In keeping with the situation described in verse 6, Qoheleth further illustrates the high status conferred on low members of society. This example of slaves riding on horseback is parallel to that of fools in positions of power. The phrase I have seen can be translated literally, but it probably means rather “I have seen cases of…” and can be translated as such.

In Israel slaves were usually captured in battle. This meant that they had no status in society at all, even though Israelite law guaranteed them certain basic human rights. The difference in status between slave and prince was therefore extreme, making Qoheleth’s contrast an obvious one. It is very unlikely that a slave would ride on horseback. In later times in Israel horses were used commonly for transporting people and goods, but slaves would not normally ride on them, certainly not in the presence of the prince and similar members of the upper class. Some societies do not have a slave class. However, there are always divisions in human societies, with some members having less power than others. In some languages we speak of “big” people, those in authority, and “little” people, those with no authority. In such a setting the translator may choose to represent the two extremes of power in other appropriate ways; for example, “poor … wealthy.”

Princes is a term appropriate to Israelite and other societies in which there is an aristocracy or royal family tradition. Good News Translation chooses “nobleman” to convey this sense. A representative leader of society is all that is required to convey Qoheleth’s point that established social patterns can be overthrown.

Walking on foot like slaves: the aristocracy are the ones who are now in the position of slaves. The expression like slaves means that the princes are being treated as slaves, that they are having to walk while the slaves enjoy the symbol of high social position and power, namely, riding on horseback.

Qoheleth suggests a situation has occurred in which established patterns of power and privilege are overturned; roles are reversed. He does not explain how such a situation came about. That is not the point he is concerned with. He merely describes a hypothetical situation in order to show how the established and ideal ordering of society can be upset. Although in this example the horse does not play an active role like the fly, the snake, and other animals used as illustrations in this chapter, it is nonetheless significant that Qoheleth draws on another animal as part of the discussion here.

In some cultures horses may not be known, or at least they may not be familiar enough for Qoheleth’s imagery to be understood. If this is the case, the reversal of roles will have to be spelled out in full. If necessary it is even possible to omit the actual examples of slaves, princes, and horses, though this takes away the effective imagery. The emphasis is not on these items, however, but on the social situation—“This is something else I observed: the little people who should be walking, ride like big people, and big people who should be riding, walk [on the ground] like little people.”

The two clauses in Hebrew are joined by a conjunction, rendered in many versions as “and.” However, in some languages a word like “while” will highlight the contrast: “I saw slaves riding high on horses like princes, while princes walked on the ground like slaves.”

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 .