This note at the beginning of the book was probably added by an editor shortly after the book was finished. It is similar to the kind of note that comes at the start of many of the books in the Old Testament, for example, most prophetic books and many individual psalms.

The words of the Preacher: this phrase identifies the discussion that follows as coming from a person known to us only by his “pen name,” Preacher. Translating the name “Qoheleth” has been discussed in comments above, page 17. The Jerusalem Bible (Jerusalem Bible), the New American Bible (New American Bible), Moffatt, New International Version, New English Bible, and others use a different term to translate “Qoheleth” in this verse than they do when translating the book title. Good News Translation also follows this practice, but a translator is free to use “Qoheleth” or its translation in both text and title. (“Joshua” is both a book title and also the name of the key figure in the book.) The Good News Translation term “the Philosopher” may not be able to convey the fact that in Israel the wise man was a deeply religious person. Hence “sage” or “wise man” may be a better choice because it is more neutral. In any event a footnote with some brief explanation of the name or term will assist the reader.

In translating The words of it is important to bear in mind the nature of the material in the book. Much of what this book contains are the “thoughts” of Qoheleth, his views about certain life questions, the human issues he pondered. The Hebrew original can also be translated as “matters.” So a translation that combines these ideas may be able to introduce the reader to the content of the book in a straightforward manner. Although in Hebrew the term words is plural, it also may have a collective sense, and some languages will prefer to express it as such. Language style may also require that we provide an introductory phrase like “Here are…” or “These are….”

Some possible renderings may be “The questions that concerned Qoheleth,” “This is what Qoheleth thought about,” “Here is what Qoheleth pondered.”

The son of David: Hebrew has no way of indicating whether this compound form is definite or indefinite, whether it is “a son of David” or “the son of David.” Additionally son can have several meanings. Besides its literal meaning it can refer to any (normally male) descendant (Gen 10.21), a young friend (1 Sam 3.6), or even a student (Pro 2.1). In this case son of David is almost certainly intended to refer to Solomon, because he also speaks of himself as “king in Jerusalem” in 1.12. We know, however, that Qoheleth is not written by Solomon (see “Translating Ecclesiastes,” page 6), and so this very figurative way of referring to the author has another purpose. Solomon was Israel’s most famous wise king (1 Kgs 3; 4.29). The following phrase “king in Jerusalem” links Qoheleth with that tradition; he is a truly wise man like Solomon. It is therefore best if the translator can preserve the indirect reference to Qoheleth and use an expression like “a descendant of David.” Many languages can use a phrase similar to the Hebrew “son of David” with this same broad meaning. The mention of “Solomon” by name in the Living Bible (Living Bible) should not be followed by translators because the Hebrew text does not say this. It was common to attribute authorship of books to great men. For example, all Psalms were linked with David even though the book itself identifies many psalms as written by others such as Ethan (Psalm 89) and Moses (Psalm 90). Hebrew readers were well aware that this was the case here also.

King in Jerusalem: the structure of the Hebrew sentence means that this phrase can describe either David or Qoheleth. However, in view of verse 12 we may assume that it intends to point to Qoheleth as a royal person. The Hebrew lacks the definite article, so he is literally “A king in Jerusalem.” Some societies have a different pattern of organization, in which case they may not have a word for “king.” In a case like this a functional substitute may be used, such as “[paramount] ruler,” “chief,” or even the phrase “he was the leader of the people.”

There is no verb in this first verse; it is made up of three noun phrases, a form that may be retained in translation in some languages (as in Revised Standard Version, Jerusalem Bible, New International Version, New American Bible). Most languages will need to insert one or more verbal phrases to ensure naturalness. Good News Translation offers one form, but other expansions can serve as a model:

• These are the matters of which Qoheleth spoke. He was a descendant of David, king in Jerusalem.

• Here are the words of Qoheleth. He was a son [descendant] of David who ruled in Jerusalem.

If the translator’s language prefers to put familiar information first, then a different word order may result. For example, we can also say:

• Qoheleth who is a descendant of David, king in Jerusalem, these are his words.

• Qoheleth, a descendent of David, king in Jerusalem, it is he who is talking like this.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell. A Handbook on the Book of Ecclesiates. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

This verse is important to the writer and thus to the translator also. There are two reasons for this:

First, it serves as the opening inclusio for the entire book; the closing one is in 12.8. All the material in between these is intended to demonstrate what this summary verse says.

