The JPS Bible Commentary: Ecclesiastes

Counsels and Teachings

ECCLESIASTES 4:17 17 Be not overeager to go to the House of God: more acceptable is obedience than the offering of fools, for they know nothing [but] to do wrong. Counsels and Teachings (4:17-11:6) PRUDENCE IN VOWS (4:17-5:6) n'9·-7.t:.' l?D iW~~ ~7~! l'7", '1?O/ 17 tJ"~?,lt;lfiJ npY,J ~'iJo/7 :l'lRl tJ"f6~;; :31i n,W317 tJ'31,,' tJJ'i<-"~ n:lT IT J -: - \.0: JT" 1° - r'\T Until now, Koheleth has offered mostly reflections and meditations on life and its problems. Now he begins to provide practical advice on getting along in the world, and teachings of this sort will occupy much of the remainder of the book. The main theme of the present unit is caution in making vows. The remarks about going to the Temple, offering sacrifices, avoiding rash speech, and fearing God are all organized around this theme and should be interpreted in this context. At the Temple, worshipers could vow to pay a voluntary offering to God, sometimes upon fulfillment of a prayer of petition. Failure to pay one's vows would provoke God's wrath. As is usual in Wisdom Literature, the misdeed is condemned as foolish rather than as sinful. Impulsive vows are warned against in Provo 20:25 and Sira 18:22-23, and payment of vows is demanded in Num. 30:3 and Ps. 50:14b. In form and content, this passage is prudential wisdom of a conventional cast. Koheleth's observations, in spite of their subversive implications, never lead him to abandon prudence or religious principles. He esteems the Temple rituals, as shown by the fact that in 9:2 he lists people who offer sacrifice among other possessors of virtues. 17. Be not overeager to go Literally, "Watch your foot when you go." In other words, tread carefully; watch how you behave. This advice pertains to all behavior in the Temple, but the present context applies it particularly to vows. more acceptable is obedience than the offering offools As Samuel said, "Surely, obedience is better than sacrifice, compliance than the fat of rams" (1 Sam. 15:22). "Obedience" in both verses is shama(; literally, "hear." The word "fools" is, strictly spealcing, superfluous, since obedience is better than anyone)s offerings. Koheleth is focusing on what fools do without intending to restrict the principle to their offerings alone. for they know nothing [but] to do wrong Literally, "for they do not know how to do wrong," which does not make much sense. NJPS's addition of "but" makes sense but is doubtful grammatically. Rashi paraphrases, "for the fool does not understand that he is doing harm to himself," but this too does not fit the Hebrew. The line has not yet been satisfactorily explained. 32 ECCLESIASTES 5:1 5 Keep your mouth from being rash, and let not your throat be quick to bring forth speech before God. For God is in heaven and you are on earth; that is why your words should be few. 2 Just as dreams come with much brooding, so does foolish utterance come with much speech. 3 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. For He has no pleasure in fools; what you vow, fulfill. 4 It is better not to vow at all than to vow and not fulfill. 5 Don't let your n7ili' 'D~;-?.t\ }P?1 ~"$-?J! ?tQ.f;1-?.t\ i1 tJ'1ii?Xi1 '1~ tJ'1ii?Xi1 "I.)!)? ':J.1 X'1Y1i1? <" ".": T J" r-,0 ".": T J":' I..T T .J" : ';i;T: 1#-?f! Yl~;:r-?J! i1f;1.t\1 b:~o/~ :J.·l~ tJ1?QO x~ "I? 2 : tJ'1PJ!,? ·~"'J..~l 'iP~~ 3 : tJ'1")~l :J.l~ ?'19:;1 ?1i?1 E~3! . . . . . . n' 1ilt;,ilh 'inx11-?X tJ'1;l?X? '1J "11 : - : •• - : - • I" ...... • ,~p~-,w~ I1~ tJ'1?'1t;:9~ Y?D p~ "I? '1':'T11W7::l '':'TI1-X? 'WX :J.1tJ 4 : tJt;,W 33 1..' . . . . n • I J"." -: I.. I" X '1PQ? ~'1$-I1~ l!.:l1T?.t\ 5 : tJ?wry X?1 5:1. Keep your mouth from being rash ... before God The phrase "before God" or "before the LORD" usually means in the Temple, in God's presence. Thus this admonition refers in particular to pronouncement of vows in the Temple. If you make vows without proper forethought, you may find yourself unable to pay them, that is to say, to bring the promised offerings to the Temple. This rule can be extended to other types of behavior. Rashi says that one must beware of speaking harsh things toward God. Rashbam says that one should be cautious and sparing of words in prayer, to avoid making a mistake. Ibn Ezra understands this as an admonition to pray only in the words of the fixed liturgy. (In a long digression, he attacks the use ofpiyyutim-elaborate liturgical poems that in his day filled out the liturgy-for being obscure and ungrammatical.) throat Actually, "heart." Thoughts should be held in the heart until the right time comes for spealcing. God is in heaven and you are on earth From His lofty vantage point, God can see all that happens on earth, whereas humans can barely discern the near future. See "God," in The Teachings of Ecclesiastes in the introduction. 2. brooding [Cinyan] Better: "busyness" (see Comment to r:13). This verse recalls 2:23, which says that the toiler's thoughts are troubled even at night. so does foolish utterance come with much speech Literally, "and the voice of the fool comes with many words"-accompanied by blabber. Avot r:17 phrases the same principle as a matter of morality: "He who multiplies words causes sin." 3-4. A near-quotation of Deuteronomy 23:22-24: 22When you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not put off fulfilling it, for the LORD your God will require it of you, and you will have incurred guilt; 23whereas you incur no guilt if you refrain from vowing. 24you must fulfill what has crossed your lips and perform what you have voluntarily vowed to the LORD your God, having made the promise with your own mouth. Whereas Deuteronomy speaks of guilt, Koheleth warns against folly and the damage that renegmg on vows can cause a person. 5. Don~t let your mouth bring you into disfavor Literally, "Don't let your mouth make your flesh sin." Others translate, "Don't let your mouth harm your flesh." ECCLESIASTES 5:6 mouth bring you into disfavor, and don't plead before the messenger that it was an error, but fear God; else God may be angered by your talk and destroy your possessions. 6 For much dreaming leads to futility and to superfluous talk. 'p l~7~iJ ~J~7 '~i