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Preface and Quotations

Doctrines Alluded to

Chapter Summary

Doctrines Covered or Alluded To

Chapters of the Bible Alluded To or Appropriately Exegeted with this Chapter

Many who read and study this chapter are 1^st or 2^nd generation students of R. B. Thieme, Jr., so that much of this vocabulary is second nature. One of Bob’s contributions to theology is a fresh vocabulary along with a number of concepts which are theologically new or reworked, yet still orthodox. Therefore, if you are unfamiliar with his work, the definitions below will help you to fully understand all that is being said. Also included are various technical terms from Christian theology along with a few new terms and concepts which I have developed.

Sometimes the terms in the exegesis of this chapter are simply alluded to, without any in-depth explanation of them. Sometimes, these terms are explained in detail and illustrated. A collection of all these terms is found here: (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). Often, the terms below are linked to complete doctrines.

Definition of Terms

Divine Viewpoint

Divine viewpoint is how God thinks. This is very different than how man thinks. The Lord says, "My thoughts are not like yours. Your ways are not like mine. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts.” (Isa. 55:8–9; ERV) See Human Viewpoint Versus Divine Viewpoint Thinking (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).

Human Viewpoint

Man’s thinking apart from Bible doctrine. See Human Viewpoint versus Divine Viewpoint (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).

Rebound (Restoration to fellowship with God)

In the New Testament, this is naming your sins to God, so that you are both restored to temporal fellowship with God and are then filled with the Spirit of God. In the Old Testament, naming your sins to God would result in a restoration of fellowship and, in some cases, the empowerment of the Holy Spirit once again (the Holy Spirit was not given to all Old Testament believers). The Doctrine of Rebound (HTML) (PDF).

Some of these definitions are taken from

https://www.gotquestions.org/

http://gracebiblechurchwichita.org/

http://rickhughesministries.org/content/Biblical-Terms.pdf

http://www.gbible.org/index.php?proc=d4d

http://www.wordoftruthministries.org/terms-and-definitions/

http://www.theopedia.com/

One or two sentences which describe Ecclesiastes Introduction.

Brief Descriptions of Ecclesiastes (by Various Commentators)

Matthew Henry: Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. This is the text of the preacher's sermon, of which in this book he never loses sight.

Pastor John Griffith: Solomon reasons through some of the apparent contradictions and perplexities of life. He writes this book not as the king, or the ruler, but from the standpoint of a philosopher, an observer of life and that primarily we will find is from the standpoint of human viewpoint.

J. Vernon McGee: The Book of Ecclesiastes is a dramatic autobiography of King Solomon's life when he was away from God. As the Book of Proverbs reveals Solomon's wisdom, the Book of Ecclesiastes reveals his foolishness.

Brian Bell Commentary: I titled my message what Solomon wanted to call this book,...Life is not a bowl of cherry’s...it’s the pits! 

The Open Bible: The key word in Ecclesiastes is “meaningless,” the futile emptiness of trying to be happy apart from God.

One needs to be careful when quoting from the book of Ecclesiastes. Are you sharing Solomon’s human viewpoint wisdom or God’s?

Brief Introductions to the book of Ecclesiastes (various commentators)

Keith Krell: What would it take to make you happy? What if you had the wealth of Bill Gates or Donald Trump? Would this make you happy? What if you had the success of Oprah or Martha Stewart? Do you think you could be happy? What if you had the brains of Carl Sagan or Stephen Hawking? Do you think you could be happy? Let me guess. Your answer is, “I don’t know, but I’d sure like to give it a try.” 

My own answer here is that I am quite happy with what God has done in my life and all that He has done for me. I don’t doubt that Krell feels the same way.

Krell continues (quoting M.R. De Haan II at the end): A few people have been able to possess wealth, success, and intelligence just as I described. Solomon, the third king of Israel, was one of them. In some ways he had everything. He had a thousand wives and concubines, enormous wealth, international respect, and unparalleled wisdom. What he didn’t always have, however, was a reason for living. He didn’t always have happiness. He fits the pattern of the highly gifted, extremely ambitious person who climbs the ladder of success—only to contemplate jumping off once he’s reached the top.

F. B. Meyer: All is vanity! This cry finds an echo in human hearts of every age and time. God meant man to be happy. “These things,” said our Lord, “I have spoken to you, that your joy may be full.” “The fruit of the Spirit is joy.” Yet the air is laden with complaint and bitterness. Men are asking constantly, “Is life worth living?” The present age is full of unrest and weariness, of war and strife, of unsatisfied yearnings and desires. The mistake is that men seek to solve the mystery of life and to find their happiness apart from God, who has made us for Himself.

Meyer continues: This book was written and incorporated in the Bible to show that man’s quest for happiness is vain, so long as it is apart from God. Solomon had unbounded opportunities for pursuing his quest. Youth, wealth, wisdom, royalty, human love were his, but when all were mixed in the golden cup of his life, he turned from the draught unsatisfied and sad. Listen to the sigh of the sated voluptuary: Vanity of vanities! Let us turn from these bitter experiences to 1Jn. 2:15–17.

Keith Simons: [Solomon’s] opinion was that, without a right relationship with God, a person achieves nothing worthwhile. Of course a person may become rich or famous but these things do not last. At death, that person loses all such things. And afterwards, nothing matters except that person’s relationship with God.

Ken Cayce: [S]ome describe the contents of the book as pessimistic, cynical, skeptical, hedonistic, or agnostic, and picture the author as a man of doubt who has wandered far from God.

Sometimes, a commentator will begin with a good observation of this chapter of the Bible.

Brief, but insightful observations of Ecclesiastes (various commentators)

Brian Bell Commentary: Solomon devoted his life to answering life questions like, What is the meaning of life? What is existence all about? Is life worth living? 

Bell continues:

1.      This is the answer if you hold to a worldview of Humanism.

2.      This is a negative argument to demonstrate a profound truth.

3.      This is not a pessimistic book but a realistic book.

4.      To learn the true meaning of life you must...1st view life apart from God in all its futility. Then, fold in God-connectedness & then life will mean something.

Pastor John Griffith: Ecclesiastes is one of the favorite books of the Bible for skeptics, scoffers, atheists, and certain cultists. Reason is that certain passages in this book seem to deny that there is life after death. Hedonists love this book too, because it seemingly endorses a rather epicurean lifestyle. Those who pursue pleasure as the chief aim of life love the book because throughout it we are frequently exhorted to an "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we must die" philosophy. But all of these groups fail to note what we must observe right from the beginning: this book is an examination of secular wisdom and knowledge. The book clearly states at the outset that it is limiting itself to that which is apparent to the natural mind, that is human viewpoint. Ecclesiastes is the findings of what humans are able to discern "under the sun," by which the writer means the visible world.

The Open Bible: The book of Ecclesiastes...declares...[that] nothing can fill the Gfod-shaped voice in man’s life but God himself...[not] power, popularity, prestige or pleasure.

The Open Bible continues: Once seen from God’s perspective, life takes on meaning and purpose, causing Solomon to exclaim, “Eat...drink...enjoy life...do right...fear God...obey his commands.” Skepticism and despair melt away when life is viewed as a daily gift from God. The Open Bible included give generously; but I do not recall that as being a part of God’s perspective in this book. If I later find out that I am wrong, then I will change this

The NIV Study Bible: With his life largely behind him, the author takes stock of the world as he has experienced it between the horizons of birth and death—the latter a horizon beyond which man cannot see. The world is seen as being full of enigmas, the greatest of which is man himself.

Pastor John Griffith: [The book of Ecclesiastes is often seen as] nihilistic, fatalistic, skeptical, cynical or materialistic.

Pastor John Griffith: To the twentieth-century "man in the street," life is a puzzle. He feels that he, like his culture, has become plastic. For just as plastic now symbolizes the chief achievement of research, technocracy, and massive sales and distribution agencies, so also plastic people feel themselves to be the fruit of sociological research and constant manipulation by economic, political, social, and religious technocracies. Life has lost its zip. Meanwhile his universe grows silent as he turns away from God, and twentieth-century man is gripped by an inexplicable loneliness. Is there no one home in the universe? Truth with a capital T continues to disappear, almost in direct proportion to the disappearance of God from modern thought. "All is relative," goes the slogan, and that is the only absolute left. Ecclesiastes is the best news around for such baffled modern men. It is the book for men who want to live again-now. It is the working man's book: it answers his boredom with the routine of joylessly eating, drinking, and earning a paycheck. Ecclesiastes has as its central concern that basic hunger of men to see if the totality of life fits into a meaningful pattern.

The Bible Illustrator: This book has been called the sphinx of the Bible, a not unapt name, for the book is grave, majestic, mysterious. Whatever its meaning be, it contradicts itself in the most flagrant way, looked at from every standpoint bug one. The book is clearly the record of a debate either between two men—one of them smitten with unbelief and despair, the other filled with conviction and hope; or more probably between two men in some one man—two parts of the same soul.

Expositor’s Bible Commentary: In accordance with the rules of his art, the dramatic preacher brings himself on the stage of his poem, permits us to hear his most penetrating and characteristic utterances, confesses his own most secret and inward experiences, and thus enables us to conceive and to judge him. He is true to his artistic canons from the outset. His prologue, unlike that of the Book of Job, is cast in the dramatic form. Instead of giving us a clear statement of the moral problem he is about to discuss, he opens with the characteristic utterances of the man who, wearied with many futile endeavours, gathers up his remaining strength to recount the experiments he has tried and the conclusion he has reached.

David Guzik: The Book of Ecclesiastes is one of the most unusual and perhaps most difficult to understand books of the Bible. It has a spirit of hopeless despair; it has no praise or peace; it seems to promote questionable conduct. Yet these words of the Preacher show us the futility and foolishness of a life lived without an eternal perspective.

David Guzik: In the search for this answer, the Preacher will search the depths of human experience, including despair. He will thoroughly examine the emptiness and futility of live lived without eternity before coming to the conclusion of the necessity of eternity.

Eaton: He does not come as a formal philosopher; it is a word from God he has to share, despite his reflective low-key approach. He does not present half-a-dozen arguments for the existence of God. Instead he picks up our own questions. Can you cope with life without having any idea where you are going? You don’t have all the answers to life’s enigmas, do you? Your neo-pagan view of life doesn’t give you any hope of achieving very much, does it? Nature will not answer your questions, and you are bored by it anyway. History baffles your attempts to understand it. You don’t like to think about your own death; yet it is the most certain fact about your existence.

David Guzik: These are definitely the words of the Preacher, but in this apologetically oriented sermon his focus on God is indirect.

