Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition)
ECCLESIASTES U , V.
VKinily thongh Oppreasion, etc.
Vaniliesi in Divine, Service, etc from Rehoboam. The "old and foolish king" answers to Solomon him.self, who had lost his wisdom, when, in defiance of two warnings of God (1 Kings 3. 14; 9. 2-9), he for.sook God. will tio more be adinoiiislitd—knows not yet how to take warning (see JUarrjin). God liad by Ahijaii already intimated the judgment coming on Solomon (i Kings 11. 11-13). 14. out of prison—.Solomon usi s this phriJ.se of a supposed case, ex. gr., Joseph raised from a dungeon to be lord of Kgypt. His words are at the same time so liamed by the Holy Ghost that they answer virtually lo Jeiol)i)iini, who tied to escape a "prison" and dealli frojii .Sdlmuon, l<i Shisliak of Egypt (1 Kings U. 40). This uiicoii!<ci(ms pi r.'iagiiig of his own doom, and that of Rehoboam, cunstitutes the irony. David's elevation Irora poverty and exile, under Saul (whicli may liave been before Solomon's mind), had .so far tlieir counterpart in that of Jeroboam, wliercas . . . liccojiietli poor—rather, "though he (the youth) was born poor in his kingdom"
"The spirit of man tliat ascends, it belongeth to on high ; but the spirit ol' the beast tliat descends, it Ijelongetli to below, even to the earth." Their destinations and proper eleiaent difler utterly. [Weiss.] 2a. (Cf. t). 12; ch. 5. 18.) Inculcating a thanliful enjoyment of God's gifts, and a clieerl'ul discliarge of man's duties, founded on fear of
(jrod; uotastlie seti?ualist (ch. 11.9); not as the anxious money-seeker (ch. 2. 25; 5.10-17). Uls pordoii — in the present life. If it were made his main portion, it woultl be " vanity" (ch. 2. 1 ; Luke 16. 2.5). for wlio, etc.—our ignorance as to tlie future, which is God's "ti:ne" (f. 11), should U-.ul us to use the present time in the best sense, and leave th« future to His infinite wisdom (Matthew (i.
20, 2.5, 31-31). CHAPTER IV.
Ver. 1-ie. I. rvtnriifd viz., to the thought set forth (ch.
3. Ki; .lob IVi. power—Mauiier, not so well, "violence." un coinfoiffr—twice .said to express continued sat Veiin without any to give comfort (LsaiaU .5.S. 7). 5J. A profane sentiment if severed from its connection ; but .just in its l>earingon Solomon's .scope. If religion were not taken into account (ch. 3. 17, 19), to die as soon as possible would be desirable, so as not to sulfer or witness "oppressions;" and still moi'e so, !iot to be born at all (ch. 7. 1). Job (3.
(in the land where afteiwards he was to reign). 1.5. "I considered all the living," the present generation, in relation to ("with'') the "second youth" (the legitimate successor of the "old king," as opposed to the " poor youth, " tlie one first spo);on of, about to be rai.sed from poverty to a throne), ?'. f'., Rehoboam. in !iis stead—tlio old king's. 16. Notwithstanding their now worsliipping the rising a sun, till; hcir-apjuirent, I icllictcd that "there were no bounds (no slability (2 Saniuol 1.5. 6; 20. 1), no check on the love of innovuli Dii) of all tliat have been before them," i.
13; 21. 7j, Pavid (Fsalm 73. 3, ttc), Jeremiah (12. I), Habakkuk (1. 13), all p.a.ssed through the same perplexity, until they went into the Si-.neluary, and looked beyond the present to the "judgment" (Psalm 7.3. 17; Habakkuk 2.20; e., the pa.st gcm ialion ; so "also they that come after,' i. e., tlie next generation, "shall not rejoice in him," viz., Rehoboatn. The parallel, "shall not rejoice," fixes the sense of " no bounds," no permanent adheretxce, though now men rejoice in him.
3. 17, IS). Then they siiw tlie need of delay, before completely punishing the wicked, to give space for repentance, or el.se for accumulation of wrath (Romans 2. 1.5); and before completely rewarding the godly, to give room forjaith and perseverance in tribulation (Psalm 92.
CHAPTER V.
