 |  |
Let us now look at the statements of the book a little further. Everywhere we have
statements that read like autobiography, "I was king", "I gave", "I builded", "I found",
etc. Those who deny the Solomonic authorship on literary grounds admit that Solomon is
personated by the unknown author. Grotius bases his argument for the late date of
Ecclesiastes on the appearance of (supposed) Aramaic words. These are "pot", sir (7: 6),
"interpretation", besher (8: 1), "pit", gummats (10: 8), "desire", abiyonah (12: 5).
Regarding the word sir, "pot", it was used by Moses even in Ex. 16: 3, and is the
very word used in I Kings 7: 45 for pots in the temple built by Solomon himself!
Grotius therefore in this case is singularly unreliable.
Readers may remember that Daniel was "proved" to a be pious fraud because foreign
names were given to musical instruments.
The critics, however, were found
untrustworthy, for the instruments, being imported, would naturally have native names,
and the intercommunication of Daniel's day has been proved, and the critics routed. The
wide dominion of Solomon, the coming to him of such as the Queen of Sheba, accounts
for the introduction of stranger words than Aramaic.
Let us now notice some parallels that we find between Ecclesiastes and other of
Solomon's writings:--
Ecclesiastes.
Proverbs.
"The fool foldeth his hands together, and "A little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall
thy poverty come," etc. (6: 10).
eateth his own flesh" (4: 5).
"A good name is better than precious "A good name is rather to be chosen than
great riches" (22: 1).
ointment" (7: 1).
"I have seen servants upon horses, and princes ".....for a servant to have rule over princes"
(19: 10).
walking as servants upon earth" (10: 7).
"The lips of a fool will swallow up himself" "A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips
are the snare of his soul" (18: 7).
(10: 12).
Compare also:
Eccles. 8: 5, 9: 10, 10: 8, 10, 18 with Prov. 19: 16, 3: 27, 23: 32, 27: 17, 14: 1.
Eccles. 5: 1, 2 with I Kings 8: 27, 30, 43.
Eccles. 8: 15 with I Kings 4: 20.
Passages that are somewhat more lengthy are:
Eccles. 7: 26 with Prov. 5: 3-14.
Eccles. 9: 7-9 with Prov. 5: 15-19.
We now draw attention to some characteristic words and phrases:--
"STREET" (shug).--This word used in this way is peculiar to the books of Solomon,
being found nowhere else than in Prov. 7: 8, Song of Sol. 3: 2, and Eccles. 12: 4, 5.
"DELIGHT" (taanug).--Translated "delight" in Prov. 19: 10, Song of Sol. 7: 6,
and, Eccles. 2: 8. Elsewhere, twice in Micah.