Eaton: It makes no mention of Yahweh, the Lord, the name of the God of Israel’s covenant faith. It scarcely refers to the law of God, the only possible reference being in Eccles. 12:13. It scarcely refers to the nation of Israel (only in Eccles. 1:12). Why these omissions? The answer seems to be that the Preacher’s argument stands on its own feet and does not depend on Israel’s covenant faith to be valid. He is appealing to universally observable facts.

Ray Stedman: Nothing in itself, the Searcher claims, will satisfy. No thing, no pleasure, no relationship, nothing he found had enduring value in life. That is why my sub-title for this study is, "The Things That Won't Work." Everybody is trying to make them work; everybody has seized on one or another of these philosophies, these views of life, and tries to make it satisfy him. But according to this Searcher, who has gone through it all, nothing will work. When he says, "Vanity of vanities, emptiness of emptiness," that is the Hebrew way of declaring the superlative. There is nothing more empty, this man concludes, than life.

We need to know who the people are who populate this chapter.

The Principals of the Book of Ecclesiastes

Characters

Biographical Material

Solomon

Solomon is the human author of the book of Ecclesiastes, a topic to be discussed in great detail further down.

God

God is presented as a concept, as the Creator, but not as much as a personal God Who interacts with us personally.

We need to know where this chapter takes place. I may need to eliminate this one.

The Places of Ecclesiastes

Place

Description

Jerusalem

The name of Jerusalem is incidental to this study. It is used to identify Solomon as the author.

Israel

The nation Israel is also incidental to this study, helping to identify the author more than anything else. Although the Old Testament Bible was primarily written and preserved by sons of Israel; there is a universality in the search that Solomon embarks upon in this book (and all of the books of the Old and New Testaments have application to all mankind).

By the Numbers

Item

Date; duration; size; number

The date this book was written:

Arend Reamers (Sutcliffe Bible Commentary): King Solomon ruled around 970 to 931 BC. The book of Ecclesiastes must therefore date from the end of this period.

Under the sun.

This phrase is found 28 times in the ESV (in 26 verses). The KJV has this phrase 29 times (in 27 different verses). This phrase is found nowhere else in the Bible.

Striving after wind.

This exact phrase is found 9 times in the ESV; and only in Ecclesiastes. In the KJV, this is translation a vexation of spirit and found 9 time in Ecclesiastes and once in Isaiah.

All is vanity.

This phrase is found 5 times in the ESV (and the KJV) and nowhere else in the Bible.

Vanity, vanities.

The word vanity is found 31 times in the ESV and only 3 times elsewhere in the Bible. Vanities is found twice, only in Ecclesiastes.

The Name of the Book of Ecclesiastes (Ron Snider)

1)      The name of the book is found in the first verse of the book and is commonly known as tl,h,äqo (qoheleth).

2)      The masculine noun is derived from the verbal root lh;q' (qahal), which conveys the idea of assembling without regard to why the assembly was convened.

3)      The form is actually a qal feminine participle, which is not attested in Hebrew literature; how ever, the niphal (gather together, congregate) and the hiphil (to convene an assembly) are used.

4)      This had led most to conclude that the feminine is an abstract, which in broad terms refers to one who has something to do with an assembly or congregation, perhaps one who calls an assembly.

5)      Therefore, various interpretations have been advanced, such as a collector/assembler of sayings, one that convokes of an assembly, or speaker to an assembly.

6)      The last two translations underlie the translation of the Hebrew term in the Septuagint, which is the Greek masculine noun evkklhsiasth,j (ekklesiastes), also denoting one who is somehow related to a congregation.

7)      The best explanation would then indicate that the term is abstract, indicates an office associated with an assembly, and that it is likely not a proper name.

From Makarios Bible Church (this will open as a Word document on your computer); accessed June 16, 2018 (slightly edited).

By far, the majority of commentators believe Solomon to have written Ecclesiastes.

General discussion of the authorship of Ecclesiastes (various commentators)

The Cambridge Bible: It is noticeable that the name of Solomon is not mentioned as it is in the titles of the other two books ascribed to him (Prov. 1:1; Song of Songs. 1:1).

The College Press Bible Study: Views vary sharply concerning the actual author of Ecclesiastes, but there is little doubt that Solomon fits this description. The name “Solomon” never appears in the book. This does not mean, however, that he is thus discounted as the author. The Jewish tradition held to the Solomonic authorship as did most non-Jewish writers until Hugo Grotius argued against this possibility in 1644 A.D. Since that time modern critics have woven fanciful theories concerning possible authors. Even among conservative writers, there is an uncertainty as to whom the book should be ascribed. Recent tendencies, however, on the part of conservative scholars fashion a return to the more traditional view that Solomon wrote the book.

Arno Gaebelein: [The author of Ecclesiastes] had given himself to wisdom. He possessed unusual wisdom. The king was what we would term today a great scientist. He excelled in wisdom all the children of the East country. Proverbial in his days was “the wisdom of Egypt”; yet his wisdom was greater. His fame was in all nations round about. Philosophy and poetry were his great achievements. “And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall; he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things and of fishes” 1 Kings 4:299, etc.). He was a great botanist, an ornithologist and zoologist. He traced God’s wonders in nature, that which the natural man can so easily do. But what about all this wisdom? Did it satisfy his soul? We listen to his answer: “I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.” The more knowledge the more sorrow.

B. H. Carroll on the authorship of Ecclesiastes: So Solomon wrote this book when he was an old man, from the viewpoint of experience, old age, and penitence; it is a formal discourse, or sermon, the text of which is "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity" (Eccles. 1:2) and the object of it was to search out what good thing the sons of men should do all the days of their life (Eccles. 2:3). The whole book is given to this one thought.

Carroll continues: Some of the various ideas of the author of this book are as follows: Some say that he was an Epicurean; others that he was a dyspeptic; yet others, that he was a skeptic, a Stoic, or an atheist; but to the closer student the plan of the book becomes plain.

Carroll continues: The book, as a philosophical treatise, contains a discussion of every perplexing question of today. This book fairly represents the struggles of every schoolboy who thinks. Its teaching is that in this life there is but one true philosophy and shows that we are living in a world which is under a curse. Compare Rom. 8:20 ff.

Carroll concludes: There is one caution as to its interpretation, viz: Withhold your verdict till the evidence is all in, because in it all theories are tried and the conclusion explains these results. In connection with this book, the book of Job and Psalm 73 should be studied. The author adopts wisdom as the means to try out all the theories of life.

David Guzik on style: When Solomon wrote this, he did so in a style understood and appreciated in his day. “The particular brand of wisdom that characterizes Ecclesiastes is well attested in the ancient world. We may call it ‘pessimism literature’. Ecclesiastes is the only biblical example of this old literary tradition.” (Eaton).

Eaton then gives an example of this: In an Egyptian work, The Man Who Was Tired of Life, written between 2300 and 2100 bc, a man disputed with his soul whether life was worth living or whether suicide was the only logical act. ‘Life is a transitory state,’ he complained to himself; ‘you are alive but what profit do you get? Yet you yearn for life like a man of wealth.’ Death is ‘a bringer of weeping’; never again afterwards will a man ‘see the sun’. Little can be done. ‘Follow the happy day and forget care.

In the sources that I depend upon, I did not come upon very many who contested Solomon’s authorship. It is possible that this was an 18^th or 19^th century phenomenon (from era to era, some odd ideas seem to reign supreme in the general thinking).

Solomon is not the author (various commentators)

Arno Gaebelein (quoting someone else): the fact that Solomon is not the author, but is introduced in a literary figure, has become such an axiom of the present day interpretation of the book, that no extended argument to prove it is necessary.

This is not Gaebelein’s view, by the way. He writes: Such presumptions spring from ignorance about the message of the book. We shall find in the text the above assertions refuted and a confirmation likewise of the Solomonic authorship.

Arend Reamers (Sutcliffe Bible Commentary): No author's name is mentioned in the book of Ecclesiastes. Already old Jewish tradition says that King Solomon is the author of this book of the Bible. And yet Solomon's authorship has many a times been doubted at for two reasons. Firstly for language reasons and secondly because the name Jehovah does not appear in the book. Both reasons however are neither sound nor compelling.

Aaron Sturgill offers up the most options: 1. Liberal view—the book was written by three men (preacher, wise man and skeptic)

2. Catholic view—musings or thoughts of a rational man attempting to reason himself to God. Man, if given enough data and evidence, can think himself into a corner where only God is.

3. Many more modern scholars [Margoliouth, Burkitt, Zimmerman (1945), Delitzch (late 1800’s)] thought the book was originally written in Aramaic and then translated in Hebrew. This thought dates the book in the third century BC. Obviously then the author would not be Solomon.

4. Some believe that it would have been unusual for Solomon to write 1:12 (I … was king over Israel) since Solomon was the king until the day he died.

5. Some believe that the book has a pseudonymous author. This position would state that the author wanted to offer the book a Solomonic feel, but was not truly written by Solomon.

6. There are a myriad of other extremely unconvincing arguments in favor of non-Solomonic authorship.

At least one commentator is quit dogmatic about this. Scott: states that claiming Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes is ‘like claiming that a book about Marxism in modern English idiom and spelling was written by Henry VIII 

It may well be that this is a generational thing, as Franz Delitzsch, from the 19^th century, wrote: If the book of Koheleth were of old Solomonic origin, then there is no history to the Hebrew language.

Kaiser then tells us that Fredericks devoted a careful inspection of all the linguistic arguments for dating the book late and concluded that they were unpersuasive.

Gleason L. Archer discusses one of those arguments: The chief argument against the authenticity of Ecclesiastes as a work of the historic Solomon is drawn from the data of linguistics. It is urged that the language and vocabulary of this book differ markedly from other tenth-century b.c. works composed in Hebrew and contains many terms found in Aramaic documents (such as Daniel and the Talmud) or in late biblical or postbiblical Hebrew (such as Esther, Nehemiah and the Mishnah). Delitzsch drew up a list of ninety-six words, forms, and expressions found no- where else in the Bible except in Exilic and post-Exilic books like Ezra, Esther, Nehemiah, Chronicles, Malachi, or the Mishnah. Zoeckler claimed that there are Aramaisms in almost every verse, but Hengstenberg found only ten demonstrable Aramaisms in the entire twelve chapters. From the standpoint of possible political and social allusions, the fifth century b.c. is suggested as a possible time of composition. But these scholars fail to discuss the prob- lem that Ecclesiastes no more resembles fifth-century Hebrew works than it does those of the tenth century (apart from the Song of Solomon and Proverbs).