7-12). F>arnests, however, are often even now given, by partial .judgments, of the future, complete one, to a.ssure
Ver. 1-20. 1. From vanity connected with kings, he passes to vanities (v. 7) which may be fallen into in serving the King of kings, even by those who, convinced of the vanity of the creature, wish to worship the Creator. Keep tliy foot—In going to worship, go with considerate, circumspect, reverent feeling. The allusion is to the taking ofT the slioes, or sandals, in entering a temple (Exodus us. in spite of difficulties, that God governs the earth. 3. seen—nor experienced. 4. right—rather (as ch. 2. 21, note), prosperouit. Prosperity, which men so much covet, is the very .source of provoking oppression (u. 1) and "envy," so far is it frtmi constituling the chief good. 5. Still the "fool" (the wicked oppressor is not to be envied even in this life, who "folds his hands together" in idleness (Proverbs 6.10; 31.33), living on the means lie wrongfully wrests from others; for such a one "eateth hi.'i own tlesli," i. e., is a self-tormenkn; never satisfied, his spirit preying on itself (Lsaiah 9. 20; 49.26). 6. Hebrew, "One open hand (pcdm) full of quietness, than both closed hands full of trav.ail." "Quietness" (mental tranquillity flowi ng from honest labour), opposed to " eating one's own flesh" (i;. .5), also opposed to anxious labour to gain (i'. 8; Proverbs 15. 16, 17; 16. 8). 7. A vanity described in v. 8. 8. not a secomi—no partner. cliUd—" son or brother," put for any heir (Deuteronomy 25. .5-10). eye—(Ch. 1. 8.) Tlie miser would not be able to give an account of his infatuation. 9. Two—oppcsed to "one" (d. 8). Ties of union, marriage, friendship, religious communion, are better than the selfish solitariness of the miser (Genesis
3. 5; Joshua 5. 1.5, which jiassages perhaps gave rise to the custom). Weiss needleissly reads, "Keep thy feast days" (Exodus 23. 14, 17; the three great feasts), hear—rather "To be ready (to draw nigh with the desire) tohear (obey) is a better sacrifice than the offering of fools." [Holden.1 (Vulgate; Curiae.) (Psalm 51. 16, 17; Proverbs 21. 3; Jeremiah 6. 20; 7. 21-2:5; 14. 12; Amos 5. 21-24.) The warning is against mere ceremonial self-righteousne.ss, as in ch. 7. 12. Obedience is tlie spirit of the law's requirements (Deuteronomy 10. 12). Solomon .sorrowfully looks back on his own neglect of tliis (cf. 1 Kings 8. 03 with 11. 4, 6). Positive precepts of God must be kept, but will not stand instead of obedience to His moral precepts. The last provided no sacrifice for wilful sin (Numbers 15, 30, 31; Hebrews 10. 26-
29). 3. rash—opposed to the considerate reverence ("keep thy foot," V. I). This ver.se illustrates v. 1, as to prayer in the house of God ("before God," Isaiah 1. 12); so v. 4-6, as to vcyws. The remedy to such vanities is stated (u. 6), "Fear thou God. God is in heaven—Therefore He ought to be approached with carefully-weighed words, by thee, a frail creature of earth. As much " business," engrossing the mind, gives birth to incoherent "dreams," so many words, uttered inconsiderately in prayer, give birth to and betray "a fool's speech" (ch. 10. 14). [Hoiden and Weiss.] But I'. 7 implies that the "dream" is not a comparison, but the vain thoughts of tlie fool (sinner, Psalm 73. 20), arising from multiplicity of (worldly) " business." His "dream"
2. 18). reward — advantage accrues from their efforts bein? conjoined. Talman says, " A man without a companion is like a left hand without tlie right." 10. If they fell— i f th one or other fall, as may happen to both, viz., into any distress of body, mind, or soul. 11. (1 Kings 1. 1.) The image is taken from man and wife, but applies universally to the warm sympathy derived from social ties. Bo OhrLstian ties (Luke 24. 82; Acts 28. 15). 12. one—enentj. threefold cord—proverbial for a combination of tiMLny—ex. 'jr., h usband, wife, and children (Proverbs 11. 14) so Christians (Luke 10. 1; Colossians 2. 2, 19). Untwist the cord, and the separate threads are easily "broken." 13. The "threefold cord" of social ties suggests the subject of is, that God hears him for his mucli speaking (Matthew 6.
eiiril government. In this case too, he concludes that kingly power confers no lasting happiness. The "wise" child, though a supposed case of Solomon, answers, in the event foreseen by the Holy Ghost, to Jeroboam, then a jioor but valiart youth, once a "servant" of Solomon, and (1 Kings
7), independently of tlie frame of mind. [English Versimx and Maitrer.] "Fool's voice" answers to "dream" in the parallel ; it comes by the many " words" flowing from the fool's " dream." 41. Hasty words in prayer (v. 2, 3) suggests the subject of hasty vows. A vow should not be hastily made(Judges 11. 35; 1 Samuel 14. 24). When made, it must be kept (Psalm 76. 11), even as God keeps His word to us
11. appointed by God through the prophet Ahijah to be bell of the kingdom of the ten tribes about to be rent