0. Today's Text: 3:1-4:3
- 3:1-15 A Time for Everything ('Turn, Turn, Turn')
- 3:16-4:3 The Experience of the Oppressed
1. Opening Question
Why do bad things happen?
2. Plan for this class
3. In the mouth of the songwriter...and on the page of a high school yearbook
4. The poem 3:1-8 in the Leningrad Manuscript of Tanach
5. Questions for our passage
6. Our Text
7. Discussion and Commentaries
8. Summary and Next Class
3. In the Mouth of the Songwriter...and on the page of a high school yearbook
Pete Seeger, "Turn! Turn! Turn!," 1959
"The lyrics are taken almost verbatim from the book of Ecclesiastes, as found in the King James Version (1611) of the Bible,[4](Ecclesiastes 3:1-8) though the sequence of the words was rearranged for the song. ... The lines are open to myriad interpretations, but Seeger's song presents them as a plea for world peace with the closing line: "a time for peace, I swear it's not too late." This line and the title phrase "Turn! Turn! Turn!" are the only parts of the lyric written by Seeger himself."
Judy Collins and Pete Seeger, ?1966
Middletown, Ohio City Schools, The 1934 Optimist (Middletown High School yearbook)
This file was contributed to Wikimedia Commons by Midpointe Library System as part of a cooperation project. The donation was facilitated by the Digital Public Library of America, via its partner Ohio Digital Network.Record in source catalogDPLA identifier: 300b34b266cedbfa2a321a80068790f6Midpointe Library System identifier: 373.232 Opt 1934, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=120874687
4. The Poem (3:1-8) in the Leningrad Manuscript
The Leningrad Manuscript was completed in Egypt in 1008/9. It the most complete extant manuscript reflecting the work of the Masoretes of Tiberias.
Photograph of the Leningrad Manuscript of the Hebrew Bible, showing the conclusion of Kohelet chapter 2 and first part of chapter 3.
By Gershonmk - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=99927006
Note:
- the recurrence of עת and ועת (a time... and a time...) at the left margin of the poetical portion, 3:1-8.
- the notes in the margins. In the first marginal note to the left of the leftmost column, the word לשמור ('to keep') in the text is noted as 'ל׳ מל׳' which means that this is the only occurrence of the word with a letter "ו" in the entire Tanach. The Masoretes kept track of that kind of information!
5. Questions to Keep in Mind in Reading our Passage
- How do you understand the poem in 3:1-8? What does the poem describe? What do you think is the point of the poem?
- The word 'God' appears seven times in our passage, all between 3:10 and 3:17. How does our passage describe God and God's relationship with the world?
- What does Kohelet say here about humans and animals?
- How does Kohelet react to injustice and oppression?
- What stands for you in this passage?
6. Our Text: 3:1-4:3
(א) לַכֹּ֖ל זְמָ֑ן וְעֵ֥ת לְכׇל־חֵ֖פֶץ תַּ֥חַת הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃ {ס}
(ב) עֵ֥ת לָלֶ֖דֶת וְעֵ֣ת לָמ֑וּת
עֵ֣ת לָטַ֔עַת וְעֵ֖ת לַעֲק֥וֹר נָטֽוּעַ׃
(ג) עֵ֤ת לַהֲרוֹג֙ וְעֵ֣ת לִרְפּ֔וֹא
עֵ֥ת לִפְר֖וֹץ וְעֵ֥ת לִבְנֽוֹת׃
(ד) עֵ֤ת לִבְכּוֹת֙ וְעֵ֣ת לִשְׂח֔וֹק
עֵ֥ת סְפ֖וֹד וְעֵ֥ת רְקֽוֹד׃
(1) A season is set for everything, a time for every experience under heaven.