That is not to say that Ecclesiastes is not without its peculiarities in this realm. James Muilenberg (“A Qohelet

Scroll from Qumran,” Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 135 [October 1954]: 20) comments on the discovery of mid-second-century fragments of Ecclesiastes discovered in Qumran Cave Four: “Linguistically the book is unique. There is no question that its language has many striking peculiarities; these have been explained by some to be late Hebrew (discussed by Margoliouth and Gordis) or which the language of the Mishnah is said to offer more than adequate support (a contention effectively answered ... in the Jewish Encyclopedia V, 33, where he points out the linguistic affinities of Qohelet with the Phoenician inscriptions, e.g., Eshmunazar, Tabnith). The Aramaic cast of the language has long been recognized, but only within recent years has its Aramaic provenance been claimed and supported in any detail (F. Zimmerman, C.C. Torrey, H.L. Ginsburg) . . . Dahood was written on Canaanite-Phoenician influences in Qohelet, defending the thesis that the book of Ecclesiastes was originally composed by an author who wrote in Hebrew but was influenced by Phœnician spelling, grammar and vocabulary, and who shows heavy Canaanite-Phœnician literary influence ( Biblica 33, 1952, pp. 35-52, 191-221).

Archer then comments: In weighing the force of the linguistic argument, it should be noted that a comprehensive survey of all the data—including vocabulary, morphology, syntax, and style—indicates that the text of Ecclesiastes does not resemble the literary style or vocabulary of any book of the Hebrew Bible, or indeed of any later Hebrew work pre- served to us up into the second century b.c., when the earliest fragments of Ecclesiastes from Qumran are to be dated paleographically. The sole exception would be the apocryphal Book of Ecclesiasticus, which is admittedly composed by an author (Jesus ben Sirach) who was profoundly influ- enced by Qohelet and tried to imitate its style and approach in many passages.

Can this be explained? Certainly. Solomon was exploring the wisdom and religious literature of the cultures around him and this study in itself would have influenced his vocabulary, style and language.

Archer also suggests that this book is likely placed in the style of wisdom literature of that era. If one studies many books of that genre, it is not surprising that he would assume the style of the authors he is reading. Bear in mind, Solomon could explore basically any literature available at the time. He was willing and able to pay for it to be brought to him.

Archer goes into much greater detail here, on pages 257–258; I don’t see the point in going into more detail on this.

Here is a criticism which I can sure make of my own work: sometimes, you just spend far too much time on this or that topic. When it comes right down to it, how important is it that Solomon is or is not the author of Ecclesiastes? From time to time, it helps us out or gives us some perspective, but I rather think that the book stands on its own, with or without the author’s identity. That being said, I believe you will concur, after reading further, that Solomon is clearly the author.

Because of the nature of my work, I do not have to edit myself (although, there may be a time in the future that I will go back and edit out 20% at least of every chapter I have exegeted). However, this is very important for the pastor-teacher. I know from my own work, if a pastor-teacher wanted to spend 10 years teaching the book of Genesis, they clearly could do that. However, that may not be what is right for his congregation. The pastor-teacher needs to consider very carefully the material he is teaching. For instance, a pastor-teacher could easily devote 2 or 3 sermons to the authorship of Ecclesiastes, but, why bother? How edifying can that be? Enough of that doctrine can be taught as a 5 or 8 point doctrine; and then move on to the next thing.

James Burton Coffman: Many scholars, of course, deny that Solomon is the author here; but in the light of the obvious fact that not any of such `scholars' even pretends to know who did write it, it is clear that none of them has any significant contribution to add to what is written here. We take it for what it says.

Some of the scholars who reject Solomon as the author: Delitzsch, Hengstenberg, Leupold, Young, Zoeckler.

Interestingly enough, Solomon lists himself as the author of Proverbs and of the Song of Songs (Prov. 1:1 SoS 1:1); but his name does not occur specifically in the book of Ecclesiastes.

Solomon is the author of Ecclesiastes (various commentators)

Arno Gaebelein: [The author] tells us...[about] himself. “Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem; yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” Is this language not sufficient to establish beyond the shadow of the doubt that Solomon speaks? And if not Solomon, who was it who dared to write these words? 

James Burton Coffman: "Words of the Preacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem" (Ecclesiastes 1:1). These words identify Solomon as the author of Ecclesiastes. This verse is supplemented by Ecclesiastes 1:12 in the words, "over Israel," a word which includes all of the Chosen People; and this limits the identification to Solomon, because he is the only "son of David" that ever ruled over the entire Israel in Jerusalem. If anything else had been intended as the meaning here, the words would have read, "Over Judah in Jerusalem." 

Ray Stedman: First, we learn that the writer is, "the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem." We immediately recognize that that could refer to no one but King Solomon. "The son of David" could refer to any descendant of David who sat on the throne after him, but this particularly relates to Solomon, as several things in the book will confirm.

Stedman continues: Many of the critical commentators of our day question that view, and very few of them accept it. They try to date the book after the Babylonian exile, some 500 years after Solomon lived. That is the habitual stance of critics of the Old Testament. But their views have been proved wrong again and again, based, as they think they are, upon an examination of the culture of the day. I think, however, that we shall have no problem accepting the fact that it is indeed Solomon who shares with us in this book the wisdom that God taught him throughout his life.

Arend Reamers (Sutcliffe Bible Commentary): In Ecclesiastes chap. 1:1+12 the author calls himself son of David and king in Jerusalem. In verse 16 he speaks of his great wisdom which according to 1 Kings 3:12; 1 Kings 4:2 f; 10:1 only King Solomon had. In Ecclesiastes 12:9 he mentions that he set in order many proverbs. This fact also speaks for Solomon only (see 1 Kings 4:32; Proverbs 1:1).

Reamers continues: Various expressions in Ecclesiastes would indicate that Solomon wrote the book only in old age (Ecclesiastes 1:12-18; Ecclesiastes 2:1-11; Ecclesiastes 11:9-10; Ecclesiastes 12:1-7). This is where the author reviews a long life and all his thoughts and deeds and where he is warning youth and points to old age.

Gleason L. Archer: [The author of Ecclesiastes] refers to his unrivaled wisdom (1:16), his unsurpassed wealth (2:8), his tremendous retinue of servants (2:7), his unlimited opportunities for carnal pleasure (2:3), and his very extensive building projects. No other descendant of David measures up to these specifications except Solomon, David’s immediate successor.

The targum: The words of the prophecy, which Choheleth prophesied; the same is Solomon, son of David the king, who was in Jerusalem. For when Solomon, king of Israel, saw by the spirit of prophecy that the kingdom of Rehoboam his son was about to be divided with Jeroboam, the son of Nebat; and the house of the sanctuary was about to be destroyed, and the people of Israel sent into captivity; he said in his word - Vanity of vanities is all that I have labored, and David my father; they are altogether vanity.

The College Press Bible Study: An overwhelming amount of evidence within Ecclesiastes sustains the contention for Solomonic authorship. The following list of internal evidence, consistent with Solomon and his day, is offered as worthy of serious consideration: (1) Verse one identified Solomon precisely; (2) The statement in Eccles. 1:12 requires that the author be identified as a king in Jerusalem over Israel; (3) The extensive and elaborate experiments recorded in chapters one and two required wealth and opportunity available only to one of Solomon’s greatness; (4) References such as Eccles. 1:16 necessitate an authoritative position and identifies Jerusalem as the base of activity; (5) Collaborating evidence from I Kings, Song of Solomon, Nehemiah, and I Chronicles complements the information of Eccles. 2:1–9 and thus confirms our contention; (6) The inequities identified with the close of Solomon’s reign along with the social conditions created by his desire for self enjoyment are in harmony with the descriptions of Eccles. 4:1–6 and Eccles. 5:8; (7) The allusion in Eccles. 4:13 to an old and foolish king (Solomon) and one who has come out of prison (Jeroboam’s return from his exile in Egypt) to replace the king, fits the closing days of Solomon’s reign explicitly; (8) A final reference noted is found in Eccles. 12:9 where the author of Ecclesiastes has searched out and arranged many proverbs. This is in harmony with 1Kings 4:32 where it is recorded that Solomon spoke three thousand proverbs.

Aaron Sturgill also offers up a liste of reasons: 1. Christians and Jews have traditionally (up to the 18th and 19th centuries) held that Solomon is the author of the book of Ecclesiastes. Much of this is based on the first verse . . . “the son of David, King in Jerusalem”

2. The natural reading of the book is going to lead one to strongly consider Solomon as the author.

3. 1:12 says that the speaker was king over Israel in Jerusalem. Solomon was the last king to rule in Jerusalem over all of Israel. Following Solomon’s rule the kingdom was divided and ruling in Jerusalem would have allowed one to only rule Judah.

4. 12:9 establishes that the author arranged many proverbs. We know that Solomon wrote many of the proverbs in the book of Proverbs.

5. While some want to deny Solomonic authorship due to 1:12, it would make sense that Solomon wrote from that perspective as an old man looking back on his life.

6. Becoming the teacher in this book allows Solomon to set aside the mantle of king and take on the mantle of sage or wise man. Therefore the wisdom of Ecclesiastes is the advice of a wise man not the pronouncement of a monarch..

B. H. Carroll:

1.      The book purports to be the product of Solomon.

2.     History compared with the book itself proves it. 1Kings 3:12; 1Kings 4:29–34 speaks of Solomon's wisdom. The author claims to have the wisdom he has spoken of (Eccles. 1:16). 1Kings 4:20–28 and 1Kings 10:23–27 tell of Solomon's riches. Compare Eccles. 2:1–11.

3.      Whoever reads this book and the Song of Solomon can see clearly that the author of one of these books is the author of the other also.

4.      There is no historical evidence of any Jew living in the time assigned by the radical critics that fills the place.

5.      There is nothing in the style to contradict the authorship of Solomon.

B. H. Carroll offers up the objections to Solomon’s authorship, and his replies:

The objections to the commonly accepted date and authorship urged by the radical critics are:

1.     The tense of the verb in Eccles. 1:12 is past and therefore could not refer to Solomon because he reigned in Jerusalem until his death. The reply to this objection is that it is in the past tense because he is now about to give his past experience during his long reign as king in Jerusalem.

2.      In the same verse is a reference to Jerusalem which indicates a divided kingdom and therefore must be later than Solomon's time. The reply to this is that Jerusalem is here specified, as opposed to David who reigned both in Hebron and Jerusalem. "King of Israel in Jerusalem" implies that he reigned over Israel and Judah combined; whereas David, at Hebron, reigned only over Judah and not until he was settled in Jerusalem, over both Israel and Judah.

3.      The words used in the book belong to a later date than the time of Solomon. The reply to this is that the roots of these words have all been found in Genesis and other Hebrew writings before the time of Solomon.

4.      The condition of the people was incompatible with the time of Solomon, the reply to which is, "Not so."

5.     The difference in the style in this book and Proverbs and the Song of Solomon. But the difference in subject matter justifies the difference in style. Also it must be remembered that Proverbs and the Song were written while Solomon was young, and this book when he was old and wearied with life (Eccles. 2:17).

