Verses 13-14 form another subunit within the section 7.1-14. They answer the second part of the question in 6.12. Their structure is similar to that seen in earlier verses (9 and 10). This time a set of imperatives comes in a positive form. Both are calls to the hearer to “see” or “consider” God’s role as creator. Verse 13 begins with an imperative followed by a rhetorical question, providing a justification of Qoheleth’s advice. It tells us that we cannot change what God decides to do. Verse 14 expands on this, giving two balanced pieces of advice together with a conclusion. The reader is called on to make the best of both good and bad times. We human beings are unable to determine what the future holds.
We note that verses 13-14 reverse the pattern in verses 9 and 10 (see placement of rhetorical questions), with a contrast between negative and positive as well. The final exhortation (14) contains two parts:
verse 9 negatived exhortation: “Be not….”
• explanation introduced by “for”
verse 10 negatived exhortation: rhetorical question, “Why…?”
• explanation introduced by “for”
verse 13 positived exhortation: “Consider…!”
• explanation in the form of a rhetorical question, “Who…?”
verse 14 positived exhortation: “Be joyful … and consider!”
• explanatory conclusion: “God has made….”
Reflection on human life is an essential part of the wise person’s work; the other part is reflection on what God himself does. In this section we see that Qoheleth accepts the idea that God is active in human history and in the world he created. This forms one of the most important elements in his view of life (see also 3.11, 14; 8.17 for similar ideas).
Consider is an imperative form from the verb “see.” We have noted how Qoheleth, throughout this work, uses that verb to describe the way that he observed and reflected on the ordinary events and people he met (refer to 1.14; 2.10, 18; 3.16; 4.1 for example). Here he calls the reader to observe closely a particular issue and to think about what it may mean. “Reflect on” or “Stop and think about” may be ways of expressing this idea in English.
The matter Qoheleth wants people to think about is the work of God. In translation we can preserve this noun form, or we can do as Good News Translation has done and make it a verbal phrase, “what God has done.” New English Bible refers to “God’s handiwork.” There is no further information from the context to tell us what kind of “work” Qoheleth has in mind, so our translation should reflect this very general expression. We can also render it “everything God does.”
Who can make straight what he has made crooked?: this question is intended to challenge the reader. It is a rhetorical question expecting the answer “Nobody can.” This can be expressed in translation as “Nobody can ever make straight what God has made crooked.” This is acceptable because the function of the question is to state a truth in emphatic form rather than ask for information. There are, however, good reasons for keeping the question form here. The first is that it intends to challenge the reader, and the statement form does not do that so well, at least in English. The second reason is that the rhetorical question is an important literary feature of this section, and one used quite frequently. However, as always, it is the translator’s language that is the priority, so if rhetorical questions are inappropriate here, a statement form can be used.
In Hebrew the question is introduced by the conjunction ki. In this context it does not seem to introduce a motive or result clause, but an emphatic clause. It emphasizes the question itself, so we can reflect that by using “indeed” or “now” as the introductory particle. Most versions (Revised Standard Version, New International Version, Good News Translation, Jerusalem Bible) leave this particle untranslated here. Translators may do the same or insert some particle showing emphasis.
God’s work is characterized here as what he has made crooked. The created world and human society are all God’s doing, and it is “twisted” or “bent.” This view of the world has been seen already in 1.15 (see comments there). The problem we must first solve is to determine whether the intended meaning of this proverb is negative. If so, then our translation can reflect that negative sense. However, because this is such a general saying, and because there are many situations in the natural world where being “crooked” is not a defect, we recommended an interpretation that is more positive. We can indicate that “crooked” is simply the way things are; this is how God has fashioned the world. Human beings have no power to change that. A careful choice of words will help us to communicate this positive meaning, or at least to avoid too negative a slant. It is better to use a neutral verb like “straighten” than a loaded term like “fix” or “make right.” In the same way the rendering crooked is an unfortunate choice in English, because it has such negative connotations. “Bent” would be better.
In translation we can say something like:
• Think about what God has done [or, made]; is there anyone who can make straight what he has bent?
• Look closely at God’s handiwork; nobody can straighten out what he has curved.
• Observe everything God does; can any human make straight what God intends should be bent? Of course not!
Contemporary English Version also provides an alternative model:
• Think of what God has done!
If God makes something crooked,
can you make it straight?
When Good News Translation changes the form of the rhetorical question to “How can anyone…?” there is the possibility of misunderstanding Qoheleth’s meaning. This is an idiomatic use of “How can…?” which is not asking “how?” but saying that “there is nobody who can.” This possible difficulty can be avoided by using only a form of rhetorical question that gives the right sense in the translator’s language.
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 .