Bible reading guide: Kohelet / Ecclesiastes

KOHELET reading guide (following Anchor Bible divisions)

Rabbi David L. Kline

Part I A  Reflection: Everything is Ephemeral and Unreliable

Preface: Nothing changes

1:2-11            There is nothing new under the sun.

Nothing is ultimately reliable.

1:18            In great wisdom there is great anger.

2:11            All is in vain and pointless.

2:15            The wise and the fool have the same end.

2:24            Nothing better than to eat, drink, and enjoy.

Everything is in the hand of God

3:1-11            Everything is good in its season.  Existentialism.

3:19            Humans have no advantage over animals.

Relative good is not good enough

4:2            The dead are better off but best is not to have been born.

4:9            Two are better than one.

Part I B  Ethics: Coping with uncertainty, Attitude before God  4:17- 5:6

5:1            Don’t be hasty to speak before God.

Enjoyment, not greed  5:7-6:9

5:9            A money lover will not be satisfied with money.

6:2            Wealth and status are a disease

Part II A  Reflection: everything is Elusive

No one knows what is good 6:10-7:14

6:12            Who knows what is good for a person in this life?

7:1fff            Some things are better than others     Irony

Righteousness and wisdom are elusive 7:15-29

7:15            Righteous one dies --- wicked one endures

7:21            Don’t pay attention to everything that is said.

7:23            Test by wisdom doesn’t work

It's an arbitrary world  8:1-17

8:15            Hurray for happiness

Part II B  Ethics: Coping with risks and death

Carpe Diem    9:1-10

9:4            A live dog is better than a dead lion.

The world is full of risks  9:11-10:15

9:11            The race is not won by the swift.

10:5            Folly placed on lofty heights.

Living with risks 10:16-11:6

11:1            Send your bread forth. . .

Conclusion 11:7-12:8

11:9            Gaudiamus igitur

12:7            Dust to dust and life to God

Epilogue 12:9-14

12:14            The end of the matter, all being heard: fear God, keep His commandments.

ר' יונתן: מדרך ארץ כשאדם נער אומר דברי זמר, הגדיל אומר דברי משלות, הזקין אומר דברי הבלים

Rabbi Yonatan: It is the way of the world that when a man is young he utters words of song; when he grows he utters words of proverbs; when he gets old he utters words of hot air.  Shir Hashirim Rabbah, 1:1 #10