The first imperative Go is not intended to call people to move to some other place. It calls on them to begin the action expressed in the next verb, eat. We may translate as Good News Translation “Go ahead…” or “Go to it, then” (New English Bible). Using a different marker like “So, …” is also possible, in which case the verb “eat” is highlighted.
Eat your bread with enjoyment: in Hebrew this clause consists of the imperative with an adverbial phrase followed by the object of the verb. The same structure is used in the next clause about drinking. We have already commented on the fact that eating and drinking are the verbs Qoheleth chooses for calling people to enjoy life (see comments on 2.24; 3.12-13).
Your bread has a more general sense, so we can use the word “food.” The pleasure theme is contained in the adverbial phrase with enjoyment. Good News Translation turns this into another imperative, “and be happy.” We may also say “enjoy your food” or “enjoy eating.”
And drink your wine with a merry heart parallels the structure of the call to eat. The imperative drink is the second important verb in each call to enjoyment. See comments in 2.24.
Wine represents the standard drink of the Israelites. It is the fermented juice of the grape. The possessive your in this and the above example need not be translated literally. We can also use the word “some” and still convey Qoheleth’s idea. Qoheleth suggests people should enjoy wine, though we can probably assume that as a wise man he would strongly oppose excessive drinking and drunkenness. Translators should avoid pressure to use a word other than “wine” where a local church has regulations against drinking. The Scripture text must have priority. On the other hand, wine represents the basic drink used at feasts, and as this will vary from place to place and group to group, translators can substitute the drink that is used in their situation.
With a merry heart (literally “with a good heart”) is similar to ideas in 2.3 and 10.19, namely, that wine can add cheer and joy to life. Here the phrase describes how people should drink wine, namely, joyfully and thankfully.
As eating and drinking are closely associated activities, and the two phrases with enjoyment and with a merry heart mean the same thing, it is possible to combine the two phrases and translate as “enjoy your food and wine [or, drink]” or “enjoy what you eat and the wine [or, what] you drink.”
For God has already approved what you do provides justification for the above imperatives. Good News Translation “it’s all right with God” catches the intention of the clause much better than Revised Standard Version. However, it is important that we avoid giving readers the impression that, no matter what a person does, God will happily accept it. The verb approved suggests agreement with something (see its use in this manner in Pro 3.12 [“delights”] and 16.7 [“please”]). We may also say it was part of his will, something he commends.
Already (New Revised Standard Version uses “long ago”) indicates approval at an earlier time. It is when we turn back to the other calls to enjoyment that we find the clue to Qoheleth’s meaning here. In each of those calls Qoheleth gives reasons for his advice: God expects us to enjoy life and its good things because they are what he gives us. Thus God has already approved expresses the idea that this is what God wills or intends. We can also say “God is in favor of this” (where “this” refers to eating and drinking with joy). A freer translation may be “this is what God intended” or “this is what God planned for you.”
What you do (literally “your actions”) does not mean everything a person wishes to do. Rather it has the narrower sense defined by the present context of eating and drinking, enjoying what God gives. So we can translate as “for God wills [or, intends] that you do so” or “God wants you to enjoy these things.”
The entire verse can be translated:
• So, then, eat your food and drink your wine with joy, because this is what God intended you to do.
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 .