Bible in one year 10/23/2022 Ecclesiastes Introduction & Chapter 1-2
by Rev. Katherine Liu Bruce
Christian Arts
Ministries: Biblical precepts & Gospel music; Pastoral ministry &
counseling
Author
: Solomon
Date: C.935 B.C.
Tile --The Herew title is Qoheleth which means “One who convenes and speaks at
an assembly.” Or “ an ecclesiastic” or “preacher”. The Greek equivalent,
ecclesiastes, also means “preacher” and is derived from the word “ assembly.”
Authorship--
Though not
specified as Solomon, the author identifies himself as “ the son of David, king
in Jerusalem”(1:1) References in the book to the author’s unrivaled
wisdom(1:16), unequalled wealth (2:7), opportunities for pleasure(2:3), and
extensive building activities(2:4-6) all point to Solomon, since no other
descendant of David measured up to such specifications. Jewish tradition
explicitly stated that Solomon was the author.
Following
the lead of Martin Luther, many have abandoned the traditional view of
the Solomonic authorship of this book, feeling that it was written after the
Exile by an unknown author who used Solomon as his central character.
Linguistci evidence is said to demand a postexilic date, but such evidence is
inconclusive. Fragments of Ecclesiastes found at Qumran rule out any date later
than 150 B.C.
Message ---The Message of the book may be
stated in the form of the propositions. (1) when you look at life with its
seemingly aimless cycles(1:4ff). And inexplicable paradoxes (4:1;7:15;8:8), you
might conclude that all is futile, since it is impossible to discern any
purpose in the ordering of events.(2) Nevertheless, life is to be enjoyed to
the fullest, realizing that it is the gift of God(3:12-13; 3:22;
5:18-19;8:15:9:7-9). (3) The wise man will live his life in obedience to God,
recognizing that God will eventually judge all men.(3:16-17;12:14). Verses
frequently quoted from the book include 1:2;3:1;4:12b;11:1;12:1,13.
Ecclesiastes Chapter 1 The
teacher (v.1) Solomon repeatedly used this appellation to refer to himself. It designates
him as one who convinces and speaks at an assembly, as assembler. He addresses
an assembly of wise men who, in ancient Israel, were one media that God used to
communicate His truth to man(Jer.18:18). Meaningless! Meaningless! (v.2).
Everything is meaningless. The thesis of the utter futility of all things is
developed in 1:3-11 and throughout the book. This thesis accords with
Rom.8:20-22. Creation is subject to futility because of sin(Gen.3:17-18). What
..gain.(v.3) There is no guarantee of positive benefit from man’s work. under
the sun. A figure of speech (metonymy) in which the location is named instead
of the thing. Used repeatedly, it simply means the earth where man dwells,
which is under the sun. verses 4-11 the endless cycles of God’s natural
creation illustrate the monotonous futility of all things. Even memories of
man’s past and future efforts to attain worthwhile accomplishments are soon
forgotten. (v.11). Life is full of paradoxes that cannot be solved. Solomon
found that even great wisdom was ineffective in easing life’s frustrations. It
simply enabled him more clearly to discern the futility.
Ecclesiastes 1 (KJV)
¹ The words of the Preacher, the son of David,
king in Jerusalem.
² Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity
of vanities; all is vanity.
³ What profit hath a man of all his labour which
he taketh under the sun?
⁴ One generation passeth away, and another
generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.
⁵ The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down,
and hasteth to his place where he arose.
⁶ The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth
about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth
again according to his circuits.
⁷ All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is
not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
⁸ All things are full of labour; man cannot utter
it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
⁹ The thing that hath been, it is that which shall
be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new
thing under the sun.
¹⁰ Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See,
this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.
¹¹ There is no remembrance of former things;
neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those
that shall come after.
¹² I the Preacher was king over Israel in
Jerusalem.
¹³ And I gave my heart to seek and search out by
wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath
God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.
¹⁴ I have seen all the works that are done under
the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
¹⁵ That which is crooked cannot be made straight:
and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.
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.
¹⁷ And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know
madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.
¹⁸ For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that
increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
傳 1
(CKJVGT)
¹ 在耶路撒冷作王、大衛的兒子傳道者的言語。
² 傳道者說：虛空的虛空，虛空的虛空，凡事都是虛空。
³ 人一切的勞碌，就是他在日光之下的勞碌，有甚麼益處呢？
⁴ 一代過去，一代又來，地卻永遠長存。
⁵ 日頭出來，日頭落下，急歸所出之地。
⁶ 風往南颳，又向北轉，不住地旋轉，而且返回轉行原道。
⁷ 江河都往海裏流，海卻不滿；江河從何處流，仍歸還何處。
⁸ 凡事滿有困乏；人不能說盡。眼看，看不飽；耳聽，聽不足。
⁹ 已有的事後必再有；已成的事後必再成。日光之下並無新事。
¹⁰ 豈有甚麼事可以指著說：『看哪，這是新的』？哪知，
¹¹ 已過的事，無人記念；將來的事，後來的人也不記念。
¹² 我傳道者在耶路撒冷作過以色列的王。
¹³ 我專心用智慧尋求、查究天下所作的一切事，乃知 神叫世人所經練的是極重的勞苦。
¹⁴ 我見日光之下所作的一切事，誰知都是虛空，使心靈憂傷。
¹⁵ 彎曲的，不能變直；缺少的，不能足數。
¹⁶心裏議論說：看哪，我成了尊貴人，我得了大智慧，
¹⁷ 我又專心察明智慧、狂妄，和愚昧，乃知這也使心靈憂傷。
¹⁸ 因為多有智慧，就多有愁煩；加增知識的，就加增憂傷。
Ecclesiastes
2 (KJV)
¹ I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove
thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.