Second, this verse contains five occurrences of the Hebrew word hevel, the meaning of which is discussed in “Translating Ecclesiastes.” How we translate it will determine the reader’s immediate impression of the book’s message.

The section heading should be placed at the beginning of this verse.

Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher: in view of the discussion in “Translating Ecclesiastes” of the meaning of the word hevel, page 2, it is recommended that the translator find a term which will convey clearly that life is full of unresolved questions, that it is puzzling and full of irony. In Hebrew grammar Vanity of vanities is a superlative form meaning “the most vain thing” (as “king of kings” in Jer 3.19 means “the greatest king”). The mood of the saying is that of a strong exclamation. Some languages will have a construction that parallels the Hebrew expression, but where this is not present, an alternative will have to be found. We can say “It is far beyond our understanding” or “It is the most incomprehensible thing in the world.” Another suggestion is “It is puzzling beyond all else.”

Some translation possibilities that combine these features are “What a profound puzzle!” “What a vast mystery!” or “It is far beyond our understanding!”

The so-called “vanity” saying is repeated in the second half of the verse. This is for the purpose of adding emphasis. That emphasis is made even stronger by the addition of the final phrase, All is vanity. Part of the dramatic effect of this saying is achieved by using the same word hevel five times. Translators should aim for a similar effect in translation, even if it is not possible to copy the form and repeat the keyword so often. The addition of a particle or adverb may have the same effect: “It is completely incomprehensible.” While Hebrew enjoys repetition of the same term, other languages need to vary the expression; so we may say “What a vast mystery! Everything defies our understanding!”

Says the Preacher: for a clearer style, this phrase can be moved either to the front or to the end of the quotation. For example, “Qoheleth says, ‘What a great mystery…!’ ” Alternatively, if the repetition of “Qoheleth” so soon after verse 1 seems awkward, then we can simply say “He said.”

All is vanity: what exactly is included in the term All in this phrase? Does Qoheleth literally mean that every single thing is vain? Or is the term used in a general way to refer to lots of things, or to those many things he personally thought and wrote about? New American Bible uses “All things are vanity!” This can give the idea that material things are without value. We discover as we read further that Qoheleth is concerned mainly about human social and theological problems, the impact of death, and so on. Our problem is that this “vanity” phrase comes at the beginning of the book, when we have not yet been introduced to the matters that concerned Qoheleth. It is important to avoid giving the impression that every conceivable object, person, or deed is useless. This is an important point, because we shall discover in places such as 2.10 and 3.11 that, even in a life full of profound questions, it is always possible to gain something. God does give some reward, some enjoyment in life and in work, and this is both good and of real value. With this in mind we may best continue the mood of the opening saying with a translation like “There is so much that is beyond our understanding!” or “It seems as though so much is beyond our grasp!”

To produce the dramatic effect of this verse, it can be typeset in the following manner, perhaps with a blank line separating it from the text before and after it:

• What a vast mystery! says Qoheleth.
What a vast mystery!
It seems as though everything defies our understanding!

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell. A Handbook on the Book of Ecclesiates. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

The question asked here is much more than a simple question. It identifies the fundamental problem that Qoheleth set out to research, and which the reader should bear in mind while reading on. All the material in the book that follows relates to this question, so we call it the “thematic question” of the book.

This question is important for another reason: it appears several times later (2.22; 3.9; 5.16; 6.8, 11) in places that help us to identify the structure or pattern that Qoheleth uses to express his ideas.

What does man gain…?: the term translated here as gain (yithron) is one we have discussed in “Translating Ecclesiastes,” page 5. Here we meet it for the first time in the text. Revised Standard Version presents it as a verb, although it is a noun in Hebrew. It originally described all that a person gained from working, in the sense of a businessman making profits from the sale of goods. So in 5.9 and 7.12 the word “advantage” or “profit” is used. The difficulty in translating the term is that Qoheleth is not using it in its original commercial sense. Rather he has given it a very particular meaning. The translator will need to find a word or phrase that conveys that special meaning. In view of the discussion of the term in “Translating Ecclesiastes,” page 5, something like “lasting benefit” comes close.

Man in this verse refers to “humankind” or “all people.” It is a general term as in Gen 1.27 and elsewhere. It may be possible to use an inclusive “we” or, following a French or German idiom, “One spends one’s life….” Good News Translation uses an impersonal “you” meaning “everyone.” It can be rendered as “What lasting benefit do we [or, does one] get from…?”

