1For all this I took to heart, in order to explain it: that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God. No man knows, whether by love or hatred, all that is before them. 2All happens alike to everyone; there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him who sacrifices, and to him who does not sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner. He who swears is as he who fears an oath. 3This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event to all. Yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead. 4For whoever is chosen, of all those living, there is confidence; for a living dog is better than a dead lion. 5For the living know that they shall die; but the dead do not know anything, nor do they have any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. 6Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, have now perished; nor do they ever any longer have a part in anything that is done under the sun. 7Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works. 8Let your garments always be white; and let your head lack no ointment. 9Look on life with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life, which He has given you under the sun, all the days of your vanity. For that is your share in this life, and in your labor which you labor under the sun. 10Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no work nor reasoning nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol where you go. 11I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happens to them all. 12For man also does not know his time; as the fish that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly upon them. 13This wisdom I have seen also under the sun, and it seemed great to me. 14There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it and besieged it, and built huge bulwarks against it. 15And a poor wise man was found in it, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no one remembered that poor man. 16And I said, Wisdom is better than strength; but the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. 17The words of the wise are heard in quiet, more than the shouts of him who rules among fools. 18Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroys much good.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 (Ecc. 9:1-18)
declare--rather, explore; the result of my exploring is this, that "the righteous, &c., are in the hand of God. No man knoweth either the love or hatred (of God to them) by all that is before them," that is, by what is outwardly seen in His present dealings (
Eccl 8:14,
Eccl 8:17). However, from the sense of the same words, in
Eccl 9:6, "love and hatred" seem to be the feelings of the wicked towards the righteous, whereby they caused to the latter comfort or sorrow. Translate: "Even the love and hatred" (exhibited towards the righteous, are in God's hand) (
Ps 76:10;
Pro 16:7). "No man knoweth all that is before them."
2 All things . . . alike--not universally; but as to death.
Eccl 9:2-
Eccl 9:10 are made by HOLDEN the objection of a skeptical sensualist. However, they may be explained as Solomon's language. He repeats the sentiment already implied in
Eccl 2:14;
Eccl 3:20;
Eccl 8:14.
one event--not eternally; but death is common to all.
good--morally.
clean--ceremonially.
sacrificeth--alike to Josiah who sacrificed to God, and to Ahab who made sacrifice to Him cease.
sweareth--rashly and falsely.
3 Translate, "There is an evil above all (evils) that are done," &c., namely, that not only "there is one event to all," but "also the heart of the sons of men" makes this fact a reason for "madly" persisting in "evil while they live, and after that," &c., sin is "madness."
the dead-- (
Pro 2:18;
Pro 9:18).
4 For--rather, "Nevertheless." English Version rightly reads as the Margin, Hebrew, "that is joined," instead of the text, "who is to be chosen?"
hope--not of mere temporal good (
Job 14:7); but of yet repenting and being saved.
dog--metaphor for the vilest persons (
1Sam 24:14).
lion--the noblest of animals (
Pro 30:30).
better--as to hope of salvation; the noblest who die unconverted have no hope; the vilest, so long as they have life, have hope.
5 know that they shall die--and may thereby be led "so to number their days, that they may apply their hearts to wisdom" (
Eccl 7:1-
Eccl 7:4;
Ps 90:12).
dead know not anything--that is, so far as their bodily senses and worldly affairs are concerned (
Job 14:21;
Isa 63:16); also, they know no door of repentance open to them, such as is to all on earth.
neither . . . reward--no advantage from their worldly labors (
Eccl 2:18-
Eccl 2:22;
Eccl 4:9).
memory--not of the righteous (
Ps 112:6;
Mal 3:16), but the wicked, who with all the pains to perpetuate their names (
Ps 49:11) are soon "forgotten" (
Eccl 8:10).
6 love, and . . . hatred, &c.--(referring to
Eccl 9:1; see on
Eccl 9:1). Not that these cease in a future world absolutely (
Ezek 32:27;
Rev 22:11); but as the end of this verse shows, relatively to persons and things in this world. Man's love and hatred can no longer be exercised for good or evil in the same way as here; but the fruits of them remain. What he is at death he remains for ever. "Envy," too, marks the wicked as referred to, since it was therewith that they assailed the righteous (see on
Eccl 9:1).
portion--Their "portion" was "in this life" (
Ps 17:14), that they now "cannot have any more."
7 Addressed to the "righteous wise," spoken of in
Eccl 9:1. Being "in the hand of God," who now accepteth "thy works" in His service, as He has previously accepted thy person (
Gen 4:4), thou mayest "eat . . . with a cheerful (not sensually 'merry') heart" (
Eccl 3:13;
Eccl 5:18;
Acts 2:46).
8 white--in token of joy (
Isa 61:3). Solomon was clad in white (JOSEPHUS, Antiquities, 8:7,3); hence his attire is compared to the "lilies" (
Matt 6:29), typical of the spotless righteousness of Jesus Christ, which the redeemed shall wear (
Rev 3:18;
Rev 7:14).
ointment-- (
Ps 23:5), opposed to a gloomy exterior (
2Sam 14:2;
Ps 45:7;
Matt 6:17); typical, also (
Eccl 7:1;
Song 1:3).
9 wife . . . lovest--godly and true love, opposed to the "snares" of the "thousand" concubines (
Eccl 7:26,
Eccl 7:28), "among" whom Solomon could not find the true love which joins one man to one woman (
Pro 5:15,
Pro 5:18-
Pro 5:19;
Pro 18:22;
Pro 19:14).
10 Whatsoever--namely, in the service of God. This and last verse plainly are the language of Solomon, not of a skeptic, as HOLDEN would explain it.
hand, &c.-- (
Lev 12:8, Margin;
1Sam 10:7, Margin).
thy might--diligence (
Deut 6:5;
Jer 48:10, Margin).
no work . . . in the grave-- (
John 9:4;
Rev 14:13). "The soul's play-day is Satan's work-day; the idler the man the busier the tempter" [SOUTH].
11 This verse qualifies the sentiment,
Eccl 9:7-
Eccl 9:9. Earthly "enjoyments," however lawful in their place (
Eccl 3:1), are to give way when any work to be done for God requires it. Reverting to the sentiment (
Eccl 8:17), we ought, therefore, not only to work God's work "with might" (
Eccl 9:10), but also with the feeling that the event is wholly "in God's hand" (
Eccl 9:1).
race . . . not to the swift-- (
2Sam 18:23); spiritually (
Zeph 3:19;
Rom 9:16).
nor . . . battle to . . . strong-- (
1Sam 17:47;
2Chr 14:9,
2Chr 14:11,
2Chr 14:15;
Ps 33:16).
bread--livelihood.
favour--of the great.
chance--seemingly, really Providence. But as man cannot "find it out" (
Eccl 3:11), he needs "with all might" to use opportunities. Duties are ours; events, God's.
12 his time--namely, of death (
Eccl 7:15;
Isa 13:22). Hence the danger of delay in doing the work of God, as one knows not when his opportunity will end (
Eccl 9:10).
evil net--fatal to them. The unexpected suddenness of the capture is the point of comparison. So the second coming of Jesus Christ, "as a snare" (
Luke 21:35).
evil time--as an "evil net," fatal to them.
13 Rather, "I have seen wisdom of this kind also," that is, exhibited in the way which is described in what follows [MAURER].
14 (
2Sam 20:16-22).
bulwarks--military works of besiegers.
15 poor--as to the temporal advantages of true wisdom, though it often saves others. It receives little reward from the world, which admires none save the rich and great.
no man remembered-- (
Gen 40:23).
16 Resuming the sentiment (
Eccl 7:19;
Pro 21:22;
Pro 24:5).
poor man's wisdom is despised--not the poor man mentioned in
Eccl 9:15; for his wisdom could not have saved the city, had "his words not been heard"; but poor men in general. So Paul (
Acts 27:11).
17 The words of wise, &c.--Though generally the poor wise man is not heard (
Eccl 9:16), yet "the words of wise men, when heard in quiet (when calmly given heed to, as in
Eccl 9:15), are more serviceable than," &c.
ruleth--as the "great king" (
Eccl 9:14). Solomon reverts to "the rulers to their own hurt" (
Eccl 8:9).
18 one sinner, &c.-- (
Josh 7:1,
Josh 7:11-
Josh 7:12). Though wisdom excels folly (
Eccl 9:16;
Eccl 7:19), yet a "little folly (equivalent to sin) can destroy much good," both in himself (
Eccl 10:1;
Jas 2:10) and in others. "Wisdom" must, from the antithesis to "sinner," mean religion. Thus typically, the "little city" may be applied to the Church (
Luke 12:32;
Heb 12:22); the great king to Satan (
John 12:31); the despised poor wise man, Jesus Christ (
Isa 53:2-
Isa 53:3;
Mark 6:3;
2Cor 8:9;
Eph 1:7-
Eph 1:8;
Col 2:3).