² I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth,
What doeth it?
³ I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine,
yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might
see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the
heaven all the days of their life.
⁴ I made me great works; I builded me houses; I
planted me vineyards:
⁵ I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted
trees in them of all kind of fruits:
⁶ I made me pools of water, to water therewith the
wood that bringeth forth trees:
⁷ I got me servants and maidens, and had servants
born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above
all that were in Jerusalem before me:
⁸ I gathered me also silver and gold, and the
peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women
singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that
of all sorts.
⁹ So I was great, and increased more than all that
were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.
¹⁰ And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not
from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all
my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.
¹¹ Then I looked on all the works that my hands
had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was
vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.
¹² And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and
madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even
that which hath been already done.
¹³ Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far
as light excelleth darkness.
¹⁴ The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the
fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth
to them all.
¹⁵ Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the
fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in
my heart, that this also is vanity.
¹⁶ For there is no remembrance of the wise more
than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall
all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.
¹⁷ Therefore I hated life; because the work that
is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of
spirit.
¹⁸ Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken
under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.
¹⁹ And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man
or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured,
and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.
²⁰ Therefore I went about to cause my heart to
despair of all the labour which I took under the sun.
²¹ For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom,
and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein
shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.
²² For what hath man of all his labour, and of the
vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?
²³ For all his days are sorrows, and his travail
grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.
²⁴ There is nothing better for a man, than that he
should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his
labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.
²⁵ For who can eat, or who else can hasten
hereunto, more than I?
²⁶ For God giveth to a man that is good in his
sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to
gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This
also is vanity and vexation of spirit.
傳 2
(CKJVGT)
¹ 我心裏說：「來吧，我以喜樂試試你，你好享福！」誰知，
² 我指嬉笑說：「這是狂妄。」論喜樂說：「有何功效呢？」
³我心裏察究，如何用酒使我肉體舒暢，我心卻仍以智慧引導我；
⁴ 我為自己動大工程，建造房屋，栽種葡萄園，
⁵ 修造園囿，在其中栽種各樣果木樹；
⁶ 挖造水池，用以澆灌嫩小的樹木。
⁷我買了僕婢，也有生在家中的僕婢；又有許多大小牲畜，
⁸我又為自己積蓄金銀和特為君王的財寶，並各省的財寶；
⁹ 這樣，我就日見昌盛，勝過以前在耶路撒冷的眾人。
¹⁰凡我眼所求的，我沒有留下不給它們的；我心所樂的，
¹¹後來，我察看我手所經營的一切事和我勞碌所成的功。
¹²我轉念觀看智慧、狂妄，和愚昧。在王以後而來的人還能作甚麼呢？
¹³ 我便看出智慧勝過愚昧，如同光明勝過黑暗。
¹⁴ 智慧人的眼目在他頭上，愚昧人在黑暗裏行。我卻看明有一件事，
¹⁵我就心裏說：「愚昧人所遇見的，我也必遇見，我為何更有智慧呢？
¹⁶智慧人和愚昧人一樣，永遠無人記念，因為日後都被忘記；
¹⁷ 我所以恨惡生命；因為在日光之下所行的事我都以為煩惱，
¹⁸ 我恨惡一切的勞碌，就是我在日光之下的勞碌，
¹⁹那人是智慧是愚昧，誰能知道？他竟要管理我勞碌所得的，
²⁰ 故此，我轉想我在日光之下所勞碌的一切工作，心便絕望。
²¹因為有人用智慧、知識、公正所勞碌得來的，
²² 人在日光之下勞碌累心，在他一切的勞碌上得著甚麼呢？
²³ 因為他日日憂慮，他的勞苦成為愁煩，連夜間心也不安。
²⁴ 人莫過於吃喝，且在勞碌中享福，我看這也是出於 神的手。
²⁵ 論到吃用、享福，誰能勝過我呢？
²⁶ 神在他眼中看誰為好，就給誰智慧、知識，和喜樂；唯有罪人， 神使他勞苦，叫他將所收聚的、所堆積的歸給 神所喜悅的人。這也是虛空，使心靈憂傷。
Bibliography,
Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV) Chicago,
IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986.
King James, The
Holy Bible (KJV). Cleveland, OH: The world publishing
company
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