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"I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy
pleasure" (2: 1).
Prove.--This word in the same grammatical form is mostly rendered "tempt", and
specially in the connection of tempting God. In slightly different forms it is rendered
"prove" in such cases as Deut. 8: 2, 16. The underlying idea is that of trial by means
of some ordeal.
Enjoy.--This word literally means "to see" and in this form occurs seven times in
Ecclesiastes. "See, this is new" (1: 10). "Consider the work of God" (7: 13). "Live
joyfully" (7: 14, 27, 29; 9: 9).
Pleasure.--This is translated in the third verse "good" and recurs constantly
throughout the book. It is the word which comes in 7: 11, where the highest meaning
must attach to it.
Instead therefore of accusing Koheleth of taking a mad plunge into pleasure, we must
credit him with a sober and sane investigation of mirth in order to notice its effect upon
himself, and particularly upon his heart. The good, of course, catches a reflection from
the word "mirth", but the real thought seems to be that Koheleth in his search for what
was "that good" tested himself with mirth, looking carefully concerning that good which
is the reason for all these trials and experiments.
We translate "concerning good", and, we feel, rightly so. The Hebrew beth is usually
rendered "in", sometimes "to", "against", "with", and sometimes, as Lev. 6: 2
illustrates, it bears the thought of "concerning". Here therefore was a properly planned,
and carefully conducted test. What was the result? "This also is vanity."
"I said of laughter, IT IS MAD, and of mirth, WHAT DOETH IT?"
This question "what doeth it?" is echoed in verse 3--"what they should do"--and
shows that we have here a very real and careful investigation. Koheleth is after
something. Shame on those misinterpreters who load their commentaries with their
attempt to show superior knowledge. Even the A.V. is not clear over this, as witness
their translation of 2: 1, which shows a bias against Koheleth.
He is still consistently pursuing his theme when he confesses that whatsoever God
doeth it is for the olam (age) (3: 14). So also when he pities the poor mortal, whose vain
life he spends, or does as a shadow (6: 12). The word appears again immediately in the
next text. "I greatened my works" (lit.) (2: 4), and all these "doings" are pronounced at
the close "vanity" (2: 11). We must not pursue this interesting theme now, it will form a
separate study in this series.
The next case in which the writer pronounces the judgment "this also is vanity" is that
of wisdom and folly:--
"And I turned myself (same word `looked' in verse 11) in order to look, to behold (not
the usual word, it means `consider') wisdom and madness and folly, for what can the