Clarke: It has also been conjectured from this, that if the book were written by Solomon, it was intended to be a posthumous publication. “I that was king, still continue to preach and instruct you.” Those who suppose the book to have been written after Solomon’s fall, think that he speaks thus through humility. “I was once worthy of the name of king: but I fell into all evil; and, though recovered, I am no longer worthy of the name.” I am afraid this is not solid.

The Authorship of Ecclesiastes (by Dr. Peter Pett)

The identity of the author is somewhat restricted by the following facts:

1).     The author’s name is nowhere mentioned. This militates against Solomon because he was so well known and so influential that had he written it his name would surely have been attached to it, as it was to other writings connected with him, such as the Song of Solomon and part of Proverbs.

2).    The official title ‘king in Jerusalem’ in Eccles. 1:1 (see context) fits strangely with Solomon who is usually called ‘king of Israel’. It is true that in Eccles. 1:12 the title is extended to ‘king over Israel in Jerusalem’ but this only tends to emphasise the point. The ‘in Jerusalem’ is clearly the main emphasis. It may indicate that there were rival kings (or a prince–regent who was also called king) at the time so that there was a king ‘in somewhere else’, or that he was an under–king under an Overlord, but it does not indicate the all powerful, despotic ruler of a large empire like Solomon.

3).    In Eccles. 1:16 the author says that he ‘had increased in knowledge over all who were before him in Jerusalem’. If this refers to ‘all kings’ then the writer could clearly not have been Solomon, for it is very unlikely that previous Canaanite kings were in mind. It is feasible that it refers to a group of wisdom teachers gathered by David. On the other hand we might well feel that the impression given is that the author was looking back on a longish tradition of wise men or wise kings.

4).    In Eccles. 1:12 the writer says, ‘I Qoheleth WAS (hayithi) king in Jerusalem.’ That seems to suggest that he no longer was so. That is one reason why Uzziah has been mooted, for he became a leper and could therefore have been seen as ceasing to be king in Jerusalem as a result of his isolation. And his isolation could well have turned him to an expression of religious philosophy. It could also be seen as true of Manasseh for a period when he was carried off to Babylon. No doubt other kings could have fitted into the pattern. Alternatively it may simply indicate a period of retirement in old age when his son had been left to hold the reins of the kingdom, in which case the king is unidentifiable due to insufficient historical evidence. But it would appear to exclude Solomon, for there is no suggestion that his son was ever co–regent.

On the other hand it may simply mean that he did what he did while he was king, without necessarily signifying that he had now ceased to be king, with what had ceased being his search for truth, not his reign. In other words he had done it while he was king in Jerusalem, but had now ceased to do it.

5).    More importantly the background of the book does not fit into the age of Solomon. It appears to have been written in a time of misery and vanity (Eccles. 1:2–11) when the splendour that was Solomon’s had departed (Eccles. 1:12 to Eccles. 2:26). It appears to have in mind a dark period for Israel (Eccles. 3:1–15), when injustice and violence were common and nothing was being done about it (Eccles. 4:1–3). That seems to exclude the magnificence of the time of Solomon.

6).     The Hebrew in which the book is written does not, in the view of many scholars, appear to favour the time of Solomon for it is seen to be of a later style, although the presence of Aramaisms is not to be seen as indicating a late date, as Aramaisms were present at Ugarit. The grammar would appear to be of a much later period than Solomon, and many examples are cited. Arguments from style are, however, notoriously equivocal and should be treated cautiously because of the limited material at our disposal.

All these reasons, and especially 3) and 5), appear to militate against Solomonic authorship. But it does not affect the importance and truth of what follows in the slightest.

Dr. Peter Pett; Commentary Series on the Bible; from e-sword, Eccles. 1:1–3.

Authorship and Date of Ecclesiastes (Ron Snider)

1)      The author identifies himself as the son of David, king over Israel in Jerusalem, and an exceedingly wise and wealthy man. Eccles. 1:1, 12,16, 2:8

2)      Since the kingdom was divided following the reign of Solomon, he would be the only person that could fulfill both of the first two requirements. 1Kings 4:1

3)      Additionally, what we know about Solomon from biblical and extra-biblical sources would readily corroborate these two requirements. 1Kings 3:5-13, 10:1ff,23; Josephus Antiquities VIII. 1 “And when Solomon his son, who was but a youth in age, had taken the kingdom, and whom David had declared, while he was alive, the lord of that people, according to God's will; when he sat upon the throne, the whole body of the people made joyful acclamations to him, as is usual at the beginning of a reign; and wished that all his affairs might come to a blessed conclusion; and that he might arrive at a great age, and at the most happy state of affairs possible.” VIII.7.3 “Accordingly there went a great fame all around the neighboring countries, which proclaimed the virtue and wisdom of Solomon, insomuch that all the kings every where were desirous to see him, as not giving credit to what was reported, on account of its being almost incredible: they also demonstrated the regard they had for him by the pres ents they made him; for they sent him vessels of gold, and silver, and purple garments, and many sorts of spices, and horses, and chariots, and as many mules for his carriages as they could find proper to please the king's eyes, by their strength and beauty.”

4)      Since we accept the fact that Solomon actually composed this book, the date would have to come sometime during his reign over Israel. 970-930 b.c.

5)      The language of the book indicates that this was composed toward the end of Solomon’s reign, when he would have had the time and prosperity to do all the things he says he did. Eccles. 1:13-14,16, 2:4-10

6)      Further, the natural reading of many of his statements suggests a wealth of experience, an understanding of both youth and old age, and one who seen life in all its facets. Eccles. 1:8, 7:15, 11:10, 12:1,12

7)      Therefore, this book would have been composed toward the end of his life, 940-930 b.c.

1.      In spite of these obvious facts, most modern scholars now regard Solomon’s authorship of this book as purely fictional.

         1)      Some suggest that the book was written by some unknown author and based only on the experiences and insights of the historic Solomon.

         2)      Supposed allusions to the misfortunes of the Jews through the time of the Babylonian exile and the alleged late characteristics of the language have caused many to assign a date anywhere between the 5^th century b.c. and the 3^rd century b.c.

         3)      Therefore, they assign this book a late date and assert that one or more anonymous authors composed it, who merely adopted the identity of the king.

         4)      There are a number of other elaborate hypotheses concerning the authorship of this book, with some seeing as few as one writer, some seeing two or three, and some postulating that there were five or more.

2.      One of the primary complaints respecting Solomon’s authorship focuses on the nature of the language in the book, which we acknowledge is unusual; in fact, it differs from every other book in the Old Testament, no matter when they were composed.

         1)      There is no question that the language of the book is unusual; the vocabulary, grammar, and style are dissimilar to any of the late books such as Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, or Malach I.

         2)      We would suggest that one reason for the peculiar language and style of the book is found in the fact that it is unique as a book of personal reflection and philosophy, which has no parallel in the Old Testament.

         3)      One of the primary objections to an early date is the supposed affinity with the language of the Phoenicians, and the use of Aramaic and Persian loan words.

         4)      However, this may be readily explained by the fact that Solomon had extensive contacts with numerous other nations and cultures like Tyre, Egypt, Kue, and Sheba to name a few. 1Kings 4:34, 5:1, 9:16, 10:1, 11:1; IIChron. 1:16

         5)      Therefore, to find terms from these cultures in his writing would not be something completely unexpected given the cosmopolitan nature of his reign,. ¿Comprende, Mon Ami

3.      In spite of all these objections, there is nothing that demands more than a single writer (except perhaps for 12:9-12), who describes lifes as he has seen it, and who deliberately raises difficult and troubling issues to challenge and instruct his readers.

From Makarios Bible Church (this will open as a Word document on your computer); accessed June 16, 2018 (slightly edited).

References to the author in Ecclesiastes are entirely consistent with what we know about Solomon. Solomon’s description of himself in Ecclesiastes matches with the apparently 3^rd party description found in Kings. There is no other king who could be matched with the sefl-description given by the author of Ecclesiastes.

The ESV; capitalized is used below.

Harmony between Ecclesiastes and other information about Solomon

Ecclesiastes

Kings

Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. (Eccles. 12:9)

[Solomon] also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. (1Kings 4:32)

Eccles 1:16 I said in my heart, "I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge."

1Kings 4:29–31 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, so that Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all other men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame was in all the surrounding nations.

Kidner: There will come another enigmatic note in Eccles. 1:16, with its claim to a wisdom ‘surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me’. This rules out any successor to the matchless Solomon.

Eccles. 2:4 I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself.

Eccles. 2:5 I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees.

Eccles. 2:6 I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees.

1Kings 9:15 And this is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon drafted to build the house of the LORD and his own house and the Millo and the wall of Jerusalem and Hazor and Megiddo and Gezer

1Kings 9:16 (Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and captured Gezer and burned it with fire, and had killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and had given it as dowry to his daughter, Solomon's wife;

1Kings 9:17 so Solomon rebuilt Gezer) and Lower Beth-horon

1Kings 9:18 and Baalath and Tamar in the wilderness, in the land of Judah,

1Kings 9:19 and all the store cities that Solomon had, and the cities for his chariots, and the cities for his horsemen, and whatever Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.

Eccles. 2:7 I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem.

1Kings 10:21 All King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were of silver; silver was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon.

1Kings 10:22 For the king had a fleet of ships of Tarshish at sea with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the fleet of ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

Eccles. 2:8a I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces.

1Kings 4:21 Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

1Kings 10:11 Moreover, the fleet of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought from Ophir a very great amount of almug wood and precious stones.

1Kings 10:14 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold,

1Kings 10:15 besides that which came from the explorers and from the business of the merchants, and from all the kings of the west and from the governors of the land.

1Kings 10:16 King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold; 600 shekels of gold went into each shield.

1Kings 10:17 And he made 300 shields of beaten gold; three minas of gold went into each shield. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

Eccles. 2:8 I got...many concubines, the delight of the sons of man.

1Kings 11:3 He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart.

Eccles. 2:9 So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me.

1Kings 4:24 For he had dominion over all the region west of the Euphrates from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kings west of the Euphrates. And he had peace on all sides around him.

1Kings 4:34 And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.

1Kings 10:23 Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom.

Biographical material on Solomon (various commentators)

The Open Bible: The teacher, traditionally taken to be Solomon,...[is] the wisest, richest, most influential king in Israel’s history.

Ken Cayce: Solomon’s reputation for possessing extraordinary wisdom fits the Ecclesiastes profile. David recognized his son’s wisdom (1 Kings 2:6, and 9), before God gave Solomon an additional measure. After he received a “wise and discerning heart” from the Lord (1 Kings 3:7-12), Solomon gained renown for being exceedingly wise by rendering insightful decisions (1 Kings 3:16-28), a reputation that attracted “all the kings of the earth” to his courts (1 Kings 4:34), In addition, he composed songs and proverbs (1 Kings 4:32; compare 12:9), activity befitting only the ablest of sages. Solomon’s wisdom, like Job’s wealth, surpassed the wisdom “of all the sons of the east” (1 Kings 4:30; Job 1:3).

