Ecclesiastes 9:1

9:1-3 We are not to think our searching into the word or works of God useless, because we cannot explain all difficulties. We may learn many things good for ourselves and useful to others. But man cannot always decide who are objects of God's special love, or under his wrath; and God will certainly put a difference between the precious and the vile, in the other world. The difference as to present happiness, arises from the inward supports and consolations the righteous enjoy, and the benefit they derive from varied trials and mercies. As far as the sons of men are left to themselves, their hearts are full of evil; and prosperity in sin, causes them even to set God at defiance by daring wickedness. Though, on this side death, the righteous and the wicked may often seem to fare alike, on the other side there will be a vast difference between them.

Ecclesiastes 9:1 . For, or therefore, as the LXX. render it, all this I considered in my heart — All that I have said concerning the methods of divine providence, toward good and bad men; to declare all this — To make this evident, first to myself, and then to others; that the righteous — Whom he mentions, not exclusively, as if wicked men were not also in God’s hand, for the next clause relates both to the good and bad; but eminently, because, by the course of God’s providence toward them, they might seem to be quite neglected by God; and their works are in the hand of God — All their actions and employments; all events which befall them are governed by his providence, and therefore, although we cannot fully understand the reasons of all, yet we may be assured they are done righteously. No man knoweth either love or hatred — No man can judge by their present outward condition, whether God loves or hates them; for whom he loves he chastens, and permits those whom he hates to prosper in the world.

IX. (1) No man knoweth.—If this verse stood by itself we should understand, “Man cannot know whether he will experience marks of the Divine favour, or the reverse;” but taking Ecclesiastes 9:6 into account, we understand of a man’s own love or hatred the objects of which he cannot tell beforehand. By all.—Rather, all is before them.

For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or {a} hatred by all that is before them. (a) Meaning, what things he ought to chose or refuse: or man knows not by these outward things that is, by prosperity or adversity, whom God favours or hates, for he sends them as well to the wicked as to the godly.

A good man's trust in God is set forth as a counterpoise to our Ignorance of the ways of Providence. In the hand of God - Under His special protection (Deuteronomy 33:3 ff) as righteous, and under His direction Proverbs 21:1 as people. No man ... - literally, both love and also hatred man knoweth not: all are before them. Love and hatred here mean the ordinary outward tokens of God's favor or displeasure, i. e., prosperity and adversity. "Man knoweth not" probably means: "man knows not whether to expect prosperity or adversity from God; all his earthly future is in obscurity."

CHAPTER 9 Ec 9:1-18. 1. declare—rather, explore; the result of my exploring is this, that "the righteous, &c., are in the hand of God. No man knoweth either the love or hatred (of God to them) by all that is before them," that is, by what is outwardly seen in His present dealings (Ec 8:14, 17). However, from the sense of the same words, in Ec 9:6, "love and hatred" seem to be the feelings of the wicked towards the righteous, whereby they caused to the latter comfort or sorrow. Translate: "Even the love and hatred" (exhibited towards the righteous, are in God's hand) (Ps 76:10; Pr 16:7). "No man knoweth all that is before them."All things in the hand of God: his love or hatred not visible in them; but the like happeneth to good and bad in this life, and in death they know nothing hereof, and are themselves forgotten, Ecclesiastes 9:1-6. It is best therefore for a man to enjoy the gifts of God with cheerfulness, Ecclesiastes 9:7-9; to be diligent in his calling, Ecclesiastes 9:10, and leave the issue to God, Ecclesiastes 9:11,12. The praise of wisdom, Ecclesiastes 9:13-18. For; or, therefore, as the seventy interpreters render it. All this; all that I have said concerning the methods of Divine Providence towards good and bad men. To declare all this; to make this evident, first to myself, and then to others, as occasion required.

The righteous and the wise; whom he mentions not exclusively, as if wicked men were not in God’s hand, for the next clause relates both to good and bad men; but eminently, because by the course of God’s providence towards them they might seem to be quite neglected and forsaken by God. Their works; either efficiently, all their actions and employments; or objectively, all things done to them, all events which befall them. Are in the hand of God; are subject to his power, and governed by his providence, as this phrase is used Proverbs 21:1 John 3:35, compared with Matthew 28:18. And therefore although we cannot fully understand the reasons of all God’s works, as he now said, Ecclesiastes 8:17, yet because they are done by his unerring hand, we may be assured that they are done both righteously and justly, and that no man hath cause to murmur at the prosperity of the wicked, or at the calamities of good men. No man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them; no man can judge by their present and outward conditions or dispensations of God’s providence whether God loves or hates them, for whom he loves he chastens, and permitteth those whom he hates to prosper in the world. And this translation and interpretation agreeth well with the following verse. But I must confess it differs from almost all other, both ancient and modern, translations.