By all the toil at which he toils: any possible gain or advantage will come from human toil or work. By translates a preposition that indicates the means or method used; in English “from” conveys what is meant here. Toil is used in this verse as both a verb and a noun, and both describe the act of working, together with what that work produces. It refers to heavy labor, work that is physically tiring but nevertheless rewarding.

Several translations keep close to the Hebrew form here, using what is called a “cognate-object construction” (Revised Standard Version, Moffatt, Jerusalem Bible, New International Version, New English Bible). It is so called because both the verb and the object come from the same root: “all the toil that he toils” or “all the work that he works.” This kind of repetition may be redundant in many languages. What may catch the meaning well are “from all the work we do,” “from all our work,” or “from all his work” (if we preserve the general term “mankind”).

Under the sun: this phrase is one of several found only in Ecclesiastes. It is one of the many literary features that makes this book different from others. The phrase is an important one for this book because it sets the limits within which Qoheleth is investigating the problem of “lasting benefit.” Later on he will conclude that there is no lasting benefit here on earth, by which he may be suggesting that there is one beyond this life. Qoheleth uses this phrase, or ones like it, often (1.9; 3.16; 4.3, 7, 15; 5.13). Under the sun simply refers to the entire surface of the earth, so to translate it as “on earth,” “on this earth,” or “in this world” is correct, provided that this does not mean only the small local area in which people live. “Under the sky” is how some languages express it. However, the real meaning of the phrase can also be conveyed by the phrase “in this life.” We should also be careful of rendering the Hebrew phrase literally, because in some languages “to toil under the sun” is an idiomatic expression for working as a slave. This is not the meaning intended here. At verse 9 Good News Translation translates under the sun as “in the whole world,” but it omits the phrase here.

Reversing the word order may enable some languages to express the sense more naturally. This means putting the question last; for example, “When a person toils here on the earth, what does he get from it?” or “All the work that one does on this earth, what benefit will it give?”

The question What does a man gain…? is rhetorical. In some languages this idea may be better expressed as a statement: “All the work a man does in this life, it seems to give no lasting benefit.”

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell. A Handbook on the Book of Ecclesiates. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

A generation goes, and a generation comes: as we look at the two halves of verse 4, we note immediately that it contains a contrast. It is this contrast that Qoheleth wants his readers to notice, for it will be seen again throughout the poem. Comes and goes in the first half contrast with remains in the second half; flow and change contrast with permanence. Both of these are features of the world in which we live and seek out some “benefit” or “gain.”

There are different opinions about the meaning of the term generation. Most versions (Good News Translation, Revised Standard Version, Jerusalem Bible) agree that it refers to generations of people on earth, with one generation replacing another as life and time move along. If generation does not exist as a concept, we can restructure to say “some die and others are born,” or “old people die; babies are born.” Translators need to be careful to avoid giving the impression that there is belief in reincarnation here. In some translations generation has been rendered by the word “world”: “one world comes and one world goes.” However, this may cause serious misunderstandings because of the various meanings of the word “world.” What is in focus is what happens on earth. No reference to another world (or heaven) is intended here.

There are some translations (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Knox) that understand generation to mean “an age” rather than the people who live during that time. This idea comes from the fact that the second half of the verse talks about the earth being here for ever. The original dictionary meaning of the Hebrew word dor refers to circular motion. Because of the lack of a particular context for this passage, it is more than likely that the word here is deliberately general; it does not refer to any one item, but simply reminds us that in the physical world there are some things that go through cycles. We may translate along the following lines: “One cycle follows another, but…,” or “Some things come as others go, but…,” or “One age follows another.”

Goes … comes translates the Hebrew literally, so translators can see that, to have a natural English expression, the verbs have been reversed in Good News Translation. In translation we may find a natural pair of verbs expressing this idea. Alternatively cyclical movement can be expressed by a single verb such as in “one age follows another.”

But the earth remains for ever: permanence is the theme of the second half of the verse. Earth, or the world, “stands” (remains) and endures for ever. The adverbial phrase for ever, which is literally “for an age,” is the regular way in which the Old Testament expresses a very long time. It does not mean “eternity” in the present technical sense of the word, but is the longest period of time the ancient Israelites could imagine, often only the lifetime of an individual, as in Deut 15.17. It can refer both to the past (“all the days of old,” Isa 63.9, 11) as well as the future (Isa 45.17). Good News Translation “the world stays just the same” indicates permanence without using the expression for ever.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell. A Handbook on the Book of Ecclesiates. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

We now have the first illustration of the circular movement that is part of the cycle of nature. The sun rises, then sets, and rises next morning to repeat its race across the heavens.

