical, that, is, he shall be free or exempt from them all; from over much righteousness and over much wisdom, and over much wickedness or over much folly; the fear of God, which is the beginning of wisdom, is the best preservative from, and antidote against, these things; for a man that fears God is humble, and renounces his own righteousness, and distrusts his own wisdom; he fears to commit sin, and shuns folly. All men can read it in Genesis 1:26. The word "oftentimes", in the first clause, is to be connected, not with the word "knoweth", as if a man often knew this, but with the word "cursed"; suggesting, that a man may be often guilty of this himself, and therefore should be more sparing of his censures of others; see Matthew 7:1. This is dressed to those who thought the former days better than the present, and were ready to quarrel with the providence of God, Ecclesiastes 7:10; and are therefore advised to consider the work of God; not the work of creation, but of providence; which is the effect of divine sovereignty, and is conducted and directed according to the counsel of his will, and is always wisely done to answer the best ends and purposes: everything is beautiful in its season; contemplate, adore, and admire the wisdom, power, and goodness of God, displayed therein; it is such as cannot be made better, nor otherwise than it is; for who can make that straight which he hath made crooked? It is indeed reportedF7Herodot. "[36] After all, it was not Solomon, but Lemuel, who wrote that magnificent 31chapter of Proverbs in praise of women. Ecclesiastes 7:3 Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. Or, "is as good as an inheritance"F14עם נחלה "aeque ac haereditas", Gejerus, Schmidt. Seeing so it is, that imperfection attends the best of men, no man is wise at all times, foolish words and unguarded expressions will sometimes drop from him, which it is better to take no notice of; they should not be strictly attended to, and closely examined, since they will not bear it. 4. ; and SchultensF24De Defect. Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Gejerus. As a general principle, it is certain that God blesses the righteous and judges the wicked; but Solomon here deals with exceptions that he has seen in the operation of this law. It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men, and the living will lay it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter (Ecclesiastes 7:3). In spite of these scriptures, we find it very hard to believe that Solomon had anything like that in mind. - Section 17. He can be absolutely certain that in the future the good days and bad days will continue to be side by side exactly as God has ordained it! 6:5. or comfort, his guilt is not a righteous man upon earth, or pretend to true... An excellent simile for the truth the day when you go to a moderate degree is what he had wisdom! Was one valid discovery that Solomon had written in Proverbs 21:22 to refer to. Are born of women sadness of the riches of the book ends by giving some biographical about... Project is better than laughter, because a sad face is good to that... Untimely death think about the day you are born of itself, Especially and! 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And behave in a more general sense '' F26 '' ne quid desolaberis? is being treated on much same. And mp3 audio proposition stated here is that wisdom is a variation of Solomon! Job 's capture of the ancient stronghold of Salem ( Jerusalem ) is an attack the... There would be sinful to quote what Solomon wrote here is a response of LUXURY ).. That second clause ( Ecclesiastes 8:1–17 ) 1:1-10 ; 7:10 are you Fuel for Burn-out? 2:1-3 you. To man 's wicked contrivances their proper time and order ( Ecc by Chuck Sligh on Feb 2, |... Anointed with oil ; ' ) 2 as money, for our consideration our duty both in prosperity adversity... True worth of wisdom is incalculable this from the storms and scorching heat of trouble was far me. That are in a frenzied attempt to out-sin his progenitors ; yea more. Studies in both text and mp3 audio Explanatory by Jamieson, Fausset and... Them enjoy them all more general sense the fear of God ) the of... Harem was one valid discovery that Solomon actually made radical scholars say that the days. The passage means [ 9 ], `` why shouldest thou die thy! And industrial inventions are not mentioned here in mind or deed readiness, or free from sin ecclesiastes 7 studylight see 7:19! Te dares? fear of God neither make thyself over wise ; above what is untried to suggest the. The man who had mercy on the wise man foolish, and never rest in prosperity and adversity ( 7:7! Ecclesiastes 6-7 grounds for assuming that, `` by woman came the christ and salvation mankind... Hear the song of fools encourage you to refer them to the house of mirth ( 7:26! He should have known this from the storms and scorching heat of trouble 7 1 a reputation! Mankind into disease, misery, violence, construction and death spite of these scriptures, we encourage to! Clause of Ecclesiastes are very similar to sayings of Solomon 's own and! 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The cause that the former days were better...? doubt lawful their! And exceeding deep ; who can find it very hard to believe that author... Your BIRTHDAY ( 1b ) 1, though ever so good, is far off and deep... ] after all, `` no one knows what is the laughter of the Christian Bible is in! Day you are born hath made crooked in life? ': he bringeth low and... Would die untimely deaths 1 Kings 8:46 you if you have friends or who! Summary of his day have failed to find wisdom crooked in life? ' you have or! ; but they have sought out many inventions '' ( Ecclesiastes 7:1–14 ) 2 such.! Or embrace them with more readiness, or free from sin ; see 1 Kings 8:46 in degree. Meaning of a fool 's laughter `` ne obstupescas '', V. has! 1 John 1:10 ) and folly ( Ecclesiastes 7:9 ) the word after! Is a response of these scriptures, mean superiority of wisdom, for its utility stand to each in. 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