The second command follows the same pattern as in verse 9. It too consists of a warning followed by an explanatory clause.

Say not is rendered in some translations (Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible) as “Do not ask….” This is because what follows is a question, and also because the explanatory clause uses the verb “ask.” It is not necessary to use direct speech in translating this comment; indirect speech is also acceptable. Several possibilities exist for conveying this meaning; for example, “Do not think that the former days were better” or “Do not ask why the former days were better.” This advice is given in the second person. It is also possible to use an inclusive first person plural, “Let’s not ask ourselves…” (Bible en français courant), or an impersonal expression, “It is not wise to ask….”

Why were the former days better than these?: the question here is a rhetorical one, so it may be presented as a negative statement: “Do not say [or, think] that the old days were better than the present.”

Why…? is literally “What has happened…?” The speaker is asking what changes took place to make the present conditions seem worse than they were in the past.

The former days is from the same root as “beginning” in verse 8. Former days refers to an indefinite period of time in the past, so we can say “the past” or “the old days.” However, what is being compared in this saying is not past and present time. The saying means that the situation or conditions in those days were better than the situation or conditions now. Our translation may need to make clear what comparison is being made, by saying “In the old days things were better” or “It was always better in the past.”

Better is difficult to define more closely because we cannot determine in what ways the old days may have been better. Again the root word “good” ties this passage with all the verses before it.

These, or “these present times,” is the other side of the comparison. It may be necessary to use this longer phrase, or to omit it altogether as redundant, following the Good News Translation model.

Translators can consider the following:

• Don’t ask: “Why were things better in the past [than they are now]?”

or in statement form,

• Don’t think that in the old days things were better [than they are now].

• … it was always better in the past than it is now.

For brings us to Qoheleth’s reason for denying that things were better in the past. Here it functions as a logical connector meaning “because.” Since this clause follows a rather common saying, it is likely that this is Qoheleth’s private opinion.

It is not from wisdom that you ask this: the final word this points back to the saying in the first half of the verse. To think that the past was better does not reflect the views of a wise person; only fools think this way. The expression from wisdom indicates the standpoint from which the question is asked. “From the vantage point of wisdom” is its meaning, where “wisdom” includes the collective experience of the wise men as well as their traditional methods of getting at the truth, namely, observation and reflection. This can be stated more simply in translation as “if you were a wise person you would not ask this” or “a wise person would know better than to suggest this.”

Although Qoheleth does not offer any reason or justification for his comment, it is possible from other parts of the book to guess what basis he may have for believing as he does. For example, in 1.9-10; 3.15; and 6.10 he has argued that whatever exists now was there in the past, so there is nothing really new in this world. Further, there are no fundamental changes occurring from one generation to another. Of course Qoheleth is not claiming that there is no technological or other cultural progress. He may have in mind the fact that people tend to overlook the problems of the past when faced with problems in the present. Whatever the reason, Qoheleth believes only fools think the past was in any way better than the present. If we wish to turn the question into direct speech, then ask this may need to be modified to “say things like that” or “think that way.”

Some translation possibilities are:

• To ask this question shows you are not a wise person.

• Thinking like that proves you are a fool.

Good News Translation‘s “It’s not an intelligent question” is also a good model to follow.

Both warnings in verses 9-10 urge the reader to avoid foolish behavior. They are two concrete examples of folly. They are not the only problems Qoheleth thought about. Rather, all foolishness is to be avoided.

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 .