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Wisdom & Poetry · Old Testament

Ecclesiastes 8

Ecclesiastes 8: the king's word, delayed sentence and the work no one can find out

General context

The chapter opens by asking who is as the wise man and who knows the interpretation of a thing; wisdom makes a man's face shine. The speaker counsels keeping the king's commandment in regard of the oath of God, not hurrying from his sight and not standing in an evil thing, since the king does what pleases him, his word carries power, and no one may ask what he does. Whoever keeps the commandment feels no evil, and a wise heart discerns time and judgment; because every purpose has its time, man's misery is great, for he does not know what shall be or when. No man can retain the spirit or has power in the day of death; there is no discharge in that war, and wickedness will not deliver. The Preacher has seen one man rule another to his own hurt, and the wicked buried after coming and going from the place of the holy, forgotten in the city. Because sentence against evil is not executed speedily, men's hearts are set to do evil. Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and lives long, the Preacher says he knows it shall be well with those who fear God and not with the wicked, whose days are as a shadow. He then names a vanity: just men receive what wicked work deserves and the wicked what righteous work deserves. So he commends mirth, eating, drinking and being merry as what abides with a man from his labour in the days God gives. Applying his heart to know wisdom and see the business done on earth, where some see no sleep day or night, he beholds all the work of God and concludes that no one can find out the work done under the sun, not even a wise man who thinks to know it.

Cited passages: Ecclesiastes 8:1, Ecclesiastes 8:2, Ecclesiastes 8:3, Ecclesiastes 8:4, Ecclesiastes 8:5, Ecclesiastes 8:6, Ecclesiastes 8:7, Ecclesiastes 8:8, Ecclesiastes 8:9, Ecclesiastes 8:10, Ecclesiastes 8:11, Ecclesiastes 8:12, Ecclesiastes 8:13, Ecclesiastes 8:14, Ecclesiastes 8:15, Ecclesiastes 8:16, Ecclesiastes 8:17

Ecclesiastes 8 (KJV)

1Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.

2I counsel thee to keep the king’s commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God.

3Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him.

4Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?

5Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment.

6Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man is great upon him.

7For he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be?

8There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.

9All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt.

10And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done: this is also vanity.

11Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.

12Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him:

13But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.

14There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be just men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity.

15Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun.

16When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth: (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes:)

17Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.

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Historical context

The king in this chapter is not named, and the oath of God in regard of which his commandment is to be kept is not explained; the text gives no occasion for the oath and no king's name. The counsel is given in the first person, I counsel thee, so it is the Preacher's advice rather than a narrated event. The place of the holy and the city where the wicked were buried and forgotten are not identified. The phrase no discharge in that war stands beside the day of death and the spirit no one can retain, and no actual war is named. Two statements sit side by side without the text reconciling them: the Preacher says surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God and not well with the wicked, and then says there is a vanity in which the just receive what wicked work deserves and the wicked what righteous work deserves, marking the second with I said that this also is vanity. The chapter does not say when sentence will be executed, only that it is not executed speedily. The days God gives, the work of God and the business done on earth are named without dates, and the sleepless one of verse 16 is a general case, not a person.

Cited passages: Ecclesiastes 8:2, Ecclesiastes 8:10, Ecclesiastes 8:8, Ecclesiastes 8:12, Ecclesiastes 8:14, Ecclesiastes 8:11, Ecclesiastes 8:16

Literary context

The chapter is framed by two acts of looking: all this have I seen at verse 9 and then I beheld all the work of God at verse 17, with the closing verse repeating three times that the work cannot be found, shall not find it, not be able to find it. Between them the argument moves in steps. Counsel about the king rests on power without appeal, who may say unto him, What doest thou. The pair time and judgment appears twice in two verses and is answered by the ignorance of verse 7, who can tell him when. Verse 8 lists four things beyond human power in one sentence. The chapter then sets delay against certainty: sentence not executed speedily leads hearts to evil, yet the Preacher states surely I know for those who fear God and extends the verdict to the wicked, before verse 14 reverses the expected outcomes for just and wicked in a single balanced sentence. The commendation of mirth repeats the counsel of earlier chapters to eat, drink and enjoy the days God gives, and the shadow of verse 13 recalls the vain life spent as a shadow in chapter 6. The question that opens the chapter, who knoweth the interpretation of a thing, is answered by the last verse: not even the wise man.

Cited passages: Ecclesiastes 8:9, Ecclesiastes 8:17, Ecclesiastes 8:4, Ecclesiastes 8:5, Ecclesiastes 8:6, Ecclesiastes 8:7, Ecclesiastes 8:8, Ecclesiastes 8:11, Ecclesiastes 8:13, Ecclesiastes 6:12, Ecclesiastes 8:15, Ecclesiastes 5:18, Ecclesiastes 8:1

Key moments

  1. Wisdom makes the face shine (Ecclesiastes 8:1). The chapter opens by asking who is as the wise man and saying wisdom changes a man's face.
  2. Where the word of a king is (Ecclesiastes 8:4). A king's word carries power, and no one may ask him what he does.
  3. No power in the day of death (Ecclesiastes 8:8). No one can retain the spirit or escape the day of death, and wickedness will not deliver.
  4. Sentence not executed speedily (Ecclesiastes 8:11). Because judgment on evil is delayed, hearts are fully set to do evil.
  5. The just get the wicked's lot (Ecclesiastes 8:14). The Preacher names as vanity the reversal in which just and wicked receive each other's due.
  6. Mirth commended (Ecclesiastes 8:15). He commends eating, drinking and being merry as what abides with a man from his labour.
  7. The work cannot be found out (Ecclesiastes 8:17). Even a wise man who thinks to know the work done under the sun cannot find it.

For reflection

The Preacher says surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, and two verses later describes just men receiving what the work of the wicked deserves. Is his I know a claim about outcomes under the sun, or about something the chapter says cannot be found out there?