서론
Ecclesiastes 9 Introduction
英文原文
In Ecclesiastes 9:1-12 reasons are adduced for the universal conclusion Ecclesiastes 8:17 that no person can understand the works of God. This does not, however, prevent the assertion of the practical advantage in this life of that wisdom which includes the fear of God (Ecclesiastes 9:13 ff). Compare Ecclesiastes 9:1-10 with Wisd. 2:1-9.
1
Ecclesiastes 9:1
義人對神的信靠，被擺出來作為與我們對攝理之道的無知相抗衡的砝碼。
在神手中——意即在祂特殊的護佑之下（申命記 33:3 等），作為義人；並在祂的引導之下（箴言 21:1），作為世人。
沒有人……——按字面是「愛與恨，人都不知道；一切都是在他們面前」。這裡的愛與恨，指神恩寵或不悅的尋常外在表記，即亨通與逆境。「人都不知道」大概是說：「人不知道從神那裡當指望亨通還是逆境；他在世上的前途盡都隱晦不明。」
英文原文
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."
2
Ecclesiastes 9:2
遭遇——見傳道書 2:14 註釋。
起誓的——指輕率或褻瀆地起誓的人。
英文原文
Event - See Ecclesiastes 2:14 note.
Sweareth - i. e., Swears lightly or profanely.
3
Ecclesiastes 9:3
比較傳道書 8:11。世事進程表面上看來不分善惡，這種現象容易助長心懷惡念的人在愚昧中越陷越深。
英文原文
Compare Ecclesiastes 8:11. The seeming indiscriminateness of the course of events tends to encourage evil-disposed men in their folly.
4
Ecclesiastes 9:4
與……都在——更好譯作：「然而與……同在」。儘管有種種禍患，生命仍有其長處，與死相比尤其是這樣。
狗——在希伯來人眼中是一切可鄙之物的表記（撒母耳記上 17:43）。
英文原文
For to him - Rather: "Yet to him." Notwithstanding evils, life has its advantage, and especially when compared with death.
Dog - To the Hebrews a type of all that was contemptible 1 Samuel 17:43.
5
Ecclesiastes 9:5
見傳道書 8:12 註釋；傳道書 8:14 註釋。活人意識到自己面前還有未來；死人卻毫無知覺：他們一無所獲，一無所受，連記憶也很快消逝；他們不再被今生之人所有的情緒激動；他們在今生活動中的分已經停止。所羅門在此描述的是他所看見的，不是他所信的；這裡並未論及靈魂在另一個世界存在的事實或方式——那些是信心的事。
傳道書 9:6 的末句表明：作者對死人的觀察，只限於他們在今世之分、即與今世的關係。
英文原文
See Ecclesiastes 8:12, note; Ecclesiastes 8:14, note. The living are conscious that there is a future before them: but the dead are unconscious; they earn nothing, receive nothing, even the memory of them soon disappears; they are no longer excited by the passions which belong to people in this life; their share in its activity has ceased. Solomon here describes what he sees, not what he believes; there is no reference here to the fact or the mode of the existence of the soul in another world, which are matters of faith.
The last clause of Ecclesiastes 9:6 indicates that the writer confines his observations on the dead to their portion in, or relation to, this world.
6
Ecclesiastes 9:6
早已——更好譯作「久已」。
英文原文
Now - Rather: "long ago."
7
Ecclesiastes 9:7
要得作者的意思，須將這六節連貫起來讀；並比較傳道書 2:1-12。
在描述死人無分的境況（傳道書 9:5-6）之後，接著出現的念頭是：那亨通而活躍的人，當在這一生中安然享受自己的分（傳道書 9:7-10）；隨後傳道書 9:11-12 是修正的思想（見傳道書 3:1-15 註釋），一如慣常以「我又轉念」引入（傳道書 2:12；傳道書 4:1、4:7），即：世事的進程由另一個意志——不是人的意志——安排並規管。
受話的人，其勞碌的一生已蒙神喜悅，並帶著神恩寵的有形記號。
傳道書 9:7
已經悅納——更好譯作「早已喜悅」。喜樂（見旁註）被視為神嘉許與恩寵的記號。
英文原文
Read these six verses connectedly, in order to arrive at the meaning of the writer; and compare Ecclesiastes 2:1-12.
