Bible Commentaries

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 hatred [by] all [that is] before them.

For all this I considered in mine heart. — He that will rightly consider of anything, had need to consider of many things; all that do concern it, all that do give light unto it, had need to be looked into, or else we fail too short.

“ Sis ideo in partes circumspectissimus omnes. ”

Even to declare all this. — Or, To clear up all this to myself. Symmachus rendered it, Ut ventilarem haec universa, that I might sift and search out all these things by much tossing and turning of the thoughts. Truth lies low and close, and must with much industry be drawn into the open light.

That the righteous and the wise. — These are terms convertible. The world’s wizards shall one day cry out, Nos insensati, We fools counted their lives madness, …

And their works. — Or, Their services, actions, employments, all which together with themselves are "in the hand of God," who knows them by name, and exerciseth a singular providence over them, so that they are "kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation." "The enemy shall not exact upon him, nor the son of wickedness afflict him." Psalms 89:22 What a sweet providence was it, that when all the males of Israel appeared thrice in the year before the Lord at Jerusalem, none of their neighbour nations, though professed enemies to Israel, should so much as desire their land. Exodus 34:24 And again, that after the slaughter of Gedaliah, so pleasant a country - left utterly destitute of inhabitants, and compassed about with such warlike nations, as the Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites, Philistines, … - was not invaded nor replanted by foreigners for seventy years’ time, but the room kept empty till the return of the naturals.

No man knows either love or hatred, … — That is, The thing he either loves or hates, say some interpreters, by reason of the fickleness of his easily alterable affections. How soon was Amnon’s heart estranged from his Tamar, and Ahasuerus from his minion Haman, the Jews from John Baptist, the Galatians from Paul, …! But I rather approve of those that refer this love and hatred unto God - understanding them, θεοπρεπως , in a divine manner - and make the meaning to be, that by the things of this life, "which come alike to all," as the next verse hath it, no man can make judgment of God’s love or hatred towards him. The sun of prosperity shines as well upon brambles of the wilderness, as fruit trees of the orchard; the snow and hail of adversity lights upon the best gardens, as well as upon the wild waste. Ahab’s and Josiah’s ends concur in the very circumstances. Saul and Jonathan, though different in their deportments, yet "in their deaths they were not divided." 2 Samuel 1:23 How far wide then is the Church of Rome, that borrows her marks from the market, plenty or cheapness, … And what an odd kind of reasoning was that of her champions with Marsh the martyr, Acts and Mon., fol. 14, 21. whom they would have persuaded to leave his opinions, because all the bringers up and favourers of that religion, as the Dukes of Northumberland and Suffolk for instance, had bad luck, and were either put to death, or in prison, and in danger of life. Again, the favourers of the religion then used had wondrous good luck and prosperity in all things, …

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All [things come] alike to all: [there is] one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as [is] the good, so [is] the sinner; [and] he that sweareth, as [he] that feareth an oath.

All things come alike to all. — See Trapp on " Ecclesiastes 9:1 " Health, wealth, honours, …, are cast upon good men and bad men promiscuously. God makes a scatter of them, as it were; good men gather them, bad men scramble for them. The whole Turkish empire, saith Luther, is nothing else but a crust Nihil est nisi mica panis. cast by heaven’s great housekeeper to his dogs.

And he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath. — No surer sign of a profane person, than common and customary swearing. Neither any so good an evidence of a gracious heart, as not only to forbear it, for so one may do by education, and civil conversation, but to "fear an oath" out of an awful regard to the Divine Majesty. Plato and other heathens shall rise up and condemn our common swearers; for they, when they would swear, said no more but Ex animi sententia, Suidas. or if they would swear by their Jupiter, out of the mere dread and reverence of his name, they forbare to mention him. Clinias the Pythagorean, out of this regard, would rather undergo a mulct of three talents, than swear. The Merindolians, those ancient French Protestants, were known by this through all the country of Provence, that they would not swear, nor easily be brought to take an oath, except it were in judgment, or making some solemn covenant. Acts and Mon., 865.

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This [is] an evil among all [things] that are done under the sun, that [there is] one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness [is] in their heart while they live, and after that [they go] to the dead.

This is an evil. — Hoc est pessimum - so Jerome, the Vulgate, and Tremellius render it; this is the worst evil, this is wickedness with a witness, - scil., That since "there is one event to all," graceless men should thence conclude that it is a bootless business, a course of no profit to serve God. Hence they walk about the world with hearts as full as hell of lewd and lawless lusts. Hence they run a-madding after the pleasures of sin, which with a restless giddiness they earnestly pursue; yea, they live and die in so doing, saith the wise man here, noting their final impenitence, that hate of heaven, and gate to hell.

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For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope. — These are the words of those wicked ones, Ex primis per μιμησιν eorum sermones. - Lav. Job 24:1-25 . whose lives and hopes end together, whose song is, Post mortem nulla voluptas, when life ends, there is an end of all. Is there not such language in some men’s hearts, Who knows whether there be any such thing as a life to come? … Now I shall know, said that dying pope, Sic Benedic. IX., Alexand. VI., Leo. X. whether the soul of man be immortal, yea or no; and whether that tale concerning Christ have any truth in it. Oh, wretch!