For all this I considered in my heart ] More literally, For to all this I gave my heart to dig through , i.e. to explain and penetrate to the secret of the great enigma of life. that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God ] The words hover, as it were, between the thought of Destiny and Providence, the latter, perhaps, slightly predominating. The wise and good need not despair, though they remain in ignorance of the working of the Divine Will. It is enough for them to know that they are in Its power, under Its care, and that It is in its essence as righteous as It is almighty. no man knoweth either love or hatred ] The words have been differently interpreted according as the “love” and “hatred” are referred to God or man. In the former case, the thought would be, that as things are, no man knows by the outward events of his life whether he is the object of God’s favour or displeasure, in the latter that no man knows who, as he passes through life, will be the objects of his love or hate. Both interpretations are tenable, but the former seems more in harmony with what follows.

The latter has the interest of finding a parallel in the thought of Sophocles as to the mutability of human life: φθίνει μὲν ἰσχὺς γῆς , φθίνει δὲ σώματος , θνήσκει δὲ πίστις , βλαστάνει δ ʼ ἀπιστία , καὶ πνεῦμα ταὐτὸν οὔ ποτ ʼ οὔτ ʼ ἐν ἀνδράσιν φίλοις βέβηκεν , οὔτε πρὸς πόλιν πόλει . τοῖς μέν γὰρ ἤδη , τοῖς δ ʼ ἐν ὑστέρῳ χρόνῳ τὰ τερπνὰ πικρὰ γίγνεται καὖθις φίλα . “Earth’s strength doth wither, withers strength of limb, And trust dies out, and mistrust grows apace, And the same spirit lasts not among them Who once were friends, nor joineth state with state. To these at once, to those in after years, Sweet things grow bitter, then turn sweet again.” Œd. Col. 610–615. by all that is before them ] Better, all is before them. i. e. as in what follows: all chances and changes of life coming from love or wrath, are possible in the future.

Verses 1-6. - One fate happens to all, and the dead are cut off from all the feelings and interests of life in the upper world. Verse 1. - This continues the subject treated above, confirming the conclusion arrived at in Ecclesiastes 8:17 , viz. that God's government of the world is unfathomable. For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this ; literally, for all this laid up in my heart, and all this I have been about (equivalent to I sought ) to clear up . The reference is both to what has been said and to what is coming. The ki , "for" (which the Vulgate omits), at the beginning gives the reason for the truth of what is advanced; the writer has omitted no means of arriving at a conclusion. One great result of his consideration he proceeds to state. The Septuagint connects this clause closely with the last verse of the preceding chapter, "For I applied all this to my heart, and my heart saw all this." The righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God ( Psalm 31:15 ; Proverbs 21:1 ); i.e. in his power, under his direction. Man is not independent. Even the good and wise, who might be supposed to afford the plainest evidence of the favorable side of God's moral government, are subject to the same unsearchable law. The very incomprehensibility of this principle proves that it comes from God, and men may well be content to submit themselves to it, knowing that he is as just as he is almighty. No man knoweth either love or hatred.

God's favor or displeasure are meant. Vulgate, Et tamen nescit homo, utrum amore an odio dignus sit . We cannot judge from the events that befall a man what is the view which God takes of his character. We must not, like Job's friends, decide that a man is a great sinner because calamity falls upon him, nor again suppose that outward prosperity is a proof of a life righteous and well-pleasing to God. Outward circumstances are no criterion of inward disposition or of final judgment. From the troubles or the comforts which we ourselves experience or witness in others we have no right to argue God's favor or displeasure. He disposes matters as seems best to him, and we must not expect to see every one in this world treated according to what we should deem his deserts (comp. Proverbs 1:32 with Hebrews 12:6 ). Delitzsch and others think that the expressions "love" and "hatred" are too general to admit of being interpreted as above, and they determine the sense to be that no one can tell beforehand who will be the objects of, his love or hate, or how entirely his feelings may change in regard of persons with whom he is brought in contact. The circumstances which give rise to these sentiments are entirely beyond his control and foresight. This is true enough, but it does not seem to me to be intended. The author is concerned, not with inward sentiments, but with prosperity and adversity considered popularly as indications of God's view of things.