After the description Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 of the portionless condition of the dead, the next thought which occurs is that the man who is prosperous and active should simply enjoy his portion all through this life Ecclesiastes 9:7-10; and then Ecclesiastes 9:11-12 follows the correcting thought (see Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 note), introduced as usual Ecclesiastes 2:12; Ecclesiastes 4:1, Ecclesiastes 4:7 by "I returned," namely, that the course of events is disposed and regulated by another will than that of man.
The person addressed is one whose life of labor is already pleasing to God, and who bears visible tokens of God's favor.
Ecclesiastes 9:7
Now accepteth - Rather: "already has pleasure in." Joy (the marginal reference note) is regarded as a sign of the approbation and favor of God.
8
Ecclesiastes 9:8
白衣與香膏不過是喜樂的一種表記。
英文原文
White garments and perfume are simply an expressive sign of joy.
10
Ecclesiastes 9:10
我們在此以身心合力推動的工作，在死亡的時刻便告終止：那時靈魂進入存在的新境域，身體與靈魂不再一同活動。比較約翰福音 9:4。
謀算——見傳道書 7:25 註釋。
英文原文
The works which we carry on here with the combined energies of body and soul come to an end in the hour of death, when the soul enters a new sphere of existence, and body and soul cease to act together. Compare John 9:4.
Device - See Ecclesiastes 7:25 note.
11
Ecclesiastes 9:11
機會——或作「際遇」，指從外面臨到我們的事，是傳道書 3 章所描述的外在事件之一。比較傳道書 2:14 註釋。
英文原文
Chance - Or, "incident," that which comes to us from without, one of the external events described in Ecclesiastes 3. Compare Ecclesiastes 2:14 note.
12
Ecclesiastes 9:12
定期——見傳道書 3:1 等。
英文原文
Time - See Ecclesiastes 3:1 ff.
13
Ecclesiastes 9:13
或譯作：「我又見日光之下有一樁智慧的事，在我看甚大。」
從這一節到傳道書 10 章末，作者以一連串箴言教導與愚昧相對的智慧，以此為今生對付虛空之禍患的最佳良方。
英文原文
Or, Also this have I seen - wisdom under the sun, and great it seemed to me.
From this verse to the end of Ecclesiastes 10, the writer inculcates, in a series of proverbs, wisdom in contrast to folly, as the best remedy in the present life to the evil of vanity.
14
Ecclesiastes 9:14
這比喻大概並無事實根據。主張本書屬晚期著作的評論家，所能提出的最好猜測也不過是：「小城」或指主前 480 年藉忒米斯托克利（Themistocles）的智慧脫離薛西斯（Xerxes）大軍的雅典（Athens），或指主前 218 年被安提阿古大王（Antiochus the Great）圍困的多拉（Dora）。
傳道書 9:16-17 是對傳道書 9:15 所述兩件事——城得拯救、城卻忘記那拯救者——的評註。
英文原文
A parable probably without foundation in fact. Critics who ascribe this book to a late age offer no better suggestion than that the "little city" may be Athens delivered 480 b.c. from the host of Xerxes through the wisdom of Themistocles, or Dora besieged 218 b.c. by Antiochus the Great.
Ecclesiastes 9:16-17 are comments on the two facts - the deliverance of the city and its forgetfulness of him who delivered it - stated in Ecclesiastes 9:15.
18
Ecclesiastes 9:18
罪人——原文這字兼指道德上的過錯與理智上的錯謬。
英文原文
Sinner - The word in the original indicates intellectual as well as moral error.
傳道書 9:1-12 提出多項論據，以支持傳道書 8:17 那普世性的結論，即沒有人能明白神的作為。然而，這並不妨礙作者斷言：那包含敬畏神在內的智慧，在今生具有實際的益處（Ecclesiastes 9:13 ff）。可將傳道書 9:1-10 與《智慧書》（Wisd. 2:1-9）作一比較。