The many problems Qoheleth struggles to deal with and to understand are complicated even more by the fact of death. It is that issue which provides a major focus for all his concerns. What is Qoheleth’s response to this situation? He confesses that he is unable to understand why he should die just as the fool does. Why cannot wisdom make a difference at death?

Then I said to myself is the same expression we met with in 2.1 (see comments there). It is the marker for Qoheleth’s inner response to what he saw.

What befalls the fool will befall me also: this is death seen from a very personal perspective, as Qoheleth notes that there is no way he can avoid dying. The same is true of the fool. So being wise or foolish can do nothing to prevent a person dying. The verb befalls comes from the same Hebrew root as the noun “fate” in the previous verse. Translators can preserve the idea of “fate” or “end” if necessary, with a rendering “The fate [or, end] of the fool will be my fate [or, end] also,” or follow Good News Translation “I will suffer the same fate as the fool.” Alternatively the more specific reference to death can be used, in which case something like “the fool will die, and so will I” is appropriate.

Why then have I been so very wise?: Given this fact of life, naturally Qoheleth must ask about the value of being wise. Good News Translation expresses his concern well: “So what have I gained by being so wise?” In this question the same root as appears in the special term yithron, “lasting benefit,” is used as an adverb. It describes the degree to which Qoheleth was wise, so we translate it as “very wise.” The full question can be given as “What is the value of becoming so wise?” or “Where is the benefit in great wisdom?” or “Where is the benefit of my wisdom now?” The translator may want to make clear the thought behind the question in the following way: “What good is it to be so wise if it makes no difference in the end?”

To understand the pain behind this question, it is important to recall that traditionally wisdom teaching claimed that wisdom would give life to anyone who sought it. See, for example, Pro 10.27: “The fear of the LORD prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be short.” Traditional wisdom taught that long life is the reward that wisdom can give, but Qoheleth has already noted that the facts seem to be otherwise.

Qoheleth replies to his own question: I said to myself that this also is vanity. The words this also can refer only to the entire situation he has described. Such a situation is beyond his power to understand. In his heart he is convinced of the true value of being wise: it is as light is to darkness. However, when death makes no distinction between wise people and fools, it is as though there is no value in wisdom. Qoheleth cannot resolve this problem; so he describes it as hevel, which is to say, an enigma or puzzle. Good News Translation and most other translations suggest that this phrase means Qoheleth gained nothing from being wise. But such a translation denies what Qoheleth tries to hold on to so strongly, namely, that there is always value in being wise. So we can improve our translation by saying something like “I told myself, here is another of those unanswerable questions” or “I realized that this was another puzzle.”

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 .