Ecclesiastes; or, the Preacher
Ecclesiastes 9
Chapter IX · Vol. II, pp. 1123–1124
1 Like things happen to good and bad. 4 There is a necessity of death unto men. 7 Comfort is all their portion in this life. 11 God's providence ruleth over all. 13 Wisdom is better than strength.
1 For alla this I considered in my heart,1 even to declare all this, bthat the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: cno man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them.
a ch.1.14,17; 2.12; 4.1,4; 7.25; 8.16; 12.9,10.
1 Heb. I gave or set to my heart.
b De.33.3. 1 Sa.2.9. Is.26.12. 2 Co.3.5. Phi.2.12,13. Re.2.1. Jn.10.28,29.
A.M. cir. 3029. B.C. cir. 975.
c Ps.73.3,12,13. Mal.3.15. ch.2.14,15; 7.15.
2 Alld things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good, and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.2
d ch.8.14.
2 See note * below.
* The sense is, When the occurrences of life are regarded in the light of human reason only—from the stand-point of feeble short-sighted man, then the righteous and wicked appear to be dealt with in exactly the same manner. Both suffer, both die. Sceptics conclude from this that the providential dealings of a just God cannot extend to human acts. But the object of the sacred writer here manifestly is to raise man to a higher stand-point. He is to look to another state—an eternal home and reward for the righteous in heaven. The words of this passage bear a close analogy to the words of Paul in 1 Co.15.19.—P.
3 Thise is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all, gyea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, hand after that they go to the dead.
4 Fori to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: jfor a living dog is better than a dead lion.
j 2 Sa.12.23. Es.6.3.
5 Fork the living know that they shall die: but lthe dead know not any 3thing, nneither have they any more a reward; ofor the memory of them is forgotten.
6 Alsop their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.
p Ex.1.8. Job 3.17-19; 14.21. Lu.12.18-20. Mat.2.20.
7 Goq thy way, eat thy bread with joy,4 and drink thy wine with a merry heart;5 for God now accepteth thy works.6
q ch.2.24; 3.12,22; 5.18; 8.15; 10.19. De.12.7. Ne.8.10-12.
4 See note on ch.2.24.—C.
5 The exhortation is addressed to the wise and righteous (ver.1), to whom Jesus is made wisdom and righteousness, 1 Co.1.30.—C.
6 God now accepteth thy works—not as claims of merit (Lu.12.37), but as fruits of the Spirit (Ga.5.22), the person and works being accepted, not for their own sake; for the person is a sinner, and the works imperfect; but both being 'accepted in (Jesus) the Beloved,' Ep.1.6.—C.
9 Lives joyfully8 with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the tlife of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: ufor that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.
s Pr.5.15-19. Ge.26.8. Mal.2.15.
8 Heb. See or enjoy life.
t ch.5.18; 6.12; 7.15. 1 Co.7.28. Ro.8.20.
u ch.2.24; 3.13; 5.18; ver.5,6.
10 Whatsoeverv thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; xfor there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
11 Iy returned, and saw under the sun, that zthe race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; abut time and chance happeneth to them all.
y ch.1.14; 2.1,12; 3.16; 4.1,4.
z Ps.75.6,7. Je.9.23. Am.2.14-16. Ps.33.16,17. 1 Sa.17.50. Hag.1.5,9.
a ch.2.14,15; 7.15; ver.2. Job 5.11-14. La.3.37,38.
12 Forb man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men csnared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.
b ch.3.22; 6.12. Hab.1.14. Pr.7.22,23.
c Pr.29.6. 2 Pe.2.12. Ps.73.18,20. Lu.17.20-31; 21.34,35. Is.30.13. 1 Th.5.2,3.
14 There9 was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it:
15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.1
1 Ungrateful as the world is, it does not generally forget to honour and reward military or diplomatic deliverers. The meaning therefore must be, that no one remembered having ever heard of this obscure man before he started into distinction by his superior wisdom.—C.
16 Thene said I, Wisdom is better than strength: gnevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.2
17 Theh words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.
h Pr.28.23. Ge.41.33-36. 2 Sa.20.17, or Jn.10.27. Is.42.2.
Notes
Ver. 1. No man knoweth either love or hatred, &c. No man can tell from prosperity that God loves him, nor from adversity that God hates him. Yet let no one ignorantly say, We have then no means of ascertaining whether God loves us or not. No one can so imagine when he reads Jn. 14.23; 1 Jn. 3. 13, 19, 21; 4. 13, 16. C.
Ver. 2. The 'one event' that is common to all is death, see last clause of ver. 3; and 'this evil under the sun' exists as a perpetual memorial of the fall of man, an awful warning of 'the judgment to come'—a dungeon of darkness (sorrow) to the wicked, and a door of hope and joy to the children of God. C.
Ver. 4. A living dog is better than a dead lion. The 'dead lion' was the guardian emblem of the throne of Solomon, 2 Ch. 9. 18, 19, and although 'the like were not made in any kingdom,' yet 'a living dog,' though an unclean and despised animal, would by his mere barking or assault have done more to guard the monarch than the twelve dead lions by which the ascent of Solomon's throne was protected. C.
Ver. 5. The memory of them [the dead] is forgotten. Is this consistent with fact? Is the memory of a great man ever forgotten? Yes, always. The memory of a good or a bad man's actions may be preserved in history and trumpeted by fame; but the memory of every man—the memory of personal affection—the only real memory of the man—is altogether forgotten—his children cease to weep for him—and his grandchildren perhaps knew him not. C.
Ver. 10. 'What a life I have spent in laboriously doing nothing!' was the melancholy reflection of a learned man on his death-bed. And so must it be with the most diligent, if he do not embrace the four departments to which Solomon directs the intellectual and active energies—work, device, knowledge, wisdom. Time spent in bodily works but trains an animal; time spent in artful devices but fosters a serpent; time spent in worldly knowledge but collects a library: it is, when neglecting neither of these, man 'applies his heart to wisdom,' that he puts forth 'all his might,' and fulfils, through grace, the great ends of his creation. C.
Ver. 11. Chance. The meaning of this much-abused word may be found by contrasting the end of ver. 11 with the end of ver. 12, where 'evil time' and 'suddenly' are expository of 'time and chance.' Chance therefore signifies, not what is below or above the direction of Providence, but what comes unexpectedly and suddenly upon thoughtless ignorant men. C.
Reflections.—It is a great mercy to believers that they, and all their works, are in the hand and under the influence of God, their reconciled Father. Yet how often does he use them with as much severity in this world as if they were the most profligate sinners! Great is the mercy that there is an eternity at hand, when Providence so little distinguishes the righteous here in their condition either in life or in death. Remarkable are the advantages which men have in this life for bettering their states, tempers, or hopes. But quickly death puts an end to them all! to all opportunities of preparing for eternity; and to all our intimacies, enjoyments, or affections in this world. What need then have we soberly to relish the comforts of this life, relative to our spirits, our food, our raiment, and our relations. Quickly should we work out our salvation with fear and trembling while we have opportunity, as we know not how soon our soul may be required of us. Carefully should we acknowledge God, and depend on him for direction in all our paths, as without his assistance we can obtain nothing good, but must fall into misery and ruin. Yet how stupid are most men, who neither regard wisdom itself, nor those who thereby do them the greatest services! It is necessary that we should always act from regard to the authority of God, and from a principle of love, as men may perhaps disregard the best works that we can do for them. But much more useful are wise discourses than all the noisy harangues which fools admire. And even one impenitent and presumptuous sinner is often a great plague to a family, a church, or nation.