{"commentary":{"id":"jamieson-fausset-brown","name":"Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary","website":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamieson-Fausset-Brown_Bible_Commentary","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/","licenseNotes":null,"licenseNotice":null,"englishName":"Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary","language":"eng","textDirection":"rtl","sha256":"db3d4c8b3c1f32ef9d1430a57392e02bda3a17aac1f9bbe398461de021a3cb13","availableFormats":["json"],"listOfBooksApiLink":"/api/c/jamieson-fausset-brown/books.json","listOfProfilesApiLink":"/api/c/jamieson-fausset-brown/profiles.json","numberOfBooks":66,"totalNumberOfChapters":1187,"totalNumberOfVerses":17056,"totalNumberOfProfiles":0,"languageName":"English","languageEnglishName":"English"},"book":{"id":"ECC","commentaryId":"jamieson-fausset-brown","name":"Ecclesiastes","commonName":"Ecclesiastes","introduction":"The Hebrew title is Koheleth, which the speaker in it applies to himself (Ecc 1:12), \"I, Koheleth, was king over Israel.\" It means an Assembler or Convener of a meeting and a Preacher to such a meeting. The feminine form of the Hebrew noun, and its construction once (Ecc 7:27) with a feminine verb, show that it not only signifies Solomon, the Preacher to assemblies (in which case it is construed with the verb or noun masculine), but also Divine Wisdom (feminine in Hebrew) speaking by the mouth of the inspired king. In six cases out of seven it is construed with the masculine. Solomon was endowed with inspired wisdom (Kg1 3:5-14; Kg1 6:11-12; Kg1 9:1-9; Kg1 11:9-11), specially fitting him for the task. The Orientals delight in such meetings for grave discourse. Thus the Arabs formerly had an assembly yearly, at Ocadh, for hearing and reciting poems. Compare \"Masters of assemblies\" (see on Ecc 12:11, also Ecc 12:9). \"The Preacher taught the people knowledge,\" probably viva voce (\"orally\"); Kg1 4:34; Kg1 10:2, Kg1 10:8, Kg1 10:24; Ch2 9:1, Ch2 9:7, Ch2 9:23, plainly refer to a somewhat public divan met for literary discussion. So \"spake,\" thrice repeated (Kg1 4:32-33), refers not to written compositions, but to addresses spoken in assemblies convened for the purpose. The Holy Ghost, no doubt, signifies also by the term that Solomon's doctrine is intended for the \"great congregation,\" the Church of all places and ages (Psa 22:25; Psa 49:2-4).\n\nSolomon was plainly the author (Ecc 1:12, Ecc 1:16; Ecc 2:15; Ecc 12:9). That the Rabbins attribute it to Isaiah or Hezekiah is explicable by supposing that one or the other inserted it in the canon. The difference of its style, as compared with Proverbs and Song of Solomon, is due to the difference of subjects, and the different period of his life in which each was written; the Song, in the fervor of his first love to God; Proverbs, about the same time, or somewhat later; but Ecclesiastes in late old age, as the seal and testimony of repentance of his apostasy in the intervening period: Psa 89:30, Psa 89:33 proves his penitence. The substitution of the title Koheleth for Solomon (that is, peace), may imply that, having troubled Israel, meantime he forfeited his name of peace (Kg1 11:14, Kg1 11:23); but now, having repented, he wishes to be henceforth a Preacher of righteousness. The alleged foreign expressions in the Hebrew may have been easily imported, through the great intercourse there was with other nations during his long reign. Moreover, supposed Chaldaisms may be fragments preserved from the common tongue of which Hebrew, Syriac, Chaldee, and Arabic were offshoots.