Keith Simons provides a basic biography of Solomon: was Israel’s greatest king, and he made his country wealthy. He was wise, and he became famous.

We may consider that Solomon achieved great things in his life. Certainly, Solomon worked hard and his efforts seemed successful (Ecclesiastes 2:4-9). But the Book of Ecclesiastes tells us the truth about Solomon’s life. That is, it shows us God’s opinion about Solomon’s greatness.

Towards the end of his life, Solomon was not loyal to God. Formerly, Solomon had a close relationship with God. But Solomon lost that, and he even began to serve false gods (1 Kings 11:7-10).

And after Solomon’s death, the things that he had achieved did not last. There were wars and great troubles in Israel. The country lost much of its wealth, and the new king lost much of his authority.

Even such a great man as Solomon could achieve nothing that lasted. He seemed such a powerful man, but in God’s opinion, Solomon’s best efforts were very weak. They were as weak as Solomon’s own breath, because, in the end, Solomon was just a man. And all people must die.

The Wells of Living Water Commentary: Solomon was God's servant. He had a checkered experience. He first sought wisdom from the hand of God. This was given him, and with it he was given wealth. Solomon did not, however, profit by his. gifts.

God, long before, had said of Israel's king: "He shall not multiply horses to himself." But "Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen." "And they brought unto Solomon horses out of Egypt, and out of all lands."

God had said of Israel's king: "Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away." "But King Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; * * concerning which the Lord said * * 'Ye shall not go in to them, * * for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.' Solomon clave unto these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart."

God had said of Israel's king: "Neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold." But Solomon made "silver to be in Jerusalem as stones."

No wonder that "Solomon was not perfect with the Lord his God." No wonder that "Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord." No wonder that "The Lord was angry with Solomon," and that in later years the kingdom was rent from him.

Short Profiles of Solomon (various commentators)

J. Vernon McGee give his own profile of Solomon: Solomon in the Book of Proverbs gives us gems of wisdom. In Ecclesiastes he gives us...folly. Then in the Song of Solomon love is the subject. Wisdom, foolishness, and love — Solomon was an expert in all three fields. He knew how to play the fool; he was wise in government; and his love life was quite a story. Solomon was the wisest of men, but no man ever played the fool more thoroughly than he did. He is the riddle of revelation. He is the paradox of Scripture. The wisest man was the greatest fool. The Book of Ecclesiastes will reveal this.

The Open Bible: If the Teacher is identified as Solomon, Ecclesiastes was written from a unique vantage point, possessing the greatest mental, material and political resources ever combined in one man, he was qualified beyond all others to write this book.

Keith Krell: Solomon wrote three books of the Bible: Proverbs, Song of Solomon, and Ecclesiastes. He is considered the wisest and perhaps richest man that has ever lived. He had a fleet of ships that would bring gold to him every day from far off lands. Tragically, Solomon married a foreign woman, which was forbidden by God because of the temptation to be led astray spiritually. Ironically, it was this unwise decision to gain favor from different nations by taking foreign wives that diverted Solomon’s eyes from the one true God. Scripture records that he had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Truly, this diverted Solomon’s devotion, so that it is often said of him that he had a divided heart.

Krell continues: If we were to depict Solomon as someone more modern, he might be considered a mix between Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, Hugh Heffner, and Brad Pitt. In Ecclesiastes, what philosophical conclusions does this rich powerful genius come to after living a life with everything at his fingertips? We would expect Solomon’s sermon to be entitled “Seven Habits of Highly Successful Kings.” 

Steven Zeisler: Solomon, David's son, is our example of man's life experiences in the period between Adam and the coming of Christ and the gospel. Solomon is a perfect choice for this study. He had every advantage in life. He had a godly heritage, a brilliant intellect, wealth beyond counting, vast influence, and he ruled in a politically stable climate. In a worldly sense, Solomon was a shining example of humanity at its highest level.

Snider did an outstanding profile of Solomon.

Profile of Solomon (by Rick Snider)

A.      Solomon is writing this book after he has lived most of his life, which appears to have at least two distinct phases, and quite possibly a third.

B.      His youth, when he excelled as a believer (1Kings 3:3); Solomon was characterized by the desire for wisdom, which resulted in great blessing from God. 1Kings 3:5-15

         1.      He was quite vigorous in his youth and accomplished many things, not the least of which was the construction of the Temple. 1Kings 3:1

         2.      His wisdom was not limited to spiritual matters, but encompassed many intellectual disciplines including botany, zoology, and philosophy. 1Kings 4:33

         3.      The first half of his reign seems to be characterized by devotion to God and God’s blessing on him. 1Kings 9:10

         4.      It was during this time that he rendered his most celebrated decision regarding the two women and the baby. 1Kings 3:16-28

C.  It was around the middle of his reign that God appeared to him a second time, reiterating the blessings of continued obedience and warning of the consequences of future disobedience. 1Kings 9:2-9

         1.      His priorities did not seem to change immediately, as observed when he entertained the Queen of Sheba. 1Kings 10:1-3

         2.      It was during the latter half of his life that Solomon began to disregard the doctrine of separation and pursued things (boredom?) outside of God’s plan. 1Kings 4:26, 11:1-2

         3.      This led to the second phase, during which Solomon became involved in the pagan religious practices of his day. 1Kings 11:3-8

         4.      This resulted in Divine discipline, which God had warned Solomon would be the case. 1Kings 11:9-11

Some have postulated a brief third period in which Solomon recovered spiritually. If would seem that such is the case since he clearly seems to be directing his readers toward God and His plan. However, there is no real evidence of any spiritual recovery for Solomon recorded in the historical narrative.

Solomon’s early life and reign.

a.  Solomon was the tenth son of David (who had at least eight wives) and was David’s choice to replace him as king over Israel. 1Kings 1:30

b.  David had subdued neighboring nations, which showed themselves hostile to Israel; therefore, Solomon's long rule of forty years was threatened by no formidable enemies and was celebrated as an era of almost unbroken peace.

c.   This is likely anticipated in the name Solomon (hmo)l{v.--sh^elomoh), which is derived from the verb that means to be at peace, or be peaceful.

d.  Solomon fully believed that he was not only the choice of David his father, but was also God’s choice for the nation. 1Kings 2:24

e.  Initially, Solomon faced opposition from two of David’s closest advisors, Joab son of Zeruiah and the priest Abiathar, who sided with Adonijah. 1Kings 1:5,7

f.   When Adonijah came to Solomon and requested the king’s servant as a wife, Solomon recognized that this was a veiled attempt to take over his kingdom, and sent Benai ah to kill Adonijah. IISam. 23:20-23; 1Kings 2:17-25

g.  He banished Abiathar to the city of Anathoth (1Kings 2:26), followed his father’s last instructions to kill Joab (1Kings 2:29-34), and placed Shimei under house arrest until his failure to comply with Solomon’s terms. 1Kings 2:36-45

h.  Solomon thus overcame the last potential threats to his kingdom; he then appointed trusted servants of David to key military, governmental and religious posts. 1Kings 2:35

Foreign affairs under Solomon.

A.      His foreign policy was one that encouraged peace and friendship, as seen in his relationship with Hiram, king of Tyre. 1Kings 5:1,12

B.      Prior to his most famous request for wisdom, Solomon began his diplomatic career with a mistake that was common to many of the cultures of that time.

C.     He entered into an alliance with the reigning Pharaoh and cemented that alliance with a marriage to his daughter. 1Kings 3:1

D.     This was the first of many wives Solomon married for political reasons, and in doing so disregarded his father’s last words and God’s direct commands in the Mosaic Law. 1Kings 2:3; Ex. 34:12-16

E.      These political alliances were viewed as necessary in order to maintain peace in the kingdom, govern the outlying provinces, and solidify trade routes that would eventually bring enormous wealth into the kingdom. 1Kings 10:11,22

Domestic policy under Solomon

a.  The first thing Solomon clearly did was to eliminate his rivals, establishing and enforcing his authority, and begin an oriental type of centralized monarchy.

b.  He took steps to make the royal authority stronger, more efficient, and more far-reach ing.

c.   He sought to maintain the peace his father had achieved through warfare and subjugation, or through David’s treaties and alliances.

d.  It seems that Solomon’s administration did not follow the somewhat lax reign of David over domestic matters, but was more stern and authoritarian.

e.  The division of Israel into twelve administrative districts, which did not always cor-respond to the old tribal territories, weakened tribal loyalties. 1Kings 4:7

f.   Each district was supervised by a royal official, who was also responsible for provisioni ng the royal household during one month of the year.

g.  The construction of the Temple, together with a palace complex, government buildings, and storage cities, required the frequent levying of taxes and a program of forc ed labor. 1Kings 4:6, 5:13, 9:15

h.  This again led to increased exertion of authority by the central government; the complete subjugation of the Canaanites caused them to bear the main portion of this burden. 1Kings 9:15-21

i.    The chariot cities served to protect the trade that flowed through Palestine from plac es such as Egypt, Arabia, Phoenicia, and Cilicia (Kue). 1Kings 10:26

j.    In cooperation with the Phoenicians of Tyre, Solomon built a trading fleet to exploit and profit from the Red Sea area. 1Kings 9:26-28, 10:22

k.   Some have suggested that the hard questions that the Queen of Sheba traveled a thousand miles from southwest Arabia to ask Solomon were connected with Solomon's monopoly of trade in this area.

l.    Solomon went beyond any ancient monarch in the luxury of the harem, which was comprised of an enormous number of wives (700) and concubines (300); however, this was a direct violation of the Mosaic Law. Deut. 17:17; 1Kings 11:3

m. Further, he multiplied horses in direct violation of the Mosaic injunction not to do so. Deut. 17:14-16; 1Kings 10:28

Positive accomplishments and results of Solomon’s reign.

1.      His most notable accomplishment was the project started by his father, the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem, which was extravagant and magnificent. 1Kings 6:2-36, 7:13-50

2.      He also constructed the house of the forest of Lebanon, and another private dwelling for himself and his queen. 1Kings 7:2-8a, 7:8b

3.      Based on his skill at establishing and maintaining international treaties, Solomon solidified trading routes through the political alliances that he formed.

         a.      While his first treaty with Egypt was not altogether to his advantage, it did prove valuable in later trade relations.

         b.      His treaty with Hiram allowed Solomon to avail himself of Hiram’s extensive maritime domain, rich natural resources, and skilled artisans. 1Kings 5:1-12, 9:10-14

         c.      The visit from the Queen of Sheba was as much a trade mission as a trip motivated by her curiosity about the reputed wisdom of Solomon. 1Kings 10:1ff

         d.      The combination of peaceful relationships and the prominent position of Israel, which connected the nations of the south with those of the north, caused wealth to pour into the nation at an unprecedented rate.

The dedication of the Temple stands as one of the high points (if not the highest) in the religious life of Israel. 1Kings 8:1ff

1.      Solomon offered a remarkable prayer that demonstrated his clear faith in the one true God (8:23), who is invisible (8:12), transcendent (8:27), and dwelling among His people (8:29-30); One who gives and fulfills promises (8:15,20), who acts in righteousness and judgment (8:31-32), and who hears and answers prayers (8:33-39).

2.      His prayer suggested that one reason for building the Temple was the idea that it would be valuable for the evangelism of the surrounding peoples. 1Kings 8:41-43

3.      At the end of this great ceremony, Solomon celebrated a fourteen-day feast with his leaders, and sent a joyful nation back to their homes. 1Kings 8:65-66

         a.      Under Solomon, Israel experienced a consistent period of peace and prosperity, with the standard of living generally moving higher.

         b.      Civil harmony was the rule of the day, and international relationships did not suffer any serious crises under Solomon.

         c.      Solomon’s contributions to Israel’s culture were great, but one of the greatest had to be in the area of literature. 1Kings 4:30-32; Eccles. 12:9-10

The lack of Solomon’s recovery being recorded in the historical narrative does not mean that it did not take place. The narrative of Solomon’s life is somewhat peculiar and not at all like the narrative of King David’s life, which appears to be simply a narrative of consecutive events.

From Makarios Bible Church (this will open as a Word document on your computer); accessed June 16, 2018 (slightly edited).

This is very good and quite thorough.

Background of Solomon, the Author of Ecclesiastes (John Griffith)

Author: SOLOMON means peaceable; was the third king of Israel

         a.      He was the 10th son of David and 2nd of Bathsheba. 2 Sam 12:24-25

- at birth the prophet Nathan named him Jedidiah means "beloved of the Lord"

         b.      He therefore is royalty in the lineage of the King of Kings.

         c.      He was a prolific writer and also known as a learned lecturer on botany and biology of the day.

- wrote approx. 3000 proverbs and 1005 songs 1 Kings 4:32

         d.      Background (beginning of reign - see his vpt.) 1 Kg 3:3-15; 2 Chr 1:1-11

         e.      Great income - 2 Chron 9:13

- one year 666 talents of gold = approx. 705,000 oz's of gold = $458,250,000 ($650 oz)

- with his great income which was increasing (2 Chron 9:14-22) led to increasing distractions.

                  1.      hunting lodge - decorated with gold shields 15 lbs ea. = $156,000

                  2.      unique one of a kind thrones, ivory and gold with lions on each side

                  3.      Table settings were of gold.

                  4.      Built a zoo in Jerusalem (vs:21) The most exotic display of rare animals in the ancient world.

         f.       Great fame - world renown - 2 Chron 9:22-24

         g.      Great harem - 1 Kg 11:1-8

- He married into every royal house of the neighboring nations including the Pharaoh of Egypt's daughter.

- selected the best educated and beautiful from every kingdom

- in violation of Dt 17:14-17 - the king was not to follow the custom of other nations and have many wives.

         h.      Solomon's downfall related to his many wives - 1 Kg 11:3-8

- wives turned his heart away vs:3

- not wholly devoted to the Lord his God - YHWH - vs:4

- Worshipped other gods - the gods of his wives & built altars to them - vs:5-8

- some of the main gods they worshipped:

Ashtoreth - goddess of sex and war - worshipped thru sexual perversion of every kind imaginable (Canaanite - Phoenician) (also known as Astarte by the Greeks and Ishtar by the Babylonians)

have gained extensive knowledge from Ugaritic literature - especially the Ras Shamra scrolls dated to 1400BC

Milcom - god of the Ammonites

Chemosh - god of the Moabites

- As with Molech the worship of these gods included horribly cruel rites including child sacrifice; prohibited in Lev 18:21; 20:1-5

- demonism and witchcraft were all a part of the worship of these gods as it is with the worship of all false gods.

         i.       God's response to Solomon's neg vol and resultant reversionism

- 1 Kg 11:9 God became angry (anthropopathism) Solomon not operating in the sphere God desired for him - has impact on the nation since he is king and has great responsibility.

- The Lord raised up adversaries against him 11:14 - Hadad the Edomite; 11:23

- Rezon, a leader of a marauding band from Damascus;

11:26 Jeroboam son of Nebat the Ephraimite

PURPOSE: To be used as a rod of affliction to turn Solomon from his negative volition and reversionism.

         j.       Characteristics of his reign - time frame

- Period of peace and great prosperity - especially in the early years - 1st 20 years of his reign.

- He built and dedicated the Temple to YHWH during those early years (a privilege that was refused to David)

- Solomon's gov't exhibited no real sense of mission to the nations around them.

- by the last half of his reign he was pursuing false gods and had no desire to spread the truth

- In a very real sense Ecclesiastes is a portrait of one who flunks the prosperity test in life.

From http://www.ironrangebible.com/griffith/Ecclesiastes/Ecclesiastes_01.html accessed June 14, 2018.

The Authorship and Date of Ecclesiastes (James Burton Coffman)

James Burton Coffman: Jewish tradition says that King Solomon is the author of this book of the Bible. And yet Solomon's authorship has many a times been doubted at for two reasons. Firstly for language reasons and secondly because the name Jehovah does not appear in the book. Both reasons however are neither sound nor compelling.

Coffman continues: In Ecclesiastes chap. 1:1+12 the author calls himself son of David and king in Jerusalem. In verse 16 he speaks of his great wisdom which according to 1 Kings 3:12; 1 Kings 4:2 f; 10:1 only King Solomon had. In Ecclesiastes 12:9 he mentions that he set in order many proverbs. This fact also speaks for Solomon only (see 1 Kings 4:32; Proverbs 1:1).

Coffman concludes: King Solomon ruled around 970 to 931 BC. The book of Ecclesiastes must therefore date from the end of this period.

The dating here depends upon the author. I see Solomon as the only logical author.

The date of the book of Ecclesiastes (various commentators)

The Open Bible: Some scholars argue that the literay forms in Ecclesiastes are postexilic, but they are noe, in fact, unique, and cannot be used in dating this book...Ecclesiastes was probably written late in Solomon’s life, about 935 b.c. If this is so, the great glory that Solomon ushered in early in his reign was already beginning to fade; and the disruption of Israel into two kingdoms would soon take place.

The Open Bible continues: Jewish tradition asserts that Solomon wrote Song of Songs in his youthful years, Proverbs in his middle years, and Ecclesiastes in his latter years. This book may be expressing his regret for his folly and wasted time due to carnality and idolatry (cf. 1Kings 11).

Dean Bradley: I shall presume that we have in this book, a late, perhaps the very latest, portion of the Old Testament canon; and that the book was written, not in the palmy days of the empire of Solomon, but at a time when the Jewish people, once so full of aspirations to universal empire, always so intolerant of foreign supremacy, was lying beneath the yoke of Persian or Syrian or Egyptian kings; when the Holy Land had become a province, ruled by some Eastern satrap, and suffering from the rapacity and corruption inherent at all times in such government.

Clarke has an odd theory on the date of this book: This book, as we have already seen, has been conjectured by some to have been written about the time that Ptolemy Philadelphus formed his great library at Alexandria, about two hundred and eighty-five years before our Lard; and from the multitude of Jews that dwelt there, and resorted to that city for the sake of commerce, it was said there was an Israel in Alexandria. I have no idea where this theory comes from.

James Burton Coffman: King Solomon ruled around 970 to 931 BC. The book of Ecclesiastes must therefore date from the end of this period.

It is important to understand what has gone before.

The Prequel to Ecclesiastes

Since we believe that Solomon wrote this book, it would be a good idea to consider Solomon’s reign as related to this book. Solomon began as a young king (I believe as a very young king), and he was on the right track. He had been guided by his father David for a year or so, he took much of David’s advice, and, told God that what he wanted was wisdom.

Within the few years of beginning his reign, once all of the political intrigue had calmed down, Solomon began building the Temple (and also, his own palace and other buildings as well). Given what his father had done, and given his own wisdom, life in Israel was idyllic under Solomon.

Solomon’s reign is described in this way:

1Kings 4:20–21 Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy. Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

1Kings 4:25 And Judah and Israel lived in safety, from Dan even to Beersheba, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, all the days of Solomon. (ESV)

This was the greatest prosperity that Israel had ever known; and it was a prosperity and life that extended to virtually every man of Israel.

At some point in Solomon’s reign, he began to take on a whole lot of wives (700 wives and 300 mistresses); and he was also pulled away from God by their religious upbringing. 1Kings 11:1–8. It would make perfect sense for Solomon to have gone astray in his thinking at this time.

It is my opinion that Solomon, who originally taught accurate doctrine at the Temple, at some point, began to lecture human viewpoint. Whether this took place at the Temple (or at all), I could not say; but some of what we read in Ecclesiastes strikes me as having come from lectures delivered by Solomon publically. This paragraph is all conjecture on my part.

Dr. Dan Hill describes his reign in this way: The reign of Solomon sees Israel in its golden age. All the tribes of Israel were united. Peace and prosperity were the rule rather than the exception in the land. But, nothing ever remains the same, it would not last.

Hill continues: Solomon reigned for forty years (from 970 to 930 BC). He was the hand picked and divinely picked successor to his father David. He began his reign 2 Ecclesiastes at the age of 20 and ended it at the age of 60. At the end of his 40 year reign the nation divided, and remained divided until its destruction. The world will not know a united Israel again until the millennial reign of Jesus Christ.

The dates given by Hill are reasonable; the age of Solomon is conjecture.

McGee’s Introduction to Ecclesiastes (J. Vernon McGee)

Man has tried to be happy without God; it is being tried every day by millions of people. This book shows the absurdity of the attempt. Solomon was the wisest of men, and he had a wisdom that was God-given. He tried every field of endeavor and pleasure that was known to man, and his conclusion was that all is vanity. The word vanity means "empty, purposeless." Satisfaction in life can never be attained in this manner.

God showed Job, a righteous man, that he was a sinner in God's sight. In Ecclesiastes God showed Solomon, the wisest man, that he was a fool in God's sight. This is a book from which a great many professors, Ph.D.s and Th.D.s, and preachers could learn a great lesson. In spite of all their wisdom, in spite of all attempts at being intellectual, unre generate men in the sight of God are fools. That, my friend, is something that is hard to swallow for those who put an emphasis upon their I.Q. and the amount of knowledge

and information that they have accumulated.

In Ecclesiastes we learn that without Christ we cannot be satisfied — even if we possess the whole world and all the things that men consider necessary to make their hearts content. The world cannot satisfy the heart because the heart is too large for the object. In the Song of Solomon, we will learn that if we turn from the world and set our affections on Christ, we cannot fathom the infinite preciousness of His love; the Object is too large

for the heart.

The key word is vanity, which occurs thirty-seven times. The key phrase is "under the sun," which occurs twenty-nine times. Another phrase which recurs is "I said in mine heart." In other words, this book contains the cogitations of man's heart. These are conclusions which men have reached through their own intelligence, their own experiments. Although Solomon's conclusions are not inspired, the Scripture that tells us about them is inspired. This is the reason for the explanatory: "I said in mine heart," "under the sun," and "vanity."

This...book...begins with the problem stated: All is vanity in this world. Then we will find that experiments are made. Solomon will seek satisfaction through many different avenues, in many different fields. He will try science, the laws of nature, wisdom and philosophy, pleasure and materialism, as well as living for the "now." He will explore fatalism, egotism, religion, wealth, and morality. Then in the final verses of the book he will give

us the result of his experiments.

Keep in mind that the conclusions in each experiment are human, not God's truth. This is man under the sun.

Do not misunderstand what is meant by "inspiration" when we say that the Bible is inspired by God. Inspiration guarantees the accuracy of the words of Scripture, not always the thought that is expressed. The context should be considered, and attention paid to the person who made the statement and under what circumstances the statement was made. For example, in the betrayal of Christ by Judas, the record of the event is inspired, but the act of Judas was not God-inspired; it was satanic. Also the statements that Solomon makes, while he is searching for satisfaction apart from God, are not always in accord with God's thoughts. Inspiration guarantees that what Solomon said has been accurately recorded in Scripture

From https://archive.org/stream/21-Ecclesiastes/21-ECCLESIASTES_djvu.txt accessed June 18, 2018.

Dr. Dan Hill has a nice way of introducing this book.

Introducing the Book of Ecclesiastes (Dr. Dan Hill)

Fes-to Kivengere, an leading African Christian, told of his experience as follows: My life was like a spinning top. I worked, I played, I worked. The cycle went around, and the more humdrum it became, the speedier it got - spinning like atop. You know the problem of a spinning top - it has a very big head and a very thin base. It can't stand up unless it's spinning. And a top just spins around itself - that's all, it goes no where. My life was exactly like that. I was just running faster and faster, thinking that the faster I ran the more lively life would become. How wrong! Then something wonderful happened to that African leader. A friend who was a new Christian told him the story of salvation and how his sins could be forgiven. Kivengere said, That day God smashed my heart open and introduced me to the living reality of Jesus Christ. My top stopped spinning, and He gave me direction that lasts through eternity. A spinning top has no direction.

We are going to begin a study of the OT book of Ecclesiastes. It is book that defies human authorship alone. It is unusual and unique. It is not the kid of book man would write if he could or could write if he would. It tells the story of Solomon, a spinning top.

The uniqueness of this book is found in the parallel tracks upon which the story unfolds.

The first track is that of wisdom and both secular wisdom is dealt with along with God's divine wisdom. At time the passages almost seem to contradict one another as they develop these two spheres of wisdom.

The second track is that of man's utter despair and man's tremendous hope in God his creator. The book looks at life and declared despair. It seems to shout out Is this all there is? And yet there is also a faith filled perspective that tells us that life is a gift of God and can be lived with Joy.

Why these contradictions, why this approach? Well, the answered is found in the author, Solomon.

Solomon writes this book towards the end of his life looking back about fifteen to twenty years, from the time he was 40 to a time near his death at 60. He evaluates what he went through as he strayed from the truth of God.

So while at one time we read of the hopelessness he sensed at other times we read of the hope he now knows he could have had.

The sad commentary that ends this book is that all the hopelessness was unnecessary. And so this book comes to us and teaches us that we do not have to join in the chorus of those who would say Vanity of vanities, Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.

From https://www.gracenotes.info/ecclesiastes/ecclesiastes.pdf (Introduction); accessed June 10, 2018.

Is this misplaced?

An Introduction to Ecclesiastes 1–2 (Gary Everett)

The Preacher Finds Vanity in the Pursuits of Mental, Spiritual, Physical, and Financial Gratification – Throughout the book of Ecclesiastes the Preacher will attempt to answer the question, “What profit does a man have of all of his labours in this life?” (Eccles. 1:3) In Eccles. 1:12 to Eccles. 2:11 the Preacher describes his pursuits to find pleasure in this life.

After introducing himself as the king over Israel (Eccles. 1:12), he explains how he pursued gratification for his mind by pursing wisdom (Eccles. 1:13–18). He then changed his pursuits to find gratification for his heart through wine and laughter (Eccles. 2:1–3). He then describes how he set out to work with his hands to construct great edifices for himself (Eccles. 2:4–6) and to gather much wealth (Eccles. 2:7–11). The Preacher concludes that this too is vanity and grasping for the wind.

Thus, we see him referring to the three–fold make–up of man: mind, spirit and body as well as finances. We can assume that these three pursuits took place in the Preacher’s life in the order that he gives them. He pursued wisdom and understanding first, followed by mirth and then the construction of great projects and the gathering of wealth. This represents the order of pursuits in the lives of many people. For example, in our society, we start out in our youth focusing upon school and education. When we go into our college years, we find that the influences for party and mirth are everywhere. We later find our place in society by focusing upon a career and learning to work hard towards success. For those who achieve financial success, they are left still searching for a meaning and purpose to their lives, having learned that all of these pursuits did not bring inner peace.

Throughout this passage the author searches for the true meaning of life. He asks the question in Eccles. 1:3, “What profit has a man of all his labor which he takes under the sun?” He experiences different interests throughout life for periods of time, just like people today have fads, or hobbies, which are always changing. Illustration: My father would go through phases in his life of being interested in playing the guitar, working on cars, hunting, and various projects. I watched as these interests changed during the course of his life. The preacher will soon recognize the divine seasons that God orchestrates in the lives of those who obey His Word and keep His commandments (Eccles. 12:13). The king has seasons of pursuits in his life. Because he orchestrated them himself, he found no satisfaction in them. Although none of these pursuits are evil in themselves, they are vanity when a person does not follow God’s plan for his life.

Just as Solomon, we too can have seasons of interests in various things of this world. These interests seem to fade in one area, and refocus on a new area through the years. When we follow God's plan for our lives, we can still enjoy those seasons of change, but in a greater and more dynamic way. His plan for our lives will take us to new levels of interest and adventures. Our own pursuits will produces vain interests, as Solomon has stated here. However, when we follow God's will for our lives, these seasons of interests will be satisfying. Seasons of changing interests are normal for us, but they do not satisfy until God is directing these seasons. Life is made up of seasons of change. When we learn to go with God's seasons in our lives, we will find that they are not vain, but very rewarding.

Gary H. Everett Gary Everett’s Bible Commentary; ©1981-2013; from e-sword, Eccles. 1:12–2:11 (slightly edited).

An Introduction to Ecclesiastes (by Ray Stedman)

Ecclesiastes is one of the favorite books of the Bible for skeptics, scoffers, atheists and certain of the cultists. The reason for that is that there are certain passages in this book which seem to deny that there is life after death, that it is all over when this life ends. Atheists love to contend that the book of Ecclesiastes seems to confirm that view. That is why they frequently quote from it. Hedonists love this book too because it apparently endorses a rather Epicurean lifestyle. Those who pursue pleasure as the chief aim of life -- and there are a great many of them in this country today, as the United States is probably more hedonistic than any nation that has ever existed -- love the book because again and again throughout it we are exhorted to an "Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we must die" philosophy. Then there are passages in this book which are the favorite texts of those who declare that even if we survive beyond this life we enter a period of quietness, a time when we have no knowledge or desires. This teaching falls in line with those cultists who teach "soul sleep," i.e., that when the body dies the soul goes to sleep within the body.

But all of these groups fail to note what we must note right from the beginning, that this book is an examination of secular wisdom and knowledge. The book clearly states at the outset that it is limiting itself to that which is apparent to the natural mind. One of the key phrases of the book is the continual repetition of the words, "under the sun." What does a man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?" Verse 3 asks. We find that phrase used again in Verse 9. That is the limitation put upon this book.

Ecclesiastes is a collection of what man is able to discern under the sun, i.e., in the visible world. The book does not take into consideration revelation that comes from beyond man's powers of observation and reason. It is an inspired, an accurate book. It guarantees that what it reports is what people actually believe. but it is an examination of those beliefs. The book is not merely a collection of ancient philosophy, for what it talks about is very much up-to-date and extremely relevant. Here is what you will hear propounded in soap operas, in political speeches, in the radical or conservative movements of our day. Here is what you will hear in the halls of academia, or on the streets of any city. In this book the philosophies by which people attempt to live life are brought into consideration and examined. That is why Ecclesiastes is so practical and up-to-date.

The first three verses introduce the theme of the book:

The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher,
vanity of vanities! All is vanity
What does man gain by all the toil
at which he tolls under the sun? (Eccles. 1:1–3 RSV)

Ray Stedman, Stedman’s Bible Commentary; from E-sword; Ecclesiastes 1.

Understanding this is fundamental to understanding Ecclesiastes and Proverbs as being written by the same person. The ESV; capitalized is used below (except in the McGee quote, which is the updated KJV).

Categories of the Wisdom of Solomon

I, like almost every other commentator, originally proposed that there were two types of wisdom found in the life of Solomon: divine wisdom and human viewpoint wisdom. J. Vernon McGee suggests a third type.

J. Vernon McGee: I think that the wisdom God gave Solomon was a little different from what we think it was. We imagine that he was given spiritual insight, but Scripture does not tell us that he even asked for that. He had prayed: "Give therefore your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this your so great a people?" (1Kings 3:9). Apparently God gave him what he asked for: wisdom to rule. He was wise in political economy and probably did a marvelous job of ruling the nation. He brought in an era of peace. Other nations of the world went there to study and to behold the wisdom of Solomon. He gave a testimony for God through the temple with the altar where sacrifice was made for sinners. These were some of the things that the Queen of Sheba learned when she came from the ends of the earth.

This got me thinking. Therefore, let me suggest that Solomon had 4 types of wisdom/knowledge:

1.      Divine viewpoint, spiritual wisdom, which he attained first from the teaching of King David; and later by personal study (he clearly studied the Mosaic Law before his 1Kings 8 sermon). How much Solomon availed himself of the teaching of various prophets as he grew is unknown. We call this Bible doctrine in the soul.