(2) A time for being born and a time for dying,
A time for planting and a time for uprooting the planted;
(3) A time for slaying and a time for healing,
A time for tearing down and a time for building up;
(4) A time for weeping and a time for laughing,
A time for wailing and a time for dancing;
(ה) עֵ֚ת לְהַשְׁלִ֣יךְ אֲבָנִ֔ים וְעֵ֖ת כְּנ֣וֹס אֲבָנִ֑ים
עֵ֣ת לַחֲב֔וֹק וְעֵ֖ת לִרְחֹ֥ק מֵחַבֵּֽק׃
(ו) עֵ֤ת לְבַקֵּשׁ֙ וְעֵ֣ת לְאַבֵּ֔ד
עֵ֥ת לִשְׁמ֖וֹר וְעֵ֥ת לְהַשְׁלִֽיךְ׃
(ז) עֵ֤ת לִקְר֙וֹעַ֙ וְעֵ֣ת לִתְפּ֔וֹר
עֵ֥ת לַחֲשׁ֖וֹת וְעֵ֥ת לְדַבֵּֽר׃
(ח) עֵ֤ת לֶֽאֱהֹב֙ וְעֵ֣ת לִשְׂנֹ֔א
עֵ֥ת מִלְחָמָ֖ה וְעֵ֥ת שָׁלֽוֹם׃ {ס}
(5) A time for throwing stones and a time for gathering stones,
A time for embracing and a time for shunning embraces;
(6) A time for seeking and a time for losing,
A time for keeping and a time for discarding;
(7) A time for ripping and a time for sewing,
A time for silence and a time for speaking;
(8) A time for loving and a time for hating;
A time for war and a time for peace.
(9) What value, then, can the man of affairs get from what he earns? (10) I have observed the business that God gave man to be concerned with: (11) He brings everything to pass precisely at its time; He also puts eternity in their mind, but without man ever guessing, from first to last, all the things that God brings to pass. (12) Thus I realized that the only worthwhile thing there is for them is to enjoy themselves and do what is good in their lifetime; (13) also, that whenever a man does eat and drink and get enjoyment out of all his wealth, it is a gift of God. (14) I realized, too, that whatever God has brought to pass will recur evermore:
Nothing can be added to it
And nothing taken from it—
and God has brought to pass that men revere Him. (15) What is occurring occurred long since,
And what is to occur occurred long since:
and God seeks the pursued.
(16) And, indeed, I have observed under the sun:
Alongside justice there is wickedness,
Alongside righteousness there is wickedness. (17) I mused: “God will doom both righteous and wicked, for there is a time for every experience and for every happening.” (18) So I decided, as regards men, to dissociate them [from] the divine beings and to face the fact that they are beasts. (19) For in respect of the fate of man and the fate of beast, they have one and the same fate: as the one dies so dies the other, and both have the same lifebreath; man has no superiority over beast, since both amount to nothing. (20) Both go to the same place; both came from dust and both return to dust. (21) Who knows if a man’s lifebreath does rise upward and if a beast’s breath does sink down into the earth? (22) I saw that there is nothing better for man than to enjoy his possessions, since that is his portion. For who can enable him to see what will happen afterward?
(1) I further observed all the oppression that goes on under the sun: the tears of the oppressed, with none to comfort them; and the power of their oppressors—with none to comfort them. (2) Then I accounted those who died long since more fortunate than those who are still living; (3) and happier than either are those who have not yet come into being and have never witnessed the miseries that go on under the sun.
7. Discussion and Commentaries
7a. What are some of the messages of the poem in 3:1-8?
- What kind of contexts does the poem describe?
- What do you think is the point of the poem?
| Polarities in the poem, 3:1-9 | Are there any patterns? |
|---|---|
| 2a. + being born | - dying |
| 2b. + planting | - uprooting the planted |
| 3a - slaying | + healing |
| 3b - tearing down | + building up |
| 4a - weeping | + laughing |
| 4b - wailing | + dancing |
| 5a ? throwing stones | ? gathering stones |
| 5b + embracing | - refraining from embraces |
| 6a + seeking | - losing |
| 6b + keeping | - discarding |
| 7a - ripping | + sewing |
| 7b - silence | + speaking |
|
8a + loving 8b - war |
- hating + peace |
C. L. Seow, Comment to 3:1-22 (p. 170)
J. A. Loader has...proffered a detailed analysis of the activities as either desirable (D) or undesirable (U), and discerned a deliberate and intricate structure in the poem ("A 'Sonnet' in the Old Testament" pp. 240-2...).
(1) A season is set for everything, a time for every experience under heaven:
(1) A time to weep. On the ninth of Av. (2) And a time to laugh. In the time to come, as it is stated, “Then our mouth will be filled with laughter.”from Shir HaMaalot, Psalms 126:2. (3) A time to mourn. In the days of mourning. (4) And a time to dance. With bridegrooms and brides.
(א) עֵת לְהַשְׁלִיךְ אֲבָנִים, בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁאִשְׁתְּךָ טְהוֹרָה. וְעֵת כְּנוֹס אֲבָנִים, בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁאִשְׁתְּךָ טְמֵאָה. ...