So a living dog is better than a dead lion. — But so is not a living sinner better than a dead saint; for "the righteous hath hope in his death"; and they that "die in the Lord are blessed"; Revelation 14:13 how much more if they also die for the Lord! These "love not their lives unto the death." Revelation 12:11 but go as willingly to die as ever they did to dine, being as glad to leave the world (for a better especially) as men are wont to be to rise from the board, when they have eaten their fill, to take possession of a lordship.

“ Cur non ut plenus vitae conviva recedis? ” - Lucret.

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For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

For the living know that they shall die. — Hence that proverb among us, As sure as death. Howbeit, that they think little of it to any good purpose, appears by that other proverb, I thought no more of it than of my dying day.

But the dead know not anything. — So it seemeth to those atheists that deny the immortality of the soul. But they shall know at death that there is another life beyond this, wherein the righteous shall be "comforted," and their knowledge perfected, but the wicked "tormented"; Luke 16:25 and with nothing more than to know that such and such poor souls as they would have disdained to have "set with the dogs of their flocks." Job 30:1 are now "sitting down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of God, and themselves thrust out into utter darkness," Luke 13:28 in tenebras ex tenebris infeliciter exclusi, infelicius excludendi, Augustine.

Neither have they any more a reward. — What! not a "reward for the righteous?" Psalms 58:11 Not a "certain fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery indignation which shall devour evildoers?" Hebrews 10:27 That were strange. But wicked men would fain persuade themselves so: Ut liberius peccent, libenter ignorant, Bernard. - "Of these things they are willingly ignorant." 2 Peter 2:5

For the memory of them is forgotten. — This is true in part, but not altogether. Joseph was forgotten in Egypt, Exodus 1:1-22 Gideon in Israel. Judges 9:1-57 Joash remembered not the kindness which Jehoiadah had done to him, but slew his son. 2 Chronicles 24:22 Nevertheless the "foundation of God stands firm, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his"; 2 Timothy 2:19 and there is "a book of remembrance written before him for them that fear the Lord"; Malachi 3:16 their "names are written in heaven," Luke 10:20 and "the memory of the just is blessed." Proverbs 10:7 ; see the note there

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Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any [thing] that is done under the sun.

Also their love and their hatred, … — Here is lie upon lie. The atheist, as he had denied knowledge to the dead, so here he denies affections, as love, hatred, envy, or zeal, as Jerome renders it. But it is certain that those that are dead in Jesus do very dearly love God, and hate evil with a perfect hatred. The wicked, on the other side, continue in that other world to hate God and goodness, to love such as themselves are, to stomach the happiness of those in heaven, …

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Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.

Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy. — Vade, iuste, go thy way, thou righteous man; live in cheerfulness of mind, proceeding from the testimony of a good conscience: so Lyra senseth the words. God’s grace and favour turned brown bread and water into manchet and wine to the martyrs in prison. "Rejoice not thou, O Israel, for joy, as other people, for thou hast gone a whoring from thy God." Hosea 9:1 Thou cutest thy bane, thou drinkest thy poison, because "to the impure all things are impure," and "without faith it is impossible to please God." "In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare (or a cord to strangle his joy with), but the righteous doth sing and rejoice." Proverbs 29:6 He may do so; he must do so. What should hinder him? He hath made his peace with God, and is rectus in curia. Let him be merry at his meals, lightsome and spruce in his clothes, cheerful with his wife and children, … "Is any man merry at heart?" saith St James; James 5:13 is he right set, and hath he a right frame of soul ( ευθυμει )? is all well within? "Let him sing psalms"; yea, as a traveller rides on merrily, and wears out the tediousness of the way by singing sweet songs unto himself; so should the saints. "Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage." Psalms 119:54

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Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.

Let thy garments be always white; — i.e., Neat, spruce, cleanly, comely. Or by a metaphor it may signify, Be merry in good manner, for they used to wear white clothing on festivals and at weddings, as Philo De vita Theoretica. witnesseth. At this day also the Jews come to their synagogues in white raiment the day before the calends of September, which is their New Year’s tide. Stuckius in Antiq. Conviv. Purple was affected by the Romans, white by the Jews. see James 2:2 Hence Pilate clad Christ in purple, Matthew 27:28 Herod in white. Luke 23:11 Herod himself was "arrayed in royal apparel"; Acts 12:21 that is, in cloth of silver, saith Josephus, which, being beaten upon by the sunbeams, dazzled the people’s eyes, and drew from them that blasphemous acclamation, "The voice of God, and not of man."

And let thine head lack no ointment. — That thou mayest look smooth and handsome. Matthew 6:16-17 Ointments were much used with those eastern people in banquetings, bathings, and at other times. Luke 7:46 Matthew 26:7 By "garments" here some understand the affections , as Colossians 3:8-12 which must "always be white," i.e., cheerful, even in times of persecution, when thy garments haply are stained with thine own blood. By the "head" they understand the thoughts, which must also be kept lithe and lightsome, as anointed with the oil of gladness. Crucem multi abominantur, crucem videntes, sed non videntes unctionem: crux enim inuncta est, saith Bernard. Many men hate the cross because they see the cross only, but see not the ointment that is upon it, for the cross is anointed, and by the grace of God’s Holy Spirit helping our infirmities, it becomes not only light, but sweet - not only not troublesome, but even desirable and delectable. Martyr etiam in catena gaudet. Augustine. Paul gloried in his sufferings. His spirit was cheered up by the thoughts of them as by some fragrant ointment.

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