PHall | September 30, 2009
The Futility of Physical Pleasure 1 I said to myself [lit., in my heart], “Come now, I will test [nacah (5254) - a primitive root; to test; by implication, to attempt:--adventure, assay, prove, tempt, try] you with pleasure [towb (2896) - from 2895; good (as an adjective) in the widest sense; used likewise as a [...]
PHall | September 30, 2009
Beginning with the Author: Solomon is Qualified 1 The words of the Preacher [Heb., Koheleth (6953) also spelled Qoheleth only occurs in Ecclesiastes; the modern title, Ecclesiastes, comes from the Latin word for preacher], the son of David, king in Jerusalem [Extended Notes].
PHall | September 16, 2009
Two questions: 1) Is this a metaphor or is this literal? 2) What is the application? In taking it literally, some have suggested the application is economic. The New English Bible translates it: Send your grain across the seas, and in time you will get a return. Peterson wrote that the passage, “Advises the undertaking [...]
PHall | September 16, 2009
Is this phrase sarcasm or pragmatism? I once heard an entire lecture on this little phrase and the teacher never answered that simple question. He simply taught against money not being the answer to everything. He basically did not even reference Ecclesiastes. I would like to suggest the author of Ecclesiastes is not being sarcastic, [...]
PHall | September 15, 2009
I do not believe this “dream” is what occurs when we sleep, but is parallel to dreams of fantasy or desires based upon imagination and grandeur (cf.v.7). The application to vows is that we need to be careful that our wishes are not bigger than what we can handle or what God wants us to [...]
PHall | September 15, 2009
It is possible that the phrase “they had no one to comfort them” is stated twice, with the second being a poetic repetition reemphasizing that the poor had no comfort against the powerful. That, however, is not how I understand the verse. In my opinion,
PHall | September 15, 2009
The problem of evil has always existed “under the sun.” Some of this is purposeful, for man is often wicked himself. A small dose of wickedness is accidental, or done with good intentions. For example, in the American court system, many a criminal runs free because of a good principle: the rights of the individual [...]
PHall | September 15, 2009
Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 show that true joy comes in 1) seeing God as the giver; 2) not looking solely at the gift; 3) finding good in little everyday experiences. But then again, isn’t that true of most gifts? It is the giver that makes the gift special and meaningful.
PHall | September 15, 2009
18 I said to myself [lit., in my heart] concerning the sons of men, “God has surely tested them in order for them to see that they are but beasts.” Both within Philosophy and Theology the problem of pain, the problem of evil, has been the most troubling argument against the existence of a benevolent [...]
PHall | September 15, 2009
John Godfrey Saxe put it in a poem, “The Blind Men of Indostan.” It was 6 men of Indostan to learning much inclined, Who went to see an elephant tho’ all of them were blind, That each by observation might satisfy his mind! The first approached the elephant, and happening to fall Against his broad [...]
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