\n\nTHE SCOPE of Ecclesiastes is to show the vanity of all mere human pursuits, when made the chief end, as contrasted with the real blessedness of true wisdom, that is, religion. The immortality of the soul is dwelt on incidentally, as subsidiary to the main scope. Moses' law took this truth for granted but drew its sanctions of rewards and punishments in accordance with the theocracy, which was under a special providence of God as the temporal King of Israel, from the present life, rather than the future. But after Israel chose an earthly king, God withdrew, in part, His extraordinary providence, so that under Solomon, temporal rewards did not invariably follow virtue, and punishments vice (compare Ecc 2:16; Ecc 3:19; Ecc 4:1; Ecc 5:8; Ecc 7:15; Ecc 8:14; Ecc 9:2, Ecc 9:11). Hence the need arises to show that these anomalies will be rectified hereafter, and this is the grand \"conclusion,\" therefore, of the \"whole\" book, that, seeing there is a coming judgment, and seeing that present goods do not satisfy the soul, \"man's whole duty is to fear God and keep his commandments\" (Ecc 12:13-14), and meanwhile, to use, in joyful and serene sobriety, and not abuse, the present life (Ecc 3:12-13).\n\nIt is objected that sensual epicurism seems to be inculcated (Ecc 3:12-13, Ecc 3:22, &c.); but it is a contented, thankful enjoyment of God's present gifts that is taught, as opposed to a murmuring, anxious, avaricious spirit, as is proved by Ecc 5:18, compare with Ecc 5:11-15, not making them the chief end of life; not the joy of levity and folly; a misunderstanding which he guards against in Ecc 7:2-6; Ecc 11:9; Ecc 12:1. Again, Ecc 7:16; Ecc 9:2-10, might seem to teach fatalism and skepticism. But these are words put in the mouth of an objector; or rather, they were the language of Solomon himself during his apostasy, finding an echo in the heart of every sensualist, who wishes to be an unbeliever, and, who, therefore, sees difficulties enough in the world around wherewith to prop up his wilful unbelief. The answer is given (Ecc 7:17-18; Ecc 9:11-12; Ecc 11:1, Ecc 11:6; Ecc 12:13). Even if these passages be taken as words of Solomon, they are to be understood as forbidding a self-made \"righteousness,\" which tries to constrain God to grant salvation to imaginary good works and external strictness with which it wearies itself; also, that speculation which tries to fathom all God's inscrutable counsels (Ecc 8:17), and that carefulness about the future forbidden in Mat 6:25.\n\nTHE CHIEF GOOD is that the possession of that which makes us happy, is to be sought as the end, for its own sake; whereas, all other things are but means towards it. Philosophers, who made it the great subject of inquiry, restricted it to the present life, treating the eternal as unreal, and only useful to awe the multitude with. But Solomon shows the vanity of all human things (so-called philosophy included) to satisfy the soul, and that heavenly wisdom alone is the chief good. He had taught so when young (Pro 1:20; Pro 8:1); so also; in Song of Solomon, he had spiritualized the subject in an allegory; and now, after having long personally tried the manifold ways in which the worldly seek to reach happiness, he gives the fruit of his experience in old age.\n\nIt is divided into two parts-- Ecc. 1:1-6:10 showing the vanity of earthly things; Ecc. 6:10-12:14, the excellence of heavenly wisdom. Deviations from strict logical methods occur in these divisions, but in the main they are observed. The deviations make it the less stiff and artificial, and the more suited to all capacities. It is in poetry; the hemistichal division is mostly observed, but occasionally not so. The choice of epithets, imagery, inverted order of words, ellipses, parallelism, or, in its absence, similarity of diction, mark versification. \n\n\n\nNext: Ecclesiastes Chapter 1\n\n","order":21,"numberOfChapters":12,"sha256":"62a4e2df92d463e33901953fd7e9216b7cdda1901a15b41c1d5d575025baa481","firstChapterNumber":1,"firstChapterApiLink":"/api/c/jamieson-fausset-brown/ECC/1.json","firstChapterReference":{"commentaryId":"jamieson-fausset-brown","book":"ECC","chapter":1},"lastChapterNumber":12,"lastChapterApiLink":"/api/c/jamieson-fausset-brown/ECC/12.json","lastChapterReference":{"commentaryId":"jamieson-fausset-brown","book":"ECC","chapter":12},"totalNumberOfVerses":202},"chapter":{"number":2,"content":[{"type":"verse","number":2,"content":["laughter--including prosperity, and joy in general (Job 8:21). \n\nmad--that is, when made the chief good; it is harmless in its proper place. \n\nWhat doeth it?--Of what avail is it in giving solid good? (Ecc 7:6; Pro 14:13).\n\n"]},{"type":"verse","number":3,"content":["Illustration more at large of Ecc 2:1-2. \n\nI sought--I resolved, after search into many plans. \n\ngive myself unto wine--literally, \"to draw my flesh,\" or \"body to wine\" (including all banquetings). Image from a captive drawn after a chariot in triumph (Rom 6:16, Rom 6:19; Co1 12:2); or, one \"allured\" (Pe2 2:18-19). \n\nyet acquainting . . . wisdom--literally, \"and my heart (still) was behaving, or guiding itself,\" with wisdom [GESENIUS]. MAURER translates: \"was weary of (worldly) wisdom.\" But the end of Ecc 2:9 confirms English Version. \n\nfolly--namely, pleasures of the flesh, termed \"mad,\" Ecc 2:2. \n\nall the days, &c.--(See Margin and Ecc 6:12; Job 15:20).\n\n"]},{"type":"verse","number":4,"content":["(Kg1 7:1-8; Kg1 9:1, Kg1 9:19; Kg1 10:18, &c.). \n\nvineyards-- (Sol 8:11).\n\n"]},{"type":"verse","number":5,"content":["gardens--Hebrew, \"paradises,\" a foreign word; Sanskrit, \"a place enclosed with a wall\"; Armenian and Arabic, \"a pleasure ground with flowers and shrubs near the king's house, or castle.\" An earthly paradise can never make up for the want of the heavenly (Rev 2:7).\n\n"]},{"type":"verse","number":6,"content":["pools--artificial, for irrigating the soil (Gen 2:10; Neh 2:14; Isa 1:30). Three such reservoirs are still found, called Solomon's cisterns, a mile and a half from Jerusalem. \n\nwood that bringeth forth--rather, \"the grove that flourisheth with trees\" [LOWTH].\n\n"]},{"type":"verse","number":7,"content":["born in my house--These were esteemed more trustworthy servants than those bought (Gen 14:14; Gen 15:2-3; Gen 17:12-13, Gen 17:27; Jer 2:14), called \"songs of one's handmaid\" (Exo 23:12; compare Gen 12:16; Job 1:3).\n\n"]},{"type":"verse","number":8,"content":["(Kg1 10:27; Ch2 1:15; Ch2 9:20). \n\npeculiar treasure of kings and . . . provinces--contributed by them, as tributary to him (Kg1 4:21, Kg1 4:24); a poor substitute for the wisdom whose \"gain is better than fine gold\" (Pro 3:14-15). \n\nsingers--so David (Sa2 19:35). \n\nmusical instruments . . . of all sorts--introduced at banquets (Isa 5:12; Amo 6:5-6); rather, \"a princess and princesses,\" from an Arabic root. One regular wife, or queen (Est 1:9); Pharaoh's daughter (Kg1 3:1); other secondary wives, \"princesses,\" distinct from the \"concubines\" (Kg1 11:3; Psa 45:10; Sol 6:8) [WEISS, GESENIUS]. Had these been omitted, the enumeration would be incomplete.\n\n"]},{"type":"verse","number":9,"content":["great--opulent (Gen 24:35; Job 1:3; see Kg1 10:23). \n\nremained-- (Ecc 2:3).\n\n"]},{"type":"verse","number":10,"content":["my labour--in procuring pleasures. \n\nthis--evanescent \"joy\" was my only \"portion out of all my labor\" (Ecc 3:22; Ecc 5:18; Ecc 9:9; Kg1 10:5).\n\n"]},{"type":"verse","number":11,"content":["But all these I felt were only \"vanity,\" and of \"no profit\" as to the chief good. \"Wisdom\" (worldly common sense, sagacity), which still \"remained with me\" (Ecc 2:9), showed me that these could not give solid happiness.\n\n"]},{"type":"verse","number":12,"content":["He had tried (worldly) wisdom (Ecc 1:12-18) and folly (foolish pleasure) (Ecc 2:1-11); he now compares them (Ecc 2:12) and finds that while (worldly) \n\nwisdom excelleth folly (Ecc 2:13-14), yet the one event, death, befalls both (Ecc 2:14-16), and that thus the wealth acquired by the wise man's \"labor\" may descend to a \"fool\" that hath not labored (Ecc 2:18-19, Ecc 2:21); therefore all his labor is vanity (Ecc 2:22-23). \n\nwhat can the man do . . . already done-- (Ecc 1:9). Parenthetical. A future investigator can strike nothing out \"new,\" so as to draw a different conclusion from what I draw by comparing \"wisdom and madness.\" HOLDEN, with less ellipsis, translates, \"What, O man, shall come after the king?\" &c. Better, GROTIUS, \"What man can come after (compete with) the king in the things which are done?\" None ever can have the same means of testing what all earthly things can do towards satisfying the soul; namely, worldly wisdom, science, riches, power, longevity, all combined.\n\n"]},{"type":"verse","number":13,"content":["(Pro 17:24). The worldly \"wise\" man has good sense in managing his affairs, skill and taste in building and planting, and keeps within safe and respectable bounds in pleasure, while the \"fool\" is wanting in these respects (\"darkness,\" equivalent to fatal error, blind infatuation), yet one event, death, happens to both (Job 21:26).\n\n"]},{"type":"verse","number":15,"content":["why was I--so anxious to become, &c. (Ch2 1:10). \n\nThen--Since such is the case. \n\nthis--namely, pursuit of (worldly) wisdom; it can never fill the place of the true wisdom (Job 28:28; Jer 8:9).\n\n"]},{"type":"verse","number":16,"content":["remembrance--a great aim of the worldly (Gen 11:4). The righteous alone attain it (Psa 112:6; Pro 10:7). \n\nfor ever--no perpetual memorial. \n\nthat which now is--MAURER, \"In the days to come all things shall be now long ago forgotten.\"\n\n"]},{"type":"verse","number":17,"content":["Disappointed in one experiment after another, he is weary of life. The backslider ought to have rather reasoned as the prodigal (Hos 2:6-7; Luk 15:17-18). \n\ngrievous unto me-- (Job 10:1).\n\n"]},{"type":"verse","number":18,"content":["One hope alone was left to the disappointed worldling, the perpetuation of his name and riches, laboriously gathered, through his successor. For selfishness is mostly at the root of worldly parents' alleged providence for their children. But now the remembrance of how he himself, the piously reared child of David, had disregarded his father's dying charge (Ch1 28:9), suggested the sad misgivings as to what Rehoboam, his son by an idolatrous Ammonitess, Naamah, should prove to be; a foreboding too fully realized (1Ki. 12:1-18; Kg1 14:21-31).\n\n"]},{"type":"verse","number":20,"content":["I gave up as desperate all hope of solid fruit from my labor.\n\n"]},{"type":"verse","number":21,"content":["Suppose \"there is a man,\" &c. \n\nequity--rather \"with success,\" as the Hebrew is rendered (Ecc 11:6), \"prosper,\" though Margin gives \"right\" [HOLDEN and MAURER]. \n\nevil--not in itself, for this is the ordinary course of things, but \"evil,\" as regards the chief good, that one should have toiled so fruitlessly.\n\n"]},{"type":"verse","number":22,"content":["Same sentiment as in Ecc 2:21, interrogatively.\n\n"]},{"type":"verse","number":23,"content":["The only fruit he has is, not only sorrows in his days, but all his days are sorrows, and his travail (not only has griefs connected with it, but is itself), grief.\n\n"]},{"type":"verse","number":24,"content":["English Version gives a seemingly Epicurean sense, contrary to the general scope. The Hebrew, literally is, \"It is not good for man that he should eat,\" &c., \"and should make his soul see good\" (or \"show his soul, that is, himself, happy\"), &c. [WEISS]. According to HOLDEN and WEISS, Ecc 3:12, Ecc 3:22 differ from this verse in the text and meaning; here he means, \"It is not good that a man should feast himself, and falsely make as though his soul were happy\"; he thus refers to a false pretending of happiness acquired by and for one's self; in Ecc 3:12, Ecc 3:22; Ecc 5:18-19, to real seeing, or finding pleasure when God gives it. There it is said to be good for a man to enjoy with satisfaction and thankfulness the blessings which God gives; here it is said not to be good to take an unreal pleasure to one's self by feasting, &c. \n\nThis also I saw--I perceived by experience that good (real pleasure) is not to be taken at will, but comes only from the hand of God [WEISS] (Psa 4:6; Isa 57:19-21). Or as HOLDEN, \"It is the appointment from the hand of God, that the sensualist has no solid satisfaction\" (good).\n\n"]},{"type":"verse","number":25,"content":["hasten--after indulgences (Pro 7:23; Pro 19:2), eagerly pursue such enjoyments. None can compete with me in this. If I, then, with all my opportunities of enjoyment, failed utterly to obtain solid pleasure of my own making, apart from God, who else can? God mercifully spares His children the sad experiment which Solomon made, by denying them the goods which they often desire. He gives them the fruits of Solomon's experience, without their paying the dear price at which Solomon bought it.\n\n"]},{"type":"verse","number":26,"content":["True, literally, in the Jewish theocracy; and in some measure in all ages (Job 27:16-17; Pro 13:22; Pro 28:8). Though the retribution be not so visible and immediate now as then, it is no less real. Happiness even here is more truly the portion of the godly (Psa 84:11; Mat 5:5; Mar 10:29-30; Rom 8:28; Ti1 4:8). \n\nthat he--the sinner \n\nmay give--that is, unconsciously and in spite of himself. The godly Solomon had satisfaction in his riches and wisdom, when God gave them (Ch2 1:11-12). The backsliding Solomon had no happiness when he sought it in them apart from God; and the riches which he heaped up became the prey of Shishak (Ch2 12:9).\n\nEarthly pursuits are no doubt lawful in their proper time and order (Ecc 3:1-8), but unprofitable when out of time and place; as for instance, when pursued as the solid and chief good (Ecc 3:9-10); whereas God makes everything beautiful in its season, which man obscurely comprehends (Ecc 3:11). God allows man to enjoy moderately and virtuously His earthly gifts (Ecc 3:12-13). What consoles us amidst the instability of earthly blessings is, God's counsels are immutable (Ecc 3:14).\n\n\n\n\nNext: Ecclesiastes Chapter 3\n\n"]}],"introduction":"(Ecc. 2:1-26)\n\nI said . . . heart-- (Luk 12:19). \n\nthee--my heart, I will test whether thou canst find that solid good in pleasure which was not in \"worldly wisdom.\" But this also proves to be \"vanity\" (Isa 50:11).\n\n"},"thisChapterLink":"/api/c/jamieson-fausset-brown/ECC/2.json","thisChapterReference":{"commentaryId":"jamieson-fausset-brown","book":"ECC","chapter":2},"nextChapterApiLink":"/api/c/jamieson-fausset-brown/ECC/3.json","nextChapterReference":{"commentaryId":"jamieson-fausset-brown","book":"ECC","chapter":3},"previousChapterApiLink":"/api/c/jamieson-fausset-brown/ECC/1.json","previousChapterReference":{"commentaryId":"jamieson-fausset-brown","book":"ECC","chapter":1},"numberOfVerses":23}