The sun rises and the sun goes down: morning and evening are mentioned, but the focus for the verse is the sun itself. This is the importance of the repetition of the word “sun.” The poet speaks of it in almost human terms, as it comes out in the morning, dashes across the sky, and “goes,” or disappears, in the evening.

Not every language will find it natural to repeat “sun” in both clauses. Thus in the second clause we may use the pronoun “it” as Good News Translation does. We can also use ellipsis in which “sun” in the first clause serves as the subject of the second clause also: “the sun rises and sets.” The appropriate idiom needs to be found to describe the sun’s movement, such as “coming out,” “going back,” “falling,” or “going to bed.”

And hastens to the place where it rises: in ancient time people thought of the earth as standing still and of the sun as circling around it. This is perfectly logical, even if we today know that the earth moves around the sun. They saw the sun set in the evening, and assumed it hurried around under the earth back to the east, in order to be in time to rise from the eastern sky next morning. Revised Standard Version hastens catches the spirit of the word used here, which is a verb often translated as “panting,” as at the end of a race, or “longing after.” It is used in both senses in the Old Testament (see Psa 56.2; Isa 42.14). It speaks of movement with great energy. Whether the poet thinks that the sun actually grows weary from all this activity, or whether it is “panting” with eagerness, becomes a matter for interpretation. Note that Good News Translation has “going wearily back to where…,” and so it has decided that the theme of tiredness is present in the verb. However, to suggest that the sun’s movement is tiresome or monotonous goes further than the poem allows us. If we keep our eyes on the theme, then perhaps we can avoid that problem: the theme is constant movement, without any comment about how tiresome it may or may not be. It states a fact of nature and does not pass judgment on it. All the text tells us is that the sun works all day and all night as well.

If the translator’s language is not able to personify the sun as suggested by the use of verbs like “hasten,” “pant,” and so on, then adverbs or ideophones may help. For example, “The sun goes quickly back to where it came from.”

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell. A Handbook on the Book of Ecclesiates. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

This verse is interesting because it does not follow the standard practice in Hebrew of putting the subject after the verb. Instead of this it puts the subject wind at the end of the verse. This is done purely for literary effect.

The wind blows to the south: the word blows in Hebrew is the same as the participle “going” in verse 4. The Hebrew does this to link the two verses together as examples of constant motion in nature. We can preserve this same feature in translation if it will help remind the reader of the theme being followed. Otherwise we use the word most natural to describe the movement of wind.

The wind blows toward the south, so it comes out of the north. The two compass directions complement those of the previous verse. This choice is made deliberately to preserve the balance between the two examples given.

And goes round to the north: just as the sun had to dash back during the night to be ready to rise next morning, so the wind circles back to the north so that it can continue to blow. Round and round makes even stronger the illustration of constant circular movement. Four times in this verse the same verb “going round in circles” is used, and so this thought should be emphasized. Many languages will have terms that graphically describe the swirling wind. Others will need to use an adverb or adverbial phrase to get this effect. “It turns here and there” or “it turns again and again” are two possibilities.

There are many languages where there are no terms for “north” or “south.” East and west can be related to the sun, but the other compass points have to be related to something else. Of course Hebrew itself often uses “right” to point south, and “left” to mean “north”: the speaker faced the direction from which the sun rose, and gave directions from there. Translators can use any natural equivalent.

And on its circuits the wind returns: the term circuits speaks of a circular movement, continuing the theme of the poem. A “circuit” is a track or course that finishes at the same point where it begins, and with the verb returns, it here describes the ceaseless movement around the course. New English Bible uses a verbal phrase here: the wind “goes full circle.” We can also render it “it circles round and round.”

This verse consists of one rather long sentence in Hebrew, and it is packed with verbs. The translator may prefer to use shorter sentences such as “The wind blows south. It blows north. It blows round and round and comes back to where it started.”

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell. A Handbook on the Book of Ecclesiates. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

All streams run to the sea: this is a third example of constant motion in the natural world. It is linked to the previous two examples by the use of the participle “going,” translated here as run and flow. Streams refers to rivers that flow all year round, not to those that have water only after heavy rains.

This is a general saying, not intended as a statement of fact about all rivers, for even in Israel there were rivers that flowed inland into the desert and were lost in the desert sands. Of course it is generally true that a river runs toward the sea. It may be more natural in translation to omit the modifier “all” and simply say “Streams run [or, flow] ….”

In this verse sea has two possible meanings: one is “ocean” in the sense of a large open sea like the Mediterranean Sea; the second is an enclosed body of water or lake. In the Old Testament both are spoken of as “seas,” as in the “Sea of Galilee” and the “Dead Sea” (or “Sea of Salt”). In languages where a distinction is required, it is better to use the more general term. If necessary we can also say “[All] streams flow to go to the sea.” This meets the needs of those languages that require a purpose clause at this point.

The sea is not full: to the ancient Israelites there was something mysterious about the fact that water, often in vast amounts, flowed into the sea, but that the sea was never “filled up.” This was certainly true of the Sea of Galilee, because water flowed in at one end and out the other. In the case of the Dead Sea, water flowed in and evaporated because of the intense heat, so that the water level changed very little, even in flood time. The emphasis is not so much on the fact that the river cannot fill up the sea, as it is on the fact that water never ceases flowing into it. This is the significance of the phrase “turn back and go” later in the verse.

To the place where refers to the place from which the river began its journey to the sea. This fact is not clear in some translations (Jerusalem Bible, Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, Moffatt). It is clear that the poem means to draw attention to this from the way the same phrase is used in verse 5.

There they flow again means that they never cease to flow. The Good News Translation and New Revised Standard Version models draw out this meaning clearly.

In the ancient Israelite view, the waters under the earth provided a constant supply of water as springs bubbled up from below to replenish the rivers and streams. Qoheleth sees this constant flow from springs to rivers to sea and back again via the springs as another illustration of the constant motion in the created world.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell. A Handbook on the Book of Ecclesiates. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

This verse presents the translator with some difficulties, because the meaning of the first line and its logical connection with what follows may not be apparent at first. However, the verse has a clear structure: a general statement in the first line followed by three parallel illustrations. Understanding this structure will help us translate the thought, especially when we remember that verses 5-8 illustrate verse 4a, with its theme of the recurring or repeated cycles in nature.

All things are full of weariness: this is the introduction and general statement. We have several difficulties here. One is to determine whether to translate things as “words” or “matters.” Both are possible. If the three examples from verses 5-7 are the basis for the summary here, and if the following three phrases in this verse are to illustrate it further, then “things” is quite adequate. Qoheleth is drawing a principle from the many examples given. The phrase full of weariness translates a simple participle or adjective that describes these “things.” What the participle stresses is the effort required to do something (see 12.12). In this sense it fits in with the idea of the sun hurrying back through the night so as to be in time to begin the next morning’s work. The Hebrew term can mean “weary,” but this meaning is not certain, nor is it the only meaning the term can have. It describes toil or hard work and all that we can gain from such work. It certainly makes us think of something strenuous, but the interpretation that it causes “weariness” to the rivers and wind is not really appropriate. Here it refers to the endless, ceaseless repetition in nature. It is unfortunate that the word is given such a negative flavor in most translations, for the word itself is neutral. A more appropriate rendering is “Everything goes on endlessly [or, ceaselessly].”

Three parallel phrases follow to illustrate the introductory statement. If they are set out in parallel fashion, then we see their relationship better.

A man cannot utter it: literally “a man cannot speak.” The verb utter has no object, so help is needed in fixing its meaning. This is possible as we look at the following illustrations, which refer to the eye and ear. The eye is not satisfied means that there is no way that we can actually “fill up” our eyes. It does not mean that what the eye sees will never give it pleasure and satisfaction. It means, rather, that the eye can always see things as long as we keep it open to look at them. In the same way the ear can always hear things. It does not get “filled up” so that it cannot hear anything more. The eye and ear are not like containers that can only hold a limited amount. In this sense they are just like the sea—always able to take in more. Now, looking back at the example about human speech, Qoheleth reminds his readers that speech is also without limits. We can always keep speaking.

The structure of a passage is an important aid in our interpretation and therefore in our translation. In this case, if we set out the structure of the verse to match the translation, the message can be grasped more quickly. Models for reference can be:

• Everything goes on endlessly;
a person can never say all that can be said;
an eye can never be filled by what it sees;
an ear can never be filled by what it hears.

• Things continue on without end.
There is no end to what a person can say.
There is no end to what the eye can see.
There is no end to what the ear can hear.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell. A Handbook on the Book of Ecclesiates. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .