Ecc notes Week 4
Thoughts
Ecc 3:15c
The obscurity of v 15b (see note 15.a.) remains a problem, but the words seem to be complementary to v 15a: nothing escapes the dominion of God, who has everything within the divine purview. God will seek out “what is pursued,” i.e., the events of the past. There is a certain similarity of structure with v 14b. Both parts speak of divine action in the face of unchangeability (v 14) and repetition (v 15).
Verse 15c, although formally part of this paragraph, proleptically prepares the reader for the subject of the next section, oppression. It should, therefore, be regarded as part of the following paragraph for purposes of interpretation.
For translation we suggest “God requests that we pursue what is hidden.”
Recognizing that this translation is uncertain, a footnote will be required to indicate that the text is unclear.
The phrase here is literally “he will seek [bqš] what has been chased away” (cf. Isa. 17:13, of water chased before the wind like chaff). The imagery is perhaps drawn from shepherding, God seeking out the “lost” moments of past time in the manner of the human seeking lost animals (cf. bqš in 1 Sam. 9:3; 10:2, 14; Ezek. 34:6, 16). It is not explicit in Ecclesiastes 3:15 itself, but it is certainly implied by 3:1–15 as a whole passage and by what follows in 3:16–22 (see below) that this divine “seeking” is effective and that it is quite unlike the human seeking after time that is referred to in 3:9–11, which results in not “finding” anything (mṣʾ; cf. the play on these same verbs in 7:23–29). Echoing in the background are other cases of bqš / mṣʾ used in combination, particularly those in verses that speak of seeking and not finding (e.g., Isa. 41:12; Hos. 5:6). That God “seeks the past” in order to settle accounts is also clear from what follows in Ecclesiastes 3:16–22, although this too is not explicit in 3:15 of itself.
Solomon added a new thought here: “and God will call the past to account” (v. 15, NIV). Scholars have a difficult time agreeing on the translation of this phrase. It literally says “God seeks what hurries along.” Solomon seems to say that time goes by swiftly and gets away from us; but God keeps track of it and will, at the end of time, call into account what we have done with time (12:14). This ties in with verses 16–17 where Solomon witnessed the injustices of his day and wondered why divine judgment was delayed.
Final Trans
The line is best understood as meaning “God seeks [justice for] the persecuted.”
Judgement
This usage is eschatological. The word “there” is also used in Ps 14, another passage that deals with God’s eschatological judgment on those who plunder his people. Psalm 14:5a reads, “There evildoers are overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous.” In context the line must refer to the day of judgment and vindication of Yahweh’s people. “There” is either shorthand for the time and place of eschatological judgment or refers to Sheol (Heb.; “grave”), in which case the ideas of the grave and the judgment have been merged.86
Ecc 3:18-22 - Like the Animals
Denial of afterlife?
While these verses may appear to be a categorical denial of afterlife, such an interpretation would miss the mark.
Once again Ecclesiastes asserts that humans are mortal; it is in that sense that they are like the animals
Ecc 4:1-6 Political Oppression
To the contrary, he confesses that a person is better off dead or, better still, never having been born than to be alive and see this heartbreaking reality.
Death in fact permeates his reflections on injustice. In 3:15c–17 death appears as the area of hope for the oppressed; it is “there” that God judges the oppressor.
Other Scriptures
Quotes
The Puritan pastor Thomas Watson said, “Eternity to the godly is a day that has no sunset; eternity to the wicked is a night that has no sunrise.”