Divine viewpoint, spiritual wisdom is the sort of wisdom which we find throughout the book of Proverbs, where Solomon appears to be sharing his notes from Bible class under the teaching of his father.

2.      Divine establishment wisdom, which is what Solomon specifically prayed for, and what God gave him. In today’s world in the United States, it is quite difficult to avoid any political discussion. There are people who, for the most part, have divine establishment norms and standards (conservatives) and those who have cosmic system wisdom (liberals). Sometimes, they arrived at these points in their lives through thinking and experience; sometimes they were brought up to think in this way. Divine establishment wisdom is that which McGee above was speaking of.

We read about this wisdom in 1Kings 4:29–31 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, so that Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all other men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame was in all the surrounding nations.

There was an era, following the deaths of many ancient patriarchs, which spurred the concept of the knowledgeable leader. These are leaders who tried to devise the best laws for their countries, based upon their own wisdom. Some had divine establishment viewpoints; but many would have been operating under cosmic system wisdom. Some came to Solomon for his knowledge in this area: 1Kings 4:34 And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.

We read in 1Kings 4:32 He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. Let me suggest that these proverbs and songs were a mixture of divine viewpoint thinking (which proverbs and songs were saved in the Holy Scriptures); and that most of them were divine establishment wisdom, which information was already abundant in the Scriptures up to that point in time, and would have been quiet redundant. Whether these proverbs and songs included the knowledge from the next two categories is unknown.

3.      There is scientific knowledge and understanding. That seems to have been included in the knowledge which God gave to Solomon. 1Kings 4:33 He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He spoke also of beasts, and of birds, and of reptiles, and of fish. It is possible that Solomon developed this on his own. Ideally speaking, this is knowledge gathered from observation and the scientific method; but it can be faulty (such as, man first thinking that the sun revolved around the earth).

This could include scientific knowledge—some of it true and some of it false. There are many people today who have studied a particular field of science, who are very brilliant in that field, who also subscribe to faulty “science”, such as “climate change science” and Darwinian evolution science.

4.      Human viewpoint, cosmic system wisdom. This is the wisdom referred to in the book of Ecclesiastes; which wisdom provides no final answers and no satisfaction. Many of the observations made by Solomon in Ecclesiastes are the result of human viewpoint wisdom.

One may ask, why not simply use different words? The word wisdom is used primarily in the Bible to refer to divine wisdom or to the wise application of doctrine. However, this term was used in the world to refer to a variety of knowledge—specifically what is found above. We often think of Plato or Socrates or Gandhi as being wise or having wisdom (even though they do not). Solomon is simply using the term as the world uses it.

The very same words of the Hebrew could apply to any of these 4 categories of wisdom.

I used the ESV below.

The Book of Ecclesiastes is the Pursuit of Human Wisdom

We know that Ecclesiastes is all about a pursuit of human viewpoint wisdom, for a number of reasons.

1.      4 times (in the ESV) Solomon says, I applied my heart [to] (Eccles. 1:13,17 8:9,16); 6 times, Solomon writes I said in my heart (Eccles. 1:16 2:1,15 3:17,18); and there are several other similar phrases, exclusive to the book of Ecclesiastes.

2.      Under the sun describes where this search for wisdom took place, a phrase occurring 28 times in Ecclesiastes (Eccles. 1:3,9,14 2:11,17,18,19,20 3:16 4:1,3,7,15 5:13,18 6:1,12 8:9,15,17 9:3,6,9,11,13 10:5) and nowhere else.

3.      The phrase striving after wind is found 9 times in Ecclesiastes (Eccles. 1:14,17 2:11,17,26 4:4,6,16 6:9); and nowhere else. This describes the result of Solomon’s search.

Even the casual reader cannot help but notice these key phrases occurring again and again.

This does not mean that Solomon is an unbeliever. Solomon is clearly a believer in the Revealed God early on in his life. But, he has taken a wrong turn—he is in reversionism (he has reverted back to the control of the sin nature)—so his mind thinks like the mind of an unbeliever.

Although Hill placed this in chapter 1 of Ecclesiastes, I believe it fits better in the introduction. I am guessing that he uses the NASB translation.

[The adjective secular denotes attitudes, activities, or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis. "secular buildings"]

The Fundamental Flaws of Secular Wisdom (Dr. Dan Hill)

Solomon takes a look at life around him, at his own life a part from fellowship with God, and sees three elements at work. These elements of life intrude upon man's secular wisdom. These three elements assume that God is irrelevant, that God is out of picture. And with that secular approach to life these three things will encompass man.

1. The first is death: Death is a rather serious problem for the human race. The person who puts all his eggs in life's earthly basket will soon discover that life is going to end. In our youth we may think we will live forever but then, maybe around 40 or so, we recognize that are days are numbered.

Eccl. 2:16 For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man as it also is with the fool, inasmuch as in the coming days all will be forgotten. And how the wise man and the fool alike die!

2. The second intrusion upon secular wisdom is evil: Evil is present in the world. It can be found anywhere. We see injustice where we should see justice, we oppression when we see compassion, we observe greed and exploitation rather than benevolence. Social systems that are intended to help, end up hurting.

Eccl. 9:3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil, and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead.

3. The third element is chance: Solomon explodes the myth that man can master their own welfare much less their own fate. Time and chance will eventually get to everyone. A part from God every decision is a roll of the dice which will at times make the player the loser.

Eccl. 9:12 Moreover, man does not know his time: like fish caught in a treacherous net, and birds trapped in a snare, so the sons of men are ensnared at an evil time when it suddenly falls on them.

Too many other forces, greater than man's resolve and determination, are at work in the world for man to not experience the intrusion of chance, what some might call just plain bad luck, into his secular wisdom.

So Solomon meets man on man's level. He assumes God is not in the picture and from his wisdom, but perhaps more from his experience, he sees that life even at its best is open to the intrusions of death, evil, and chance.

It is no wonder that he proclaims even at the end of the story: Vanity or vanities, emptiness of emptiness, all is vanity, all is empty.

Eccl. 1:2 and Eccl. 12:8 is the somber declaration of the meaningless of life. These are the bookends of despair.

Eccl. 1:2 “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher,

“Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” (NASB)

Eccles. 1:2 The Teacher says this. “Like a vapor of mist, like a breeze in the wind, everything vanishes, leaving many questions. (ULLB)

This leaves secular man in a life which has no meaning, no purpose, yet certainly an end.

From https://www.gracenotes.info/ecclesiastes/ecclesiastes.pdf (Ecclesiastes 1); accessed June 10, 2018 (appended).

I have decided to place this chart in the Introduction, so that it is near the beginning of the book and easy to find. You can refer back to this chart to see where we have been, to gain context, and to see where we are going.

Unfortunately, I do not perceive the overall organization of this book, although it clearly has a beginning (Ecclesiastes 1:1–11) and an end (Ecclesiastes 12). Could chapters 6 and 7 (or whatever) be reversed, without any problems?

Chapter by Chapter Descriptions for the Book of Ecclesiastes

Chapter

Brief Description

1a

Introduction; author; theme of book, circular nature of life.

1b

Solomon’s unsatisfactory search for human wisdom.

2

Experiments to find happiness: pursuit of mirth and stimulation; legacy of construction projects; the accumulation of wealth and symbols of wealth; all to naught. Everything is chasing after wind.

Solomon questions the man who will follow him.

3

To everything, there is a season.

Men work hard and God has made everything beautiful in its time.

Inherent wickedness and injustice.

Men and beasts both die and go to the same place.

4

For some, it might be better that they had never been born.

Inner travail.

Importance of friendship.

Who is really better off?

5

Take seriously the vows that you make to God.

Do not allow greed to pervert justice or to harm the poor.

6

If your focus in work is only upon wealth, to the detriment of your soul, you will be quite unhappy. Or, woe to him who gains the whole world but loses his soul.

7

Conventional human wisdom is often wrong.

8

Obeying God and the laws of divine establishment are the right things to do.

Everyone dies, but death may not be the ultimate measure of justice.

Justice may not be found in this temporal life.

9

Death comes to all.

Recommendations for life.

Wisdom is far superior to foolishness; although the works of the wise may be forgotten.

10

The wise man versus the fool.

11

Observations in life and nature.

Seek God early in your life.

12

The plague of old age that comes upon us all.

Divine wisdom is to fear God and to keep His commandments.

Summaries of Ecclesiastes (Various Commentators)

S. Cox: The search for the summum bonum, the quest of the chief good, is the theme of the book of Ecclesiastes. Naturally we look to find this theme, this problem, this "riddle of the painful earth," distinctly stated in the opening verses of the book. It is stated, but not distinctly. For the book is a drama, not an essay or a treatise. Instead of introducing the drama with a brief narrative or a clear statement of the moral problem he is about to discuss, the Preacher opens with the characteristic utterances of the man who, wearied with many futile endeavours, gathers up his remaining strength for a last attempt to discover the chief good of life.

The Summarized Bible: Solomon writes this between 985 and 980 b.c. Apart from God, life is full of weariness and disappointment.

Pastor John Griffith on the book of Ecclesiastes:

- Written in Solomon's old age prior to the collapse of the kingdom, approx. 940BC

- Was a part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible - the writings (Kathubhim)

- Was read annually on the observance of the Feast of Tabernacles last feast of the year - month of Tishri (Oct) 15-21 which prefigures the millennium.

- REASON READ ANNUALLY: Its message is of such transcendent importance that it must be proclaimed to man year by year - even during the period of peace and prosperity of righteousness and joy that will be realized on earth in the personal reign of Christ during the millennium.

It is the message that everything on earth, even at its best, is fleeting and unsatisfying, and that the heart of man, the real you, was made for God (in His image) and will not find real rest and satisfaction till it finds that realization in Him who is changeless, absolute and permanent.

A Summary of Ecclesiastes (J. Hamilton)

I.       It need not then surprise us if we find in these chapters many strange questionings and startling opinions before we arrive at the final conclusion. Intermingled with much that is noble and holy, these "doubtful disquisitions" are not the dialogue of a believer and an infidel, but the soliloquy of a "divided heart," the debate of a truant will with an upbraiding conscience.

II.      In the search after happiness, his first resource was knowledge, then merry-making, then the solace of absolute power. But no sooner did he find his power supreme and unchallenged than he began to be visited with misgivings as to his successor. "Yea, I hated all the labour which I had taken under the sun, because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me."

III.     Who is there that apart from God’s favour has ever tasted solid joy and satisfaction of spirit? All will be vanity to the heart which is vile, and all will be vexation to the spirit which the peace of God is not possessing.

The Sermon Bible Commentary; Ⓟ1888-1893; in the Public Domain; Edited by the Rev. W. Robertson Nicoll, M.A., LL.D., from e-sword, Eccles. 1:1–2.