Following the introduction (verse 12) Qoheleth mentions the task he set out to accomplish (verse 13), and then gives a very general summary of what he learned (verse 14). Verse 15 is a quotation supporting the conclusion in verse 14.
And I applied my mind is literally “I set [or, gave] my heart” (as in 1.17; 7.25; 8.9, 16). This idiom reflects the Old Testament idea that the heart was where a person’s thinking was done, where the intelligence resided. The heart was also linked with the will. The expression indicates that Qoheleth deliberately set out to enquire about something. Many cultural groups will have an idiom such as “put heart [bile, liver],” which expresses this determination and will to know something. Good News Translation “I determined that I would…” also catches the meaning well. Other possibilities are “I decided to…,” “I concentrated on…,” or “I put my whole heart into….”
To seek and to search out is a double expression, something that Hebrew enjoys using. To seek means getting to the root of a matter or problem, and search out speaks of investigating something from several points of view. The whole phrase emphasizes the thoroughness and seriousness of Qoheleth’s search. This element of the meaning should be clear in the translation, whether we do or do not use a double expression like Hebrew. Jerusalem Bible “I have been at pains to study” indicates well Qoheleth’s laborious search for meaning, but not that his search was thorough. “I dedicated myself to investigate thoroughly” is the idea to be rendered.
By wisdom is an important phrase, for it tells the reader that every test Qoheleth conducted was done in a special way. It was done using the methods and insights accepted and used by Israel’s wise men. Even when he was testing folly and other aspects of human life that some might have thought inappropriate, Qoheleth was carrying out a scientific experiment. Only in this way could he discover the truth and be able to advise others how to cope with life. Wisdom in this setting has a very broad meaning. It includes the methods used as well as the actual insights of the wise men. For translation we can say “using wisdom methods,” “using the methods the wise men use,” or “like all wise men do.”
This first appearance of the word wisdom is a good place to think further about its meaning and thus its translation. It is a term whose meaning includes the teachings of previous generations, and popular or folk wisdom, as well as the more intellectual or philosophical writings of any cultural group. Old Testament wisdom is linked particularly with the ministry of the Israelite sage, but it is also part of an international tradition in which sages from one place exchanged ideas with those from another. In Israel true wisdom was founded in worship of God (Pro 1.7 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge”). “Wisdom” can therefore mean the international wisdom movement itself, the body of knowledge and understanding that it taught, or the particular school of thought of the Hebrew sages themselves. It may describe the method of observation and reflection on everything that happens in life, as well as what the sages discovered and taught. The context will help the translator decide which meaning or emphasis is intended each time the word “wisdom” is used. Translators need to think seriously about including a definition of this concept in the Glossary or the Introduction.
All that is done under heaven: this is a very general expression and can include what God has done as well as what people do. However, the rest of the verse helps us to see that here it is most probably a reference to what people do on earth; this is different from what the expression meant in verse 9, where the agent appears to be God rather than any human. If the passive form of Revised Standard Version and others needs to be turned into an active voice in the translator’s language, then a subject will have to be provided for the verb “do.” “Everything that people do” is a possible translation.
Under heaven is a variation of the phrase “under the sun” in verse 3; the meaning of the two phrases is identical. Some languages may have only one expression for this idea, in which case it is acceptable to use the same expression for both. Some ways we may translate it are “on earth,” “in this world,” “in this life,” or “throughout the world.” See other examples in comments on verse 3.
Word order may need to be changed to produce a natural expression of the first part of the verse. Jerusalem Bible has “with the help of wisdom, I had been at pains to study….”
Good News Translation begins a new paragraph at this point. However, since there is no change in topic, it is best not to follow its example here.
It is an unhappy business: the noun business comes from a root that in the Old Testament is used only in Qoheleth. It describes the act of working at something, hence its noun form is “work” or “task” (see, for example, 2.23, 26; 3.10; 4.8; 5.2, 13; 8.16). What does Qoheleth have in mind here? Because he seems to be thinking of something specialized in this case, business probably does not mean the regular work routine but the sage’s struggle to understand what life is about. Good News Translation “fate” in its biblical setting indicates that this is a task that God gives. In English the word “fate” can be misunderstood as a person’s predetermined lot. Some religions speak of our fate as that which has already been determined by the stars, a previous life, or some other external factor, and over which we have no control. For this reason we should avoid this word. “Task” or “job” would be more appropriate.
To describe this business as unhappy, Qoheleth uses an adjective (raʿ) that can have various meanings depending on the context. If it is used in a moral context, it means “evil” (as in 3.16). In other settings it can mean something painful or frustrating (so Good News Translation “miserable fate”; New International Version “heavy burden”; Jerusalem Bible “weary task”). The translator should look for a word that vividly conveys the idea that the task of understanding this world is not always easy—it is sometimes painful and often causes considerable heart ache (see verse 18).
That God has given to the sons of men: here we can see into Qoheleth’s view of God. He regards life (with all its problems) as a divine gift (see 2.24; 3.10, 13; 5.19; 6.2). In this verse we meet the first use of the word God. Translators should keep this general term for “God” rather than use the special divine name Yahweh or its equivalent. This is because Old Testament wisdom literature prefers to use the general term Elohim.
Sons of men is literally “sons of mankind [or, of Adam],” and the clear meaning is “all people,” not just males. Our translation should reflect this wide meaning: “every human being” or “every person.” Some African languages have a similar expression meaning “human being” but also conveying the sense of human mortality or weakness. In such languages, therefore, the translator may be able to preserve both the form and the meaning of the Hebrew. Good News Translation “us” is an inclusive form and is more personal. However, Qoheleth is actually speaking in a more detached way of the whole human family.
To be busy with is another example of a construction in which the verb and its object come from the same root (literally “an unhappy business … to be busy with”); see note on “cognate-object construction,” page 24. Languages that prefer not to use this kind of repetition may use a general term, in which case the phrase “to be busy with” may be omitted.
Two models for translation are:
• It is a painful task that God has given people [to deal with].
• What a difficult job God gives people [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 .