(1) “A time to cast stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing” (Ecclesiastes 3:5).
“A time to cast stones,” at a time when your wife is ritually pure; “and a time to gather stones,” at a time when your wife is ritually impure. ...
7b. Reflection on the Poem - 3:9-15
- In light of the wisdom in the poem, what is the good or right path for a person?
(יב) יָדַ֕עְתִּי כִּ֛י אֵ֥ין ט֖וֹב בָּ֑ם כִּ֣י אִם־לִשְׂמ֔וֹחַ וְלַעֲשׂ֥וֹת ט֖וֹב בְּחַיָּֽיו׃ (יג) וְגַ֤ם כׇּל־הָאָדָם֙ שֶׁיֹּאכַ֣ל וְשָׁתָ֔ה וְרָאָ֥ה ט֖וֹב בְּכׇל־עֲמָל֑וֹ מַתַּ֥ת אֱלֹקִ֖ים הִֽיא׃
(12) Thus I realized that the only worthwhile/tov (good) thing there is for them is to enjoy themselves/lismo'ach (think of 'simchah') and do what is good/tov (good) in their lifetime; (13) also, that whenever a man does eat and drink and get enjoyment/ve'ra'ah tov (and see goodness) out of all his wealth, it is a gift of God.
C. L. Seow, Comment to 3:12 (p. 164)
do well / [ve'la`asot tov]: The parallelism with lismoach "to enjoy" suggests that la'asot tov does not have the moral connotations it has elsewhere in the Bible. Here it must mean something like lir'ot tov "to see good"="to enjoy," as the next verse (3:13) makes clear.
יָדַעְתִּי. עַתָּה, הוֹאִיל וְנֶעְלַם עֵת הַפְּקֻדָּה, כִּי אֵין טוֹב בַּבְּרִיּוֹת כִּי אִם לִשְׂמוֹחַ בְּחֶלְקוֹ וְלַעֲשׂוֹת הַטּוֹב בְּעֵינֵי בוֹרְאוֹ בְּעוֹד שֶׁהוּא חָי:
I know. Now, since the time of visitation [death] is concealed, that there is nothing better/tov (more good) for man than to be happy with his portion and to do that which is good in his Creator’s eyes, while he is yet alive.
(כד) אֵֽין־ט֤וֹב בָּאָדָם֙ שֶׁיֹּאכַ֣ל וְשָׁתָ֔ה וְהֶרְאָ֧ה אֶת־נַפְשׁ֛וֹ ט֖וֹב בַּעֲמָל֑וֹ גַּם־זֹה֙ רָאִ֣יתִי אָ֔נִי כִּ֛י מִיַּ֥ד הָאֱלֹקִ֖ים הִֽיא׃
(24) There is nothing worthwhile/tov / (good) for a man but to eat and drink and afford himself enjoyment/v'her'ah tov (and show goodness) with his means. And even that, I noted, comes from God.
(15) What is occurring occurred long since,
And what is to occur occurred long since:
and God seeks the pursued.
And God seeks the pursued. To punish the pursuer. Therefore, what benefit is derived by one who does evil in what he labors? Ultimately he will have to pay [for it].
7c. 3:16-4:3 Reflections on Oppression/Justice and Humans/Animals
(יז) אָמַ֤רְתִּֽי אֲנִי֙ בְּלִבִּ֔י אֶת־הַצַּדִּיק֙ וְאֶת־הָ֣רָשָׁ֔ע יִשְׁפֹּ֖ט הָאֱלֹקִ֑ים כִּי־עֵ֣ת לְכׇל־חֵ֔פֶץ וְעַ֥ל כׇּל־הַֽמַּעֲשֶׂ֖ה שָֽׁם׃
Righteous and Wicked
NJPS
(17) I mused: “God will doom both righteous and wicked, for there is a time for every experience and for every happening.”
NRSV
I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for he has appointed a time for every matter, and for every work.
Humans and Beasts
NJPS
(18)So I decided, as regards men, to dissociate them [from] the divine beings and to face the fact that they are beasts.
NRSV
I said in my heart with regard to human beings that God is testing them to show that they are but animals.
(5) what is man that You have been mindful of him,
mortal man that You have taken note of him, (6) that You have made him little less than divine [NJPS: or “the angels”]
and adorned him with glory and majesty;
Humans and Beasts
(21) Who knows if a man’s lifebreath does rise upward and if a beast’s breath does sink down into the earth?
