This verse restates in another way the ideas already given in verse 9. For this reason it can be interpreted as adding force to the argument that there is nothing new in this world.

Is there a thing of which it is said…?: many versions do as Revised Standard Version does and ask the question “Is there…?” but in fact the Hebrew uses a statement here. It begins “There is something…,” thus contrasting with verse 9 “there is nothing….” In terms of style, a translation that preserves the contrast between these two opening phrases may express Qoheleth’s point more clearly than the question form.

The Hebrew word davar, “thing,” was plural and translated as “words” in the Introductory Title (verse 1). Here it is best thought of as “thing” or “matter” rather than “word.”

Of which it is said: this passive voice or impersonal form may be a problem in some languages, and indeed the original Hebrew does not use either of these. No subject is mentioned for the verb “say,” so we must supply one. The clause can be understood as a supposition, that is, a statement of what might possibly be the case, so a subject like “people” or “someone” is suitable. This gives a possible translation, “There are things of which people may [do] say….” Here the verb “say” may also mean “think,” as it is not important for a person to actually put this idea into words. In this case we can give a translation “There are some things that people think.”

Translation can be as follows: “Suppose there is something that a person thinks…” or “People may say [about a thing] ….”

The imperative form See, this is new calls our attention. The object of the imperative “Look” is simply this. Hence a possible translation is “Look at this!” The next clause is literally “it is new.” Dividing the call into two sentences makes the translation more animated and will help the reader to see that verse 10 presents a challenging illustration of verse 9c. It recognizes that people often think they have found something new, but for Qoheleth “newness” is a meaningless idea. It cannot apply to what God has already made. People may think they have found something new, but it is only new to them.

If we wish to use a single sentence for a more precise and probably more powerful expression, we can simply say here “People may say, ‘Here is something new,’ ” or “Suppose there is something that a person thinks is new.”

It has been already, in the ages before us: what some people may think of as new has been in existence for a long time. The Hebrew term ʿolam (in the ages) is translated elsewhere in the Old Testament as “eternity.” This term does not usually refer to an unending period of time, however, but rather to a very long one or “an age.” In this verse the word appears as a plural, probably to emphasize that what exists now has existed from the earliest times. A possible translation is “it has always been in existence.”

Before us describes the word ages. New Jerusalem Bible makes this clear by saying “in ages that went by before us.” However, Good News Translation and the Contemporary English Version (Contemporary English Version) take before us to mean “long before we were born.” Though not an exact translation of the Hebrew, it expresses Qoheleth’s idea well. If desired, this phrase can occur at the beginning rather than at the end of the clause: “Long before we were born, it was already here.”

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 .