The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha: New Revised Standard Version

by Michael D. Coogan

20“Where then does wisdom come from? And where is the place of understanding? 21It is hidden from the eyes of all living, and concealed from the birds of the air. 22Abaddon and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’ 23“God understands the way to it, and he knows its place. 24For he looks to the ends of the earth, and sees everything under the heavens. 25When he gave to the wind its weight, and apportioned out the waters by measure; 26when he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the thunderbolt; 27then he saw it and declared it; he established it, and searched it out.

‘Truly, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.’”

6If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against him? And if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him? 7If you are righteous, what do you give to him; or what does he receive from your hand? 8Your wickedness affects others like you, and your righteousness, other human beings.

13“The godless in heart cherish anger; they do not cry for help when he binds them. 14They die in their youth, and their life ends in shame.a

13Whether for correction, or for his land, or for love, he causes it to happen.

2“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

4“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 5Who determined its measurements— surely you know!

I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 4‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you declare to me.’ 5I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; 6therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

Happy are all who take refuge in him.

“You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”a

11You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

1The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmamenta proclaims his handiwork.

7The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple; 8the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes; 9the fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. 10More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb. 11Moreover by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

14Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

4You are my King and my God; you commanda victories

6For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me.

Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love.

“For God alone, I wait in silence; My soul is still before the Lord. He is my rock and my salvation, My fortress strong; I trust in Him. I’ll not be shaken! I’ll not be shaken, For all my hope is in His love. From God alone comes my salvation; I wait and trust His steadfast love! Put not your hope in gain of riches; Seek not your rest in empty wealth. The rich are weak; the poor are mighty, Who turn to God alone for help. Pour out your heart to God our refuge And trust in Him to hear you cry. No other hope will never fail you; No other love will not run dry.” — “I’ll Not Be Shaken (Psalm 62)” from Psalms We Sing Together by Wendell Kimbrough © Wendell Kimbrough

1For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. 2He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall never be shaken.

8Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.

9Those of low estate are but a breath, those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath.

power belongs to God, 12and steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord. For you repay to all according to their work.

33I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. 34May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.

1O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

A “proverb” is a statement of an apparent truth that is based on human experience and endures in the life of a community over time.

A proverb often has several possible meanings and may “mean” differently depending on who says it and how, to whom, and in what circumstances. That is, proverbs are contingent claims, not universally applicable moralisms. Wise people need to know both the proverbs and how to read the world so that they use the proverbs rightly.

That many ancient Egyptian wisdom texts are also a father's words to his son—several apparently actually so—indicates that the family or household setting was common, even standard, for education in the ancient Near East. Moreover, there is little compelling evidence for the existence of schools in Israel prior to the Hellenistic period (note Ben Sira's “house of study,” Sir 51.23).

2For learning about wisdom and instruction, for understanding words of insight, 3for gaining instruction in wise dealing, righteousness, justice, and equity; 4to teach shrewdness to the simple, knowledge and prudence to the young— 5let the wise also hear and gain in learning, and the discerning acquire skill, 6to understand a proverb and a figure, the words of the wise and their riddles.

7The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

10My child, if sinners entice you, do not consent.

19Such is the enda of all who are greedy for gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.

3if you indeed cry out for insight, and raise your voice for understanding; 4if you seek it like silver, and search for it as for hidden treasures— 5then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

3Do not let loyalty and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and of people.

5Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. 6In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. 7Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. 8It will be a healing for your flesh and a refreshment for your body.

11My child, do not despise the Lord's discipline or be weary of his reproof, 12for the Lord reproves the one he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.

27Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,a when it is in your power to do it. 28Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.

7The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,

13Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life. 14Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evildoers. 15Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on. 16For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble. 17For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. 18But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.

23Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. 24Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. 25Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. 26Keep straight the path of your feet, and all your ways will be sure. 27Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.

The name of the book is derived from the word used for the teacher who speaks in the book. In Hebrew the word is Qohelet(h), meaning “gatherer,” though Luther translated it as “Preacher.” In the Septuagint (LXX), translators into ancient Greek used Ekklēsiastēs, which refers to a member of an assembly. That term, transliterated into Latin, became the book's title in Christian tradition.

Passages at the beginning and end of the book present it as a literary collection of teachings attributed to the primary speaker (1.2; 12.9–10), but suggest it was compiled by someone else.

The editorial superscription (1.1) and a brief royal autobiography (1.12–2.26) associate the speaking subject with Solomon, the final king of Israel's short-lived United Monarchy (ca. 968–928 bce), who was renowned for his wisdom (see 1 Kings 3–4). Solomon, however, is never named explicitly, but only indirectly evoked as the “son of David, king in Jerusalem” (1.1; see also 1.12). Since the speaker does not elsewhere present himself as a king, and the editorial postscript describes him as a teacher rather than a king (12.9–14), the royal persona appears to be more rhetorical than historical.

Ancient rabbinic writings describe debates among Jewish religious leaders about Ecclesiastes. Apparently some questioned its sacred status by asking whether it, like other sacred texts, “makes the hands unclean” (see m. Yadayim 3.5). According to one rabbi, “Qohelet does not render the hands unclean because it contains only the wisdom of Solomon” (b. Meg. 7a). Others replied that Solomon spoke three thousand proverbs (1 Kings 5.12) but wrote down only a small portion of those, including Ecclesiastes, suggesting the latter's special, divine inspiration. Others questioned the book's intellectual value with expressions of discomfort about the book's contradictions. Still others challenged its moral value. The Pesikta de Rab Kahana reports that earlier sages considered suppressing the book because it might “encourage hedonism” (8.1) and “smacked of heresy” (24.14). Such debates are memories recorded at a later time, after Ecclesiastes had secured its place in the Jewish and Christian scriptures, and so might have as much to do with ongoing struggles over the book's controversial content.

Located in the Writings (Ketubim) section of the Tanakh and among the wisdom and poetical books of the Old Testament, Ecclesiastes shares much in content, forms, and concerns with other books of wisdom literature, such as Proverbs and Job.

Ecclesiastes is also part of the Megillot—the five scrolls recited at major Jewish holidays—and is read at the annual fall festival of booths (Sukkot).

While the message of Ecclesiastes is difficult and contested, its textual history is relatively uncomplicated.

Despite its traditional associations with Solomon, most scholars date Ecclesiastes sometime during the late Persian and early Hellenistic periods (ca. 450–250 bce). The presence of two Persian loanwords (Heb pardes in 2.5 and pitgam in 8.11), the influence of Aramaic, and various grammatical characteristics of postexilic Hebrew strongly suggest that it was written after the rise of Persian rule across southwest Asia in 539 bce.

The absence of Greek words leads some to date Ecclesiastes prior to Alexander the Great's conquest of the Levant (ca. 330 bce). However, other scholars detect the influence of Greek philosophical thought, and ...

The earliest manuscript fragment of Ecclesiastes happens to be one of the oldest of the Dead Sea Scrolls, likely written around 175 bce (4QQoha).

Allusions to Ecclesiastes in the Wisdom of Solomon and Sirach also show that it was widely known by the early second century bce.