SIL Translator’s Notes on Ecclesiastes 2006 – Page 3

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ecclesiastes 1:18

1:18a For with much wisdom comes much sorrow,

The wiser I became, the more disappointed I became. (Translation for Translators)
-or-
When a person becomes wiser, he also becomes more frustrated.

1:18b and as knowledge grows, grief increases.

More knowledge causes more sorrow.
-or-
The more things I knew about, the sadder I became. (Translation for Translators)

© 2006 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ecclesiastes 3:6

3:6a a time to search and a time to count as lost,

There is a time to look for things that you have lost.There is a time to accept that you have lost them. (EEB)
-or-

⌊There is also⌋ a time ⌊when people⌋ search for ⌊things⌋ and a time ⌊when people decide to⌋ stop searching ⌊for things⌋ .
-or-

⌊People⌋ look ⌊for things lost⌋ at certain times and ⌊people⌋ give up looking ⌊for things⌋ at certain times.

3:6b a time to keep and a time to discard,

⌊There is⌋ a time to keep things, and a time to throw things away.
-or-

⌊There is also⌋ a time ⌊when people⌋ keep ⌊things⌋ and a time ⌊when people⌋ throw ⌊things⌋ away.
-or-

⌊People⌋ at certain times keep ⌊things⌋ and ⌊people⌋ discard ⌊things⌋ at certain times.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ecclesiastes 4:16

4:16a There is no limit to all the people who were before them.

(Revised Standard Version🙂 there was no end of all the people; he was over all of them.

He would lead countless numbers of people.
-or-
Many followed him at first, (New Century Version)

4:16b Yet the successor will not be celebrated by those who come even later.

But then another generation grows up and rejects him, too.
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but later, they did not like him, either. (New Century Version)

4:16c This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

So again, this ⌊popularity⌋ is also pointless, just like chasing the wind.
-or-
This, too, is as useless as trying to control where the wind blows.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ecclesiastes 6:12

6:12a For who knows what is good for a man during the few days in which he passes through his fleeting life like a shadow?

For who knows what is good for one during his life—during the few days of his fleeting life—that pass like a shadow? (TLV) ⌊No one knows.⌋
-or-
Indeed, no one knows what is best for a person. Our lives are short and pointless, they pass quickly like a shadow.

6:12b Who can tell a man what will come after him under the sun?

And who knows what happens in the world after they die? ⌊No one does!⌋
-or-
Certainly nobody could tell us what will happen in this world after we die.
-or-
No one can tell them what will happen later. (English Easy-to-Read Version)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ecclesiastes 8:3

8:3a Do not hasten to leave his presence,

If you are with the king, do not leave in a hurry. (EEB)
-or-
When you go away from the king you should not hurry.
-or-
Don’t be too quick to leave the king. (New Century Version)

8:3b and do not persist in a bad cause,

Do not join in an evil matter. (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
And do not participate in an evil ⌊plot against him⌋ .

8:3c for he will do whatever he pleases.

Because ⌊the king is powerful enough to⌋ do anything he wants to do.
-or-
Remember that the king can do anything that he wants to do. (EEB)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ecclesiastes 8:14

8:14a There is a futility that is done on the earth:

There is a strange thing happening here upon the earth. (TLB)
-or-
Hereʼs something else on this earth that doesnʼt have any meaning. (New International Reader’s Version)

8:14b There are righteous men who get what the actions of the wicked deserve,

⌊Sometimes⌋ godly people suffer like wicked people ⌊should⌋ suffer.
-or-
Bad things happen to good people, (New Century Version)

8:14c and there are wicked men who get what the actions of the righteous deserve.

And sometimes wicked people prosper just like godly people ⌊should⌋ prosper.
-or-
and good things happen to bad people. (New Century Version)

8:14d I say that this too is futile.

I say it is useless. (Good News Translation)
-or-
I say that even this is pointless. (God’s Word)

8:14a-d (combined)

There is something else that happens on earth that does not seem fair. Bad things should happen to bad people, and good things should happen to good people. But sometimes bad things happen to good people, and good things happen to bad people. This is not fair. (English Easy-to-Read Version)
-or-
But this is something else that is difficult to understand: Sometimes righteous people suffer in the way the wicked people deserve. And sometimes wicked people enjoy the good things that righteous people deserve. I think that this is difficult to understand. (EEB)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ecclesiastes 10:11

10:11a If the snake bites before it is charmed,

If a snake bites before it has been charmed, (God’s Word)
-or-
If a ⌊poisonous⌋ snake has already bitten someone before it is calmed,

10:11b there is no profit for the charmer.

then there is no advantage in being a snake charmer. (God’s Word)
-or-
then a person who calms snakes cannot help anybody.

10:11a-b (reordered)

Someone may have power over dangerous snakes. But that will not help him if the snake bites him first. (EEB)
-or-
Someone might know how to control snakes. But that skill is useless if a snake bites when that person is not around. (English Easy-to-Read Version)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ecclesiastes 12:13

12:13a When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this:

Now, you have heard it all. And here is the final conclusion.
-or-
One final point after you have heard all ⌊my teaching⌋ .

12:13b Fear God and keep His commandments,

Submit to God and obey his commands,
-or-

⌊You must⌋ respect God ⌊by⌋ obeying his commands,

12:13c because this is the whole duty of man.

because this is what being human is all about.
-or-
because this is what it means to be human.

12:13a-c (combined)

After all this, there is only one thing to say: Have reverence for God, and obey his commands, because this is all that we were created for. (Good News Translation)
-or-
That is all. The conclusion is, fear God, and keep his commands, because this is what makes you human.

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Ecclesiastes 2006