(11) For one sees that the wise die,
that the foolish and ignorant both perish,
leaving their wealth to others. (12) Their grave is their eternal home,
the dwelling-place for all generations
of those once famous on earth. (13) Man does not abide in honor;
he is like the beasts that perish.
he is like the beasts that perish.
Crenshaw, Comment to 3:21 (page 104)
This intellectual position was later branded the teaching of soundrels (Wisdom of Solomon 2:1-3).
(א) כִּי אָמְרוּ בְלִבָּם וּבִלְשׁוֹנָם הֶחְלִיקוּ לְדַבֵּר. יְמֵי חַיֵּינוּ קְצָרִים וּשְׂבֵעִים עָמָל. מִמָּוֶת לֹא יִמָּלֵט גֶּבֶר וְאִישׁ לֹא נוֹדָע אֲשֶׁר שָׁב מִנִּי שְׁאוֹל:
(ב) בְּמִקְרֶה נוֹלַדְנוּ וַנְּהִי כְּלֹא הָיִינוּ. כִּי רוּחַ אַפֵּינוּ עָשָׁן וּמִדְבָּרֵנוּ כְּנִיצוֹץ עוֹלֶה מִלְּבָבֵנוּ:
(ג) כִּי יִכְבֶּה. הַבָּשָׂר אֶל עָפָר יָשׁוּב. וְהַנֶּפֶשׁ תֵּחָלֵק כְּרוּחַ קַל:
(1) For those who have slipped spoke in their hearts, and with their tongues, saying: "The days of our lives are short, and full of toil. A man is not saved from death, and there is known no man who has returned from it."
(2) "We were born in mishap, and we shall be as though we were not. For the spirit of our nostrils is smoke, and our words are as a spark rising from our hearts."
(3) "For it is extinguished. The flesh returns to dust, and the soul disperses like a light breeze."
Who knows. As in, “Whoever knows, let him repent,” (as Rashi understands Jonah 3:9) One who understands, knows that “the spirit of man” ascends on high and stands in judgment, “while the spirit of the beast” descends to the earth, and does not have to give a justification and reckoning. [Therefore,] one must not behave like a beast that does not consider its actions.
DR: Rashi seems to understand the verse to say:
He who understands, knows that the spirit of man ascends on high while the spirit of the beast descends to the earth.
As it was,
And the lifebreath returns to God
Who bestowed it.
(א) וְשַׁ֣בְתִּֽי אֲנִ֗י וָאֶרְאֶה֙ אֶת־כׇּל־הָ֣עֲשֻׁקִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר נַעֲשִׂ֖ים תַּ֣חַת הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ וְהִנֵּ֣ה ׀ דִּמְעַ֣ת הָעֲשֻׁקִ֗ים וְאֵ֤ין לָהֶם֙ מְנַחֵ֔ם וּמִיַּ֤ד עֹֽשְׁקֵיהֶם֙ כֹּ֔חַ וְאֵ֥ין לָהֶ֖ם מְנַחֵֽם׃
Righteousness and Oppression
(1) I further observed all the oppression that goes on under the sun: the tears of the oppressed, with none to comfort them; and the power of their oppressors—with none to comfort them.
NJPS
(16) And, indeed, I have observed under the sun:
Alongside justice there is wickedness,
Alongside righteousness there is wickedness.
NRSV
Moreover I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, wickedness was there, and in the place of righteousness, wickedness was there as well.
Robert Alter, Comment to 4:1
It is notable that Qohelet registers the suffering of the oppressed as a given fact without the slightest indication, as in Psalms or elsewhere, that God will rescue them from their suffering, and without any exhortation, as in the Prophets, that we must act to rescue them.
the name of Jacob’s God keep you safe.
(4) For he who is reckoned among the living has something to look forward to—even a live dog is better than a dead lion— (5) since the living know they will die. But the dead know nothing; they have no more recompense, for even the memory of them has died. (6) Their loves, their hates, their jealousies have long since perished; and they have no more share till the end of time in all that goes on under the sun.
8. Summary and Next Class
- Next Class (Kohelet iv):
- 5:9-19 Frustrations of Wealth
- 7:1-14 A Collection of Proverbs
Purim Sameach! Happy Purim!
Israeli girl dressed up as a cowboy while holding her Purim basket of candies (2006)
By Tamar Hayardeni, Attribution, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20049552