So I turned reflects the next step in Qoheleth’s thinking and so can be rendered by a verb of thinking: “I began to think about” or “I began to reflect on,” or by a more literary expression, “I turned my thoughts to” or “My reflection turned to.”
Wisdom and madness and folly: as Revised Standard Version shows, these three nouns are linked in Hebrew by the conjunction “and.” It is clear, however, that wisdom on the one hand is being opposed to madness and folly on the other. Madness and folly are linked together in this verse, suggesting that they have a similar meaning (see comments on 1.17 for the meaning of “madness”). Some languages will prefer to use one expression rather than two. Good News Translation uses “reckless” at this point to translate madness and so catches the mood of thoughtless behavior by which persons can harm themselves and others. Qoheleth intends to investigate every aspect of life, so he must look carefully at both wisdom and folly.
For what can the man do who comes after the king?: Good News Translation moves this phrase to the beginning of verse 12. The question Qoheleth puts here is a rhetorical one. Its purpose apparently is to strengthen his argument that he should consider both wisdom and folly. The initial Hebrew particle ki may be the motive marker for, giving the reason for Qoheleth’s testing of wisdom and folly. Or it could be translated as the emphatic “indeed” or “really” equally well (see comments on this particle, page 13). If the latter, then it expresses forcefully the thought that he can do nothing other than what the king has done. Our translation will be determined by the way we interpret the function of the particle.
An additional problem relates to the meaning of the verb comes after. Two meanings are possible: either to become the next king, or to follow in the way of the king, doing as he would do. There seems no way to settle this problem. However, if we refer to verse 18, where a similar thought occurs, it suggests that becoming the next king is what is in mind here. This gives a translation “What can the next king do?” or “What can the heir to the throne do?”
Only what he has already done: the person who takes over the throne can only do what the previous king did. The sense is that this is an ideal that the new king should follow. This interpretation depends upon understanding he as the previous king and not the man referred to in the question. If that is what is intended, then we can translate as “what the king has already done.” The assumption we make here is that, because the king had examined everything with such care, Qoheleth could do nothing less than that. However, we should be aware that we are making assumptions here, for it nowhere states what the king may have done. If our assumptions from the general context are correct, then Qoheleth bases his investigation on the fact that this was the only responsible policy to pursue. It wasn’t that he was unable to think of some alternative.
Avoiding the use of the rhetorical question may assist our translation. Possibilities are “The person who inherits the throne should follow the example of the previous king” or “Any person becoming king should follow the pattern set by the previous ruler in this matter.” Good News Translation treatment of this section may also be accepted.
It should, however, be noted here that the solution offered above is not without its problems, and that we have only chosen the most likely meaning. Despite this, it seems obvious that Qoheleth uses the question and comment to justify all he did.
Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell. A Handbook on the Book of Ecclesiates. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .