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Question. | a | For who can tell
b | What shall be after him
c | Under the sun?
"What is good" is echoed by "what shall be after him". Even though the writer had
said, "there is nothing better than that a man should eat and drink, and that he should
make his souls enjoy good in his labour" (2: 24, 3: 13, 5: 18), yet that does not
represent "THAT GOOD' in its fullness, that Koheleth set out to find.
A certain definiteness meets us with the opening of the next chapter. The Companion
Bible indicates a division in the book at 6: 10 denoting the section 6: 10 12: 12 as
"The Chief Good, what it is". It will be observed that we put 6: 10-12 back into the
section covered by the enquiry as to what is good and commence the section which gives
the answer with chapter 7: This is a small detail, however. The chief good is
approached by seven good things, and then Koheleth's question is answered.
1.
A good name is better than ointment.
2.
The day of death is better than the day of birth.
3.
The housed of mourning is better than the house of feasting.
4.
Sorrow is better than laughter.
5.
The rebuke of the wise is better than the song of fools.
6.
The end of a thing is better than the beginning.
7.
The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit (7: 1-8).
We will not stay over these now, they will come in the course of the general
exposition. In verse 11 the revelation is made:--
"Wisdom is good with an inheritance."
Now this sounds rather like making the best of both worlds. By all means many would
say, Let me have the wisdom with an inheritance. This however is not what Koheleth
taught. The R.V. gives "Wisdom is as good as an inheritance", which, of course is quite
another thing. The particle "with" is rendered in 2: 16 "as" and "more than". In
Psa. 73: 5, "like" other men. The translation we offer is strictly in line with the
Hebrew and yields good sense:--
"Wisdom is good, like an inheritance, and profitable to them that see the sun. In the
shadow of wisdom, in the shadow of silver, but the profit of knowledge (is) that wisdom
giveth LIFE to them that have it."
A | Wisdom like an inheritance.
B | Profitable.
C | Wisdom likened to silver.
B | Profitable.
A | Wisdom gives life.
Koheleth has said some hard things about life. We remember his early conclusion,
"therefore I hated life" (2: 17). He calls it "vain life" and likens it to "a shadow" (6: 12).
Again he speaks of "the days of the life of thy vanity" (9: 9).