Behold is an important discourse marker as Qoheleth again takes up his advice to enjoy life. Therefore some word or phrase may be used such as “Despite that, …” or “However, ….” In conjunction with the familiar “what I saw,” it can be rendered “But this is what I discovered:…” or “But here is my real discovery/conclusion:….”
What I have seen to be good and to be fitting: contrasting with his observation about widespread human suffering, Qoheleth notes that life also has a more positive aspect. Seen refers to Qoheleth’s keen observation and here additionally includes the advice based on that observation. This can be expressed as “I conclude,” “I believe that…,” or “I realize that….” The following phrase good and … fitting is troublesome owing to the use of the relative pronoun between the two expressions translated “good” and “beautiful.” It can mean literally “the good thing that is right to do.” But it seems more likely that these two expressions are coordinate, the second heightening or adding emphasis to the first. This gives a sense “what is good, what is even beautiful.” A somewhat freer translation may be “By far the best, in fact the only thing to do…,” “There is only one thing to do…,” or “Then I concluded that the right [or, best] thing to do is….”
To eat and drink and find enjoyment: see comments on 2.24, 3.13. Enjoyment is expressly linked with work, so it is more an attitude of mind (like Jerusalem Bible “to be content with”).
In all the toil with which one toils …: see comments on 1.3; 2.22.
The few days of his life: literally “the number of the days of his life.” Good News Translation has “during the short life God has given us.” This rendering is typical of most translations (for example, New English Bible “brief span of life”), which believe that “number” in Hebrew has the sense of a few, or a relatively small number. Since Qoheleth has used this phrase before, refer to notes on 2.3 for more detail. Here we note that the Hebrew term rendered “number” does not necessarily mean “few in number,” so we can translate for its correct meaning, “throughout his life.”
Which God has given him is an important phrase because it puts us in touch again with Qoheleth’s basic beliefs about God and life. In 2.24-25 and 3.13-15, Qoheleth uses this same argument, so we can be sure that it represents one of his basic ideas. Each call to enjoyment is rooted in the understanding that life is God’s gift, and that we should therefore show our thankfulness by enjoying it with all its diversity, its pain and its joys. We note that New Revised Standard Version has avoided male language here and translated with the first person plural instead of his and him: “the few days of the life God gives us” (Good News Translation is similar).
For this is his lot: a similar view is expressed in 3.22. See comments there. This points to enjoyment in general but should also be understood as referring to all the preceding activities: eating, drinking, and enjoying work. The translator should find the appropriate expression that refers to these things, whether singular or plural.
The lot is the “portion” or “limited reward” God gives us, reminding us that there is always some reward for diligence. There is both a sense of satisfaction and material reward from working. However, they cannot be the same thing as the “lasting benefit” (yithron) that Qoheleth is seeking. This fact is the more obvious when he has just finished demonstrating how limited the value of material things is, since death removes us from them. It is no different than losing those things ourselves through folly or misadventure. So Qoheleth’s advice points the way to wisdom, the only path to “lasting benefit.” Good News Translation “this is our fate” raises some difficulties, as “fate” may mean something different in other cultures and religions. He does not mean that God has already mapped out an unchanging and certain course for our life, and that this can be discovered by reading the palm of the hand or consulting the stars. It is better to use a word like “reward” or “gift.” His is impersonal so translation as a noun (“a person’s”) or an inclusive pronoun (“our”) will be appropriate.
We can express the meaning of this verse as:
• [However,] I have observed that the best thing a person can do is to eat, drink, and enjoy all the work God gives us throughout life. Enjoyment of life is God’s gift to us.
• Look, this is what I discovered: the best thing to do in this life is to eat, drink and to find satisfaction in the work God gives us on this earth, for this is the reward God gives.
• Yet this is what I concluded: the only thing to do is to eat, drink, and get satisfaction from the all the work God gives us in our lifetime; this is our reward.
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 .