It may be argued that verses 23-24 are the beginning of a new subunit because there is a change from second to first person. Yet from another point of view these two short verses serve as a conclusion to what is said in the discussion about wisdom (verses 19-22). “All this” in verse 23 seems to refer back to that lengthy discussion. Verse 24 offers a concluding remark: although wisdom is to be commended, “Who can find it?”

What does All this refer to? Earlier examples of the use of “this” in Qoheleth (for example, 7.14, 18) show that, when used at the end of a subsection, this refers back to the idea or issues in the previous portion. Therefore All this directs our attention to verses 19-22, namely, to wisdom’s power and the wise person’s imperfections. These are the things he examined. This phrase is placed at the front of the sentence in Hebrew as it is in Revised Standard Version. As such it provides emphasis. Translators should look for a means to make this phrase emphatic in their own language as well.

I have tested by wisdom: we are familiar with the importance Qoheleth gives to examining every aspect of individual and social life (see 1.13 and 2.3). Qoheleth used a particular method when conducting these experiments and investigations. He calls this method wisdom, meaning that he used the teachings of the wisdom tradition and its method of examination and reflection to reach his conclusions. Wisdom then has the same meaning it had in 2.3, 9. Using this method Qoheleth tested what power wisdom had. He also examined the faults of the wise person. In this way he could discover more about wisdom’s power as well as about its limitations.

For translation the following models may serve:

• I used wisdom’s principles to learn more about all these things.

• I applied wisdom teachings to see just how true all these things were.

• All of this I examined carefully, testing everything by wisdom’s principles.

• I applied the principles of wisdom to all these subjects to try to understand them.

I said, “I will be wise”: this expresses Qoheleth’s determination in doing this investigative work. I said probably means that he said these things to himself, so a good translation is “I thought,” “I determined I would…,” or “I decided to….” Some languages may, however, be able to retain the Hebrew form and preserve the same meaning. I will be wise uses a rare verb form that can mean “I will act wisely,” “I will become a wise person,” or “I will become wise.” Because this is the only occurrence of this form of the verb, it is difficult to be precise about the shade of meaning it conveys. We shall allow the structure of the verse and the interpretation of it in the following clause to help us reach a solution.

As far as the structure is concerned, the first clause, “I have tested by wisdom,” and this one, “I will be wise,” can be regarded as parallel clauses. In other words, each clause has the same basic meaning, though it is expressed in a slightly different form. I will be wise probably means “I will find a wise answer” or “I will find the answer in wisdom.” It is not a declaration of his search for absolute wisdom but the search for answers to the problems just mentioned.

But it was far from me states that Qoheleth was not able to attain the goal he had set. It is the feminine demonstrative pronoun. Our question is “What does it refer to?” It may point back to “wisdom,” the root which forms a noun in the first clause and a verb in the second clause of this verse. This suggestion arises because “wisdom” is a feminine noun in Hebrew, and this is the standard view of what it refers to. In this context, however, if it did point to “wisdom,” it would be suggesting that the “wisdom principle” could not be found, not that wisdom itself was impossible to find. Yet to claim that the principle of wisdom by which Qoheleth could test the issues was not available to him would be to say that his entire discussion had no foundation. This cannot be what he means, since he is using those wisdom principles throughout. The only other possible conclusion is that it refers to the phrase “testing by wisdom” and to the search for answers that wisdom can give.

Far from me expresses the sense that the answers to questions and the gaining of wisdom were “beyond him,” they eluded him. We can presume that this is due to his limited powers to understand. Limited human ability and the complexity of the issues mean that nobody can fully comprehend, and therefore offer answers to, the problems he encountered. Using the modifier “far away” to describe answering questions may not be acceptable in many languages. The sense is that it is difficult if not impossible to find the answers. In some languages we may be able to use an idiomatic expression such as “it escaped me” or “it was too much for me.” Otherwise the translator may need to express the sense negatively: “I could not find it” or “I was unable to discover it.”

Qoheleth is not claiming here that it is impossible to become a wise person, but that answers to many of his questions could not be found. From this vantage point I will be wise has a more restricted meaning; it says “I will find a wise answer,” or better, “I will find the answer in wisdom.”

The following translation is offered as one that preserves the sense argued here:

• I applied wisdom principles to see how true these things were. I thought to myself, I can find the answers in wisdom, but they [or, it] eluded me [or, … but I could not find them].

Or, in a more simple form:

• I told myself I would use wisdom to study all this, but it was too much. I couldn’t do it.

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 .